NU Wraps Up Tournament Travel This Weekend

After traveling to Hawaii, Georgia and Nevada, the Nebraska softball team will stay closer to home this weekend, finishing the road portion of its season-opening five-tournament schedule by heading south to Wichita, Kan., for the Shocker Invitational.

Joining the 10-7 Huskers in the Sunflower State will be Minnesota, Western Illinois and host Wichita State. NU will face the Golden Gophers and Westerwinds twice on Friday and Saturday, before playing a lone game against the Shockers on Sunday.

In a change from the original schedule, Nebraska will now play Wichita State at 10 a.m. on Sunday, instead of the originally scheduled 12:30 p.m.

This weekend will also mark NU’s first radio games of the season. In a late addition made possible by the Husker Sports Network, all five games are scheduled to air, free of charge, on Huskers.com. Nebraska's first four games will definitely air and the fifth is probable, depending on scheduling limitations.

After finishing a third straight tournament at one game above .500, Nebraska is looking for more this weekend. In each of the past two tournaments, a single day has spoiled the weekend, as the Huskers dropped both games on the first day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic and lost a pair of Saturday contests last weekend at the UNLV Invitational.

To finish with a better record this weekend, the Huskers will have to improve at beating a team for a second time. Nebraska has already played four teams twice, posting a 4-4 record in those games. NU was swept in two games at Hawaii and defeated then-No. 18 Auburn twice, but against Portland State and DePaul, the Huskers were winners in the first meeting before being shut out in losses the second time the teams met.

On paper, the Shocker Invitational field presents less of a challenge than Nebraska has faced through a rigorous 17-game schedule thus far. NU’s three opponents boast a combined 19-24 record through Tuesday, with no team more than one game above .500.

That represents a welcome break from the Huskers’ challenging schedule that has already seen NU play 10 games against teams that have appeared in the top 25 at some point this season and one more contest against teams tabbed as the preseason favorite in their respective conference.

Nebraska faced another challenging schedule while posting a 3-2 record in Las Vegas last weekend.

After travel problems resulting from last week’s blizzard, a weary Husker team stepped up to defeat Southern Utah, 5-2, to open the tournament.

Nebraska then struggled on Saturday, losing to a pair of teams receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll in DePaul (2-0) and Fresno State (3-2).

The Huskers rebounded to defeat Delaware State, 2-1, on Sunday, before posting their most impressive win of the weekend, upsetting No. 18 California, 5-2 in eight innings.

Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota enters this weekend with an 8-7 record after a 1-4 showing at the Worth Invitational. The Golden Gophers have lost three straight, but have been competitive in a pair of games against Big 12 foes, losing to undefeated Oklahoma, 6-5, before beating Oklahoma State, 1-0, for their lone win last weekend.

Minnesota has struggled offensively, as the Gophers are hitting just .219 as a team. Katie Meyer leads all starters with a .267 average as only three regulars are hitting above .250. Minnesota has shown some power, as Lisa Parks has four of the Gophers’ eight home runs. UM is also a perfect 12-of-12 in stolen bases.

In the circle, Briana Hassett and Rene Konderik have split the majority of the innings. Hassett is 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 38.1 innings, while Konderik is 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA in 36.1 innings. Katie Dalen (2-2, 5.25 ERA) has also seen action as the staff boasts a collective 3.72 ERA.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Minnesota, 11-5. The Huskers have won six straight in the series, including a 4-0 win in the teams’ last meeting during the 2002 season. Minnesota has historically struggled to score against NU, as the Gophers have been shut out in three straight meetings and have managed just two runs in the last six meetings. Overall, Minnesota has been blanked in nine of the 16 all-time meetings.

Scouting Western Illinois
Western Illinois is just 3-4 on the year as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-Continent Conference crown played its first outdoor games of the season last weekend, going 1-2. The Westerwinds opened their season at the Bradley Indoor Tournament, posting a 2-2 record.

WIU has lost two straight after winning three in a row. The Westerwinds had a tough ending to the Southern Illinois Tournament last weekend, losing by a combined score of 19-5 to No. 20 Southern Illinois and Ball State on the final day of the tournament.

In the most recent statistics available, the Western Illinois bats were doing their job, posting a .316 average, while averaging more than four runs per game. Jennifer Garcia led a contingent of five Western Illinois starters batting .333 or better. Through five games, Garcia was hitting at a .563 clip with a .611 on-base percentage.

