Huskers Ready for NCAA Regional

The Nebraska softball team faces Louisville on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in a first-round matchup at the NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional. The game will be televised on ESPN2, and a free radio broadcast will be available on Huskers.com.

The Huskers are making their 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, a total that ranks 10th in NCAA history. Rhonda Revelle is taking her 20th Nebraska team to the postseason, becoming only the fifth active NCAA Division I coach to qualify for 20 NCAA Tournaments. Nebraska has won eight NCAA Regional titles in school history, including four under Revelle and two the past three seasons.

The Huskers are returning to the site of their last NCAA Regional title, as Nebraska won the 2014 NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional.
Nebraska lost its first game that year before bouncing back to win four games in less than 24 hours. The Huskers knocked off Missouri twice to win the regional, marking the only time since 2008 that the Tigers have failed to win a regional title.

Four current Husker hitters started all four games of the 2014 regional. In the two wins over Missouri, those four combined to go 10-for-31 (.323) with two homers and nine RBIs. In the circle, Emily Lockman earned the win in the if-necessary championship game, allowing one run in 5.0 innings.

The Huskers hope history repeats itself this week, as Nebraska’s senior class seeks a third NCAA Regional title to go along with one Big Ten regular-season championship (2014) and one trip to the Women’s College World Series (2013).

This Week's Top 10

1. Nebraska is making its 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, a total that ranks 10th in NCAA Division I history. NU has appeared in 20 of the last 22 NCAA Tournaments.
2. The Huskers own a 60-50 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with the 60 victories ranking 15th in NCAA Division I history.
3. Nebraska owns a 50-33 record in NCAA Regional play, including winning eight regional titles.
4. Nebraska has won at least one game in 22 of its first 23 NCAA Tournament appearances.
5. NU’s senior class has combined for a 10-8 record in the NCAA Tournament with two NCAA Regional titles and one trip to the WCWS (2013).
6. Nebraska is 1 of 4 teams nationally with wins over three of the top eight national seeds, along with Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M.
7. The Huskers have played each of the top four teams in this week’s NFCA top-25 poll, with wins over No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Oregon.
8. Nebraska has come from behind in 17 of its 33 victories this season, including six wins where the Huskers trailed by three or more runs.
9. The Huskers have scored the winning run in the seventh inning or later in 11 of their 33 victories this season, including seven walk-off wins.
10. Emily Lockman owns 3-2 record with a 1.31 ERA in five career NCAA Tournament starts.

Noting the Columbia (Mo.) Regional

• The NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional is one of four regionals where all four teams have at least 33 wins.
• The average RPI of the four teams in the Columbia Regional is 35.8, making it the fifth-toughest regional in terms of average RPI ranking.
• Missouri is hosting an NCAA Regional for the eighth straight season. Louisville is making its second straight trip to Columbia for the NCAA Tournament, while Nebraska is making its second trip in three seasons.
• Missouri has won seven regional titles in the last eight seasons. The only year the Tigers have not won a regional title since 2008 was in 2014, when Nebraska defeated Missouri twice to win the Columbia Regional.
• There are only 13 players nationally who have produced 50 hits, 50 runs and 50 RBIs in 2016, and three of them are in the Columbia Regional (Nebraska’s MJ Knighten and Missouri’s Emily Crane and Sami Fagan).
• There are only 12 schools in the country that have ranked in the top 50 nationally in scoring each of the last five years (2011-15) and that group includes Missouri and Nebraska. Both the Tigers (13th) and Huskers (27th) also rank in the top 50 nationally in scoring this season.
  
  

Leading Off...

• NU is 29-4 when holding its opponent to five runs or less.
• The Huskers are averaging 6.1 runs per game this season, which would be the second-highest total in school history, trailing only last year’s average (6.9).
• The Huskers currently rank in the top five in school history in home runs (2nd, 64), on-base percentage (2nd, .397), slugging percentage (3rd, .489), extra-base hits (4th, 143) and batting average (5th, .300).
• Nebraska has scored 316 runs this season, marking its fourth straight season scoring 300 or more runs. In the first 37 seasons in program history, the Huskers totaled 300 runs only three times.
• Kiki Stokes (229), Alicia Armstrong (225) and Mattie Fowler (203) have all started more than 200 games.

