Huskers Face First Big 12 Competition

Lincoln -- No. 14 Nebraska (8-7) heads to Lawrence, Kan., this weekend for the Hampton Inn Classic hosted by Kansas. In the two-day tournament, NU will face Utah (6-7)twice and Kansas (9-4) twice. The Huskers are coming off a 2-3 performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., last weekend. A 3-0 upset of No. 3 California highlighted the tournament for NU.

Nebraska's Schedule (All Times Central)
March 6: vs. Utah (6-7), 12:15 p.m.; vs. Kansas (9-4), 2:30 p.m.;
March 7: vs. Utah (6-7), 9 a.m.; vs. Kansas (9-4), 1:30 p.m.

Players to Watch
Summer Tobias, So., RHP
Tobias is 1-3 with a 2.07 ERA on the season but has been tremendous the last two weekends. In her last four starts, Tobias is 1-2 with a 0.30 ERA and three complete games, including a one-hitter against Manhattan Feb. 21. Last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., Tobias posted an 0-2 record despite tossing two complete games and allowing only one earned run in 18.2 innings.

Trisha Tannahill, So., OF
Tannahill was the Huskers' top hitter at last weekend's NFCA Leadoff Classic. She went 4-for-15 (.267) with a double and a stolen base. For the season, NU's cleanup hitter is batting .268 with four doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored.

Peaches James, Sr., RHP
James was 2-1 last weekend with a complete game shutout over No. 3 California. In 18 innings, she held opponents to a .161 average in compiling a 1.56 ERA. James is 6-3 with a 1.38 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 55.2 innings in 2004.

Nebraska Gets First Look at Big 12 Competition
After traveling around the country for the past three weeks, the No. 14 Nebraska softball team will be closer to home this weekend. NU will travel to Lawrence, Kan., March 6-7, for the Hampton Inn Classic. NU will play one game against Kansas and Utah on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Jayhawks and Utes are a combined 15-11 this year, with KU currently enjoying a seven-game winning streak. Both teams were off last weekend, while Nebraska (8-7) went 2-3 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, defeating Virginia Tech and third-ranked California.

The Huskers hope to find an offensive rhythm at the KU tournament. NU has struggled at the plate while playing 10 of its first 15 games against teams that qualified for the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Nebraska hit just .130 in five games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, and the Huskers season average is just .228. As a result, NU has been on the losing end of several close games. Five of the Huskers' seven losses have been by two runs or less, and three have been by a score of 1-0.

As Nebraska concentrates on offensive improvement, the Huskers will rely on its solid pitching staff. During the past two weekends, Peaches James, Summer Tobias and Ashley DeBuhr have produced a 1.03 staff ERA while holding opponents to a .157 average. At the NFCA Leadoff Classic, James tossed a complete game shutout against Cal, and Tobias gave up just one earned run in 18.2 innings.

Nebraska vs. the Hampton Inn Classic Field
Kansas (9-4)
Kansas (9-4) is riding a seven-game winning streak heading into its tournament this weekend. The Jayhawks were off last week and haven't competed since Feb. 20 after the last two days of competition at the Santa Barbara Tournament were rained out.

NU and Kansas have not met this year and have not played any common opponents. KU leads the series with the Huskers, 47-41. In 2003, the teams split a pair of games, with Nebraska posting an 8-0 victory and Kansas winning 1-0.

Kansas will be the first Big 12 opponent of the season for the Big Red, although the game will not count towards the conference win-loss record. This weekend also marks KU's first home games of the season.

The Jayhawks are led by Serena Settlemier, who is hitting .345 this season. Settlemier the team leader in runs scored with seven, home runs with six and RBIs with 10. Settlemier has posted a hefty 1.000 slugging percentage this season.

In the circle, KU boasts two quality pitchers. Kara Pierce is 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA, while Kassie Humphreys is 5-2 with a 2.68 ERA. Both pitchers have logged at least 40 innings this season, with Pierce tossing five complete games and Humphreys completing six games. Each also enjoys a strikeout-per-inning ratio of at least one. Pierce has struck out 42 in 40 innings, while Humphreys has struck out 47 batters in 47 innings.

