Huskers Open 2015 Season This Weekend

The 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team opens its 2015 season this weekend with five games in three days at the Hotel Encanto Invitational, hosted by New Mexico State University.

The Huskers begin their season with a pair of games on Friday against Colorado State and New Mexico State, before facing first-year program Montana and former Big 12 foe Texas Tech on Saturday. NU closes the tournament on Sunday against UTSA.

Nate Rohr will have the radio call for all five games this weekend and for every game this season. Fans can listen to the game for free on Huskers.com, courtesy of the IMG Husker Sports Network. The radio broadcast is also available on mobile devices by downloading the Official Nebraska Huskers app and purchasing a mobile audio subscription.

Nebraska earned a No. 18 ranking in the preseason NFCA coaches’ poll, released last month. The Huskers are the defending Big Ten regular-season champion, after sharing the 2014 crown with Michigan. The Huskers have also won back-to-back NCAA Regional titles, including a trip to the 2013 Women’s College World Series.

The Huskers finished 44-18 in 2014, their second straight 40-win season. Nebraska returns eight position players with starting experience and junior right-hander Emily Lockman is back as the Huskers’ lone returning pitcher.

In addition to the returning talent, NU welcomes eight promising newcomers in 2015, including All-America transfer Steph Pasquale (Temple) and all-region transfer Cassie McClure (Texas Tech).

This Week's Top 10

1. The 2015 season marks Nebraska’s 40th anniversary season.
2. The Huskers won their 19th conference championship in school history in 2014 and the eighth regional title in program history.
3. Nebraska is one of 11 programs nationally to advance to an NCAA Super Regional in each of the last two seasons.
4. Nebraska is ranked 18th in the preseason NFCA coaches’ poll after finishing 16th in 2014 and eighth in 2013.
5. The Husker roster features one All-American, five all-conference performers and 11 players with extensive starting experience.
6. Nebraska’s roster features six players who were their state’s high school player of the year.
7. NU has won 17 of its last 18 games in Las Cruces, winning those 17 games by an average of seven runs per game.
8. The Huskers have won 20 consecutive games against Friday’s opponents, including 11 straight against Colorado State and nine in a row vs. New Mexico State.
9. Nebraska owns a 23-15 all-time record in season openers.
10. NU is seeking a third straight 40-win season, a feat that has been accomplished only once in school history (2000 to 2002).

Roster and Season Notebook

• Nebraska’s 2015 roster consists of 19 players, making it the third-largest roster in school history and the largest since 2009.
• Eight of NU’s 19 players are newcomers (6 freshmen and 2 transfers), tying for the most newcomers under Head Coach Rhonda Revelle (1993-present).
• The Husker roster features eight Nebraska natives, tying  for the most in-state players since softball became an NCAA sport in 1982.
• Rhonda Revelle last carried a roster with eight Nebraska natives in 2009, while the 1990 and 1992 Huskers also featured eight in-state products.
• Thirteen players on the NU roster were either a high school or travel ball teammate with at least one fellow Husker.
• Six Huskers were named their state’s high school player of the year, representing four different states.
• The Huskers who earned state high school player-of-the-year honors include: Alicia Armstrong (Nebraska); Mattie Fowler (Arizona); Kaylan Jablonski (Nebraska); Emily Lockman (California); Cassie McClure (Texas); and Madi Unzicker (Nebraska).
• Three of Nebraska’s four pitchers were their state’s high school player of the year, including Jablonski, Lockman and McClure.
• Nebraska features four pitchers on its roster, marking the first time since 2009 that NU has four pitchers.
• The NU roster features five players who have earned all-conference honors in their careers, with all five gaining recognition every season of their careers.
• Those players include three-time All-Atlantic 10 honoree Steph Pasquale (at Temple), two-time All-Big Ten selections Alicia Armstrong and Emily Lockman and 2014 freshmen honorees MJ Knighten (All-Big Ten) and Cassie McClure (All-Big 12 at Texas Tech).
• Senior Steph Pasquale was one of 50 players nationally named to the preseason USA Softball Player of the Year watch list. She was one of 12 players nationally named to both the 2014 and 2015 watch lists.
• Nebraska’s captains this spring are juniors Alicia Armstrong, Mattie Fowler and Kiki Stokes. Fowler is in her third season as a Husker captain, while Armstrong and Stokes are serving as captains for the first time.
• Sophomore Austen Urness will miss the 2015 season after undergoing knee surgery last fall. Urness, who also battled injuries in 2014, started 38 games last year  and hit .274 with six doubles, four homers and 22 RBIs.
• Rhonda Revelle is in her 23rd season leading her alma mater in 2015. Revelle is the longest serving women’s head coach in the history of Nebraska Athletics.
• Revelle owns 843 wins at Nebraska. She is the all-time wins leader in the history of Husker Athletics.
• Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel is in her 26th year at Nebraska. Sippel is the longest-tenured female assistant coach in the history of Nebraska Athletics.
• Revelle (1981-83) and Sippel (1985-88) also played for Nebraska. Counting their time as both a player and coach, Revelle and Sippel have been a part of 1,147 of Nebraska’s 1,324 all-time victories (87 percent).
• Assistant coach Diane Miller rounds out the Husker coaching staff. In her seventh season, Miller has helped Nebraska’s offense set more than 20 school records.
• Revelle, Sippel and Miller were named the Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2013 and 2014.
• NU is celebrating its 40th anniversary season in 2015.
• The Huskers shared the Big Ten regular-season championship with Michigan in 2014, Nebraska’s 19th conference championship.
• Nebraska is one of 11 teams nationally that have won back-to-back NCAA Regional titles.

