NU Takes Eight-Game Win Streak to California

The 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team puts its eight-game winning streak on the line this weekend, when the Huskers play a five-game schedule at the three-day Cathedral City Classic at the Big League Dreams Sports Park.

The 10-1 Huskers have matched the best start in school history and the eight-game win streak is tied for the program’s longest in the month of February. The longest a Nebraska team has gone before suffering its second loss is 16 games, as the 2003 Huskers opened the season with a 14-1 record while rising to No. 3 in the polls. The 2011 team can match that start with wins in its first four games this weekend or pass it with a second straight 5-0 tournament.

Breaking that record and extending the eight-game win streak will not be easy, as Nebraska will be immediately challenged with a pair of games against ranked teams on the opening day of the tournament. The Huskers open play against a 25th-ranked BYU team that defeated the Huskers 4-1 last season. Nebraska then faces No. 10 Hawaii, which advanced all the way to the Women’s College World Series last season.

The Huskers have already faced a pair of ranked teams this season, defeating No. 17 Stanford and suffering their only loss to third-ranked Arizona. Nebraska did not face a ranked team while posting a 5-0 record at the Sleep Inn Classic last weekend, but the Huskers still put together an impressive showing at North Texas.

Offensively, Nebraska averaged more than six runs per game while outscoring its opponents 31-7. The Huskers boasted a .376 team batting average and all nine of Nebraska’s regular starters had at least four hits in the five games. The highlight of the weekend was the performance of freshman catcher Taylor Edwards.

Edwards went 9-for-17 in the tournament, batting .529 while scoring six runs, drawing three walks and homering five times en route to producing 12 RBIs. Edwards homered in each of her five games at the tournament and has now homered in an NCAA-record six straight games. Edwards broke the previous record with a home run in the seventh inning of Nebraska’s final game against Tennessee Tech. For her efforts, Edwards was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Nebraska was also impressive in the circle, ending the tournament with its first two shutouts of the season in back-to-back games. The staff allowed only seven runs in the five games, posting a 1.27 ERA. The Huskers struck out 37 batters in only 33.0 innings and held opposing hitters to a paltry .123 average.

Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann was 3-0 on the weekend with a 0.38 ERA. She tossed her first shutout of the season in a 7-0 win over Northwestern State and struck out 21 batters in 18.1 innings.

Freshman right-hander Tatum Edwards earned her first two career victories, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.40 ERA. She ended the tournament with a two-hit shutout.

Scouting the 25th-Ranked BYU Cougars (6-4)
BYU enters play this weekend with a 6-4 overall record and a No. 25 ranking in the NFCA/USA Today poll. The Cougars have faced three ranked teams this season, falling to Oregon and Stanford and defeating Texas A&M. Both Nebraska and BYU have faced Portland State and Stanford this season, with the Huskers posting a 2-0 record against those teams and BYU going 0-2.

The Cougars traditionally boast one of the best offenses in the nation and this season is no exception. BYU is averaging more than seven runs per game while batting .325 as a team. Jessica Fitu is batting .618 (21-for-34) with four doubles, four home runs and 16 RBIs. Seven Cougars are hitting at least .300 to start the year.

In the circle, BYU lost its ace from last season and the Cougars have primarily used a three-pitcher rotation in 2011. Paige Affleck has seen the most action, posting a 3-3 record with a 4.64 ERA in 34.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .252 against Affleck and she has walked 28 batters while striking out 24. Hannah Howell posts the best numbers on the team with a 2-1 record and a 2.33 ERA in 18.0 innings. Tori Almond has also seen extensive action, as she boasts a 1-0 record with a 2.57 ERA in 16.1 innings. Carly Duckworth (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1.2 IP) and Katie Manuma (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 0.1 IP) round out the staff.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with BYU, 5-3, but the Cougars have won the last two meetings and three of the last four. The teams met last year at Arizona State, with BYU winning 4-1.

Scouting the 10th-Ranked Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (11-1)
After making it to the Women’s College World Series last season, Hawaii is off to an 11-1 start after winning its last four games. The 10th-ranked Rainbow Wahine own a win over No. 17 Stanford and their only loss is to 13th-ranked Oregon.

