Huskers Head to Iowa For Midweek Games

A Tuesday doubleheader at Iowa kicks off a busy schedule for the Nebraska softball team.

Beginning with the doubleheader against the Hawkeyes, NU will play eight games against four opponents in three cities in the span of eight days.

Nebraska and Iowa will play two beginning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and both games will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. The Huskers then play a single game at Iowa State the next day.

Following the trio of midweek road games, Nebraska returns home to host No. 15 Minnesota in a three-game weekend series at Bowlin Stadium on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. NU then wraps up a busy week with a doubleheader against North Dakota State on Tuesday, March 31 at Bowlin Stadium.

Nebraska will take momentum into its busiest week of the year after sweeping Michigan State in the opening series of Big Ten Conference play last weekend. The Huskers scored 36 runs in the three games vs. the Spartans, the most runs Nebraska has ever scored in a conference series.

Powered by the strong offensive performance, Nebraska extended its home winning streak to 14 games and its home conference win streak to 13. Both of those streaks lead the Big Ten.

Nebraska also leads the league with six straight Big Ten victories dating back to 2014, and the Huskers have won 18 of their last 19 conference games. Overall, the Huskers have won seven of their last eight games and are 9-3 overall this month.

This Week's Top 10

1. Nebraska has won six straight Big Ten games, the longest winning streak in the conference.
2. NU has won 18 of its last 19 Big Ten games.
3. The Huskers have won 16 Big Ten road games the past two seasons. That total is tied with Wisconsin for the most in the Big Ten.
4. Nebraska is 0-6 in road games this season and has lost eight straight road games overall.
5. NU has scored double-digit runs a school-record 12 times in only 27 games this season.
6. Nebraska is averaging 7.2 runs per game this season. The school record is 5.7 runs per game, set last season.
7. The Huskers lead the Big Ten with a .350 team batting average, a total that ranks in the top 15 nationally. The Nebraska record is .315 in 1995.
8. Two years after turning a Big Ten-record 49 double plays in 2013, the Huskers rank in the top 10 nationally and lead the Big Ten with 17 double plays this season.
9. Junior right-hander Emily Lockman earned the win in all three victories over Michigan State last weekend. She has won 10 consecutive Big Ten games and has not lost a conference game in more than a year (March 23, 2014 vs. Minnesota).
10. Sophomore MJ Knighten has produced 10 multi-hit efforts in her last 15 games.

Big Red Among Big Ten’s Best
Nebraska is in its fourth season as a member of the Big Ten Conference, playing its first league season in 2012. The Huskers are 51-20 in Big Ten games.

• Nebraska has won six straight conference games dating back to the final Big Ten series of 2014. The conference winning streak is the longest of any Big Ten team.
• Nebraska has won 18 of its last 19 Big Ten games.
• Nebraska ranks second behind Michigan in Big Ten wins  (51) and conference winning percentage (.718) during the Huskers’ four seasons in the league (2012-present).
• NU has finished first, second and third in its first three full Big Ten seasons, sharing the 2014 conference title.

Lockman’s Big Ten Win Streak at 10
Junior right-hander Emily Lockman earned the victory in all three games vs. Michigan State last weekend. Lockman, who won her final seven conference decisions last season, has won a league-best 10 straight games in Big Ten play.

• Lockman has gone more than a calendar year since her last conference lost, a setback in game one of a doubleheader with Minnesota on March 23, 2014.
• Lockman owns a 15-3 career record in conference play, posting an .833 winning percentage that ranks second among all active Big Ten pitchers with a minimum of 10 decisions.
• Lockman’s 15 career Big Ten victories rank second in the conference and are tied for the most among non-senior pitchers.

NU Scoring Runs at Record Rate
Nebraska’s offense has scored 194 runs in its first 27 games, the most runs in program history in a season’s first 27 games.

• The Huskers are averaging 7.2 runs per game. The school record for runs per game is 5.7 in 2014.
• NU is on pace to score 402 runs based on a 56-game season (the NCAA regular-season maximum). The school record is 358 runs in 1996.
• Nebraska scored 36 runs in its three-game series with Michigan State last weekend, the most runs the Huskers have ever scored in a conference series.
• The 2015 Huskers were the second-fastest team in NU history to score 100 runs, reaching the mark in 17 games.
• Nebraska needs to score only six runs over its next four games to reach 200 runs faster than any other team in school history.
• Nebraska scored 55 runs in five games the opening weekend, the most runs a Husker team has ever scored in the first five games of a season.
• NU scored at least 10 runs in four straight games the opening weekend, becoming the first team in school history to total double-digit runs in four straight games.
• NU has scored double-digit runs a school-record 12 times in 27 games. The previous record was 11 in 2014.

Revelle Earns Conference Win No. 250
Nebraska Head Coach Rhonda Revelle picked up the 250th conference victory of her career and her 50th Big Ten win in last Saturday’s 14-6 run-rule win over Michigan State. Revelle has a history of coaching success in conference play.

• Revelle has been the conference coach of the year in three major conferences (Big Eight, Big 12 and Big Ten).
• Revelle has led Nebraska to seven combined conference titles, including four regular-season championships. NU shared the 2014 Big Ten regular-season title.

Scouting Iowa (10-22)
Iowa brings a 10-22 record into Tuesday’s doubleheader, including a 1-2 mark in Big Ten play after losing a home series to Maryland last weekend. The Hawkeyes put up 22 runs in the three-game series with the Terrapins, but allowed 38 runs. Seven of Iowa’s losses this season have come to top-10 opponents.

The Hawkeyes and Huskers share two common opponents in Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State. Both teams went 1-1 against that duo, with Nebraska defeating SDSU and Iowa beating Fullerton.

Offensively, Iowa is batting .261 as a team and averaging 3.7 runs per game. The Hawkeyes scored a season-high 14 runs last Friday vs. Maryland.

Defensively, Iowa is allowing 6.8 runs per game. The Hawkeyes’ pitching staff owns a 6.94 ERA that ranks last in the Big Ten. Iowa has tossed three shutouts this spring.

Scouting Iowa State (18-11)
Iowa State is 18-11. The Cyclones hosted their first outdoor home games of the season last weekend, defeating South Dakota twice and dropping a pair of games to Miami (Ohio). ISU is 6-2 overall at home after going 4-0 while hosting an indoor tournament in week one.

Nebraska and Iowa State share two common opponents in San Diego State and South Dakota. NU went 3-0 against that group, while the Cyclones posted a 2-1 record.

Iowa State is hitting .305 as a team and has slugged 21 home runs while averaging 4.6 runs per game. Four Cyclone starters are hitting better than .300, while two more regulars are batting above .290.

In the circle, Iowa State boasts a 3.91 ERA. The Cyclones have limited opponents to a .278 batting average, but are allowing an average of 4.6 walks per game. The staff struggled last weekend, allowing 29 runs in four games.