Scouting Colorado State (0-0)
Colorado State was 32-17 in 2014 and finished sixth in the Mountain West (13-11). The Rams return every pitcher from 2014 but must replace five position starters.

Second baseman Hailey Hutton hit .413 as a freshman in 2014, the third-highest average in school history. Hutton was also fifth in runs scored (52), ranking 14th nationally in runs per game (1.04). A second-team all-region honoree, Hutton owns a 10-game hitting streak.

Designated player Danielle Wikre batted .352 and led CSU with a .672 slugging percentage in 2014, a mark that ranked fifth in the Mountain West Conference. Wikre added eight doubles, nine homers and 38 RBIs last spring.

Ace pitcher Holly Reinke earned third-team all-region and second-team all-conference honors in 2014, going 20-10 with a 2.49 ERA. Her 20 wins tied for third in CSU history.

Jen Fisher owns a 94-106 record entering her fifth year with the Rams and a 574-261 career record in 15 seasons. She is 0-1 against Nebraska.

Scouting New Mexico State (0-0)
New Mexico State was 31-23 in 2014 and finished second in the Western Athletic Conference (10-4). NMSU returns eight players who started at least 30 games in 2014. The Aggies also return seven .300 hitters and three of their four pitchers from last spring, but must replace their ace. NMSU is the preseason pick to win the WAC in 2015.

Outfielder Staci Rodriguez, the preseason WAC Player of the Year, is back for her senior season after leading NMSU with a .397 average in 2014 and adding a WAC-leading 15 home runs.

Rodriguez teams up with Fiana Finau for a potent 1-2 punch in the Aggie lineup. Finau hit .394 as New Mexico State’s designated player in 2014. A transfer from San Diego State, Finau led NMSU with 47 RBIs last spring in her first season in Las Cruces, while adding 14 homers.

Junior right-hander Makayla McAdams is the Aggies’ top returning pitcher. She went 11-7 in 2014 with a 3.80 ERA.

Kathy Rodolph is 322-303 entering her 12th year at New Mexico State, and she owns a 518-396 record in 18 seasons as a head coach. She is 3-10 vs. Nebraska.

Scouting Montana (0-0)
Montana is in its inaugural year fielding a softball team. The game with Nebraska on Saturday will mark the fourth game in program history. Due to being in the program’s first year of existence, Montana’s 20-player roster features 15 freshmen. The Grizzlies have only four players with collegiate experience on their roster, including just one player who has competed at the Division I level.

Bethany Olea has enjoyed the most success on the collegiate level of any Montana hitter. A 2014 junior college All-American, Olea hit .464 with eight home runs and 63 RBIs for an Arizona Western team that finished the 2014 season ranked second nationally.

In the circle, Boise State transfer Kenzie Cole owns Division I experience, as she posted a 9-4 career record in 51 appearances and 23 starts with the Broncos.

Jamie Pinkerton, who has led programs at Tulsa and Arkansas, has the unique opportunity to coach a first-year program. He owns a 270-284 career record in four seasons at Tulsa (140-105) and five years at Arkansas (130-179).

