Huskers Open Season in Hawaii

The 15th-ranked Nebraska softball team opens the 2007 season this week when the Huskers travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the five-team, four-day Paradise Classic, hosted by the University of Hawaii.

The Huskers begin the season on Thursday at 6 p.m. (Central) against the 24th-ranked Auburn Tigers. Nebraska’s matchup with Auburn will mark the seventh consecutive season the Huskers have faced a ranked opponent in the first game of the season. Nebraska wraps up the opening day of the 2007 season against host Hawaii.

On day two of the tournament, NU will meet DePaul and Portland State before bracket play begins on Saturday and concludes on Sunday. The trip to Hawaii marks the second time Nebraska has opened a season at the Paradise Classic. The 1998 Women’s College World Series squad began its memorable season with a 3-3 record at the tournament before the Huskers would lose just nine more times the rest of the season.

A quality field awaits NU in Hawaii. Auburn and Portland State each won at least one game in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, while Hawaii was just one win away from earning an automatic berth into the field. Despite a 33-22 record, DePaul was left out of the NCAA Tournament, a year after the Blue Demons advanced to the 2005 Women’s College World Series.

Nebraska’s four opponents combined to post an impressive 139-86 (.618) record in 2006, with each team winning at least 30 games. Each team also benefits from returning the majority of its roster from last season. In fact, each opponent returns its top pitcher from 2006, while DePaul, Hawaii and Portland State each return eight starters and Auburn features six returning starters.

The experience of the other four teams in the tournament will provide a challenge for a Husker team with a mix of seasoned veterans and talented underclassmen.

Although Nebraska lost only four starters from last season, 10 of the 15 players on the 2007 roster are freshmen or sophomores, including four players who will compete at the Division I level for the first time this season.

Nebraska is expected to start all three members of its freshman class, marking the first time since 2001 the Huskers have utilized three freshmen in a season-opening lineup.

While NU will rely heavily on underclassmen - potentially featuring as many as seven freshmen or sophomores in the lineup at the same time - the Huskers are bolstered by a talent-laden senior class.

Ashley DeBuhr is a two-time All-Big 12 selection, while Jamie Waldecker and Devin Porter have been regular starters since they set foot on campus and have combined to earn three all-conference accolades.

Scouting Auburn (36-22 in 2006)
The Auburn Tigers will be playing their second game of the season when they face Nebraska on Thursday. Auburn is coming off its best finish in school history, when the Tigers advanced to the regional finals of the 2006 NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Arizona. Auburn returns six starters and every pitcher from last season’s 36-22 squad that earned a No. 21 ranking in the final USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.

Auburn features a balanced and experienced lineup led by four seniors, Sara Ghezzi, Kristina McCain, Ashley Griffin and Holly Currie. The senior quartet combined for 28 home runs and 117 RBIs in 2006. Ghezzi led the team with a .357 average and McCain was right behind with a .355 average.

Auburn also returns plenty of veteran experience in the circle, as the Tigers - like the Huskers - return all three pitchers from last year’s staff. Currie headlines the staff as she posted a 19-14 record with a 1.79 ERA in 2006. Currie struck out 286 batters in only 219.0 innings, while limiting opposing hitters to a paltry .183 average. Beth DiPietro was the Tigers’ No. 2 pitcher last season, finishing with a 16-7 record and a 1.85 ERA.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Auburn, 1-0, as the Huskers posted a 6-3 victory on Feb. 27, 1998 in the only meeting between the schools. While the Huskers are 1-0 against Auburn, Nebraska has dropped three straight contests to SEC foes and has not defeated an SEC opponent since blanking Mississippi State, 8-0, in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

Scouting Hawaii (32-22 in 2006)
Hawaii returns the majority of its roster from its 2006 team that finished with a 32-22 record and narrowly missed making the NCAA Tournament, falling twice to Nevada in the championship of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

Offensively, the Rainbow Wahine return most of what proved to be a potent lineup last season, as the team posted a .297 team average. Tyleen Tausaga leads a corps of six returning players who hit above .300 last season. In 2006, Tausaga batted .373 with 10 home runs and a whopping .639 slugging percentage. Valana Manuma was right behind her with a .353 average and a team-high 32 runs scored.