Husker Quick Hits

• Mattie Fowler and Kiki STokes were both named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team.
• Laura Barrow owns a career-long nine-game hitting streak. Barrow is 12-for-26 (.462) during the streak.
• Mattie Fowler owns a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 408 chances defensively. There has been only one Husker to post a perfect 1.000 season fielding percentage, with a minimum of 150 chances (catcher Jenny Smith in 272 chances in 1996).
• Fowler has produced both a hit and an RBI in seven consecutive games, totaling 10 hits and 13 RBIs in those seven games. The NU record for most consecutive games with an RBI is 10 by Ashley Guile in 2012.
• MJ Knighten ranks in the top 15 nationally in home runs (2nd), runs (11th), RBIs (15th) and slugging percentage (15th).
• Knighten has more home runs this season (21) than strikeouts (13). She also has more than twice as many extra-base hits (29) as strikeouts (13).
• Cassie McClure leads the Big Ten and ranks 15th nationally with five saves this season.
• McClure is one of only 12 pitchers nationally with 15 wins and five saves.
• Kiki Stokes has hit safely in nine straight games, going 16-for-34 (.471) during the streak.
• Rhonda Revelle owns 45 NCAA Tournament wins at NU. Her 45 individual wins are more than all but 24 Division I softball programs have recorded in their history.
  
  

Husker Postseason Performers
Complete postseason statistics of all current Huskers can be found on page 11, but below are some players who have excelled in the NCAA Tournament.

• Alicia Armstrong is a career .373 hitter in the NCAA Tournament with three home runs and eight RBIs.
• Laura Barrow went 4-for-8 in her first postseason last year, slugging one double and one triple.
• Kaylan Jablonski threw a two-hit shutout vs. Texas Southern in her lone NCAA Tournament appearance last season. Jablonski is one of only two Husker freshmen to throw a shutout in the NCAA Tournament.
• Emily Lockman is 3-4 with a 1.69 ERA in her NCAA Tournament career, holding opponents to a .209 average.
• Kiki Stokes owns a .343 career batting average in the postseason with seven RBIs.
• Austen Urness hit two homers in Nebraska’s 2014 NCAA Tournament run, the most ever by a Husker freshman.

Knighten & Stokes Nearing Firsts
Senior Kiki Stokes and junior MJ Knighten are nearing a couple of firsts for the Nebraska softball program.

• Stokes has tied Nebraska’s career record with 199 runs scored. With her next run, Stokes would become the first Husker to score 200 runs.
• Knighten has totaled 61 hits, 60 runs and 59 RBIs this season. No Husker has ever produced 60 hits, 60 runs and 60 RBIs in a season.

 

NU Boasts Strong NCAA Tradition
Nebraska made the inaugural Women’s College World Series in Omaha in 1982, when Rhonda Revelle was playing first base and pitching for the Huskers. Nebraska’s seventh and most recent trip to the WCWS came in 2013.

• NU has won eight NCAA Regional titles in school history.
• The Huskers have won two NCAA Regional championships on the road (2002 at Iowa City, Iowa, and 2014 at Columbia, Mo.).
• Nebraska owns a 50-33 all-time record (.602) in NCAA Regional play.
• Nebraska owns a 60-50 all-time overall record (.545) in the NCAA Tournament.
• Rhonda Revelle is 45-40 (.529) in the NCAA Tournament at Nebraska.
• Revelle has led the Huskers to four regional titles, including two in the last three seasons (2013 & 2014).

Nebraska at the 2015 NCAA Tournament
Nebraska went 1-2 with a pair of late losses at the 2015 NCAA Baton Rouge (La.) Regional.

• In the opener, NU led 2-0 before Arizona State scored five unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kiki Stokes went 2-for-3 offensively, while Emily Lockman did not allow an earned run in 5.2 innings, but did walk 10.
• The Huskers avoided elimination the next day behind a two-hit shutout from Kaylan Jablonski, who became only the second Husker freshman to throw a shutout in the NCAA Tournament. MJ Knighten was 3-for-4 with three RBIs to pace the Nebraska offense.
• Nebraska’s bid for a third straight NCAA Regional title came to an end with a heartbreaking 3-2, 10-inning loss at LSU, the No. 5 national seed. Both teams scored once in the fourth inning but did not score again until the Tigers grabbed a 3-1 lead with a pair of RBI singles in the top of the 10th inning. Nebraska got one run back in the bottom of the inning and had the tying and winning runs on base for Stokes and Knighten before Carly Hoover closed out the win.
• The 10-inning loss to LSU continued a recent trend of heartbreaking extra-inning losses in the NCAA Tournament for Nebraska.
• In 2013, all three of the Huskers’ postseason losses came in extra innings: 4-3 (11) at Oregon in the NCAA Super Regional; 4-3 (8) vs. Washington in the WCWS; and 9-8 (15) vs. Florida in the WCWS.
• In 2014, Nebraska lost the opening game of its NCAA Super Regional at Alabama, 6-5 in 12 innings.
• Five of Nebraska’s last eight NCAA Tournament losses have come in extra innings - all to national seeds. Going back further, seven of the Huskers’ last 11 postseason losses have been extra-inning defeats, including five losses that lasted 10 innings or longer.
  
