Huskers Host Final Non-Conference Games This Week

After playing 10 consecutive games against Big 12 Conference opponents, the Nebraska softball team plays its final non-conference games of the season this week, when the Huskers host a pair of Missouri Valley Conference teams at Bowlin Stadium.

Nebraska hosts Northern Iowa on Tuesday at 5 p.m. before facing in-state rival Creighton on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The first 500 fans on Wednesday will receive red pom-poms and beads. Tickets for both games can be purchased online at Huskers.com, over the phone by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or on the day of the game at the ticket window located behind home plate at the main entrance to Bowlin Stadium.

Fans unable to make it out to the ballpark can follow both games on Huskers.com. Both games will feature a free video stream, accompanied by the radio call of veteran softball play-by-play announcer Nate Rohr.

The Huskers will be looking to finish the month of April with a winning record for the first time since 2007. Nebraska is 7-6 this month and needs a victory on either Tuesday or Wednesday to finish with a winning April. The Huskers were 8-8 last April, went 7-10 in 2008 and were 12-5 in 2007.

Nebraska began the month in strong fashion, as the Huskers won six of their first eight April games, including a 5-2 record in Big 12 play. But NU has lost four of its last five games, all at home and all against Big 12 opponents. The Huskers have won eight of their last nine games against non-conference opponents, including four straight.

At Bowlin Stadium, the Huskers are 7-1 against non-conference opponents, with the lone loss coming when Drake rallied from a 2-0 deficit with two outs in the seventh inning to win 4-2 in eight innings in game one of a March 30 doubleheader. In eight non-conference home games, Nebraska is averaging more than six runs per game.

The Huskers hope that offensive trend continues, as Nebraska was shut out in both games against 13th-ranked Oklahoma last weekend. Despite the pair of shutouts, the Huskers are still in the midst of one of the best offensive seasons in school history.

With only six regular-season games remaining, NU has set a school record with 52 hit-by-pitches this season. The Huskers also rank in the top five in school history in slugging percentage (2nd, .427), batting average (3rd, .287), doubles (4th, 67), extra-base hits (8th, 106) and home runs (10th, 36). On a per-game-average basis, NU is second in doubles and fourth in homers.

Scouting the Northern Iowa Panthers (24-20)
Northern Iowa is 24-20 on the season and the Panthers went 4-0 last week, defeating Bradley in mid-week action before sweeping a three-game series from Evansville. Prior to the four-game win streak, UNI was swept in a three-game series at Creighton on April 17 and 18 in its last road games. The Panthers are 9-10 on the road this year.

UNI boasts a powerful offense that is averaging more than five runs per game and nearly one home run per game. Two Panthers are hitting better than .300, led by Jen Larsen. Larsen is hitting .369 with eight doubles, four homers and 25 RBIs. Mackenzie Daigh is batting .302 with 11 doubles. Courtney Dunker is the Panthers’ top power threat, as she leads the team with 11 home runs, while Eranne Daugharthy has hit nine home runs while driving in a team-high 31 runs.

In the circle, the Panthers have used a three-pitcher rotation. Larsen has seen the most action, posting a 12-7 record with a 3.97 ERA in 97.0 innings. Left-hander Melissa Tillett is 7-11 with a 3.53 ERA in 91.1 innings, while Jaye Hutchison is 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA in 71.0 innings. Daugharthy (0-0, 3.55 ERA in 25.2 innings) rounds out the UNI staff.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with UNI, 17-3, but the Panthers have gone 2-2 at Bowlin Stadium over the past two seasons. NU is 11-2 all-time against Northern Iowa in Lincoln, but just 3-2 since Bowlin Stadium opened in 2002. The Panthers have won two of the last six meetings after winning only once in the first 15 meetings.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays (28-18)
Led by a resurgent offense and the re-emergence of ace Tara Oltman, Creighton has won 14 of its last 16 games, including 12 of 13 since the Huskers handed the Bluejays a 4-3 loss in Omaha on April 7. Creighton is 28-18 on the season and puts a season-best eight-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday against Drake.

The Bluejays are batting just .235 as a team, but 44 home runs have helped Creighton average 4.5 runs per game. In winning 14 of its last 16 games over the last three weeks, CU has hit .301 as a team while raising its team batting average .037. The Bluejays have also homered 21 times during that stretch. Renae Sinkler leads Creighton with a .394 average, 17 home runs and 45 RBIs, while freshman Amy Baker is batting .322 with nine doubles, 11 homers and 37 RBIs.

