Nebraska Heads to Razorback Rumble

The Nebraska softball team will play an adjusted schedule this weekend at the Razorback Rumble in Arkansas. The Huskers were scheduled to begin the tournament with a Thursday game at No. 18 Arkansas but that game was canceled due to inclement weather.

The remainder of Nebraska’s games at the Razorback Rumble will be played, weather permitting. The Huskers will play twice on Friday, with game times starting one hour earlier than originally scheduled. NU takes on Northern Iowa (9 a.m.) and Saint Francis (1:30 p.m.) on Friday followed by a pair of games on Saturday against Saint Francis (10 a.m.) and South Alabama (12:15 p.m.).

There will be no video coverage of the games this weekend but fans can listen to a free radio broadcast of every Nebraska game all season long on Huskers.com/listen. 

With the loss of at least one game this week, Nebraska has added two home games to its schedule next week. The Huskers will host Northern Colorado (Noon) and Maine (5 p.m.) on Tuesday, March 12 at Bowlin Stadium. Admission will be free into both games with general admission seating throughout the stadium.

Nebraska is 8-10 this season, but the Huskers have played one of the nation’s toughest schedules. According to the first NCAA RPI released on Monday, Nebraska has played the 17th-toughest schedule in the nation this season. Seven of NU’s 18 games have come against ranked opponents with three more games against teams just outside the top 25.

Leading Off

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally with 38 doubles.
• The Huskers are on pace for 112 doubles this season, which would break both the Nebraska record (94) and the Big Ten record (110).
• Nebraska is the only Big Ten team without a complete game this season.
• The Huskers lead the Big Ten and rank 14th nationally in double plays per game (0.6).
• Five of Nebraska’s eight returning all-region players have missed multiple games due to injury this season.
• Nebraska has used a different batting order in all 18 games this season.
• Billie Andrews enters this weekend with 194 career hits. Only 13 Huskers have recorded 200 career hits.
• Billie Andrews also has 49 career home runs. Only two Huskers have hit 50 career home runs.
• Peyton Cody enters this weekend with 147 career hits, three shy of 150.
• Emmerson Cope has two saves, one shy of the Nebraska freshman record.
• Caitlynn Neal enters this weekend with 98 career hits, two shy of 100.

Billie Andrews Among Nation’s Extra-base Hit Leaders
Billie Andrews has a knack for producing extra-base hits during her Husker career and this year has been no different. Andrews ranks sixth in school history with 83 career extra-base hits, including 13 this season. Nearly 43 percent of her career hits have gone for extra bases.

• Andrews ranks in the top 30 nationally with 13 extra-base hits this season. Since she has played fewer games than many of her peers, Andrews’ average of 0.93 extra-base hits per game ranks fourth nationally among players with at least 12 games played.
• Andrews has at least one extra-base hit in 10 of her 14 games this season, including seven of her last eight games. Andrews has also had two games this season with multiple extra-base hits.
• In addition to ranking fourth in extra-base hits per game, Andrews is 10th nationally in slugging percentage (.961) and 12th in home runs per game (0.4).
• From a career standpoint, Andrews ranks 30th among all active Division I players with 83 career extra-base hits. She ranks ninth nationally among active players in career extra-base hits per game (0.48).

Billie Andrews Chasing Husker Home Run Record
Billie Andrews ranks 12th nationally in home runs per game this season with six homers in 14 games. Andrews is on pace to break Nebraska’s career home run record this season.

• Andrews ranks in a tie for third place in school history with 49 home runs. The Husker home run record is 54 by two-time All-American Taylor Edwards, who played from 2011 to 2014.
• Andrews needs five home runs to tie Edwards’ Nebraska record and six to break the mark. Andrews averages a home run every 3.5 games during her career. Based on that pace and with 35 regular-season games remaining, Andrews is on track to hit 10 more home runs this season which would give her 59 career home runs.
• Andrews has already tied one Nebraska career home run record. She has seven games with multiple home runs in her career, tying Tristen Edwards (2017-21) for the most multi-homer games in Husker history.
• Andrews ranks 16th among all active Division I players with 49 career home runs. She has played at least 10 fewer games than each of the 15 players ranked ahead of her on the active home run chart, with the exception of Wichita State’s Addison Barnard.

