Huskers Host Creighton on Wednesday

The Nebraska softball team wraps up a four-game homestand on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against in-state rival Creighton at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers’ final home non-conference game of the season, Wednesday’s matchup will be televised live statewide on NET. 

Larry Punteney will call the action for NET on Wednesday, with Kathi Wieskamp and Tracy Bunge adding color commentary. In addition to the live television coverage in the state of Nebraska, Wednesday’s game will also be streamed live to subscribers of BTN All-Access. A free radio broadcast will also available on Huskers.com, with Nate Rohr providing the play-by-play commentary.    

Fans can purchase tickets for Wednesday’s game at Huskers.com, over the phone by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or in person at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office, located at the main entrance to the stadium. Rally towels will be handed out to the first 500 fans through the gates on Wednesday.   

Nebraska will put several streaks on the line against Creighton. The Huskers own a five-game winning streak over the Bluejays and haven’t lost to their in-state rivals since 2009. NU has also won 10 consecutive non-conference games in the state of Nebraska and 19 of its last 21 overall. The Huskers have also been outstanding at home this season, posting a perfect 10-0 record at Bowlin Stadium. Overall, Nebraska has won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last season, tying for the longest winning streak in the 11-year history of Bowlin Stadium.  

The Huskers pushed their home winning streak to 13 straight games with a three-game sweep over Illinois last weekend, marking Nebraska’s second sweep through three Big Ten Conference series. NU dominated the series, outscoring the Fighting Illini, 20-2. Nebraska only hit .217 as a team in the series, but the Huskers made the most of their offensive chances. Nebraska drew 19 walks to post a .378 on-base percentage, and the Huskers slugged five home runs, batted .333 with runners on base and produced 11 two-out RBIs. Junior Brooke Thomason highlighted the offensive performance by going 4-for-8 in the series with a grand slam and six RBIs. Four Huskers had at least three RBIs in the series.  

In the circle, Nebraska allowed just two runs in three games while posting a 0.70 team ERA. Illinois managed only seven hits in the three games, as the Huskers held the Fighting Illini to a .106 batting average. Senior right-hander Ashley Hagemann went 2-0 on the series with a 0.47 ERA. She tossed her first career no-hitter in game one, striking out 15. She allowed only three hits in 15.0 total innings, as Illinois batted. 063 against her. For her efforts, Hagemann earned Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week honors.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays (20-15-1)
Creighton enters Wednesday’s game with a three-game winning streak, and the Bluejays have lost only once in their last 12 games. CU brings a 20-15-1 overall record into Wednesday’s matchup. The Huskers and Bluejays share four common opponents this season in Arkansas-Pine Bluff, New Mexico State, South Dakota and South Dakota State. Nebraska posted a 6-0 record against that group, while Creighton went 7-2-1.

CU boasts a potent offense that is averaging 6.5 runs per game. The Bluejays have homered 37 times in only 36 games, while batting .307 as a team and slugging .483. CU scored 38 runs in a three-game sweep at Wichita State last weekend. Overall, Creighton has produced a double-digit run total 10 times this season, including eight games scoring at least 12 runs.

Amy Baker is one of five Bluejay starters hitting above .333. Baker leads the team with a .370 average and has slugged six doubles, six home runs and produced a team-high 41 RBIs. Bri Lingl is hitting .363 with five home runs and 32 RBIs, while Allie Mathewson is batting .361 and leads Creighton with 13 stolen bases. Ellen Homan is hitting .342 and is tied for the team lead with six doubles. Alexis Cantu has made an immediate impact after transferring from Texas-Arlington. Cantu is batting .337 and leads Creighton with 10 home runs, 34 walks, a .735 slugging percentage and a .542 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Creighton owns a 3.67 staff ERA, and the Bluejays are allowing 4.3 runs per game. Lincoln native Becca Changstrom has thrown nearly half of CU’s total innings this season, compiling an 11-8 record and a 2.79 ERA in 108.0 innings. She has started half of Creighton’s 36 games and averages 7.0 strikeouts per game and opponents are hitting only .235 against her. Cantu has made 14 appearances and 11 starts, posting a 6-2 record and a 3.97 ERA in 49.1 innings. Sammy Snygg has also seen extensive action, posting a 3-4 record and a 4.23 ERA in 43.0 innings. Nebraska natives Brittany Telecky (0-1, 4.83 ERA in 29.0 IP) and Kylie Hovinga (0-0, 21.00 ERA in 1.1 IP) round out the Creighton staff.

Creighton is coached by Brent Vigness, who owns a 598-418-3 record in 19 seasons as a Bluejay.

Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton, 78-36. The Huskers have won five straight in the series after CU had won four straight to marks its longest winning streak in the series. Nebraska’s 78 wins over Creighton are the fifth-most victories over one opponent in NCAA history, according to research by the Florida State Media Relations office. The Huskers own more victories over Creighton than any other opponent in school history. Nebraska leads the all-time series in Lincoln, 37-15, including a 9-5 advantage at Bowlin Stadium. Husker Head Coach Rhonda Revelle is 50-13 in her career against Creighton and 47-11 against Bluejay Head Coach Brent Vigness. Overall, Revelle is 111-30 in her career against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference.

Last year, Nebraska won both meetings, winning 7-2 in Lincoln and 10-2 in five innings in Omaha. In the first meeting in Lincoln, a pair of home runs powered the 13th-ranked Huskers to the victory. Taylor Edwards hit a two-run homer two batters into the bottom of the first inning and Nebraska led the rest of the way. The home run was Edwards’ 14th of the season, marking a Husker freshman record. Julie Brechtel also homered, as Nebraska put the game away with a pair of runs in both the fifth and the sixth innings. In the circle, Ashley Hagemann fired a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts and no walks in the win, but both hits she allowed were solo home runs.