Utah (6-7)
Utah is 6-7 on the season and is coming off of a bye week. In the Utes' last action, they went 1-3 at the Oregon State Tournament in Palm Springs, Calif. Despite their losing record, the Utes have outscored their opponents 68-52 for the season.

Nebraska has not faced Utah since 2000 when they dropped a 5-1 decision to the Utes. NU leads the overall series, 8-5.

Utah and NU have three common opponents this season. Utah is 0-3 against the trio of Oregon State, DePaul and Notre Dame and was outscored 15-9 in the three games. Nebraska is a combined 1-4 against those three teams, but did outscore those opponents 18-6.

Glennis Donnelly is the Utes' top hitter. She boasts an impressive .512 average, collecting 22 hits in 43 at bats. Donnelly is the team leader in average, hits (22), doubles (8), total bases (45), on-base percentage (.543), stolen bases (three) and slugging percentage with an incredible 1.047. She is also second on the team with 12 RBIs and five home runs.

In the circle, Brianna Gourdin is 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 29.2 innings. She has tossed three complete games and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1 (22 strike outs, 11 walks).

Kansas Connection
The Huskers list three players from Kansas on their roster ? sophomore outfielders Trisha Tannahill (Overland Park) and KoKo Tacha (Manhattan) and sophomore third baseman Jessica Yoachim (Arkansas City).

Tannahill has been moved to the No. 4 spot in the lineup and is hitting .268 with a team-high four doubles. Tacha has been a valuable role player for the Huskers, scoring five runs and pounding a game-ending grand slam in Nebraska's 8-0 win over Centenary on Feb. 20. Yoachim has started 10 games this season and has scored eight runs, second most on the team.

Tough Luck Tobias
Sophomore right-hander Summer Tobias has performed extremely well the last two weekends, but has only one victory to show for it.

In her last four starts, Tobias is 1-2 with a 0.30 ERA and three complete games. Her lone victory in that stretch came in a superb one-hit, complete-game performance in a 19-0 win over Manhattan College at the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas.

Last weekend at the prestigious NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., Tobias posted an 0-2 record despite tossing two complete games and allowing only one earned run in 18.2 innings. Despite her tough luck, Nebraska managed to post a 2-2 record in the games Tobias started at the Classic.

For the season, the Temecula, Calif., native is 1-3 with a 2.07 ERA in 27 innings pitched.

Precision Pitching
The Nebraska pitching staff has been on a roll since the season-opening UNLV Classic Feb. 13-15.

In their 10 games after the UNLV Classic, the right-handed trio of freshman Ashley DeBuhr, senior Peaches James and sophomore Summer Tobias have compiled a 6-4 record, with five shutouts, including a shutout of then-No. 3 California. The staff boasts an impressive line over that period. In 67.2 innings, the Huskers have allowed only 10 earned runs (1.03 ERA) while holding opposing hitters to a meager .157 batting average. Highlighting NU’s dominance in the circle is the strikeout-to-walk ratio of more than 4-to-1. (63 strikeouts to only 15 walks).

In comparison, over the same time frame, opposing pitchers have allowed 30 earned runs in 65.1 innings (3.21 ERA), including 13 extra-base hits. Opposing pitchers have walked nearly twice as many batters (29) as DeBuhr, James and Tobias, while striking out one fewer (62).

James Tough On Ranked Teams
Senior right-hander Peaches James has started four games against ranked teams this season. In those four games, she is 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

The highlight performance came last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. James was dominant against third-ranked California, holding the Bears to only five hits in recording her first shutout against a ranked foe this season.

James has also posted victories over No. 12 DePaul and No. 10 Michigan and suffered her only loss to a ranked team to No. 7 Michigan last weekend.

Nebraska vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska, 8-7 overall, is an impressive 3-2 against teams ranked in the top 15 at the time they faced NU.