New Hitters Making a Big Impact
Led by first-year transfers Bella Bacon and Peyton Cody, Nebraska’s offensive newcomers have made a big impact at the plate this season. As a group, the newcomers to the Husker lineup have out-paced the returners in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, a notable accomplishment considering Nebraska returned the majority of its production from a 2023 offense that was among the best in school history.

• Bacon and Cody are batting a combined .341 (28-for-82) this season as the two transfer additions to the lineup. They have combined for six doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs.
• Freshmen Samantha Bland and Emmerson Cope are the other two new bats that have been regulars in the Husker lineup this season. Despite their rookie status, Bland Cope are  batting a collective .263 (21-for-80) with seven doubles, three homers and 18 RBIs.
• With the quartet of productive new hitters, three of the top five batting averages on the team are owned by newcomers as are three of the top five slugging percentages. Newcomers also account for two of the four highest home run totals.
• Bacon, who spent her freshman season at Purdue in 2023, has started 17 of Nebraska’s 18 games at first base this season. The Omaha native is batting .306 and is second on the team in hits (15) and walks (5) while ranking third in runs scored (10).
• A sixth-year player who spent her first five seasons at St. John’s, Cody was limited during the first weekend, going 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter. She has returned to the everyday lineup with 10 starts in the past 14 games. Cody is batting .394 this season, ranking second on the team in average, slugging percentage (.667) and on-base percentage (.444) and third in home runs (2).
• Bland has started 17 of Nebraska’s 18 games as a freshman with starts at four different positions. She is tied for the team lead with 11 RBIs while ranking third on the team in doubles (5) and home runs (2).
• Cope has found her way into the starting batting order nine times despite also pitching for the Huskers. She is batting .308 with two doubles, one home runs and seven RBIs. Cope ranks third on the team with a .500 slugging percentage.

Huskers Pitching by Committee in 2024
Nebraska has used multiple pitchers in every game this season, utilizing a “pitching by committee” approach. The Huskers have used at least two pitchers in all 18 games, including eight games where three or more pitchers were utilized.

• Nebraska is the only Big Ten team who has not had a pitcher throw a complete game this season. While no Husker pitcher has thrown a complete game, 34 Big Ten pitchers have thrown a complete game, combining for a total of 57 complete games.
• The Huskers have had five pitchers start a game this season. That is a first for Rhonda Revelle, as Nebraska had never used more than four starting pitchers in a season since she took over the program in 1993.

Scouting Northern Iowa (9-6)
Northern Iowa is 9-6 this season. Three of the Panthers’ six losses have come to ranked opponents while UNI owns a win at No. 24 Auburn. Northern Iowa is batting .210 as a team while averaging 4.1 runs per game. UNI draws 4.5 walks per game, an average that ranks eighth nationally. The Panthers boast a 3.05 ERA and limit opponents to 3.9 runs per game.

• Madison Parks leads UNI with a .355 batting average. She has also drawn 22 walks in only  15 games to post a .623 on-base percentage. Parks ranks second nationally in walks per game (1.5) and fourth nationally in on-base percentage.
• Alexis Pupillo is the only other Panther hitting above .250. Pupillo owns a .302 average and leads UNI in hits (13), runs (12), home runs (6), RBIs (15) and slugging percentage (.744).
• In the circle, UNI has primarily relied on the combination of Samantha Heyer and Anna Wischnowski. Heyer is 3-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 39.1 innings. She has struck out 57 batters to rank 12th nationally with an average of 10.1 strikeouts per seven innings, and opponents are batting just .187 against Heyer. Wischnowski has seen the most action, posting a 5-2 record in a team-high 40.1 innings. She has added one save.
• Kara Maiers (1-0, 3.60 ERA in 11.2 IP) and Maddy McDermott (0-1, 5.79 ERA in 9.2 IP) round out the UNI staff.
• Ryan Jacobs is in his 17th season at UNI, where he owns a 473-343 record. He ranks second in program history in wins and has won a total of five Missouri Valley Conference titles.

