Huskers Head West For Mary Nutter Classic

The No. 23 Nebraska softball team (8-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will travel to Cathedral City, Calif., this weekend for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, where the Huskers will play two games on Thursday, one game on Friday and two games on Saturday, for a total of five games. The privately hosted tournament will take place at Big League Dreams and will feature some of the best teams in the country. The Huskers will face three top-10 teams (Texas A&M, UCLA and Washington), including No. 1 Washington, as well as another team receiving votes (Mississippi State). NU also takes on St. John’s this weekend.

The Huskers start the weekend with a game against No. 6/9 Texas A&M on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (CT), followed by a competition at Mississippi State at 10 p.m. CT. The following day, Nebraska takes on No. 3/4 UCLA at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Huskers will take on St. John’s at 11:30 a.m. (CT) and will conclude the tournament with No. 1/3 Washington at 5 p.m. 

Husker History at Mary Nutter
Nebraska is competing in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic for the eighth straight season and the ninth time overall. Nebraska owns a 17-21 record at the tournament. Nebraska is 7-15 all-time vs. ranked teams at the event. Nebraska has defeated one ranked team in each of the last seven years at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Thirteen of Nebraska’s last 15 losses at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic have come to a ranked team.

Last Time Out
Nebraska is coming off a 3-1 weekend in Atlanta, Ga., where the Huskers swept Georgia Tech and went 1-1 with Boston College as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Huskers hope to take that momentum into this weekend, as they prepare for some of the top teams in the nation.

Follow the Huskers
For a small fee, all of Nebraska’s games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will be available on FloSoftball.com. Fans can also listen to a free radio stream on Huskers.com, courtesy of the IMG Husker Sports Network.

Scouting Texas A&M

Texas A&M is off to a 9-0 start in 2018 and could face the Huskers as a 10-0 team, as they compete against Notre Dame prior to taking on Nebraska on Thursday. Most recently, the Aggies went 4-0 at the Texas A&M Invitational Feb. 16-17, defeating Butler, Tulsa (twice) and Iowa by a combined score of 26-3. In the circle, the Aggies return seniors Trinity Harrington and Lexi Smith, junior Samantha Show and sophomore Payton McBride and freshmen Maddie MacGrandle, Hannah Mayo and Kayla Poynter. Harrington (3-0) has been unstoppable so far, pitching 20.0 innings, including two complete games. She has an ERA of 0.00 and has given up just seven hits and has recorded 12 strikeouts. Show has an ERA of 3.91 and is 2-0 on the season. MacGrandle (2-0) has pitched 12.0 innings and has an ERA of 1.75. She also has 11 strikeouts. At the plate, All-American Tori Vidales leads the Aggies with a batting average of .517, including one double, five homeruns and 21 RBIs. She’s slugging 1.069 on the season. Sophomore Sarah Hudek is batting .455 with 10 hits, one double and six RBIs. The Aggies also have two other hitters - All-SEC pick Ashley Walters and Kaitlyn Alderink - hitting over .300 on the season. The Aggies are dominating their foes and have outscored their opponents 58-15 this season. Additionally, Texas A&M has recorded three shutouts and two five-inning games.

Scouting Mississippi State

Mississippi State is 8-1 on the season. The Bulldogs have a pair of games against Southeastern Louisiana and Arizona State, prior to their game against Nebraska on Thursday. Last weekend, Mississippi State went 3-1 at the February Freezer, defeating Murray State, South Alabama and Drake. The Bulldogs got their first loss of the season to Drake in an eight-inning defensive battle that ended in a 1-0 decision. The Bulldogs are impressive in the circle and their pitching staff’s combined 0.24 ERA ranks second in the country. The Bulldog pitchers have allowed just five runs total this season and two have been earned. Holly Ward and Cassady Knudsen each boast a 0.00 ERA this season. Ward has pitched 23.1 innings and has 27 strikeouts, while Knudsen has pitched 18.2 innings and has recorded 36 strikeouts. On offense, Mia Davidson leads the Bulldogs with a .519 batting average. She has 14 hits, three doubles, two triples and two home runs. She also has eight RBIs and two walks. Candace Denis is batting .500. Bevia Robinson (.409), Emily Heimberger (.370), Morgan Bell (.350) and Reggie Harrison (.333) are all batting well for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State’s offense has scored 47 runs, has 73 hits, 20 doubles, six triples and five home runs.

