NU Opens Busy Week with Wednesday Doubleheader

The Nebraska softball team begins a busy home week on Wednesday, hosting the Iowa Hawkeyes for a doubleheader at Bowlin Stadium beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans can purchase tickets for Wednesday’s doubleheader online at Huskers.com, over the phone at 1-800-8-BIG-RED or in person on game day at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office. General admission tickets, which include one section of chairback seating, are available for $3 (youth/senior) and $5 (adults), while reserved tickets are available for $7. One ticket is good for admission into both games on Wednesday.

The doubleheader kicks off a stretch of five home games in five days for the Huskers, as Nebraska will host No. 2 Michigan in a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

Fans are encouraged to come out to the ballpark for the big weekend series. On Saturday, the Huskers will host the World’s Largest Softball Tailgate before the game. The free event begins at 10 a.m. and features family-friendly activities in the parking lot beyond the left field fence of Bowlin Stadium. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will also receive a free hot dog, bag of chips and Pepsi product. Following the tailgate, fans are invited to stick around and watch Nebraska take on Michigan at 1 p.m., with free admission into the game.

Nebraska (22-12) is looking to improve upon its 3-3 record in Big Ten Conference play. NU appeared to bust out of a recent slump in a big way last weekend, as the Huskers won the final two games of their three-game series at Maryland by a combined score of 40-6, including a 26-4 victory on Sunday.

This Week's Top 10

1. Nebraska’s three Big Ten victories have been run-rule wins by a combined score of 50-8.

2. The Huskers have scored 40 runs in their last two games, including a school-record 26 runs in their last game at Maryland on Sunday.

3. Friday’s game with Michigan will mark Nebraska’s 100th Big Ten Conference game. It will also mark the first time NU has ever hosted the No. 1 team.

4. The Huskers have used 34 different starting lineups (P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, DP) this season and 34 different batting orders, never duplicating a starting lineup or batting order.

5. Nebraska has hit 45 home runs in 34 games, its highest total ever through 34 games.

6. The World’s Largest Softball Tailgate is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. Fans can get in free to both the tailgate and the softball game at 1 p.m.

7. Rhonda Revelle became the 12th active Division I coach to win 900 games at his or her current school in Nebraska’s 26-4 win at Maryland on Sunday.

8. MJ Knighten ranks third nationally with 16 home runs, seventh with 45 RBIs and eighth with a .925 slugging percentage.

9. Kiki Stokes recorded her 200th career hit and 100th career RBI last weekend at Maryland.

10. Nebraska has a pair of players in its lineup with 200 career hits (Alicia Armstrong & Kiki Stokes) for only the second time in program history.

Leading Off...

• Nebraska scored 44 runs in its three-game series at Maryland, the most runs Nebraska has ever scored in a conference series, eclipsing the 36 runs NU scored in a three-game sweep of Michigan State in 2015.
• The Huskers have scored 40 runs in their past two games, the highest total in consecutive games in school history. The previous high was 32 runs in back-to-back games against Iowa (18) and Ohio State (14) in 2014.
• NU has scored 21 two-out runs in its last two games.
• Nebraska has scored 213 runs this season. It took the Huskers only 34 games to reach 200 runs, the fifth-fastest team to score 200 runs in program history.
• Nebraska has scored a run in nine consecutive innings.
• NU is 21-2 this season when holding the opponent to five runs or less.
• Nebraska has scored first in six of its last seven games, including each of the last five games. Before that, the opponent had scored first in 20 of the first 27 games.
• Nebraska is tied for the Big Ten lead in hits (300), and the Huskers rank second in runs (213), RBIs (203), home runs (45) and slugging percentage (.528).
• Nebraska ranks 10th nationally in home runs per game (1.32) and 15th in slugging percentage (.528).

Husker Quick Hits

• Laura Barrow has six multi-hit efforts in the last 12 games after having two multi-hit games through her first 18 games of the season.
• Senior Mattie Fowler has produced at least one RBI in seven of her last eight games and nine of her last 11.
• MJ Knighten leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with 16 home runs, the fifth-highest total in NU history.
• Knighten is hitting .425 and has had a season batting average above .400 at the end of 67 consecutive games dating back to March 21, 2015.
• Knighten has started 154 consecutive games. She is the only Husker with more than 18 straight starts.
• Knighten owns a .422 career batting average in Big Ten play while totaling 70 hits and 60 RBIs in only 52 career Big Ten Conference games.
• Knighten is one of only 17 players nationally who are averaging more than one hit, run and RBI per game.
• Cassie McClure leads the Big Ten with four saves and is tied for third in wins (13).
• Alyvia Simmons is off to a fast start to her Big Ten career, going 8-for-15 (.533) with a double, two homers, five walks and five RBIs in her first six Big Ten games.
• Senior Kiki Stokes is one of only nine active players nationally who has totaled 150 career hits, 150 runs and 50 stolen bases.
• Stokes has tallied multiple hits in five of her last seven games and nine times in her streak of 15 consecutive games reaching base safely.

NU Coming Off Record-Breaking Win
Nebraska made Rhonda Revelle’s 900th Husker win even more memorable with a record-breaking 26-4 five-inning win at Maryland last Sunday.

