Huskers Host Drake in Tuesday Doubleheader

The Nebraska softball team welcomes the Drake Bulldogs to Bowlin Stadium for a Tuesday doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.

Fans are invited to come out to Bowlin Stadium to cheer on a Husker team that is in fourth place in the Big Ten standings. Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium on Tuesday can listen to both games for free on Huskers.com or watch a live video stream of both games with a subscription to BTN Plus.

The Huskers (20-17) bounced back from being swept by North Dakota State in doubleheader last Tuesday to win two of three games over the weekend at Ohio State. Nebraska faces a similar schedule this week, traveling to Purdue for a three-game series this weekend after the Tuesday doubleheader with Drake.

Nebraska, which has steadily climbed the NCAA RPI rankings up to No. 55 this week, is entering a key stretch of the schedule as it pertains to the Huskers’ NCAA Tournament hopes. Drake is just outside the top 100 of the RPI rankings, and beginning with this weekend’s series at Purdue, the Huskers have six games against top-60 opponents in a seven-game stretch.

The Huskers are also in position to earn a bye for the Big Ten Tournament May 7-9 in Columbus, Ohio. The top four seeds earn a bye and would need only three wins to earn the tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska is tied for fourth in the conference standings, but the Huskers are tied with first-place Northwestern (8-0) for the most victories in Big Ten play with eight.

This Week's Top 10

1. Nebraska has lost two straight home games. NU has not lost three in a row at home since 2010.
2. The Huskers have won 23 of their last 27 Big Ten regular-season games dating back to 2014.
3. NU has posted 20 road wins in conference play since 2013, the second-most of any Big Ten team.
4. Nebraska has scored double-digit runs a school-record 15 times in 37 games this season.
5. NU is averaging 7.2 runs per game this season. The school record is 5.7 runs per game in 2014.
6. The Huskers lead the Big Ten with a .350 team batting average. The NU record is .315 in 1995.
7. Nebraska’s offense ranks in the top 25 nationally in average (10th), on-base percentage (15th), scoring (19th) and slugging percentage (24th).
8. Four Huskers averaged more than one RBI per game during Nebraska’s 19 games in the month of March.
9. Sophomore MJ Knighten leads the Big Ten with 56 hits. She is just the seventh Husker to produce 50 hits as both a freshman and sophomore. Knighten has produced 35 hits in her 18-game hit streak.
10. Junior right-hander Emily Lockman has won 13 of her last 15 Big Ten Conference decisions. She owns a 18-5 career record in conference play.

Knighten a Hitting Machine
Sophomore MJ Knighten leads the Big Ten with 56 hits this season, and she ranks in 18th nationally in hits and in the top 10 in the country in hits per game. Knighten has been a hit machine for the Huskers, producing 112 hits in 99 career games.

• Knighten recorded her 100th hit against No. 12 Minnesota on March 27.
• Knighten recorded her 100th hit in her 92nd career game, becoming the third-fastest Husker to reach the milestone.
• Knighten is just the 10th Husker to produce 100 career hits prior to her junior season
• Knighten had five hits in a March 31 doubleheader with North Dakota State to become the seventh Husker to produce 50-hit seasons as a freshman and sophomore.

Knighten & Stokes on Record Pace
Sophomore MJ Knighten and junior Kiki Stokes are on pace to post some of the most impressive offensive totals in school history.

• Knighten’s 56 hits lead the Big Ten and are the fourth-most by a Husker through a season’s first 37 games. In a 56-game season, Knighten is on pace to finish with 85 hits, which would tie for the second-highest total in school history, two shy of the school record.
• Knighten’s 36 runs scored tie for the fifth-highest total by a Husker through a season’s first 37 games. She is on pace to score 55 runs in a 56-game season, a total that would tie for fourth in school history.
• Knighten’s 40 RBIs rank as the third-most a Husker has ever produced in a season’s first 37 games. She is on pace to finish with 61 RBIs, a total that would rank third in school history.
• Stokes’ 42 runs scored are tied for the most runs a Husker has ever scored through a season’s first 37 games. Stokes is on pace to score 64 runs in a 56-game season, which would eclipse Tobin Echo-Hawk’s school-record total of 61 runs in 1996.
• Stokes’ 38 RBIs rank as the fourth-highest total by a Husker through a season’s first 37 games. She is on pace to finish with 58 RBIs in a 56-game season, a total that would tie for fourth in school history.

McClure Piling Up Saves
Sophomore Cassie McClure leads the Big Ten Conference and ranks seventh nationally with four saves.

• McClure’s four saves currently rank in a tie for seventh on Nebraska’s all-time single-season chart.
• Her four saves are one shy of NU’s sophomore record.
• The last Husker to total more than five saves in a season was Lori Sippel (6) in 1987.
• McClure’s individual total of four saves is greater than Nebraska’s team total in nine of the past 12 seasons.

Scouting Drake (20-12)
Drake brings a 20-12 record into Tuesday’s doubleheader, and the Bulldogs are in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-2 league record. Nebraska and Drake share six common opponents in Colorado State, Iowa, North Dakota State, Texas Tech, UNO and Wichita State. The Huskers posted a 5-4 record against that group, while the Bulldogs went 6-5.

Offensively, Drake averages 4.5 runs per game, and the Bulldogs are hitting .267 as a team. Drake has scored more than four runs only once in its last six games.

In the circle, the Bulldogs boast an outstanding pitching staff that owns a 2.71 ERA while allowing 3.0 runs per game. Senior Rebekah Schmidt is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, and she has split the innings with freshman Nicole Newman.