In the circle, Justine Smethurst returns after carrying the bulk of the workload as a standout freshman in 2006. Although Hawaii had four pitchers toss at least 40 innings, Smethurst threw a team-high 170.2 innings, compiling a 16-12 record with a 1.89 ERA. Smethurst, an Australia native, proved hard to hit, as she limited opposing hitters to a .186 average while tossing three perfect games, including one in the WAC Tournament.

Nebraska and Hawaii have met five times, with the Huskers owning a 3-2 edge in the series. NU won the last meeting (3-1 in 1998), but the Huskers dropped a pair of decisions (0-6 and 6-7) to the Rainbow Wahine at the 1998 Hawaii Paradise Classic.

Scouting Portland State (38-20 in 2006)
Portland State is coming off a successful 2006 campaign that saw the Vikings finish with a 38-20 record in a season of firsts for the program. Under first-year head coach Amy Hayes, Portland State posted its first winning season at the Division I level in 2006, won the program’s first Pacific Coast Conference championship and advanced to the school’s first NCAA Tournament, recording one victory before two-run and one-run losses to Big 12 Conference foe Baylor ended the Vikings’ season.

Like the other teams Nebraska will face this week, Portland State features an experienced team. The Vikings return eight position starters as well as their top pitcher. Mandy Hill led the team with a .322 average, 12 home runs and 48 RBIs. Portland State hit just .259 as a team last season, but the Vikings were fueled by the long ball, belting 49 home runs as a team.

Hill also stars in the circle for the Vikings, compiling a 24-7 record with a 1.97 ERA in 2006. Hill tossed a team-high 227.2 innings, totaling 170 strikeouts and posting a pair of shutouts.

When Nebraska and Portland State meet on Friday, it will mark the first-ever meeting between the programs. While the Huskers are not familiar with the Vikings, there will be a familiar face in the opposing dugout for Head Coach Rhonda Revelle and Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel. Tobin Echo-Hawk, a two-time All-American at Nebraska who was a freshman in Revelle’s first season, is in her first year as an assistant coach for Portland State. Echo-Hawk, a four-year star from 1993 to 1996, still holds six school records at Nebraska.

Scouting DePaul (33-22 in 2006)
DePaul lost just one starter from last year’s 33-22 squad that began the season in the top 25, but saw its season end with a loss in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. Although the one lost starter was a key player both offensively and in the circle, the Blue Demons still boast an experienced and talented squad looking for its second Women’s College World Series appearance in the last three seasons.

Offensively, DePaul returns its top eight hitters from last season. The Blue Demons are built on speed, as they stole 80 bases in 2006. Amber Patton led the team with a .316 average, while Marcy Willis hit .309 with five home runs and 28 RBIs to highlight a balanced lineup that returns nearly in tact this season.

In the circle, Tracie Adix figures to be the Blue Demons’ main pitcher in 2007 after splitting time in 2006. Adix was 12-9 last season with a team-low 1.71 ERA in a team-high 131.1 innings. While DePaul’s staff posted a respectable 2.04 ERA in 2006, the Blue Demons lacked a dominant strikeout pitcher. Adix led the team with 68 strikeouts last season, as the staff combined to strike out only 176 batters in 350.0 innings. As a team, DePaul averaged just 3.2 strikeouts per game, while the Husker staff averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game.

DePaul has enjoyed success against Nebraska historically, as the Blue Demons own a 6-1 advantage in the series. The Huskers’ lone win came in a 10-2, six-inning win on the opening day of the 2004 season, while DePaul blanked Nebraska, 2-0, at the 2005 Kia Klassic in the teams’ last meeting.

Huskers Receiving Preseason Recognition
Nebraska has received plenty of preseason recognition, both on the conference and national levels. The Huskers earned a preseason ranking in both of the major polls, as NU was 15th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll and also came in at No. 15 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll.