Scouting Saint Francis (11-8)
Saint Francis brings an 11-8 record into the Razorback Rumble. The Red Flash began the year 9-1 but has lost seven of its last nine games. Saint Francis is batting .263 and averaging 4.5 runs per game while posting a 2.68 ERA and allowing 3.3 runs per game.

• Savannah Nash is the lone .300 hitter in the Saint Francis starting lineup. She is batting .362 and leads the team with 21 hits and 15 RBIs.
• Kaylie Walters is hitting .262 and leads the team with 14 runs scored, 20 walks, a .508 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases. Rachel Marsden has team-high totals of two triples and two home runs while Olivia Ulam leads the Red Flash with nine doubles and is second with a .286 average, 13 runs and 14 RBIs.
• Grace Vesco has been impressive through the first 19 games of the season. Vesco is 5-4 with a 1.44 ERA in 58.1 innings over 10 appearances and nine starts. She has struck out 56 batters and opponents are hitting only .133 against her with just two extra-base hits in 195 at bats.
• Rachel Marsden, who is also one of Saint Francis’ top hitters, has seen the most action behind Vesco. Marsden is 5-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 49.2 innings. Allie Braly (0-0, 3.00 ERA in 4.2 IP) and Olivia Kolowitz (1-0, 7.70 ERA in 10.0 IP) round out the Red Flash staff.
• Beth Krysiak is in her first season at Saint Francis. She came to Saint Francis after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Columbia. Previously, Krysiak was 75-128 in five seasons as the head coach of Division III University of Dallas.

Scouting South Alabama (12-5-1)
South Alabama brings a 12-5-1 record into the Razorback Rumble. The Jaguars have been impressive against the top competition this season, posting a 2-0-1 record against ranked teams with wins at No. 17 South Carolina and at No. 10 Alabama with a 1-1 11-inning tie in a neutral site matchup against No. 15 Arizona last Sunday. USA is hitting .267 as a team and averaging  5.0 runs per game. Defensively, the Jaguars allow only  2.3 runs per game.

• Gabby Stagner is the lone .400 hitter in the Jaguar lineup. She leads the team with a .429 average, 18 runs, 24 hits, five doubles, two triples, six home runs and 20 RBIs.
• South Alabama also boasts a trio of .300 hitters. Sasha Willems is hitting .323 with nine RBIs. Mackenzie Brasher owns a .317 average, and she leads the team with 11 stolen bases in 11 attempts. Olivia Branstetter is batting .315 with five doubles and 10 RBIs.
• Olivia Lackie has thrown just more than half of the innings for South Alabama. Lackie is 8-3 with a 0.92 ERA in 60.2 innings over 13 appearances and six starts. She has thrown two shutouts and struck out 76 while limiting opponents to a .130 average. Lackie ranks sixth nationally in wins, seventh in strikeouts and 12th in fewest hits per seven innings (3.1).
• Ryley Harrison has been impressive as well. Harrison is 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 27.0 innings. She has thrown a shutout in three of her six starts, ranking ninth nationally in shutouts.
• Madison Lagle (1-0, 2.21 ERA in 19.0 IP), Cadence Williams (0-1, 8.29 ERA in 12.2 IP) and Tori Miller (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1.2 IP) round out the South Alabama staff.
• Becky Clark is in her 18th season at South Alabama, where she owns a 546-350-2 record. Clark is the only coach in program history dating back to the Jaguars’ first official season of competition in 2007. Clark has led South Alabama to five NCAA Tournament appearances.