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The 22nd-ranked Nebraska softball team will host its first home series of the season following a mid-week trip to Lawrence, Kan., on Wedneday. NU opens its home schedule against No. 21 Baylor this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bowlin Stadium. The team will also play Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Huskers head to Lawrence on Wednesday for their third game of the season against the Jayhawks, but their first in conference play. Nebraska split a pair of games with KU at the Hampton Inn Classic March 6-7.
The weekend matchup with Baylor should be a tough test for the Huskers. Before Wednesday's games, Baylor had won 26 of 27 and was 4-0 in conference play. On Monday, Baylor swept a doubleheader with ninth-ranked Oklahoma. NU lost to Oklahoma, 1-0, on March 20.
Nebraska (22-11) went 3-0 last week and has won 11 of its last 14. On Wednesday, NU nipped Creighton, 1-0, in eight innings. Over the weekend, the Huskers began Big 12 Conference play by sweeping Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., 10-2 (5 innings) and 5-0.
Over the three games, NU hit .305 (25-for-82), while holding opposing hitters to a .094 average (6-for-64). NU set a season high with three home runs in a season-high 10-run fourth inning on Saturday. In the inning, Nebraska hit back-to-back home runs for the second time this season.
In two games against Oklahoma State, the Huskers belted five home runs. In the Huskers' previous 32 games, NU had hit just 11 home runs.
Aided by the home run barrage, NU also saw its slugging percentage rise considerably. Slugging .350 before last week, Nebraska had a slugging percentage of .524 over the weekend to increase its season slugging percentage to .373.
Senior Peaches James enjoyed an outstanding week, going 3-0 with a 0.88 ERA in the circle and hitting .444 (4-for-9) at the plate with three home runs. James also recorded career strikeout No. 700 in her relief appearance against Creighton on Wednesday and moved into third place in school history with her 709th career strikeout against Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Sophomore Katie Linke had the first game-winning RBI of her career with her two-out single in the top of the eighth in the Huskers’ 1-0 extra-innings victory over Creighton. Linke followed that up by hitting her first career home run against the Cowgirls on Saturday.
Scouting the Competition
Kansas (20-15, 0-2)
Kansas opened Big 12 play against Baylor last weekend, dropping a pair of 2-0 decisions. Offensively, the Jayhawks are led by Serena Settlemier, who is second in the Big 12 with 10 home runs, including one against the Huskers on March 6. Settlemier leads the team with 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 52 total bases, a .410 on-base percentage and a .658 slugging percentage.
In the circle, KU's duo of Kassie Humphreys and Kara Pierce are a combined 20-12 this season. Humphreys (9-5) has a 1.71 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 98 innings. Humphreys has also recorded two shutouts, one coming against Nebraska in a one-hitter March 6. Pierce is 11-7 with a 2.03 ERA. Pierce lost a tough 1-0 decision to the Huskers on March 7.
Baylor (32-6, 4-0)
Baylor is one of the hottest teams in the country. Winners of 26 of their last 27 games, the Bears swept Kansas last weekend and swept a doubleheader from No. 9 Oklahoma on Monday. Offensively, Baylor is led by
Fast Starts
Nebraska has gotten off to some fast starts this season, as the Huskers have scored a run in the first inning in 14 of 33 games (42 percent). NU is 13-1 on the season when it scores a run in the first inning.
The 41 first-inning runs that Nebraska has scored are the most runs of any single inning. In the first frame, NU has outscored its opponents an overhwelming 41-7. Twenty-eight percent of the Huskers' total runs have come across the plate in the first inning (42/148).
Included in these numbers are a pair of nine run, first-inning outbursts. NU scored nine runs in the first inning against Manhattan College on Feb. 21, and duplicated that feat March 7 against Utah in a 12-0 win.
Nebraska has plated more than one run in nine of the 14 games in which it has scored in the first inning. In two games this season, the Huskers' lone run of the game has come in the first, including last Thursday against fourth-ranked Florida State. In all, nine of the 15 game-winning RBIs have come in the first inning.
Big Innings
Nebraska has been prone to big innings this season. NU has scored in 63 innings this year and has scored more than one run in 40 of those 63 innings (64 percent).
On 23 different occassions, the Huskers have scored three or more runs in a single inning. On Saturday at Oklahoma State, Nebraska exploded for its biggest inning of the year, a 10-run fourth. Prior to that game, NU had scored nine runs in an inning on two different occassions.
Stat of the Week
The Huskers enjoyed a hot-hitting week, despite an offensive struggle against Creighton on Wednesday. Before last week, NU was hitting .257 as a team, but in its three games last week, NU hit .305.
Nebraska also had a power explosion over the weekend. In two games against Oklahoma State, the Huskers belted five home runs, including three in one inning. In the Huskers' previous 32 games, NU had hit 11 home runs.
Aided by the home run barrage, NU also saw its slugging percentage rise considerably. Slugging .350 before last week, Nebraska had a slugging percentage of .524 over the weekend to increase its season slugging percentage to .373.
Six of Nebraska's game-winning RBIs have come via the long ball.
