Rohr of the Crowd - Feb. 9

Rohr of the Crowd is the official blog of Nate Rohr, the play-by-play announcer for Husker softball. Nate has called Nebraska softball games since 2004 and will call every game of the 2010 season. Look for new blog entries weekly.

Welcome to Rohr of the Crowd

The Loudest Roars
With All-American Robin Mackin back to full
strength after sitting out most of the 2009 season,
it would be easy to overlook sophomore Ashley
Hagemann entering this year. But in chatting
with Coach Revelle last week, she raved
about Hagemann's progress during the offseason.

Meanwhile, the Husker offense will be under the
microscope early this season, as NU looks to
replace six starters from last season. But change
might not be a bad thing, as Revelle sees a new
attitude in the Husker hitters in preseason practice.

Thanks for checking out Rohr of the Crowd! I'm sure you're as excited as I am for the start of the 2010 Husker softball season. I'm thrilled that I get to go along for the whole ride in 2010, and hope that you join me for as much of this season's journey as you can.

I'd like to start this blog by telling you a little more about myself. I'm a proud native of Beatrice, Neb., so proud that, when Ashley DeBuhr threw her perfect game against Iowa State in 2005, I mentioned both immediately before and immediately after her strikeout of Jessica Quade that she was from Beatrice. 

I began my career of covering softball at the age of 12, when I kept the scorebook for my sister Anna's 10-and-under team, the Lil' Dawgs. My broadcasting career began as a sophomore in high school, when I became the public-address announcer for Beatrice High School boys and girls basketball. I added wrestling that winter and Legion and Bruins baseball that spring. By the time I graduated high school, I was the public address announcer for BHS basketball, wrestling, football, volleyball and (for one district tournament) softball. Along with that, I announced baseball during the summer and worked as a part-time announcer for our Husker Sports Network affiliate in Beatrice, KWBE. 

It was my baseball experience that would prove the most valuable. Along with announcing the batters as they came to the plate (and leading the Bruins' fans in the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the middle of the seventh inning), I would do a running play-by-play commentary into a tape recorder I had in the booth.  My audiences for those "broadcasts" were me, the recorder and the poor people working the concession stand downstairs, wondering why I was talking to myself. Yet that practice proved priceless. Despite not being on the radio, I was still practicing my craft, building the base for what you hear today. 

I came to Nebraska just as the public-address microphone was coming open for Husker Softball, just before the spring of 2004. I happily accepted the position, then watched as Nebraska won the regular-season Big 12 Championship. My luck got even better.  None of the play-by-play announcers who covered Husker Softball that year could make it to Oklahoma City for the 2004 Big 12 Tournament. Since I'd announced all the home games, I was asked if I could step in. All that talking to myself at Christenson Field was paying off sooner than I thought! I described the Huskers' four-game romp through the conference tournament. In 2005, I did our entire 10-game schedule of Husker Softball on the radio. Since then, we've steadily added more games to our coverage schedule, culminating in this year's wall-to-wall coverage. 

In addition to Husker Softball, I still cover high school football, basketball, softball and volleyball on the radio. When Beatrice set the World Record for longest continous basketball game in August of 2004, I served as the public address announcer for the entire 32-hour event (with a few bathroom breaks, of course). I graduated this summer from Nebraska with a degree in broadcast journalism, and I serve as public-address announcer for Nebraska's home swimming meets and soccer games. I have also had the privilege of helping our Husker Sports Network football crew as a spotter and statistician. 

But enough about me.  Let's play ball!

This ain't intramurals, sister...

Stat of the Week
Nebraska's seven starters lost
are the most starters lost by any
team in the six BCS Conferences.
Purdue is second with six.

The Big 12 has sent eight teams to regionals just once in its 14-year history (2005). There is a very real chance this season could be the second time. I expect at least seven Big 12 teams to go to regionals this year, which has happened only three times (1999, 2005, 2009). In addition to the six usual suspects (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor), Oklahoma State and Iowa State look primed for a run at postseason. 

Neither the Cowgirls nor the Cyclones lost a starter from last year's squads, and both teams ended the year strong.  Beginning with an April 16 win over Nebraska at Bowlin Stadium, ISU won seven of its last 12 games, including wins over four NCAA tournament teams (NU, OSU, MU and TAMU). OSU rewarded the Selection Committee's faith by winning two games in the Tallahassee Regional before falling to Cal in the championship game.

Only Kansas and Texas Tech, both with first-year head coaches, seem to face long odds of making regionals and remember, Nebraska split with both teams last year. With that sort of balance this season, the conference schedule will be a dogfight. The Big 12 looks like it will be almost as tough as the Pac-10 and SEC this season.

Weekend Warmup-Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces Tournament
The Huskers will open their season Thursday against New Mexico State, which led the country last year with a .341 team batting average. The Aggies averaged over six runs a game, good for seventh in the nation.  Freshman Tiare Jennings stormed into college softball with a .407 average with 17 home runs and 61 RBI. Hoku Noharu hit a blistering .429 last year with 14 home runs and 45 RBI. Between them, they tied or set eight individual single-season records. NMSU also welcomed in two Big 12 transfers at pitcher-Torrey Schroeder (Texas) and Alex Villalobos (Oklahoma State). 

On Friday, NU takes on UTSA, coached by Karen Cook, a former Husker (1989-90). Cook led Nebraska in batting average and was second in RBI in 1990. Creighton transfer Emily Humpal begins her third season as a Roadrunner. She split time in the circle with Danye Holmes last season.

The Huskers start off on Saturday against UTEP, with co-head coaches Kathleen and James Rodriguez.  The Huskers faced a head-coaching duo in the last weekend of last season's action, Ralph and Karen Weekly at Tennessee. Conference USA Player-of-the-Year Camilla Carrera and C-USA Freshman-of-the-Year Chelsea Troupe combined to hit .409 last year with 23 home runs and 80 RBI. The Miners struggled defensively last year, giving up 76 unearned runs in 57 games. UTEP plays at Helen of Troy Field. I'm still working on the story of the name and hope to have it by Saturday. Later Saturday afternoon, it's the Huskers against the Colorado State Rams, coached by Mary Yori, whose sister Connie is the women's basketball coach at Nebraska. NU softball hitting coach Diane Miller came to Lincoln from Fort Collins before last season. They return all but one starter from last year's 26-25 team. 

Nebraska closes its stay in Las Cruces by taking on Penn State. The Nittany Lions went to regionals in seven of the first eight years of this century (2000-07, missing in 2004), but have missed postseason the last two years. PSU head coach Robin Petrini is just five wins from 400 in her Penn State career, which began in 1997. Penn State averaged just three runs a game last year, hitting only .246. Pitcher Jackie Hill suffered a stress fracture in her ribs last year, but still finished third in the Big Ten with a 1.27 ERA.  Ahead of her were two All-Americans: Michigan's Nikki Nemitz and Iowa's Brittany Weil. The Lions will break ground this spring on their new ballpark, Beard Field, with completion of the $10.2 million complex scheduled for 2011. 


Thanks for reading, and we'll talk to you Thursday from the NM State Softball Complex.

Husker Power!

Nate