On the conference level, the Huskers were picked third in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, voted on by the league coaches. Nebraska trailed only first-place Texas A&M and second-place Baylor. Although the Aggies, Lady Bears and the Oklahoma Sooners, who came in one spot behind the Huskers at No. 4, each return the majority of their lineup from a season ago, NU can take comfort in the fact that Nebraska posted a combined 5-1 record against the trio in 2006.

Aside from the team recognition, senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr was one of 50 players named to USA Softball’s Player of the Year watch list. A two-time all-conference and all-region selection, DeBuhr ranked among the Big 12 leaders in nearly every pitching category last season, while ranking in the top 25 in the nation in wins and strikeouts and 44th in ERA.

Fuller Preparing for Hawaiian Homecoming
Nebraska’s trip to Hawaii will mark the homecoming of sophomore infielder Kimberly Fuller. The first Hawaiian native to play for the Huskers, Fuller is from Honolulu and her family lives just minutes from the Hawaii campus and Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

In addition to getting the chance to play in her home state and in front of family and friends, Fuller will also have the chance to show her teammates some of her Hawaiian culture. Prior to the start of the tournament, the Huskers will enjoy a traditional Hawaiian luau on Wednesday.

Huskers Look to Snap Season-Opener Streak
Nebraska looks to snap a three-game losing streak in season openers when the Huskers face the Auburn Tigers on Thursday. Despite the streak, NU has managed at least a 1-1 record on the opening day of the season every year since 1999.

The Huskers’ streak speaks directly to the quality of competition Nebraska has faced. Despite limited outdoor practice time in Lincoln, head coach Rhonda Revelle has always challenged her team with top competition early in the season. When Nebraska faces No. 24 Auburn, it will mark the seventh consecutive season the Huskers have opened the season against a top-20 opponent. Since 2001, Nebraska is 2-4 in season openers (all against ranked teams) and 4-4 against ranked foes on the first day of the season.

Last year, the Huskers faced a pair of top-15 teams on the first day of the season, including an Oregon State squad that qualified for the Women’s College World Series. In fact, in each of the last three seasons, Nebraska has faced a team on opening day that went on to advance to the WCWS.

Under Revelle, Nebraska is 8-6 in season openers and 18-9 on the opening day of the season.

What’s Returning and What’s Lost
The 2007 Nebraska softball team returns plenty of proven production in several key categories, but the Huskers are not without holes to fill. A quick look at the numbers shows that NU has plenty of returning experience on defense, but it’s on offense where the Huskers will look for players to step up this weekend and throughout the season.

Many consider pitching and defense the most important aspect of the game and if true, that thinking bodes well for Nebraska. NU returns every pitcher who saw action in 2006, giving the Huskers a 100 percent return from last season to this year, with the benefit of a year of experience along with the addition of newcomer Alex Hupp.

Outside of the circle, the Husker pitchers will be surrounded by a talented and experienced infield. Overall, Nebraska lost just one starting infielder from the 2006 season, but the Huskers’ biggest challenge will be a new-look outfield, as NU lost all three starters from last year. Making the transition easier is the fact that the Huskers’ relied on the outfield for only nine percent of their outs in 2006.

Offensively is where Nebraska will face its biggest challenge in replacing lost production from last season. The Huskers return nearly half of their at bats from 2006, but less than 50 percent of their hits. Nebraska lost its Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 9 hitters from a year ago, and the biggest need to replace will be the table setters at the top of the order.

All-Big 12 performers Lizzy Aumua and Jessica Yoachim hit 1-2 in the order last season and were the catalysts of the Husker offense. Aumua and Yoachim hit .370 and .356, respectively, while Trisha Tannahill, who hit fifth in last year’s lineup, ranked third on the team with a .286 average. Senior Devin Porter boasts the top returning average from 2006 when she hit .277. Aumua, Yoachim and Tannahill also posted the highest on-base percentages last year and the trio combined to score 112 of the Huskers’ 269 runs (42 percent).