James Tough On Ranked Teams
Senior right-hander Peaches James has started five games against ranked teams this season. In those five games, she is 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.
James was dominant against third-ranked California and fourth-ranked Florida State in shutout performances over both squads. Against California, James held the Bears to only five hits in recording her first shutout against a ranked foe this season. Against Florida State March 18, James tossed a complete-game three hitter, striking out five and walking none. Only one Seminole advanced past first base in the game.
James has also posted victories over then-No. 12 DePaul and then-No. 10 Michigan. She suffered her only losses to a ranked team in an extra-innings loss to then-No. 7 Michigan and a 1-0 defeat to No. 7 Oklahoma.
Nebraska vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska, 19-11 overall, is 4-4 against top-25 teams this season after facing three ranked teams during its 11-day road trip. NU is 2-0 against top-five teams and 3-2 against top-10 teams in 2004.
The Huskers opened the season with three games against ranked teams, falling to then top-ranked UCLA before posting back-to-back victories over then-No. 12 DePaul and then-No. 10 Michigan. Nebraska faced Michigan again at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, dropping a 5-1 extra-inning decision to the Wolverines, ranked seventh at the time. NU posted its biggest win of the season the following day, blanking No. 3 California, 3-0.
At last week's Kia Klassic in Fullerton, Calif., NU defeated fourth-ranked Florida State, 1-0, but fell to No. 7 Oklahoma (1-0) and No. 23 Arizona State (6-3).
At the plate, junior second baseman Anne Steffan and junior first baseman Sheena Lawrick have excelled against ranked teams. In the Huskers’ eight games against ranked teams, Steffan is hitting .462 (12-for-26) with six runs scored, one RBI and four stolen bases. A .374 hitter on the season, her batting average is .088 points higher in games against ranked teams than it is against non-ranked teams. Against No. 4 Florida State last Thursday, Steffan was 3-for-3 and scored the only run of the game.
Lawrick has been nearly as good against top-25 teams, going 9-for-25 (.360) with four RBIs and two runs scored and an on-base percentage of .529.
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 seven career offensive categories and is poised to enter the top 10 in seven other categories.
Trimboli is currently in second place for career RBIs with 155. The Colorado Springs, Colo., native has averaged almost 42 RBIs in her first three seasons and at that pace would finish with 167 RBIs. Currently, Trimboli is second in the Big 12 with 28 RBIs.
Capable of hitting for power, Trimboli is currently ninth on the all-time home run chart with 23 round trippers. She is also fifth on the all-time hit list with 209, is eighth with 110 runs scored, ranks seventh all-time in total bases with 317 and is sixth in at bats with 685. Recently, Trimboli moved into 10th place with 42 stolen bases.
Trimboli needs three games played, two doubles and three hit by pitches to crack the top 10 in each category.
Fourteen NCAA Bids and Counting
Nebraska softball is in an elite class when it comes to postseason play. The Huskers are one of nine teams to appear in the past nine NCAA Tournaments. Nebraska also has a strong history of earning high seeds in the tournament. For the past seven seasons, Nebraska has earned a two seed or higher in the opening NCAA Regional. The only other teams to accomplish that feat are Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington. Overall, NU has earned 14 NCAA Tournament bids, advancing to the College World Series seven times.
Tough Schedule Awaits
The 2004 Nebraska softball schedules features 13 games against teams ranked 20th or better in the final 2003 USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll, including five games against 2003 Women’s College World Series participants.
NU opens the season on Feb. 13 with a doubleheader against defending national champion UCLA and DePaul, who finished ninth in 2003. The Huskers also face No. 12 Michigan twice, 19th-ranked Florida State and No. 20 Arizona State before entering the conference season.
The Big 12 Conference schedule includes four games against WCWS participants Oklahoma and Texas. Nebraska will also play a pair of games at 14th-ranked Oklahoma State and at home against No. 17 Texas A&M.
James Breaks Vertical Jump Record
Senior pitcher Peaches James broke her own all-time, all-sport vertical jump record during the Nebraska softball team’s winter performance testing for the third time in her career with a leap of 31 inches.
In 2002, James became the first female in athletic department history to record a jump of 30 inches, breaking the previous record of 29.5 inches. Last year, James improved her 30-inch leap with a jump of 30.5 inches.
Revelle Tops 450
NU head coach Rhonda Revelle won her 450th game at Nebraska on Saturday against Oklahoma State. Revelle’s current record is 451-250 in 11 seasons at Nebraska.
Olympic Interest
Two current Huskers were invited to train for the Olympics in 2003. Senior Peaches James was invited to the ARCO Olympic Training center, while junior Sheena Lawrick played for Team Canada last summer. According to Revelle, Lawrick is on the watch-list for making the Canadian Olympic team and has a good chance to make the squad.
Home Sweet Home
The Husker softball team continued to receive tremendous fan support in 2003. Nebraska ranked seventh in the nation in Division I softball attendance with an average of 615 fans per game.
NU was one of only eight schools to total more than 10,000 fans for the entire season. Among these eight schools, Nebraska was the only school to total more than 10,000 fans in less than 20 home games. The Huskers totaled 11,074 fans in 18 home games.