Hawaii led the country with an NCAA-record 158 home runs in 2010 and also led the nation by scoring an average of 7.39 runs per game. In 2011, Hawaii has homered 23 times in 12 games and is averaging 7.0 runs per contest. Jessica Iwata is batting .381 with eight homers  and 15 RBIs to lead seven Wahine hitting better than .300. Kelly Majam is batting .379 with four doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs and 16 walks, while Sharla Kliebenstein is batting .353 with five homers and 13 RBIs. Seven players have homered for Hawaii this season, including four with at least three home runs.

In the circle, Stephanie Ricketts has earned the majority of the action. Ricketts has started eight of Hawaii’s 12 games, posting a 6-1 record with a 2.89 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 46.0 innings. Kaia Parnaby is 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 26.0 innings, while Jenna Rodriguez is 1-0 with a 7.00 ERA in 4.0 innings of action. Overall, Hawaii boasts a 2.58 ERA and is allowing 2.7 runs per game.

Hawaii leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 4-3. The Rainbow Wahine have won two straight in the series and four of the last five overall. NU is 3-0 against Hawaii at a neutral site and 0-4 against Hawaii in Honolulu.

Scouting the Nevada Wolf Pack (2-8)
Nevada enters play at the Cathedral City Classic with a 2-8 record. The Wolf Pack has lost four straight games and six of its last seven overall. Nebraska and Nevada share two common opponents this season in No. 17 Stanford and Portland State. The Huskers defeated both of those opponents, while Nevada went 0-3 against those same teams after losing to Portland State for a second time last weekend.

Nevada’s strength has been its offense. The Wolf Pack is averaging 4.0 runs per game and boasts a .419 team slugging percentage. Karley Hopkins is hitting .500 (17-for-34) with six doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. She leads the team in average, hits, doubles and home runs. Lauren Lastrapes (.357) and Bailey Brewer (.333) are also hitting better than .300.

The Wolf Pack have struggled defensively to begin the season. Nevada is averaging 2.3 errors per game and the pitching staff boasts a 7.38 ERA. Overall, Nevada is allowing an average of 8.5 runs per game. Opponents are hitting .343 against the Wolf Pack and have drawn 46 walks in only 10 games. Mallary Darby has started seven of Nevada’s 10 games, posting a 2-5 record with a 5.57 ERA in 27.2 innings. In addition to her hitting role, Brewer is 0-3 in the circle with a 10.96 ERA in 15.1 innings. Ariel Craig (0-0, 7.00 ERA in 13.0 IP) rounds out the Nevada staff.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Nevada, 1-0. The Huskers defeated the Wolf Pack 3-0 in 2006.

Scouting the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-6)
Nebraska gets a preview of a future conference opponent when the Huskers face the Ohio State Buckeyes. NU and Ohio State will both be members of the Big Ten Conference next season, while the Buckeyes’ associate head coach is former Husker three-time All-American Ali Viola. Ohio State is 4-6 after beginning the year in the top 25.

Offensively, Ohio State boasts a .289 team batting average, and the Buckeyes are averaging 1.0 home run per game while scoring an average of 5.3 runs per contest. Six Buckeyes are hitting better than .300. Melissa Rennie has been a tough out since moving into the starting lineup. She has started half of Ohio State’s games, posting a .538 average with three home runs and six RBIs in only 13 at bats. Alicia Herron is batting .469 with a team-high eight RBIs, while Dee Dee Hillman is hitting .424 with five stolen bases and 10 runs scored.

In the circle, Ohio State boasts a team ERA of 4.87, and the Buckeyes are allowing 5.6 runs per game. OSU has used five different pitchers through only 10 games. The staff is averaging just 3.3 strikeouts per game, and the Buckeyes have walked more batters (39) than they have struck out (33). Kasie Kelly has seen the most action, appearing in nine of 10 games, including five starts. Kelly is 2-1 on the season with a 3.50 ERA in 36.0 innings. Karisa Medrano is the only other Buckeye who has thrown at least 10.0 innings, posting a 1-4 record with a 5.25 ERA in 17.1 innings. Melanie Nichols (0-1, 10.50 ERA in 7.1 IP), Brittany Goodchild (1-0, 3.15 ERA in 6.2 IP) and Audrey Plant (0-0, 12.60 ERA in 1.2 IP) round out the staff.

Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-2. The teams have not met since 1996, when NU earned a 6-2 win.

Scouting the Long Island Blackbirds (2-8)
Long Island is 2-8 this season, with a pair of losses to top-10 teams. The Blackbirds lost their first eight games of the year, but have bounced back with two straight victories, including a 1-0 win over Penn State.

Offensively, LIU is batting just .154 as a team while averaging 2.0 runs per game. The Blackbirds have been shut out in three of their 10 games and been held to one run in two other contests. Emily Kakuska is batting .310 on the season and has hit Long Island’s lone home run. No other Blackbird is batting better than .185 and the team is averaging nearly one strikeout per inning.

Long Island has been better in the circle, posting a 3.98 ERA. The Blackbirds have allowed an average of 5.1 runs per game and an opponent batting average of .270. Megan Sheaf and Sarah Reynolds have split the majority of the work in the circle. Reynolds is 2-3 on the year with a 2.05 ERA in 27.1 innings. Sheaf is 0-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 30.2 innings, as opponents are hitting .308 against her. Heather White (0-0, 5.00 ERA in 7.0 IP) rounds out the Long Island staff.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 2-0. The Huskers defeated Long Island 8-3 in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002. The teams were scheduled to meet at the 2009 NFCA Leadoff Schedule, but the game was rained out.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers continue their 2011 season at the Cathedral City Classic.

• The Huskers are 138-76 (.645) all-time in the month of February, including a 9-7 mark last season.

• NU has clinched a winning month of February for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.

• Under Revelle, Nebraska is 129-62 (.675) in February. She has posted a winning month of February 14 times in 18 seasons (the Huskers did not play a game in February of 1993, Revelle’s first season).
• Senior Julie Brechtel and freshman Taylor Edwards both enter play this week with seven-game hitting streaks. Brechtel has gone 8-for-21 (.381) with one walk, four runs scored and four RBIs during her hitting streak, while Edwards has gone 11-for-23 (.478) with six home runs, one double, four walks, 16 RBIs and seven runs scored.
• Junior Ashley Guile has reached base safely in all 10 of her games this season. Guile has recorded a hit in eight of 10 games. In the only two games where she did not get a hit, Guile was hit by a pitch against both Stanford and Tennessee Tech. In addition to a .379 batting average, Guile has drawn five walks and been hit by two pitches to post a team-best .500 on-base percentage this season.
• NU has allowed a total of 22 runs in 11 games this season, an average of 2.0 runs per game. That total could be even lower, as 13 of the 22 runners who have scored (59 percent) reached base via a walk or hit-by-pitch.
• Nebraska has allowed two runs or less in 11 of its last 14 games dating back to 2010. The Huskers have allowed only two opponents to score three runs this season.
• The Husker pitching staff enters play this weekend with a 14.1-inning scoreless streak. The staff has not allowed an earned run in more than 16 innings.
• Nebraska scored 54 runs in the first 10 games of the season, becoming only the sixth Husker team to score 50 runs in the season’s first 10 games.

Taylor Edwards Sets NCAA Record
It took heralded freshman Taylor Edwards only 11 career games to etch her name into the NCAA record book. After homering in the final game of Nebraska’s season-opening tournament, Edwards hit a home run in each of Nebraska’s five games last weekend in Denton, Texas. The streak of six consecutive games with a home run is an NCAA record, bettering the previous record of five straight games set by Northwestern All-American Tammy Williams in 2009.

Edwards has homered in seven of her first 11 career games. She also leads Nebraska with a .405 batting average, two doubles, 19 RBIs and a 1.027 slugging percentage.

Edwards Twins Putting on Power Show
Freshman twins Tatum and Taylor Edwards have shown impressive power in their first 11 collegiate games. The sisters have combined for 11 home runs in 11 games, with Taylor homering seven times and Tatum adding four home runs. Taylor has hit a home run in an NCAA-record six straight games, while Tatum became the second Husker ever to hit a home run in her first career at bat. The duo has combined to hit 11 of Nebraska’s 12 home runs this season and has produced 23 of the Huskers’ 53 RBIs.

