Huskers Host Notre Dame Monday and Tuesday

The 19th-ranked Nebraska softball team is hoping to extend its winning streak to 12 straight and avenge two of its 11 losses when Notre Dames comes to town for a pair of games at Bowlin Stadium. The first game of the series is set for today at 6:05 p.m. and the two teams will meet again on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Today’s game marks the first televised game of the season. The game will air locally on NETV2 and will air nationally on CSTV. Radio coverage is also available for tonight’s game and can be heard in Lincoln on KLIN 1400.

NU (29-11, 8-0) has faced Notre Dame (31-11, 6-0) twice this year, dropping heartbreaking decisions in both contests. In the Huskers’ fifth game of the season, they took a 3-0 lead after four innings and were up 4-2 heading into the top of the seventh. In the seventh, the Irish used a pair of two-run home runs to win the game 6-4.

The two teams met again on Feb. 29 in the semifinals of the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. Although not nearly as dramatic as the first meeting, Notre Dame won another nail-biter. The Irish scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning and were able to hold on for a 1-0 victory to eliminate NU from the tournament.

Entering today’s contest, Nebraska is playing its best ball of the year. The only undefeated team in the Big 12 Conference, NU is 21-5 since losing to the Irish at the NFCA Classic. In its current 11-game winning streak, the Huskers have outscored their opponents 52-13. Over its last 10 games, Nebraska has posted eight shutouts (including seven consecutive) and has allowed only five runs in outscoring its opponents 42-5.

Notre Dame also enters tonight’s contest on a roll. The Irish have won 13 of their last 15 and are off to a perfect 6-0 start in the BIG EAST conference.

Last week, NU went 4-0, defeating Creighton and Iowa State in mid-week games before going to Austin, Texas, and sweeping the Texas Longhorns in a two-game series. Nebraska right-handers Peaches James and Summer Tobias combined to toss 14 innings of shutout ball in the Huskers’ mid-week victories. Each allowed only two hits, and together they posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 13-to-1.

James threw every inning last weekend, holding Texas to three runs in 14 innings. James struck out 12 and held the Longhorns’ to one hit in Saturday’s 5-0 win.

Offensively, freshman Jamie Waldecker had a career week filling in at first base for junior Sheena Lawrick, who is out for the season after having surgery this afternoon to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

Waldecker recorded the first game-winning hit of her career with a sacrifice fly in the Huskers’ 2-0 win over Creighton on April 6. Waldecker followed that up by belting a two-run double that gave NU the lead for good in Nebraska’s 5-0 win over Texas on Saturday.

For the week, Waldecker went 5-for-12 (.417 average) with a run scored and four RBIs. Waldecker’s two doubles helped her post a .583 slugging percentage to go along with a .429 on-base percentage. Prior to last week, Waldecker had only hit one double and driven in six runs in her first 29 games.

Scouting the Irish
Notre Dame (31-11, 6-0)
Notre Dame is led offensively by Meagan Ruthrauff, who is hitting .357 for the season. In 112 at bats, Ruthrauff leads the team with nine home runs, 42 RBIs, 72 total bases, a .643 slugging percentage, 23 walks and a .475 on-base percentage.

In the circle, the tandem of Heather Booth and Steffany Stenglein has gone a combined 28-11. Booth (16-4) has logged the most innings (148.1) and has an ERA of 1.23. Booth has struck out 148, while walking only 35, a ratio of over 4-to-1. Opponents are hitting just .201 against her.

Stenglein (12-7) boasts an ERA of 1.83, allowing only 30 earned runs in 115 innings. She has tossed four shutouts and has allowed only 72 hits in holding opponents to a .182 average. Stenglein has recorded 118 strikeouts on the season and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.5-to-1.

Notre Dame head coach Deanna Gumpf played f or Nebraska from 1989 to 2002.

Familiar Foe
A Nebraska softball team hasn’t faced an out-of-state non-conference opponent four times in a season since 2001 when NU played four games against BYU. That will change this week when the Huskers face Notre Dame for the third and fourth time this season.

In the first meeting this season, Notre Dame used a four-run seventh inning to post a dramatic 6-4, come-from-behind victory. Liz Hartmann enjoyed a stellar game, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and four RBIs. Hartmann and Stephanie Brown each hit two-run homers in the seventh to help the Irish erase a 4-2 deficit.