  

Scouting Louisville (35-15)
Louisville brings a 35-15 record into its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cardinals have played seven of their last eight games against NCAA Tournament teams, including wins over Notre Dame and Florida State, the No. 8 national seed. Nebraska and Louisville have met twice in 2016 with the Huskers winning both meetings.

Louisville is batting .316 as a team while averaging 6.0 runs per game. Maryssa Becker is batting .397 with 13 doubles, nine homers and 58 RBIs. Six other Cardinals are hitting above .315, including Sidney Melton, who owns a .359 average and has stolen 15 bases in 16 tries. Megan Hensley is batting .342 with 13 homers and 52 RBIs.

In the circle, the Cardinals own a 2.20 staff ERA and allow only 2.8 runs per game. Becker and Hensley, in addition to being terrific hitters, have been the primary pitchers for Louisville this season. Becker has appeared in 40 of the Cardinals’ 50 games, posting a 20-10 record with a 2.20 ERA in 191.1 innings. She has added 158 strikeouts while walking only 30. Hensley is 15-5 with a 2.26 ERA in 130.0 innings, including 20 starts. Madi Norman (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 3.1 IP) rounds out the Cardinal staff.

Scouting Missouri (39-14)
Missouri earned the No. 15 national seed with a 39-14 record. The Tigers finished sixth in the SEC, a notable accomplishment for a league that sent 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament, including eight national seeds.

Missouri boasts one of the top offenses in the country, ranking second nationally in stolen bases, 13th in scoring and home runs, 19th in on-base percentage, 22nd in slugging percentage and 24th in average. The Tigers are hitting .342 as a team, slugging 67 home runs while averaging 6.7 runs per game. Sami Fagan and Emily Crane are both hitting above .400, while five other starters are hitting .328 or higher. Crane leads Mizzou with 15 doubles and 16 homers, while Fagan has added 11 homers. Chloe Rathburn has homered 14 times and leads the team with 58 RBIs. Taylor Gadbois is batting .393 and is second nationally with 52 stolen bases.

In the circle, Missouri boasts a 3.17 ERA and allows 3.8 runs per game. Paige Lowary is the ace, posting a 22-6 record and a 3.40 ERA in 169.0 innings. Danielle Baumgartner is 14-4 with a 1.98 ERA in 109.1 innings. Tori Finucane (0-3, 5.39 ERA in 37.2 IP) and Cheyenne Baxter (3-1, 3.46 ERA in 30.1 IP) round out the staff.

Scouting BYU (35-19)
BYU earned the West Coast Conference automatic bid to advance to its 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are 35-19 overall this season. Nebraska and BYU share five common opponents this season in James Madison, Maryland, Oklahoma, Saint Louis and Wisconsin. The Huskers posted a 6-4 record against that group, while the Cougars went 3-3.

Offensively, BYU is hitting .298 as a team and the Cougars have slugged 56 home runs to average 5.1 runs per game. Ashley Thompson leads the Cougars with a .408 average that includes 12 doubles, 13 homers and 49 RBIs. Lauren Bell owns a .377 average and Alexa Strid is batting .339. Libby Sugg is hitting .314 and leads BYU with 17 homers and 53 RBIs.

In the circle, BYU has primarily relied on ace McKenna Bull. Bull has started 39 of the Cougars’ 54 games, tossing 29 complete games while throwing more than 70 percent of the team’s innings. Bull is 26-11 with a 2.36 ERA while averaging more than one strikeout per inning. Olivia Sanchez (7-8, 3.65 ERA in 84.1 IP) and Arianna Paulson (2-0, 7.69 ERA in 23.2 IP) round out the staff.