The two are already challenging the Nebraska freshman class record of 23 home runs in 1995

Taylor Edwards Hitting Home Runs at Record Rate
Freshman catcher Taylor Edwards has homered in an NCAA-record six consecutive games, and she has seven home runs in her first 11 games. With five games remaining this month, Edwards’ seven home runs are already the most ever by a Husker in the month of February. Even more impressively, Edwards is only the fifth Husker to hit seven home runs before the month of April.

It took Edwards only 11 games to hit her seventh home run, as she reached the total faster than any player in school history. Three-time All-American Ali Viola held the previous mark, hitting her seventh home run in the 13th game of the 1998 season. Edwards is already more than halfway to Viola’s NU freshman record of 13 home runs.

Huskers Match Best Start in School History
Nebraska tied the best 10-game start in school history with a 9-1 record, and the Huskers have a chance to tie the best 15-game mark in school history this weekend. NU is 10-1 this season, becoming the fourth Husker team to begin a season 10-1. Only three Nebraska teams have won 11 of their first 12 games, while the best 15-game start came in 2003, when the Huskers opened the season 14-1.

Revelle Approaching Coaching Milestones
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle is closing in on a pair of milestones in her coaching career. In her 20th season as a head coach, Revelle owns 698 all-time wins. With two more victories, she will join the 700-win club. Revelle also owns 690 wins in her 19 seasons at Nebraska. She is only 10 wins shy of winning her 700th game as a Husker. Revelle also needs only five victories to pass former NU volleyball coach Terry Pettit and move into second place on Nebraska’s all-time win chart.

Husker Hitters Making Adjustments
The Husker offense boasts a .320 batting average and has homered 12 times in 11 games, while averaging 5.5 runs per game. The key to the impressive start has been Nebraska’s ability to make adjustments the second, third and fourth time through the batting order.

The first time through the lineup this season, Nebraska is hitting just .184 (14-for-76). But the second time through the order, Husker hitters are batting .352 (31-for-88). The average continues to rise the third (.371, 33-for-89) and fourth (.395, 17-for-43) times through the order.

Husker Pitching Staff Posts Impressive Weekend
The Nebraska pitching staff continued a solid start to the 2011 season with an impressive performance at the Sleep Inn Classic in Denton, Texas, last weekend. In winning all five games at the tournament, the Huskers posted their first two shutouts of the season and allowed only seven runs in five games, while posting a 1.27 staff ERA. Nebraska closed the season with back-to-back shutouts and a 14.1-inning scoreless streak.

Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann went 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA, allowing only seven hits and one earned run in 18.1 innings. Hagemann tossed a two-hit shutout against Northwestern State and finished the weekend with 21 strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Tatum Edwards picked up her first two career wins at the tournament, compiling a 1.40 ERA in 10.0 innings. She allowed only three hits on the weekend and struck out nine, ending her tournament with a two-hit shutout of Tennessee Tech in the first complete game of her career.

Husker Offense Also Posts Big Weekend
Not to be outdone by the pitching staff, the Husker offense put up gaudy numbers at the Sleep Inn Classic last week. Nebraska hit .376 in five games at the tournament, while slugging six home runs and averaging more than six runs per game. The Huskers twice posted season-high hit totals on the weekend and recorded a .525 slugging percentage and a .436 on-base percentage.

Leading the way was freshman Taylor Edwards, who batted .529 last weekend with five home runs and 12 RBIs in only 17 at bats. Edwards homered in each of her five games in Texas, extending her NCAA-record home run streak to six consecutive games. Overall, each of Nebraska’s regular starters had at least four hits in the five games last week and all 13 position players who saw action at the tournament scored at least one run.

Guile Records 100th Hit
Junior Ashley Guile recorded the 100th hit of her career at North Texas on Feb. 19. Guile is the first member of Nebraska’s junior class to reach the milestone, and she joins seniors Julie Brechtel and Heidi Foland as current members of the 100-hit club. Guile’s 100th hit came with a two-out single in the top of the third inning against the Mean Green.

After batting .382 last season, Guile is hitting .379 in 10 games this season. Guile’s career .326 batting average ranks 12th in school history. Guile also leads the 2011 Huskers with a .500 on-base percentage.