In game two in Omaha, Nebraska scored in all five innings, including four in the second and three in the third.  Ashley Guile and Taylor Edwards each had four RBIs in the win, while Tatum Edwards homered. Tatum Edwards also earned the win in the circle, allowing one earned run in 3.1 innings.

Several Huskers have enjoyed outstanding careers against Creighton. Taylor Edwards is 3-for-4 in her career with a home run, six RBIs, a 1.500 slugging percentage and an .875 on-base percentage against the Bluejays. Nikki Haget is 9-for-16 (.563) against CU, while Guile and Brooke Thomason each own six career RBIs against Creighton. In the circle, Hagemann is 2-0 against Creighton with a 2.52 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 16.2 innings.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers wrap up a four-game homestand by facing Creighton on Wednesday.

• Nebraska is 4-0 this month and owns an all-time record of 471-229 (.673) in the month of April.
• The Huskers have committed 48 errors and allowed 34 unearned runs through 38 games this season. In 55 games last year, Nebraska committed 43 errors and allowed only 14 unearned runs. 
• NU has allowed 140 runs through 38 games this season, after allowing 116 runs in 55 games last season.
• The Huskers have scored 61 runs through their first nine conference games this season, after scoring 59 total runs through their 18-game Big 12 schedule last season.
• Fifty of the 140 runners who have scored against NU this season reached base by a walk or hit-by-pitch.
• Overall, batters who have walked or been hit by a pitch score an average of 1.3 runs per game this season.
• Nebraska has walked 140 batters this season, committed an error that allowed a hitter to reach base 35 times and hit 30 batters. Combining those totals equals 205 base runners, which is higher than the number of hits the Huskers have allowed this season (196).
• Between the walks, hit batters and errors, NU is “giving” the opponent an average of 5.4 base runners per game.
• Taylor Edwards enters Wednesday’s game with 99 career RBIs.

Thomason Having Grand Time Hitting With Bases Loaded
Junior Brooke Thomason hit her second grand slam of the season last Friday in game one of a doubleheader with Illinois. Both of Thomason’s grand slams have been walk-off shots. Her first career grand slam came on March 23 against Northwestern, when she capped a Husker comeback with a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 9-6 win. That grand slam marked the first walk-off home run by a Husker since Nicole Trimboli also belted a walk-off grand slam to give Nebraska a 6-2 win over Texas A&M on May 4, 2002. Last Friday, Thomason’s sixth-inning grand slam gave the Huskers the necessary margin for an 11-0, run-rule victory.

A native of Overland Park, Kan., Thomason has two grand slams this season. Based on available records, she is the only player in school history to hit two grand slams in the same season. Her two grand slams match Nebraska’s team total from the past four seasons combined and thanks to Thomason, the Huskers have hit two grand slams in the same season for the first time since 2006. Overall, Thomason’s two career grand slams have tied the school record. Sheena Lawrick and Jamie Waldecker also hit two grand slams in their careers.

Both of Thomason’s grand slams have coming during Big Ten Conference play. Overall, 13 of Thomason’s 25 career home runs have come in conference play. She homered five times in Big 12 play in both 2010 and 2011, and she has three home runs less than halfway through this season’s Big Ten schedule.

Limiting Walks Key to Husker Pitching Success
Nebraska’s pitching staff has struggled with walks this season, as the Huskers have walked 140 batters, the third-highest total in the Big Ten. NU is averaging 4.1 walks per seven innings this season. Nebraska is 19-5 on the year when allowing four walks or fewer, and the staff owns a 1.66 ERA in those 24 games. But when allowing five or more walks, Nebraska is just 5-9 with a 5.50 ERA.

Nebraska has allowed one earned run or less in 20 of its 24 games where it allowed four or fewer walks, including seven shutouts. Contrastly, the Huskers have allowed at least four runs in 13 of their 14 games when they’ve walked five or more batters. Nebraska is allowing an average of 2.1 runs per game when it walks less than five batters and 6.4 runs per game when it walks five or more batters.

Home Sweet Home
Nebraska is 10-0 at home this season, and NU has won 13 straight home games dating back to last season. The Huskers’ 10-game winning streak to open their home schedule is the second-longest in the 11-year history of Bowlin Stadium, trailing only an 13-0 start in 2006. NU’s current 13-game home winning streak has tied the 2006 squad for the longest overall win streak in Bowlin Stadium history.

While Nebraska’s offense has been solid at home, the Husker pitching staff has been stellar. Nebraska has allowed only 16 runs in its 10 home games this season, an average of 1.6 runs per game. The staff has thrown four shutouts at home and combined for a 1.18 ERA. Individually, sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards is 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA in three home starts this season. Edwards has thrown one shutout and held opposing hitters to a .172 average while striking out 14 and walking only five in 17.0 innings. Senior right-hander Ashley Hagemann is 7-0 at Bowlin Stadium with a 1.46 ERA. She has thrown three shutouts in eight starts has held opponents to a paltry .130 average while tossing one no-hitter, one one-hitter and a pair of two-hitters. Hagemann has struck out 65 batters in only 48.0 innings at home, an average of 9.5 per seven innings.

Offensively, the junior duo of Gabby Banda and Brooke Thomason are the only two Huskers hitting above .333 at home this season. The duo have combined to hit .441 (26-for-59) at Bowlin Stadium this season with six doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs. Banda leads NU with a .484 average, 15 hits and four doubles, while Thomason has paced NU with three home runs, 17 RBIs and a .786 slugging percentage, while hitting .393.