In the circle, Oltman is 24-9 on the season with 207 strikeouts in 197.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .192 against the 2009 NFCA All-American, and she ranks second among all active Division I pitchers in career victories (110) and sixth in career strikeouts (1,002). Kylie Hovinga has seen the most action behind Oltman, posting a 3-4 record with a 4.67 ERA in 69.0 innings. Sammy Snygg (1-5, 5.10 ERA in 46.2 innings) rounds out the staff.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton, 75-36. NU has played more games against Creighton than any other program in school history, while the Huskers’ 75 wins unofficially rank as the fifth-most victories against a single opponent in NCAA Division I history, according to research compiled by Florida State. Husker Head Coach Rhonda Revelle is 47-13 in her career against Creighton, including a 44-11 mark against CU coach Brent Vigness.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers wrap up an eight-game homestand and non-conference play with mid-week games against UNI and Creighton:

• The Huskers are 459-223 (.673) all-time in the month of April, including a 7-6 mark this April.
• Nebraska is just 2-6 this season in one-run games, but has won its last two one-run decisions.
• Nebraska tied the school record by turning three double plays at No. 10 Arizona State on March 14.
• The Huskers have recorded 10 shutouts this season for the first time since 2007, after NU posted at least 10 shutouts in every season from 1998 to 2007.
• Freshman Gabby Banda has drawn 22 walks so far this season. She is only the third Husker freshman to draw 20 walks since 2001 and the first since Ashley Guile in 2008 (25).
• Sophomore Ashley Guile (38 RBIs), junior Julie Brechtel (33) and freshman Brooke Thomason (30) have driven in 30 runs this season. The three players producing 30-or-more RBIs are a first for Nebraska since 2006. Junior Heidi Foland (27 RBIs) has a chance to give Nebraska four players with 30 RBIs for the first time since 1996.
• In conference-only games, a Husker sophomore leads the league in hits (Nikki Haget, 18) and doubles (Ashley Guile, 5), while freshmen and sophomores rank second in hits (Guile, 17), home runs (Brooke Thomason, 5) and total bases (Thomason, 29).
• NU has hit 11 home runs through the 12 conference games of the season, including four in two games this week. That total ranks fourth in the Big 12 and is the highest Husker total since 2006 (15).

Rare Air
Junior Heidi Foland and freshman Brooke Thomason have joined an elite group of Huskers by producing double-digit totals in both doubles and home runs. Foland and Thomason are only the fifth and sixth players in the 35-year history of the program to produce at least 10 doubles and 10 home runs in a season. Together, the duo are the first teammates to accomplish the feat in the same season since 1996 (Jenny Smith and Ali Viola) and only the second duo ever. Foland and Thomason are also the first Husker teammates to each homer 10 times in a season since 2000 (Jamie Fuente and Jennifer Lizama) and only the fourth duo to accomplish the feat in school history.

Underclassmen Driving Productive Husker Offense
Husker Power has been on full display this season, as Nebraska has produced impressive offensive production under the direction of second-year hitting coach Diane Miller. The Huskers are enjoying one of the best offensive seasons in school history after entering the year with questions about how productive the offense could be.

Nebraska lost seven of its top eight hitters from last season, as junior Julie Brechtel (.313) was NU’s only returning hitter in 2010 who batted better than .220 last season. But the Huskers have already eclipsed last year’s doubles, triples and home runs totals while raising their team batting average .010 and their slugging percentage .039 points. The lost production has been more than made up for by the production of Nebraska’s underclassmen, as the regular Husker lineup features four freshmen and sophomores batting in the top six spots in the lineup.

The sophomore class is batting .336 collectively, while Nebraska’s freshmen have combined for a .467 slugging percentage. Together, the underclassmen (10 players) have combined to bat .307 with 43 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs and 107 RBIs. Nebraska’s junior and senior classes (seven players) have combined for a .265 average, 24 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs and 86 RBIs.

Fueled by the production of the underclassmen, Nebraska has already set one school record this season and is challenging the top marks in school history in several other categories, despite a 56-game schedule limitation that went into effect last season which has left the Huskers with far fewer games played than in years past.

Thomason Putting Together Fine Freshman Season
Brooke Thomason’s outstanding freshman season has continued into the Big 12 Conference portion of the schedule. Thomason is batting .331 on the year, while ranking second on the team with 10 doubles and 10 home runs and third with 30 RBIs. In Big 12 play, Thomason is batting .286 and has hit five of Nebraska’s 11 home runs, while producing a team-high nine RBIs.

Among the highlights of Thomason’s freshman season:

• Thomason has hit five home runs during Big 12 play, tying Crystal Carwile’s NU freshman record for most home runs in a conference season (Big Eight or Big 12). Thomason’s season total is tied for the fifth highest by a freshman in Big 12 history (1996-present).
• Thomason’s 10 home runs this season rank fourth on the Husker freshman chart and are the most since Crystal Carwile homered 12 times in 2006. Thomason is just the second NU freshman to homer 10 times since 1998.
• Thomason hit two home runs against Pacific on March 13. She is only the sixth Husker freshman to hit two home runs in a game and just the second since 1998.
• Thomason is only the third Husker freshman to reach double digits in both doubles and home runs.
• Thomason has produced 20 extra-base hits this season, the fourth-highest total by a freshman in NU history.
• Thomason leads Nebraska with a .638 slugging percentage. Her slugging percentage ranks third among all freshmen in NU history, as she is on pace to become only the third NU freshman to slug .550.
• Thomason is bidding to join three-time All-American Ali Viola as the only Husker freshmen to finish with a .300 batting average, 10 doubles and 10 home runs.
• Thomason is on pace to become only the eighth NU freshman to hit .300 and the first since Kim Ogee in 2000.
• Thomason ranks sixth in the Big 12 in home runs (10) and ninth in slugging percentage (.638).
• In conference-only games, Thomason leads the league in home runs (5), ranks second in total bases (29), third in slugging percentage (.806), fifth in RBIs (9), ninth in hits (12) and 10th in runs scored (7).