Scouting Texas Tech (0-0)
Texas Tech returns five starters and 15 letterwinners from last year, when the Red Raiders went 35-19 and finished fourth in the Big 12 with an 8-10 record. TTU must replace four position starters and its top two pitchers.

With four of Tech’s top statistical hitters gone from 2014, Sydnie Tapia and Kierra Miles are the Red Raiders’ top returning hitters. Tapia improved her batting average by nearly .100 in 2014, hitting .330 as a sophomore with seven doubles, four homers and 20 RBIs. Miles hit .300 with five doubles, seven homers and 36 RBIs.

Miles’ seven homers are tied with Lea Hopson for the most of any returning Red Raider, and Hopson is also Tech’s returning leader in doubles (10) and triples (3).

In the circle, senior right-hander Cara Custer was 12-7 in 2014 with a 4.41 ERA. She owns a 3.05 ERA in 489.0 career innings, and Custer was the only one of Tech’s three pitchers who has thrown more than 20.0 career innings.

Adrian Gregory is in her first season as a head coach with the Red Raiders in 2015. She spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State.

Scouting UTSA (0-0)
UTSA was 24-30 in 2014 and finished ninth in Conference USA with a 10-14 record. The Roadrunners return six starters and their entire pitching rotation from 2014.

Three of UTSA’s top hitters return, led by 2015 preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Megan Low. A 2014 second-team all-region honoree, Low hit .388 and led the conference and was third nationally in home runs, while also leading the league and ranking fourth nationally with a .901 slugging percentage.

Vivian Tijerina and Courtney Buchman also return. Each hit .244 last season with Tijerina adding 12 home runs, while Buchman totaled nine doubles.

All three pitchers from 2014 return for UTSA in 2015. Kacy Freeze threw a team-high 173.0 innings last season, compiling an 11-11 record wtih a 3.92 ERA. Nicole Merrill posted a team-low 3.10 ERA in 131.0 innings.

Michelle Cheatham is in her second season at her alma mater. She led UTSA to a 24-30 record in 2014.

Nebraska History vs. Colorado State

• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 16-4
• The Huskers have won 10 straight meetings vs. CSU
• NU last defeated CSU, 10-2 (6), in 2012 in Las Cruces
• Nebraska leads the series, 5-4, at a neutral site
• Rhonda Revelle is 10-3 against Colorado State
• Revelle is 1-0 vs. CSU Head Coach Jen Fisher

Nebraska History vs. New Mexico State

• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 14-5
• The Huskers have won nine straight meetings vs. NMSU
• Nebraska has won seven straight vs. NMSU in Las Cruces
• The Huskers are 11-5 all-time in Las Cruces
• NU last defeated NMSU, 11-0 (5), in 2014 in Las Cruces
• Rhonda Revelle is 11-5 against New Mexico State
• Revelle is 8-5 vs. the Aggies in Las Cruces
• Revelle is 10-3 against NMSU Head Coach Kathy Rodolph

Nebraska History vs. Montana

• Nebraska and Montana meet for the first time Saturday
• NU has never played a team from the state of Montana

Nebraska History vs. Texas Tech

• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 31-7
• The Huskers won 26 of the first 29 all-time meetings
• NU is just 5-4 vs. Texas Tech in the last nine meetings
• Nebraska is 6-2 against the Red Raiders at a neutral site
• Texas Tech defeated NU, 5-0, in the last meeting in 2011
• Rhonda Revelle is 29-7 against Texas Tech
• Revelle has never faced TTU Head Coach Adrian Gregory

Nebraska History vs. UTSA

• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 4-1
• The Huskers won the first four meetings between the teams
• UTSA won the last meeting, 10-9 (8), in 2010 in Las Cruces
• All five meetings have been played at a neutral site
• Rhonda Revelle is 4-1 against UTSA
• Revelle has never faced UTSA Coach Michelle Cheatham

Huskers Hope for Potent Battery
Nebraska has featured an All-America battery each of the last two seasons, highlighted by two-time All-America pitcher Tatum Edwards and her twin sister Taylor, the 2014 Division I Catcher of the Year and a two-time All-American herself.

Despite losing the Edwards twins to graduation, Nebraska is hopeful it once again will feature one of the nation’s top batteries in 2015.