Scouting UCLA

UCLA will serve as another undefeated team the Huskers will face this weekend, boasting a 10-0 record and half of those games have been five-innings due to the mercy rule. The Bruins have allowed just 12 runs this season and are averaging more than eight runs a game. Most recently, UCLA went 4-0 at the first weekend of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, defeating UC Santa Barbara, Syracuse, UAB and Grand Canyon. The Bruins are led by infielder Kylee Perez and pitcher Rachel Garcia who were both named to the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Garcia was named the NFCA National Freshman of the Year in 2017, as well as an NFCA Second Team All-American, the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year and NFCA All-West Region Second Team. Additionally, Garcia was named to the 2018 USA Softball World Championship Roster. Garcia has pitched 23.0 innings and has a 3-0 record with a 0.61 ERA. She has allowed just five hits and two earned runs and has recorded 42 strikeouts. Garcia is joined in the circle by Holly Azevedo (4-0), who has an ERA of 0.78, with 14 strikeouts.  As a pitching staff, the Bruins  have given up 32 hits, 10 earned runs and have an ERA of 1.17. On offense, five Bruins are batting over .400. Taylor Pack leads the way with .635. She has 10 hits, with two doubles, one home run and four RBIs. Aaliyah Jordan is batting .560 with 14 hits, four doubles, two triples, one homer, 15 RBIs and 10 runs. Pack and Jordan are both slugging 1.000 or better. Briana Perez and Bubba Nickles are both batting .500, while Kylee Perez is batting .414. Briana Perez has 17 hits, 13 RBIs and 15 runs, while Nickles has 15 hits and Kylee Perez has 12 hits. As a team, UCLA is batting .409. The Bruins are averaging more than 10 hits per game, almost one home run a game, 1.8 doubles a game and almost one triple per game.

Scouting St. John's

St. John’s opened the 2018 season at the FIU Felsberg Invitational with a 2-3 record two weeks ago. The Red Storm will face Arizona and San Jose State on Thursday, before taking on Nebraska on Friday. The Red Storm are led by their five seniors, who make up almost one-third of the 17-person roster. The senior class consists of pitcher McKenzie Murray, first baseman Krystal Puga, outfielder Lauren Zick, infielder/catcher Savannah Warren and infielder Hannah Anderson. In the circle, Madison Morris and Murray lead the way for St. John’s. The pair are the only pitchers to have seen action so far this season. Morris has a 1-2 record, with a 2.81 ERA, while Murray holds a 1-1 record with a 3.21 ERA. They’ve split the work pretty evenly, pitching 16.0 and 14.0 innings, respectively. Together, they’ve given up 24 hits and 10 earned runs. Offensively, the Red Storm has some power. Christina Melendez is batting .600 and slugging 1.000. She has nine hits on the year, with three doubles and one home run. Gabriella Conca, Krystal Puga, Marissa Rizzi and Lauren Zick are each batting over .400. Puga is batting .471 with eight hits and one home run. Rizzi and Zick are each batting .400. They each have four hits on the season, while Conca is  batting .500.

Scouting Washington

Washington brings another undefeated season to the table, boasting a 12-0 record so far in 2018. Washington has only played two seven-inning games, as the other 10 have all been ended early due to the mercy rule. The pitching staff as produced nine shoutouts and has a combined ERA of 0.43, which includes two pitchers with ERAs of 0.00. The staff has recorded 106 strikeouts, allowed just four earned runs and 28 hits. On offense, the Huskies have scored at least seven runs in each game so far this season. The Huskies have scored a combined 133 runs - averaging more than 11 per game - and given up just five runs on the season. The Huskies are led by Taran Alvelo and Taylor Van Zee who were each named to the 50-person Player of the Year Watch List by USA Softball. Alvelo led the Pac-12 in wins with 35 and finished with 200 strikeouts in 2017. She was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the NFCA All-Pacific Region Second Team. This season, Alvelo enters the week with a 5-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. Alvelo has pitched 26.0 innings and has given up just seven hits and no runs. She also has recorded 52 strikeouts. Joining her in the circle is Gabbie Plain who has pitched 21.1 innings and has an ERA of .33, with 32 strikeouts. Van Zee leads the Huskies at the plate, batting .611. She has 22 hits, nine doubles, six homers and 14 RBIs. Sis Bates (.583), Kirstyn Thomas (.583) and Julie DePonte (.516) are all batting above .500. The trio combines for 58 hits, nine doubles, 16 home runs and 59 RBIs. Additionally, Van Zee, Bates and Thomas are all slugging over 1.000 on the season. The Huskies face Texas, Notre Dame and Texas A&M before facing the Huskers on Saturday.

Hot Hitting Huskers

As a team, Nebraska’s .277 batting average ranks second in the Big Ten Conference and ranks 46th overall nationally. The Huskers also rank second in the conference in slugging percentage with a .447 average, moving up two spots since last week. The Huskers rank 67th nationally in the category.  As a team, Nebraska’s .277 batting average ranks second in the Big Ten Conference and ranks 46th overall nationally. The Huskers also rank second in slugging percentage with a .447 average, moving up two spots since last week. The Huskers rank 67th nationally in the category.  Individually, Tristen Edwards ranks second in the conference with a batting average of .455. Additionally, she ranks first in the Big Ten with 15 hits and 30th nationally. Kaylan Jablonski and Taylor Otte both have 13 hits on the season, which ranks third in the conference. Edwards also ranks fourth in the conference in RBIs per game, fourth in the conference in slugging percentage (.727) and second in total bases (24). Jablonski and Otte rank third and fifth, in the conference in total bases with 22 and 21, respectively.