• The Huskers set a school record with their 26 runs, breaking the previous record of 23 runs against UMKC on April 11, 1996. It was only the third time Nebraska has scored 20 runs in a game and the first time the Huskers have ever scored 20 runs in a conference game.
• The 22-run margin of victory marked the largest conference win in program history and was one run shy of the largest overall margin of victory in school history.
• Nebraska set a school record with 23 RBIs and finished with 21 hits, one shy of the school record.
• NU scored 11 times in the second inning, the second-most runs the Huskers have ever scored in one inning of a conference game. The record is a 14-run second inning against Iowa on April 12, 2014 at Bowlin Stadium.
• Four Huskers had multiple runs, hits and RBIs.
• Seven Huskers finished with multiple hits, including six players with three hits each.
• Five Huskers finished with at least three RBIs, including a combined 17 RBIs from the top four hitters in the lineup.
• Husker hitters combined to set or match a total of 22 career highs in the win.
• Kiki Stokes set a school record with five runs scored, becoming the first Husker to score five times in a game.

Milestone Weekend for Stokes
It was a milestone weekend for senior Kiki Stokes in Nebraska’s three-game series victory at Maryland. Stokes went 6-for-8 on the weekend with a double, a triple, a homer, eight runs, six RBIs and five walks. Her big weekend helped her reach a pair of career milestones while also setting one school record.

• Stokes recorded her 200th career hit when she led off game two of the series with her 20th career home run.
• The next day in the series finale, Stokes drove in four runs to surpass the 100-RBI milestone.
• Stokes also scored five runs in the finale, becoming the first Husker to score five times in a game. Stokes had previously been tied with several other players for the school record of four runs scored in a game.

NU Posts Big innings in Big Ten Play
Nebraska has scored 59 runs in its six Big Ten Conference games, ranking second in the league in runs scored in conference play. The Huskers have scored in 20 of their 36 innings in conference action, including four innings where Nebraska has scored eight or more runs.

200-Hit Teammates
Seniors Alicia Armstrong and Kiki Stokes have each totaled more than 200 career hits. Armstrong owns 208 career hits, while Stokes has totaled 204 hits.

• Armstrong and Stokes are two of only 11 players in school history to total 200 career hits.
• Nebraska has a pair of teammates who each boast 200 career hits for only the second time in program history.
• Armstrong and Stokes are also looking to end their careers among an elite quartet of four-year Huskers who have averaged 1.0 or more hit per game in their careers.
• Junior MJ Knighten owns 187 hits and could give NU three players in the lineup with 200 career hits.

Scouting Iowa (9-21, 1-5 Big Ten)
Iowa is 9-21 this season, and the Hawkeyes bring a 1-5 conference record into Wednesday’s doubleheader following a 10-3 win over Purdue on Sunday. Despite its record, Iowa has been competitive this season. Thirteen of the Hawkeyes’ 21 losses have been by two runs or fewer, including 10 one-run defeats. Nearly half of Iowa’s games this year have been decided by only one run, with Iowa holding a 3-10 record in one-run games.

The Huskers and Hawkeyes share one common opponent this season in Louisville. Nebraska went 2-0 against Louisville while Iowa was 1-1.

Hawkeye Offense
Iowa ranks last in the Big Ten with a .248 team batting average, and the Hawkeyes are next-to-last in the league with 127 runs scored. Iowa is averaging 4.2 run per game.

Sammi Gyerman and Mallory Kilian are both hitting .315 this season, while Katy Taylor (.311) is the only other Hawkeye regular hitting above .300. Gyerman leads Iowa with 29 hits and eight doubles, and she has added three homers and 18 RBIs. Kilian has slugged four home runs and driven in four.

Holly Hoffman is batting .297, including .438 with two home runs in Big Ten play. Kaitlyn Mullarkey is hitting .281 and leads Iowa with three triples, five home runs, 10 stolen bases, 21 RBIs and 25 runs. Allie Wood is hitting .250 this season, but she is 7-for-16 (.438) with two homers and seven RBIs in Iowa’s six conference games.

Hawkeye Defense
Iowa features a balanced pitching staff that boasts a 3.85 ERA and allows 4.6 runs per game. Nearly one-quarter of the runs Iowa has allowed this season have been unearned, as the Hawkeyes have committed 40 errors.

First-year transfer Elizabeth Wiegand has appeared in 18 of Iowa’s 30 games with 14 starts. She has thrown a team-high 83.0 innings, posting a 5-6 record with a 3.29 ERA. Shayla Starkenburg has made 16 appearances and is 3-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 52.1 innings.

Erin Riding has also seen extensive action this spring, compiling an 0-5 record with a 4.06 ERA in 31.0 innings. Kilian (1-2, 3.15 ERA in 13.1 IP) and Ashley Yoways (0-2, 4.45 ERA in 11.0 IP) round out the Hawkeye staff.

Hawkeye Coaching Staff
Iowa is coached by Marla Looper, who owns a 128-165-1 record in six seasons with the Hawkeyes. Previously, Looper was an assistant coach at Texas for 11 seasons from 1999 to 2010. She also served as an assistant coach at Kansas (1996-99) and Iowa State (1995-96).

Looper is assisted by fifth-year coach Adrianna Baggetta and first-year assistant Jake Schumann.

Series History
Nebraska’s series history with Iowa dates back to 1979, before softball was an NCAA sport. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 17-11. Nebraska leads the series 9-3 since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2012, including Nebraska’s 9-5 victory over Iowa in the semifinals of the 2015 Big Ten Tournament.