Nebraska Returns to NFCA Leadoff Classic

After traveling to the state of Kentucky for the first time in program history last weekend, the Nebraska softball team returns to more familiar surroundings this weekend, as the Huskers will be making their 12th consecutive appearance at the 13th annual NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.

Played at the site of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the Leadoff Classic is one of the premier events of the softball season and features 19 of the nation’s top teams. After using pool play followed by seeded bracket play for the first 12 years of the event, the format has changed this year, as each team will simply play five games against pre-determined opponents.

The Huskers’ five-game schedule features some quality competition, including fourth-ranked Tennessee, No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette and 24th-ranked North Carolina. Those three teams have combined to post a 34-4 record to date, including a perfect 8-0 record for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Nebraska’s first opponent, Tennessee Tech, is 6-8 on the season, but the Golden Eagles have won five straight and they defeated the Huskers, 4-1, at last year’s Leadoff Classic. Nebraska will also face Syracuse this weekend, which enters the tournament in search of its first victory of the year, as the Orange currently stand at 0-8.

The Huskers, who are 31-22 all-time at the Leadoff Classic, captured the 2002 title and finished as the runner-up in both 1998 and 2006. Last year, NU finished 3-2 at the event while facing two ranked squads. After facing its three ranked opponents this weekend, Nebraska will have played five of its first 12 games against top-25 teams, including two more contests against teams receiving votes in the poll. The tough competition has proven challenging for a young Husker squad that has been hit with some key injuries.

Nebraska will be the healthiest its been all season this weekend, as junior right-hander Molly Hill and sophomore infielder Whitney Barrett will both be available for action. Barrett, the Huskers’ starting second baseman last season, made her season debut last weekend, although she was limited to just one game. Hill, the reigning Big 12 ERA champion, was scheduled to make her first appearance on Sunday, before the day’s action was cancelled. Although she is still less than 100 percent after knee surgery less than four weeks ago, Hill is expected to pitch this weekend.

The return of the injured players will hopefully bring a return to Nebraska’s winning ways, as the Huskers are currently mired in a five-game losing streak. The five straight losses are the most by a Nebraska team since the 2000 Huskers also dropped five straight in the season’s first month before rebounding to win a school-record 52 games and advance to the NCAA Regional final.

Two bright spots for Nebraska of late have been the play of juniors Darcy Rutherford and Amanda Duran. Rutherford is hitting a team-high .429, while Duran, in her first season with the Huskers, went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI last weekend while securing the No. 4 spot in the NU order.

Scouting the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Tennessee Tech lost eight of its first nine games, but has won five straight entering Friday’s contest with Nebraska. The Golden Eagles have been no stranger to close games, posting a 3-5 record in one-run games. NU and TTU share one common opponent in Ole Miss. The Rebels defeated Tech, 8-7, and Nebraska, 2-0.

Tennessee Tech is hitting .231 as a team but the Eagles have some potent bats at the top of the order. Beth Boden leads the team with a .386 average, four doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs while slugging .727 and adding a team-best three stolen bases. Stephanie Fischer is hitting .359 with a pair of homers and seven RBIs while leading the squad with a .457 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Sarah Street has been solid, despite a 3-6 record. She has thrown nearly 70 percent of the Eagles’ innings, posting a 1.31 ERA in 64.1 innings. Maddi Schmissrauter (1-2, 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings) and Meghan Mayard (2-0, 6.56 ERA in 10.2 innings) are the only other Tennessee Tech pitchers to throw more than one inning.

Nebraska and Tennessee Tech will be meeting for just the second time on Friday. TTU defeated the Huskers 4-1 on March 23, 2007 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Junior right-hander Molly Hill was the pitcher of record in the loss, striking out 14 while allowing just one earned run in a complete-game effort. Boden and fellow returning Eagle Amanda Glover did most of the damage offensively, finishing 3-for-7 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Street earned the start in the circle and did not allow a run over her three innings of work.

Scouting the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Louisiana-Lafayette is believed to be one of only seven undefeated teams left in Division I. The Cajuns are 8-0 this season and continue to rise in the national rankings, coming in at No. 16 this week. In eight games, ULL has been pushed only once, defeating Southern Miss 3-2 in 11 innings last Sunday. The Cajuns’ other seven contests have each been decided by at least three runs, including four run-rule victories.