KJ Leads in the Circle

Kaylan Jablonski comes back in 2018 as the Huskers’ top returning pitcher and she’s already proving why. Jablonski has had the win or the save in seven of Nebraska’s 10 games so far this season. Additionally, her four wins are more than eight Big Ten teams have this season and rank first in the Big Ten. Jablonski’s three saves rank first in the conference and second nationally.

All Hands on Deck

Nebraska’s 20-person roster has been utilized to the fullest extent so far this season. Through 10 games, every healthy player has seen the field. Nebraska has used a different starting lineup and a different batting order in all 10 games. Additionally, six different positions have seen a player make her first career start.

Edwards Earns B1G Honor

Sophomore Tristen Edwards has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week both weeks of the season. She earned the honor outright on Feb. 19 for her performance at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and shared the award on Feb. 12. Sophomore Tristen Edwards has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week both weeks of the season. She earned the honor outright on Feb. 19 for her performance at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and shared the award on Feb. 12.  Edwards became the first Husker to be named conference player of the week twice in the same season since 2012 (Brook Thomason) and the third Husker ever to win the award back-to-back weeks (Lisa Wangler, 2003, Big 12 and Ruth Chatwin, 1989, Big Eight)

Come Back Home

Three Huskers will return to their home state this weekend when Nebraska heads west to California. Austen Urness (Lake Elsinore, Calif.), Tristen Edwards (Murrieta, Calif.), Bri Cassidy (San Bernardino, Calif.) all hail from the Golden State. In fact, the trio all played for the same club team in high school, as well (Corona Angels).

Edwards Gets on Base

Sophomore infielder/outfielder Tristen Edwards has reached base all 10 games this season, which included a nine-game hitting streak - the longest of her career. Her on-base streak is currently at 13, as she reached base the last three games of the 2017 season as well.

Otte Found Her Spot

The Husker batting order is still in the making. Nebraska had six different lineups in the opening weekend. In the second weekend, the top half of the order remained the same, but the bottom half is still in the works. The Husker batting order is still in the making. Nebraska had six different lineups in the opening weekend. In the second weekend, the top half of the order remained the same, but the bottom half is still in the works.  Senior outfielder Taylor Otte is the only player to start in the same spot all 10 games Otte is Nebraska’s leadoff hitter. She ranks third on the team in batting average with a .343. She also has two doubles, two homers and six RBIs. Tristen Edwards, Madi Unzicker, Kaylan Jablonski and Alyvia Simmons make up the rest of the first five in the batting order. However, the remaining four sports are still up for grabs and have been filled at least once by eight different Huskers (Rylie Unzicker, Bri Cassidy, Gina Metzler, Lexey Kneib, Alexis Perry, Laura Barrow, Olivia Ferrell and Bree Boruff).

Huskers Facing Tough Teams

 Four of Nebraska’s five opponents this weekend advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and three (UCLA, Washington and Texas A&M) made it all the way to the Women’s College World Series. Nebraska’s five opponents have a combined record of 41-4 this season, which includes three undefeated teams (Texas A&M, UCLA and Washington). Additionally, three teams rank in the top 10, which includes two in the top five. Washington moved to the top of the NFCA Poll this week and is ranked third in USA Softball’s Poll. UCLA is ranked 3/4, while Texas A&M is ranked 6/9. Mississippi State is also receiving votes.  Four of Nebraska’s five opponents this weekend advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and three (UCLA, Washington and Texas A&M) made it all the way to the Women’s College World Series. Nebraska’s five opponents have a combined record of 41-4 this season, which includes three undefeated teams (Texas A&M, UCLA and Washington). Additionally, three teams rank in the top 10, which includes two in the top five. Washington moved to the top of the NFCA Poll this week and is ranked third in USA Softball’s Poll. UCLA is ranked 3/4, while Texas A&M is ranked 6/9. Mississippi State is also receiving votes.  Nebraska has already defeated two ranked teams this season. The Huskers topped BYU and Utah at the Kajikawa Classic in the opening weekend. BYU was ranked No. 19 at the time, while Utah was ranked 15th at the time of the match up. 

Nebraska vs. No. 1

 Nebraska will face No. 1 Washington on Saturday. NU is 3-14 all-time vs. the top-ranked team including a 3-11 regular-season record. The Huskers’ last win over a No. 1 foe was against Michigan in 2016. Nebraska will face No. 1 Washington on Saturday. NU is 3-14 all-time vs. the top-ranked team including a 3-11 regular-season record. The Huskers’ last win over a No. 1 foe was against Michigan in 2016.