Aumua and Yoachim especially were catalysts for the NU offense, getting on base to set the stage for the Huskers’ big bats in the middle of the order. The two also used their speed to impact a game, stealing bases to move into scoring position and forcing the defense into errors with the pressure of their speed. Aumua and Yoachim combined for 57 stolen bases, while the 2006 senior class went 76-of-81 in the stolen base department. In contrast, the Huskers’ 11 returning players swiped just 11 bases in 18 tries last season.

While production at the top of the order and a need for speed are question marks for the NU offense, the Huskers can take comfort in the fact that the middle of their order returns largely in tact, as does much of the power production from the 2006 season.

What Nebraska lacks in returning speed, it makes up for in returning power. The Huskers return their Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 hitters from 2006. NU also returns 65 percent of its RBI production from a year ago and 82 percent of its home run production. The returning power hitters should help the Huskers score runs, but as Aumua and Yoachim proved in 2006, Nebraska’s offense will be that much more potent if its middle-of-the-order hitters have the chance to bat with runners - and speed - on the basepaths.

Tough Schedule Ahead
Nebraska has grown accustomed to playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and 2007 will be no exception. NU will play at least 18 games against teams that earned 2006 NCAA Tournament bids.

The Huskers will also play at least four regular-season contests against teams that advanced to Super Regional, including a pair against Women's College World Series participant Texas.

Nebraska is also scheduled to play at least 13 regular-season games against eight teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA preseason top 25 poll.

Revelle Nears 600th Wins
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle enters the 2007 season with a career record of 561-291, including a 553-275 mark at Nebraska. Already the first women’s coach of any sport in school history with 500 career wins, Revelle ranks third all-time among all coaches in NU history with her 553 wins at Nebraska.

Revelle is approaching another milestone this season, as she needs just 39 victories to reach the 600-win milestone and 47 victories to record her 600th win at Nebraska.

Waldecker Searching For Another Strong Start
Although Nebraska has dropped its last three season openers and hasn’t posted a pair of wins on the first day of the season since 2003, individual NU players have still excelled on opening day. One Husker in particular who has great opening-day numbers is senior Jamie Waldecker.

In her career, Waldecker has started five games on the first day of the season. In those contests, she is 5-for-16 and has hit safely in four of the five games. In addition to her .313 average, Waldecker has also added a total of six RBIs in her five opening-day starts. Waldecker’s numbers are even more impressive when considering the competition she has faced.

Of her five career opening-day games, Waldecker has faced four top-15 teams. She went a combined 3-for-7 with two RBIs last year against No. 7 Stanford and 15th-ranked Oregon State. In 2005, she went 0-for-3 against All-American Monica Abbott of Tennessee and in her collegiate debut against 15th-ranked DePaul in 2004, Waldecker went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.

Carwile Anxious to Pick Up Where She Left Off
Sophomore Crystal Carwile made one of the biggest impacts a freshman has ever made at Nebraska when she led the team in home runs and RBIs in 2006. Despite a terrific campaign, a nagging injury contributed to a slow finish for Carwile, who underwent offseason surgery that forced her to miss the summer months as well as the Huskers’ fall season.

Carwile is ready to show she’s back to the form that helped her earn second-team all-conference accolades in 2006, but she may be hard pressed to duplicate her debut performance at Nebraska’s season-opening tournament last year.

At the 2006 Kajikawa Classic, Carwile started all five games and put up astounding numbers for a player seeing her first action at the Division I level. After going 1-for-6 with an RBI in two opening-day games, Carwile exploded onto the scene on day two, finishing 4-for-7 with a double, three home runs and six RBIs.

In her first weekend of competition, Carwile hit .375 (6-for-16) with a double, three home runs and six RBIs.

Huskers Look for 13th Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2007
Nebraska softball is in an elite class when it comes to postseason play. The Huskers are one of nine teams to appear in the past 12 NCAA Tournaments and they look to make it 13 straight in 2007. NU also has a history of earning high seeds in the tournament. In the eight seasons prior to the format switch that occured in 2005, Nebraska earned a No. 2 seed or higher in the NCAA Regional every season. The only other teams that accomplished that feat were Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington.