On paper, the Huskers do boast one of the nation’s top batteries entering this season. Junior right-hander Emily Lockman returns after earning first-team all-region honors in 2013 and 2014. Behind the plate, senior Steph Pasquale was a third-team All-American as a junior at Temple in 2013, and she is also a two-time, first-team all-region performer like Lockman.

Returning 2013 & 2014 First-Team All-Region Pitchers

• Ally Carda, Sr., UCLA
• Jailyn Ford, Jr., James Madison
• Lauren Haeger, Sr., Florida
• Emily Lockman, Jr., Nebraska

Returning All-America Catchers

• Annie Aldrete, So., Tennessee
• Lexie Elkins, Jr., Louisiana
• Amber Freeman, Sr., Arizona State
• Steph Pasquale, Sr., Nebraska

Lockman One of Nation’s Top Pitchers
Junior right-hander Emily Lockman is the only one of Nebraska’s four pitchers who has thrown a pitch in a Husker uniform. Lockman boasts more than just experience, as she has been one of the nation’s top pitchers the past two seasons, compiling a 35-11 record with a 1.93 ERA.

Although she is in her first season as Nebraska’s ace in 2015, Lockman boasts plenty of big-game experience for NU. She owns six victories over ranked opponents in her career, including a victory at No. 3 Oregon in the 2013 NCAA Super Regional championship game and a win at No. 14 Missouri in the 2014 NCAA Regional final.

Lockman is one of only four pitchers nationally who earned first-team all-region recognition in both 2013 and 2014. She joins James Madison’s Jailyn Ford as the only juniors among that quartet. Lockman is also the first Husker to earn first-team all-region recognition as both a freshman and a sophomore. She is the fourth NU pitcher to enter her junior year as a two-time all-conference honoree, and the previous three all ended their careers as All-Americans.

A native of Corona, Calif., Lockman’s 1.93 career ERA ranks 22nd nationally among all 2015 pitchers who have thrown at least 200.0 innings. Among pitchers from a Power Five conference (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC), Lockman’s ERA is the fourth-lowest.

Pasquale Among Nation’s Top Hitters
One of 50 members of the preseason USA Softball Player of the Year watch list, senior Steph Pasquale has been one of the nation’s most productive hitters in her career. Pasquale starred at Temple from 2011 to 2013, before her 2014 season was cut short due to injury.

As a result of the injury, Pasquale appeared in only 12 games in 2014, and she was granted a medical hardship and a fifth year of eligibility. Pasquale elected to finish her career at Nebraska after Temple cut its softball program.

At Temple, Pasquale was a three-time all-conference performer, a two-time all-region selection and a 2013 third-team All-American. In her last full season, Pasquale batted .465 with 21 doubles, 15 homers and 80 RBIs. She led the nation in RBIs per game in 2013 and was also the nation’s toughest player to strike out that season, fanning only three times in 209 plate appearances (187 at bats).

Pasquale is a .379 career hitter who batted .465 with 15 homers and 80 RBIs in her 2013 All-America campaign. She ranks fifth among all active Division I hitters with 45 career doubles and is 10th with 152 career RBIs.

Pasquale Among All Active Division I Hitters

• Doubles: t-5th (45)
• RBIs: 10th (152)

Armstrong Producing Hits
Alicia Armstrong enters her junior season with 117 career hits, the most any current Husker has totaled at Nebraska. Armstrong led Nebraska with 62 hits as a freshman in 2013, then battled through a painful back injury to produce 55 hits in her sophomore campaign a season ago.

A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Armstrong boasts 30 more hits than any other returning Husker and her .331 career average is .020 higher than any other returning Husker. Among all players on Nebraska’s 2015 roster, Armstrong’s 117 hits trail only Steph Pasquale, who had 189 hits at Temple from 2011 to 2014.

• Armstrong is 1 of 9 players in school history to produce 100 career hits before their junior season.
• Armstrong is 1 of 5 players in school history to total at least 55 hits as both a freshman and a sophomore.
• Armstrong’s 117 hits are the sixth-most any Husker has recorded entering her junior season.
• Armstrong is on pace to finish her career with 234 hits, a total that would rank fifth in school history.

What Nebraska Returns: Offense
Although Nebraska returns the bulk of its lineup from last season - losing only three starters - the Huskers still have plenty of production to replace.