The Westerwinds featured a balanced lineup through their first five games, as nine different players had collected at least two hits, nine more had scored a run and eight Westerwinds had driven in at least one run.

While the bats have been big, Western Illinois hasn’t been as solid in the circle. WIU is allowing nearly five runs per game, although the pitching staff has been hurt by a Westwinder defense that was fielding at a .951 clip, committing seven errors through its first five games.

In the most recent statistics, Kamred Ferguson had thrown two-thirds of the team’s innings, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.25 ERA. She had allowed 10 runs (five earned) through her first 20.0 innings, although opponents were hitting just .205 against her and just .179 against the staff as a whole.

Friday’s contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Western Illinois and Nebraska.

Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is 8-13 this season entering a Wednesday doubleheader at Missouri. The Shocker Invitational will mark WSU’s first home action of the season.

The Shockers are off to a slow start this season, but their record is deceiving as eight of their 13 losses have come to ranked opponents. WSU is 8-5 against non-ranked teams. Wichita State has also competed against Big 12 foes Missouri and Oklahoma, losing twice to each school by a combined score of 26-9.

Offensively, Wichita State is hitting just .236, but the Shockers have capitalized on their opportunities as they average nearly four runs per game despite the low batting average. WSU has hit eight home runs and recorded 20 doubles and the entire lineup is capable of producing a run as 14 players have produced an RBI and seven have driven in five or more.

Britnee Barnett leads Wichita State with a .333 average. She has produced team-high totals of 20 hits, three home runs, 10 RBIs and 11 walks while posting a .567 slugging percentage and a .437 on-base percentage. No other Shocker is hitting above .300 and six regular starters are hitting .250 or lower.

Barnett is not only the Shockers’ top hitter, but statistically is their top pitcher as well. Barnett is one of only two pitchers not to have a losing record, as she is 2-2 with a team-low 3.06 ERA. Ashly Bright has thrown the most innings of any pitcher on the staff, compiling a 2-6 record with a 4.12 ERA in 54.1 innings. Collectively, the staff has a 4.29 ERA and has surrendered 14 home runs, although opponents are hitting only .238, including a meager .198 mark against Bright.

Sunday’s contest will mark the 41st meeting between Wichita State and Nebraska. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 27-13, including a 12-10 advantage in Wichita. NU has won six straight int he series and 12 of the last 13. The teams’ last meeting came at the 2005 Shocker Invitational, when Nebraska posted 7-1 and 2-1 victories.

Nebraska vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska has played a challenging schedule thus far in 2007 and the Huskers have responded against the best competition, posting a 4-1 record against ranked teams, while going just 6-6 against foes outside of the top 25. Four of the five games - and three of the four wins - have been decided by one run, with the game coming down to the winning teams’ last at bat.

Three of the five contests have gone extra-innings, including a 2-1 nine-inning loss to No. 20 Florida State that stands as NU’s lone loss to a ranked foe. Nebraska has had a lead in each of the five games and the Huskers have produced the game-winning run in the seventh inning once and in the eighth inning twice.

The Huskers have outscored their top-25 opponents 10-5 in the five games after defeating No. 18 California, 5-2 in eight innings last Sunday in the final game of the UNLV Invitational.

Offensively, NU has been better than its ranked counterparts, but runners-left-on-base has kept each of the games close.

Husker Hurlers Excelling Against Ranked Teams
While Nebraska is 4-1 against ranked teams, the pitching staff has been especially stellar against ranked competition, compiling a 0.37 ERA. Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr and sophomore right-hander Molly Hill have combined to allow just two earned runs in 38.1 innings, as they have thrown two shutouts in five games, while not allowing an earned run in two other contests. In fact, the staff has not surrendered an earned run to a ranked team through the first seven innings in any of the five games this season and no ranked team has recorded more than four hits in a game, despite receiving additional at bats with three extra-inning affairs.

In the lone loss to the No. 24 Florida State, DeBuhr was two outs away from tossing her third straight two-hit shutout against a ranked foe. Before giving up back-to-back ninth-inning homers to FSU, DeBuhr had thrown 23.1 scoreless innings against top-25 opponents, including two international tie-breaker frames where a runner was placed on second to begin the inning. She had also allowed just six hits in those 23 innings. DeBuhr is now 3-1 with a 0.45 ERA against ranked teams this season. A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr has stymied opposing hitters, holding them to a meager .122 average while striking out 38.