Overall, NU has earned 17 NCAA Tournament bids, tying Texas A&M for the most NCAA berths of any Big 12 school. The Huskers have advanced to the College World Series seven times, the most of any school in the league.

Nebraska also has a strong history of hosting regionals at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers have been awarded an NCAA Regional in three of the last four years.

Big 12 Dominance
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle owns at least a .500 career record against every coach in the Big 12 Conference (excluding first-year head coaches). Revelle owns a winning record over each of her Big 12 peers, with the exception of Iowa State's Stacy Gemeinhardt, whose Cyclones posted a 1-1 record against Nebraska in 2006, Gemeinhardt's first year as a head coach.

Program Stability
Nebraska softball is renowned for its tradition and one of the Huskers' richest traditions is program stability. Nowhere is this highlighted more than looking at NU Head Coach Rhonda Revelle and Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel.

Revelle is in her 15th season at the helm of the Husker program, while Sippel enters her 18th year in Lincoln. Both coaches also played for Nebraska, with Revelle enjoying a three-year career and Sippel starring for four years.

In fact, Revelle and Sippel have combined to be a part of 860 of Nebraska's 1,028 all-time victories (84 percent).

Huskers Lead in Graduation Rate
Nebraska's exhausted eligibility rate among all sports reached 94 percent in the latest rates released by the NCAA in November of 2006. The Huskers' rate was the best in the Big 12 Conference for the fourth consecutive year.

Softball has done its part, as Nebraska graduated five players in 2006, including three Huskers who earned their degrees before completing their playing eligibility.

Endowed Scholarships
On Aug. 14, 2006, the Nebraska softball program proudly announced the endowment of the Julie Geis Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, awarded annually to a member of the softball team, is the Husker softball program’s second fully endowed scholarship, along with the Richard Raimondi Memorial Scholarship.

Husker softball now has the only two fully endowed scholarships for female athletes at Nebraska.

Huskers Excelling in the Pros
Three former Huskers were named all-stars in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) in 2005, the only season the league held an all-star game. The Huskers’ total of three players in the game trailed only UCLA for the most selections among all colleges and universities in the nation.

Former Huskers Peaches James (2001-04), Nicole Trimboli (2001-04) and Anne Steffan (2002-05) were each named all-stars. The trio then teamed up to lead the Chicago Bandits to a league-best regular-season record in 2006, with Steffan earning All-NPF honors after finishing second in the league with a .400 average.

Olympic Connections
Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel was named Head Coach of the Canadian National Team in March of 2005 and will lead the Canadians in the 2008 Olympic Games.

In her short tenure as head coach of Team Canada, Sippel has already guided the Canadians to great success. At the World Cup of Softball in July of 2005, Sippel led the Canadians to a 2-1 upset of the United States, handing the Americans their first loss in international play since 2002.

This past summer, Sippel led her team to a runner-up finish at the Canada Cup and a third-place finish at the II World Cup of Softball. She then took her squad to the World Championship in Beijing, China, where Team Canada secured an automatic berth in the 2008 Olylmpics by virtue of a fifth-place finish.

One of Sippel's star players is former Husker Sheena Lawrick, who was selected to the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team despite recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament when the team was announced. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Lawrick started two games for the Canadians, who finished the Olympics with a 3-4 record, tying for the country's best showing ever. Lawrick also produced both RBIs in Canada's upset victory over Team USA in 2005.

Home Sweet Home
The Husker softball team continued to receive tremendous fan support in 2006. Nebraska ranked 10th in the nation in Division I softball attendance with an average of 626 fans per game. NU was one of 15 schools to draw 10,000 or more fans and one of only three schools to reach the mark in 16 or fewer home games.

The thousands of fans who passed through the gates of Bowlin Stadium were not only treated to great softball, but watched the game from one of the top stadiums in the nation. In addition to its many fan amenities, Bowlin Stadium and its tremendous playing surface was named the 2004 SportsTurf Managers Association Field of the Year.