Louisiana-Lafayette boasts impressive numbers across the board. The Ragin’ Cajuns are hitting .350 as a team with 10 home runs, while the pitching staff has a collective 0.40 ERA. Katie Smith (.476) and Melissa Verde (.400) are the only two Cajuns hitting .400, although eight of ULL’s nine starters are hitting .318 or better, with the ninth hitting .292. Holly Tankersley has been the top power threat, slugging four home runs and totaling 14 RBIs.

In the circle, heralded freshman Ashley Brignac has not disappointed, going 5-0 with a 0.60 ERA. In 35.0 innings, Brignac has allowed only six runs (three earned) while striking out 51 and holding opposing hitters to a paltry .122 average. Amazingly, Brignac is the only Cajun pitcher to allow a run this season. Donna Bourgeois (3-0, 0.00 ERA in 14.0 innings) is ULL’s No. 2 pitcher, earning three starts.

Louisiana-Lafayette leads the all-time series, 5-2, although the teams have not met since 2000. The Cajuns won the last meeting, 7-6, but Nebraska has won two of the last three meetings.

Scouting the North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina is off to an outstanding 12-3 start this season, losing only twice at 10th-ranked Florida and once in a three-game ACC-opening series at Florida State last weekend.

Although the newly ranked Tar Heels have faced some lower-level teams, they have scored at least 16 runs on three occasions while winning by at least 12 runs four times. UNC’s most lopsided victories came against George Washington (21-1), North Carolina Central (24-1) and College of Charleston (16-0). Those wins have helped No. 23 UNC outscore its opponents 98-9 over the first four innings.

Offensively, North Carolina is hitting .324 as a team. The Tar Heels are averaging better than eight runs per game, although they have been shut out in each of their three losses. Emily Troup leads all starters with a .479 average, including seven doubles, two homers and 15 RBIs. Jennifer Jacobs is hitting .375 with a team-high four home runs, while Alyssa Francona, the daughter of Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, has produced 11 RBIs in 12 starts.

In the circle, UNC boasts a 1.28 staff ERA while striking out more than 10 batters per seven innings. Lisa Norris (4-2, 1.02 ERA in 41.0 innings) and Danielle Spaudling (4-0, 0.90 ERA in 23.1 innings) have seen the most action in the circle, tossing two shutouts each.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 2-1, but North Carolina won the last meeting, 3-1, in 2006.

Scouting the Syracuse Orange
Syracuse, which enters the weekend with an 0-8 record, has three chances to earn its first victory before facing the Huskers on Saturday. The Orange have come close to victory twice, falling to Centenary, 4-3, in the season opener before falling 4-3 in eight innings to East Carolina last Saturday.

Syracuse has struggled in all phases of its game so far this season. The Orange is batting just .176 while scoring less than two runs per game. Nicole Miller is leading the team with a .267 average, while Hallie Gibbs ranks second at .235 but has drawn a team-high seven walks to post a .458 on-base percentage.

In the circle, the Syracuse staff is surrendering nearly seven runs per game, although nearly half of the runs allowed have been unearned, as the Orange have committed 21 errors through eight games. Chanel Roehner, Brittany Gardner and Angie Sagnelli have split the innings this season. Gardner (0-2, 5.65 ERA in 14.1 innings) has made a team-high four starts, while Sagnelli (0-3, 6.16 ERA in 19.0 innings) has thrown the most innings. Roehner (0-3, 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings) has been the most effective, posting the best ERA and lowest opponent average (.246).

Scouting the Tennessee Lady Vols
No. 4 Tennessee is off to a 14-1 start this season after falling just one win shy of claiming the school’s first national title last season. The Lady Vols opened with eight straight wins before losing to South Florida and have won six in a row entering a midweek doubleheader with <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Liberty. UT and NU share Ole Miss as a common opponent, as Tennessee defeated the Rebels, 2-0, while Ole Miss topped NU, 2-0.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Tennessee has been outstanding at the plate and spectacular in the circle. The Lady Vols boast a lethal combination of power and speed, as they have hit nine homers while stealing 34 bases in 37 tries. Tonya Callahan leads the team with a .425 average and a .549 on-base percentage while slapper Kenora Posey is 14-of-15 in stolen bases while hitting .421 with 12 runs scored. Shannon Doepking leads the team with 15 RBIs, while Jennifer Lapicki has hit three home runs while hitting .278, the lowest of any of UT’s regular starters.

In the circle, Megan Rhodes and Ashton Ward have tossed the majority of the innings. Ward is 9-1 with a 0.68 ERA and has struck out 46 in 51.1 innings. Rhodes, the lone returner from last year’s staff, has been equally as dominant, holding opposing hitters to a .129 average while striking out 50 in 38.1 innings. Rhodes has started a team-high eight games, posting a 5-0 record with a 0.91 ERA.