Hill matched DeBuhr in her lone start against a top-25 team, tossing a three-hitter and not allowing an earned run against 18th-ranked Georgia. She was tagged for just one unearned run while striking out six.

A Look at the Expected Lineup
1. Darcy Rutherford, LF (10 starts, .370, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Rutherford is arguably the Huskers’ most improved player. Primarily a pinch runner in 2006, when she appeared in 25 games and scored four runs, Rutherford went 2-for-4 in the first weekend to post her first career hits. After not recording a hit last season, she is 10-for-27 this year, recorded her first RBI and walk and has stolen six bases.

2. Meghan Mullin, RF (17 starts, .442, 0 HR, 5 RBIs)
Mullin saw limited action as a freshman in 2006, but showed good patience and bat control in the box. As a regular starter this season, Mullin has already surpassed her freshman totals in nearly every category and she leads the team with 23 hits, a .442 average, six stolen bases and a .500 on-base percentage.

3. Devin Porter, SS (17 starts, .255, 2 HR, 6 RBIs)
Porter has made great progress as a player through her first three seasons in the Husker program. She has been named the Huskers’ Most Improved Player in each of the last two years and enjoyed her best season in 2006, when she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after leading the Huskers with a .360 average in league play.

4. Crystal Carwile, 1B (17 starts, .255, 0 HR, 4 RBIs)
Carwile burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2006, homering three times in her first weekend en route to finishing with 12 home runs, one shy of the NU freshman record. Carwile began the 2007 season slowly after missing the offseason with shoulder surgery, but has begun to emerge and ranks second on the team with four extra-base hits.

5. Brittany Pascale, C (17 starts, .308, 0 HR, 3 RBIs)
Pascale showed continued improvement throughout 2006 and emerged as one of NU’s most clutch hitters. Pascale had three seventh-inning, pinch-hit at bats that resulted in her producing the game-tying run. In 2007, she has drawn 12 walks to post a .491 on-base percentage and has filled in at catcher for the injured Jamie Waldecker.

6. Haley Long, DP (15 starts, .292, 0 HR, 6 RBIs)
Long was a late find for the Huskers as she was brought in this past summer to add depth to the outfield. She has been a sparkplug for the NU offense as she is hitting .292 and has hit a team-high four doubles while tying for the team lead with six RBIs.

7. Ashley DeBuhr, RHP (7 starts, 5-3, 1.50 ERA, 64 Ks, 56.0 IP; .150, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
DeBuhr continued to be more dominant in the circle, following her second-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest honors from 2005 with first-team selections in 2006. One of 50 players named to the 2007 USA Softball Preseason Player of the Year Watch List, she leads the team with two shutouts and has four starts against ranked teams.

8. Kimberly Fuller, INF (5 starts, .250, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
In limited action in 2006, Fuller went 2-for-11, but drew three walks to post a .357 on-base percentage. She is currently engaged in an ongoing battle with Whitney Barrett for the starting job at second. Fuller fared well at the UNLV Invitational last weekend, hitting .333 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.

9. Carmen Kier, 3B (17 starts, .100, 0 HR, 3 RBIs)
Kier is in her second season as the starter at third after belting a career-high five homers and driving in a career-high 19 in 2006. Known as a patient hitter, Kier has drawn 44 career walks, including six this season to rank second on the team. She also boasts power as nearly 30 percent of her career hits have gone for extra bases.

10. Crystal Gonzalez, CF (8 starts, .231, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Labeled as "probably the best defensive prospect in Southern California" by the Los Angeles Times, Gonzalez is perfect in the field this season and has shown great range and a strong arm. One of the fastest players on the team, the slapper has recorded seven hits this season and has also added two stolen bases in two tries.

Whitney Barrett, INF (12 starts, .130, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Just a freshman, Barrett has already earned 12 starts at second base through the first 17 games of the season. Despite being bothered by an eye problem that has limited her vision, Barrett has appeared in all but one game.

Jaime Borg, OF (1 start, .000, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Borg moves back to the outfield after being the Huskers’ No. 3 pitcher in each of the past two seasons. She recorded her first career hit and stolen base last season and added a career-high 10 runs and two walks.