Foland Hitting Home Runs at Record Rate
Junior Heidi Foland is the Big 12 leader with 58 hits and leads Nebraska with 12 home runs. She has set career highs in every offensive category while batting .343 with 27 RBIs and leading Nebraska with 19 multi-hit games. Among Foland’s highlights this season:

• Foland’s 12 home runs this season are tied for eighth in Nebraska history.
• Foland homered 10 times in the months of February and March, joining three-time All-American Ali Viola (11 in 1998) as the only Huskers to ever hit 10 home runs before April 1. Foland was only the fourth Husker to hit even seven home runs before April 1 and the other three players (Viola, Christie McCoy and Jennifer Lizama) each earned All-America honors in the season when they reached the mark.
• Foland set her offensive career highs quickly this season, as she established a new career best for home runs in only 19 games, for hits and runs in only 22 games, for RBIs in only 34 contests and for doubles in only 36 games.
• Foland homered seven times in her first 63 at bats this season after homering seven times in 242 career bats entering this year.
• Foland has homered in Nebraska’s first at bat of the game five times this season. That is believed to be a season record for most leadoff home runs by an individual and a team in Husker history.
• Each of Foland’s 10 doubles and 12 home runs have come when she was the leadoff hitter in the Husker lineup. Foland’s 22 extra-base hits are more extra-base hits than the total production of the leadoff hitters from the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons combined.
• Foland leads the Big 12 with 58 hits this season, one more than Iowa State’s Heidi Kidwell. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, a Husker has never led the league in hits.

Huskers Hitting Well in Big 12 Play
Nebraska ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a .261 batting average in conference-only games. The Huskers have not hit .260 in a conference season since 2001 (.268) and have finished above .270 only once (.277 in 1998). NU has also reached double figures in hits in three league games this season after failing to record more than nine hits during 18 conference games in 2009.

Among other offensive highlights from Big 12 play:

• Nebraska’s .261 average is on pace to rank as the Huskers’ fourth-highest total in Big 12 history.
• The Huskers lead the league with 23 doubles. The total is tied for second in Nebraska history - just two shy of the school record - and is the highest total since 1997, the second year of the conference. Nebraska has never led the Big 12 in doubles in conference-only games.
• NU is on pace to finish the conference season with 30 doubles, as Nebraska would become only the fifth school in Big 12 history to finish with 30 doubles in a conference season.
• Nebraska owns a .417 slugging percentage in league play, a total that ranks fourth in Nebraska history. The Huskers haven’t recorded a slugging percentage above .383 since 2000.
• Nebraska’s 34 extra-base hits (23 doubles, 11 home runs) are tied for the league lead and mark the Huskers’ highest total since recording 38 extra-base hits in 2000. NU’s average of 2.43 extra-base hits per game ranks third in school history.
• The Huskers have homered 11 times in 14 games after homering 11 times the past two seasons combined (36 games). The 11 home runs mark Nebraska’s highest total since homering 15 times in 2006.
• Several Husker underclassmen are in the running to lead the league in several offensive statistical categories. Sophomore Nikki Haget leads the league in hits (18), while classmate Ashley Guile is tied for the league lead with five doubles. Guile also ranks second in the league in hits, while freshman Brooke Thomason is second in home runs (5) and total bases (29). Haget is also third in the league with a .419 batting average.
• Freshman Gabby Banda has doubled three times in conference play. She is only the fourth Husker freshman to produce three doubles in a Big 12 season. The NU freshman record is six doubles by Amber Burgess in 2000, while Amanda Buchholz (also 2000) is the only other Husker freshman to record four doubles in a conference season.

Stat of the Week
Sophomore Nikki Haget has hit safely in nine straight games after going 3-for-5 against 13th-ranked Oklahoma last weekend. The nine-game hitting streak ties Haget’s career high, as she also hit safely in nine straight games from Feb. 12 to Feb. 21. With a hit on Tuesday against Northern Iowa, Haget would become the third Husker this season to produce a 10-game hitting streak, joining juniors Julie Brechtel (11 games) and Heidi Foland (10). Nebraska has not had three players produce 10-game hitting streaks in the same season since Ali Viola (19 games), Jennifer Lizama (10) and Jenny Smith (10) in 1998.