Nebraska and Tennessee have met just once, with the Lady Vols defeating NU 5-0 in the Huskers’ 2005 season opener.

Nebraska and the NFCA Leadoff Classic
Nebraska is making its 12th consecutive appearance in Columbus, Ga., for the 13th annual NFCA Leadoff Classic. Run by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the event annually features some of the nation’s top teams. Among the field of 19 teams this season are seven ranked teams and the Huskers will face three of them.

The Huskers have several ties to the NFCA, most notably head coach Rhonda Revelle who has served on several committees in addition to two separate stints as NFCA president totaling five years. Nebraska has a 31-22 all-time record at the Leadoff Classic. The Huskers have played 28 of their 53 games against ranked opponents, facing at least one top-25 team every year with the exception of a rain-shortened 2006 event. NU has posted at least a .500 record at the event in five of the last six years, including perfect records in 2003 and 2006.

Overall, before the format switch this season, Nebraska claimed the gold bracket championship in 2002, while officially finishing as the runner-up in 1998 and in 2006.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest to keep in mind as Nebraska travels to Columbus, Ga., this weekend for the 13th annual NFCA Leadoff Classic:

• Nebraska is 110-64 (.640) all-time in the month of February, including a 7-5 mark last season and a 101-61 (.631) record under Head Coach Rhonda Revelle. Revelle has posted a winning month of February 11 times in 14 seasons, including six straight years dating back to 2001, although NU cannot finish with a winning February this season. Prior to Revelle’s arrival, the Huskers had played only 12 all-time games in the month (9-3 record) and in Revelle’s first season in 1993, NU did not play a single game in February.
• The Huskers have currently lost five straight games, Nebraska’s longest streak since 2000, when NU also dropped five consecutive contests early in the season. The last time Nebraska lost more than five games in a row was 1994, when NU lost 10 straight games in Head Coach Rhonda Revelle’s second season.
• Nebraska is 258-4 since 2000 when leading after six innings of play. The Huskers had won 106 consecutive games when taking a lead into the seventh inning before losing a 9-6 lead at No. 4 Oklahoma last April.
• Crystal Carwile is Nebraska’s active leader in career doubles (24), triples (1), home runs (16) and RBIs (73). In fact, her career total is higher than the combined total of all other Huskers in every category except RBIs.

Rutherford Off to Superb Start
Junior Darcy Rutherford has shown great improvement from the first day she set foot on campus. After seeing action primarily as a pinch runner as a freshman, Rutherford earned 26 starts last season while hitting .254 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs.

Rutherford has continued to improve her game and the results are again showing through the first seven games of the 2008 season. Rutherford is hitting a team-best .429 this season, while her nine hits are three more than the Huskers’ next-highest total. Rutherford also leads the team with three sacrifices and a .455 on-base percentage, while tying for the team lead in at bats and runs.

A native of Omaha, Rutherford has also produced two RBIs this season, after recording a total of just three through her first two seasons.

Duran Making Impact in Husker Lineup
When the Nebraska coaching staff was looking for an immediate-impact hitter this past offseason, they were thrilled to find Amanda Duran, who was coming off two All-America seasons at Pima (Ariz.) Community College. The coaches’ hopes that she would add an immediate presence to the lineup have been fulfilled thus far.

Although Duran has had only 16 at bats at the Division I level, she has recorded six hits to rank second on the team. Her .375 average also ranks second on the NU roster, while her one double and four RBIs are tied for first. Duran has shown a nice mix of power and bat control, as her .438 slugging percentage is tops on the team, while she has struck out only once, a team-low for players with at least five at bats.

Hill Ready to Step in the Circle
Junior right-hander Molly Hill, the reigning Big 12 ERA champion, is expected to make her first start of the season on Friday. Hill had been penciled in as the starting pitcher when lineups were exchanged last Sunday against Ole Miss before the game was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Hill has not yet pitched this season while recovering from knee surgery she underwent in the final week of January. Hill did not begin throwing again until late last week and she is still less than 100 percent and will only be available on a limited basis, which is expected to include only one game per day.

Last year, Hill led the Big 12 Conference and ranked seventh nationally with a 1.05 ERA. She has surrendered one earned run or less in 21 of her last 23 starts and boasts a career record of 31-1 when she receives more than one run of support.