Alex Hupp, RHP/DP (3 starts, 2-0, 2.10 ERA, 12 Ks, 16.2 IP; 9 starts, .077, 0 HR, 3 RBIs)
A two-time NFCA High School All-American, Hupp is a solid pitcher who can also hit. She tossed a one-hit shutout in her first career start and ranks in a tie for fifth on the team with three RBIs.

Jamie Waldecker, C (9 starts, .200, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
A clutch hitter with power, Waldecker is also one of the best defensive catchers in the Big 12 Conference. A broken hand suffered Feb. 23 will keep her out of the lineup for another 3-4 weeks.

Molly Hill, RHP (4 starts, 1-3, 1.69 ERA, 38 Ks, 29.0 IP)
Hill is the Huskers’ No. 2 pitcher and is expected to make a few starts this weekend. As a freshman, Hill went 18-2 to establish a school record with a .900 winning percentage. She is a hard-luck 3-4 this year with a 1.29 ERA.

Oh, So Close
While Nebraska has posted a respectable 10-7 record against a tough schedule that has featured 10 games against opponents that have appeared in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll at least once this season, the Huskers have come very close to posting an outstanding record.

NU has lost four one-run games and the Huskers have dropped four contests when they led after the third inning, matching the entire 2006 total. NU has led in 14 of its 17 games this season, losing half of those contests.

Don’t Leave Me Stranded
Missed opportunities, particularly in the form of runners left on base, have kept Nebraska from posting a more impressive record thus far in 2007.

Through the first 17 games, NU has stranded 135 runners for an average of more nearly eight per game. In each of the previous six seasons, it took Nebraska at least 20 games - and as many as 30 contests - to reach this year’s current left-on-base total.

Nebraska was particularly hard hit on day one of the Leadoff Classic, stranding 11 runners in a 4-1 loss to Tennessee Tech before stranding a tournament-record 18 while being held scoreless through the first eight innings of a 2-1, nine-inning setback to No. 20 Florida State.

NU has not had a problem getting baserunners, as the Huskers boast a .348 on-base percentage, just .002 lower than the 2006 total when Nebraska averaged nearly five runs per game (NU is averaging just 2.6 runs per game in 2007).

The Huskers improved last weekend, leaving 37 runners on base in five games, for a more respectable average of 7.4 runners stranded per game.

Rutherford Making Big Impact
After seeing limited time in her freshman season, appearing in just 25 games and recording only three at bats, sophomore Darcy Rutherford has made a big impact for the Huskers through the first 17 games of 2007.

Rutherford has played in 12 games this season, including 10 starts. She has started the last five games in left field while hitting in the leadoff spot and ranks second on the team with a .370 average and five stolen bases, while also recording a slew of career firsts. Rutherford has also struck out only four times in 31 plate appearances.

A native of Omaha, Rutherford has recorded the first hit, double, RBI and walk of her career while posting solid overall numbers.

Sophomores Stepping Up
The Nebraska sophomore class has posted impressive numbers this season, as the second-year players claim the top five spots on the team in batting average. Right-hander Molly Hill has also been impressive in the circle, despite a misleading 3-4 record.

Offensively, Meghan Mullin, Darcy Rutherford, Brittany Pascale, Haley Long and Crystal Carwile rank 1-2-3-4-5 in average, with Mullin (.442), Rutherford (.370) and Pascale (.308) each hitting above .300. Another sophomore, Kimberly Fuller, emerged last weekend at the UNLV Invitational where she ranked second on the team with a .333 tournament average and added a pair of doubles and two RBIs.

A sophomore leads the team in average, hits, runs, doubles, triples, RBIs, walks, hit-by-pitches, stolen bases, sacrifices, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. No fewer than four sophomores rank among the top five in nine of those 12 categories, including average, on-base percentage and triples, where sophomores have claimed all of the top spots.

In the circle, Hill went 2-1 with a 0.71 ERA last weekend and is 3-4 on the season with a team-low 1.29 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .164 against Hill, a number that leads the Big 12 Conference. Hill also leads the team with an average of 8.9 strikeouts per seven innings, a total that ranks second in the league.