NU will be without its top three statistical hitters from last spring, a trio that included two All-Americans and a first-team all-region performer. The three lost hitters accounted for 63 percent of Nebraska’s home runs in 2014 and 48 percent of the team’s RBIs, ranking 1-2-3 in each category.

Nebraska will also be without sophomore Austen Urness in 2015, who will miss the season following offseason knee surgery. Urness hit .274 as a freshman last season with six doubles, four home runs and 22 RBIs.

The Huskers hope they went a long way in replacing the lost production by adding transfers Steph Pasquale and Cassie McClure. Pasquale, a 2013 All-American, and McClure, a 2014 all-region selection, own the top two batting averages, slugging percentages and on-base percentages of any current Husker.

Pasquale owns a team-high .379 average with team-best totals of 45 doubles, 25 homers and 152 RBIs. McClure is second among active Huskers with a .364 batting average, and she ranks second in career home runs (9) and fourth in career RBIs (44) despite her sophomore status.

Aided by the two transfers, Nebraska’s 13 players with Division I experience boast a collective .302 batting average, .459 slugging percentage and .378 on-base percentage.

What Nebraska Returns: Pitching
In the circle, Nebraska brings back only one player who has pitched for the Huskers.

Junior Emily Lockman is the only pitcher who has thrown a pitch for NU, while sophomore Cassie McClure threw only 12.1 innings as a freshman at Texas Tech in 2014.

Lockman was 20-5 with a 2.08 ERA in 2014, and she is 35-11 in her career with a 1.93 ERA. McClure did not earn a decision but picked up one save while compiling a 3.41 ERA in nine appearances last spring.

What Nebraska Adds: Newcomers
Nebraska boasts eight newcomers in 2015, tying for the most additions in Head Coach Rhonda Revelle’s 23 seasons. The Huskers’ eight newcomers include transfers Steph Pasquale and Cassie McClure and freshmen Laura Barrow, Caitlin Bartsch, Kaylan Jablonski, Gina Metzler, Taylor Otte and Madi Unzicker.

Pasquale earned three all-conference awards, two all-region appointments and was a 2013 third-team All-American at Temple. McClure was a second-team All-Big 12 and third-team all-region performer as a freshman at Texas Tech in 2014.

Among the freshmen, Unzicker was the 2012 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year and Jablonski was the 2013 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. Unzicker is the state’s all-time home run leader, while Jablonski owns the highest batting average in Nebraska high school history.

Metzler was a four-time, first-team All-Nebraska selection, while Otte was a two-time All-Nebraska honoree. Barrow (Missouri) and Bartsch (Texas) each earned one all-state appointment.

Knighten Aims for Breakout Season
MJ Knighten put together an outstanding freshman season, while starting every game at third base. She is poised to follow up her fantastic freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign.

• Knighten was one of three freshmen - and the only position player - to earn All-Big Ten accolades in 2014.
• Knighten was the first Husker freshman third baseman to be an all-conference performer in more than 20 years. She was NU’s first freshman honoree at third base since two-time All-American Tobin Echo-Hawk in 1993.
• Knighten’s 38 RBIs in 2014 tied for the sixth-highest freshman total in school history.
• Knighten’s six home runs in 2014 tied for the eighth-highest freshman total in school history.

Husker Hitters Love Las Cruces
Nebraska is traveling to Las Cruces for the sixth straight season, where the Huskers have won 17 of their last 18 games. Nebraska has played well in all phases of the game at the NMSU Softball Complex, but the highlight has been the work of the Husker hitters.

• In winning 17 of its last 18 games, Nebraska has averaged 8.6 runs per game, totaling 155 runs.
• Nebraska has scored at least 10 runs in nine of its last 18 games in Las Cruces.
• NU has won seven straight games against host New Mexico State, tallying 70 runs during the win streak.
• Nebraska’s returning hitters boast a collective .361 batting average and .444 on-base percentage in Las Cruces.
• Mattie Fowler has 12 RBIs in 12 games in Las Cruces, while Kylee Muir has nine RBIs in eight games.

Husker History in Season Openers
Nebraska owns a 23-15 all-time record in season openers. The Huskers have won two straight season openers and three of their last four, improving Head Coach Rhonda Revelle to 14-8 in her 22 season openers, including an 11-3 mark against unranked opponents.