The Huskers opened the season with three games against ranked teams, falling to top-ranked UCLA before posting back-to-back victories over No. 12 DePaul and No. 10 Michigan. Nebraska faced Michigan again this past weekend, dropping a 5-1 extra-inning decision to the seventh-ranked Wolverines. NU posted its biggest win of the season on Saturday, blanking No. 3 California, 3-0.

At the plate, junior second baseman Anne Steffan and junior first baseman Sheena Lawrick have excelled against ranked teams. In the Huskers’ five games against ranked teams, Steffan is hitting .500 (8-for-16) with five runs scored, one RBI and three stolen bases. A .313 hitter on the season, her batting average is .187 points higher in games against ranked teams than it is against non-ranked teams.

Lawrick has been just as good against top-15 teams, going 7-for-15 (.467) with four RBIs and an on-base percentage of .529. A .237 hitter on the season, she hits .380 points better against ranked teams than she does in games against non-ranked teams.

In the circle, senior right-hander Peaches James has been the winning pitcher in all three Husker victories over ranked teams. James is 3-1 versus ranked teams, including a complete game shutout over third-ranked California on Saturday.

Making the Most of Opportunity
Even though the Huskers have struggled to score consistently this season, NU has shown the potential to be a clutch hitting team. For example:

NU is hitting .088 points higher with runners on base (.313 average) than with the bases empty. When the Huskers have an opportunity to produce a run, they come through with regularity.

With runners in scoring position, Nebraska is even better, recording 35 hits in 90 at-bats (.389). When the bases loaded are loaded, NU has come through five times in 14 tries for a .357 average.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic is the Huskers’ ability to score a runner from third with less than two outs via a base hit. Normally a prime sacrifice situation, NU is hitting a whopping .607 (17-for-28) with a runner on third and less than two outs.

With two outs, the Huskers have been just as impressive. Nebraska is hitting .321 (17-for-53) with runners on base and two outs and an even better .359 (14-for-39) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

On the base paths, the Huskers have been successful on 22 of 26 stolen base attempts (85 percent). Nebraska has stole twice as many bases as their opponents have attempted. On the season, opposing teams are 8-for-11 in the stolen base department (73 percent success rate).

Trimboli Leaving Mark at NU
Senior Nicole Trimboli's time at Nebraska may be drawing to a close, but her legacy will live on in the Husker record book. The former left fielder and current starter in center already ranks among the top 10 in six career offensive categories and is poised to enter the top 10 in seven other categories.

Trimboli is currently in a tie for third in career RBIs with 135. She needs only three RBIs to move up to second in Husker history. The Colorado Springs, Colo., native has averaged almost 42 RBIs in her first three seasons and at that pace would finish with 167 RBIs.

Capable of hitting for power, Trimboli is currently 10th on the all-time home run chart with 21 round trippers. She is also eighth on the all-time hit list with 189, ranks 10th all-time in total bases with 281 and is 10th in at bats with 632.

A career .299 hitter, Trimboli is on the verge of cracking the top 10 in games played, doubles, runs scored, slugging percentage, stolen bases and hit by pitches.

Trimboli needs 21 games played, three doubles, two runs scored, five stolen bases and three hit by pitches to crack the top 10 in each category.

Tough Schedule Awaits
The 2004 Nebraska softball schedules features 14 games against teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll, including six games against 2003 Women’s College World Series participants.

NU opened the season on Feb. 13 with a doubleheader against defending national champion and preseason No.1 UCLA and No. 12 DePaul. Nebraska fell to UCLA 10-1, but defeated DePaul, 10-2. The Huskers also defeated No. 10 Michigan (5-4).

At the NFCA Leadoff Classic, NU fell to No. 7 Michigan 5-1 in eight innings, but upset third-ranked California, 3-0.

NU will also face 11th-ranked Florida State and No. 18 Arizona State before entering the conference season.

The Big 12 Conference schedule includes four games against WCWS participants fifth-ranked Oklahoma and 15th-ranked Texas. Nebraska will also hosts a pair of games against No. 23 Texas A&M.