Let’s Play Extras
After going to extra innings just five times in 56 games a year ago, Nebraska has already played four extra-inning contests through the first 17 games of the 2007 season. The Huskers were a perfect 5-0 in extra innings last season and are 3-1 this season after defeating No. 18 California, 5-2, in nine innings at last weekend’s UNLV Invitational.

Nebraska had won eight consecutive extra-inning affairs before falling to No. 20 Florida State on Feb. 23 and has won two straight since that setback.

A big part of the reason for Nebraska’s success in extra-innings - especially this season - has been the work of the pitching staff. The Husker hurlers have thrown a total of six extra frames this season, with each inning subject to the international tie-breaker rule, where a runner is automatically placed on second to start the inning. In those six innings, the NU staff has allowed the runner placed on second to score only once.

Stealing the Show
Nebraska has traditionally been known for its speed and after stealing just five bases in nine attempts at the season-opening Paradise Classic, the Husker speed has returned.

In five games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Feb. 23-25, NU was successful on 8-of-8 stolen-base attempts. Last week at the UNLV Invitational, Nebraska swiped 12 bases in 13 tries. After stealing 5-of-9 bases the opening weekend, Nebraska is 20-of-21 since and is 25-of-30 (83 percent) on the season. For comparison’s sake, the players on the 2007 roster was a combined 14-of-24 on stolen bases in their career prior to this season.

Pencil Me In
Nebraska has used a different batting lineup in each of the first 17 games of the season after having a fairly set lineup for most of 2006. Most of the starters have been set, with the exception of second base and designated player.

Even with the majority of the position starters settled upon, head coach Rhonda Revelle has done a lot of shifting in an attempt to maximize the strengths of the lineup. After beginning the year with senior Devin Porter leading off, the Huskers appear to have returned to their proven pattern of having a slapper lead off.

Waldecker Sidelined with Injury
Nebraska suffered a big blow at the NFCA Leadoff Classic when senior catcher Jamie Waldecker went down with an injury. In the second game of the day on Feb. 23 against Florida State, Waldecker suffered a broken hand while tagging out a runner. Although she attempted to play the next day, she was only able to catch for one inning.

The injury is expected to keep Waldecker out until the Huskers begin Big 12 Conference play. She could be able to bat in as soon as 3-4 weeks, but it is expected to be another 5-6 weeks before she can play catcher again.

Huskers Well Represented on Big 12 Honor Roll
The Nebraska softball team was well represented on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall 2006 Honor Roll, with a total of 10 current and former players earning a spot on the list.

Sophomore pitcher Molly Hill and former Husker KoKo Tacha highlighted the list by posting a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In all, 270 Nebraska student-athletes were honored, including 33 with a 4.0 GPA.

Tacha made the list for a ninth time, as she has been named to the honor roll every semester. Senior Jaime Borg earned a spot on the list for the seventh time in seven semesters, while Hill and fellow sophomore Meghan Mullin each made it a perfect 3-for-3. Other repeat selections included senior Ashley DeBuhr (fourth honor) and former Husker Jessica Yoachim (eighth selection), who is in her fifth year at Nebraska after earning an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies in May of 2006.

Newcomers to the honor roll were freshmen Alex Hupp, sophomores Brittany Pascale and Darcy Rutherford and senior Jamie Waldecker.

DeBuhr Taken in First Round of 2007 NPF College Draft
Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr was selected by the Philadelphia Force in the first round of the 2007 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft, held on Feb. 14 in Denver, Colo.

DeBuhr was the eighth overall pick and the third pitcher selected. A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr was one of eight Big 12 players drafted among the 27 total picks.

Players selected in the NPF draft will be permitted to pursue any available roster spot on their assigned team after completing their college season. To be eligible for the draft, each player had to be a senior however being does not affect a player’s remaining collegiate eligibility.

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 Regionals, 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. Through 17 games this season, Nebraska has played a total of 10 contests against teams that have made an appearance in the top 25 at some point this year.

Revelle Nears 600th Wins
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle boasts a career record of 571-298, including a 563-282 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 563 wins at Nebraska.

Revelle is approaching another milestone this season, as she needs just 29 victories to reach the 600-win milestone and 37 victories to record her 600th win at Nebraska.

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 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-Cesler, whose Cyclones posted a 1-1 record against Nebraska in 2006, Gemeinhardt-Cesler’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 870 of Nebraska's 1,045 all-time victories (83 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.