Nebraska was led offensively by senior Liz Lawhorn, who was the only Husker to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Freshman right-hander Ashley DeBuhr took the loss for NU in that game, allowing six runs on 13 hits in a complete-game effort. Notre Dame’s Carrie Wisen picked up the win in relief of starter Heather Booth, allowing only one run in 2.2 innings.

In the teams’ second meeting on Feb. 20, Notre Dame used an unearned run in the first inning to claim a 1-0 victory. Stephanie Brown and Nicole Wicks each had two hits for the Irish, while Sara Schoonaert scored the lone run of the game.

Sophomore Summer Tobias collected one of only four Nebraska hits in the game, recording the Huskers’ lone extra-base hit of the game with a double. Tobias also took the loss in the game, allowing just one unearned runs on five hits in a complete-game effort.

Notre Dame started Booth against NU for a second time and Booth delivered with a complete-game shutout, allowing only four hits and striking out five.

Nebraska leads the all-time series against Notre Dame 6-3, but is 0-1 against the Irish at home.

A Look at the Lineup

Second Base - #1 Anne Steffan, 5-7, Jr., L/R, Mankato, Minn.
One of the fastest players in school history, Steffan leads the team with a .370 average, 36 runs scored, 50 hits and 21 stolen bases ... Only a junior, Steffan needs just two more stolen bases to move into the top 10 in school history in career stolen bases ...She is tied for the Big 12 lead with 36 runs scored and is tied for sixth in the league in average, ranks fourth in stolen bases and is third in hits... Recorded her 100th career hit against Florida State on March 18.

Third Base - #8 Jessica Yoachim, 5-4, So., L/R, Arkansas City, Kan.
Yoachim went 2-for-10 last week, and her three runs scored were second on the team ... For the season, Yoachim is fourth on the team with 17 runs scored ... Defensively, Yoachim has made only four errors in 64 chances ... Yoachim enjoyed a career day against Manhattan on Feb. 21 at the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas. Yoachim went a career-high 3-for-3 at the plate, with a career-high three runs scored and a career-high three RBIs.

Center Field - #88 Nicole Trimboli, 5-8, Sr., L/L, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Trimboli leads the team with 33 RBIs and five home runs, is second with a .537 slugging percentage, is second with 23 runs scored and is third with a .325 average ... Had the game-winning double in the Huskers' 3-0 win at Kansas on March 31 ... Moved into second place on the all-time RBI charts at NU this season ... Ranks in the top 10 in school history in 10 career offensive categories ... Ranks in the top eight in the Big 12 in seven different offensive categories.

Left Field - #28 Trisha Tannahill, 5-9, So. L/R, Overland Park, Kan.
Tannahill had the game-winning RBIs in both victories over No. 19 Baylor April 3-4 and against Iowa State on April 7. Tannahill leads the team with eight game-winning RBIs this season ... Tannahill is currently enjoying a six-game hitting streak ... for the season, Tannahill is hitting .319 and is fifth in runs scored (17), third in hits (37), first in doubles (eight) and secod with 26 RBIs ... Had a career-high four hits against Penn State on March 13 ... From March 12-13 at the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla., Tannahill hit safely in five straight games, a new career best.

First Base - #22 Jamie Waldecker, Garden Grove, Calif.
Waldecker is filling in at first base for junior Sheena Lawrick, who is out for the season. Waldecker had her first game-winning RBI against Creighton on April 6 and had another game-winning RBI against Texas last Friday. Last week Waldecker hit .417 with four RBIs ... Waldecker is third on the team with 14 walks. For the season, Waldecker's on-base percentage is .333. Waldecker hit her first career home run on Feb. 22 against Indiana. In her first collegiate game against DePaul on Feb. 13, Waldecker went 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs.

Pitcher - #42 Peaches James, 5-7, Sr., RHP, Papillion, Neb.
Last week, James went 3-0 with two shutouts and a 1.00 ERA. She struck out 28 last week while surrending only four walks, an incredible 7-to-1 ratio ... James was named the USA Softball and NFCA National Player of the Week for the week of April 6. Jamesis 23-5 this season with a miniscule 0.74 ERA, including a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA against top-five teams ... James is first in the conference in ERA (0.74), shutouts (14), wins (23), strikeouts (232) and complete games (22) ... James has been named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week a league-high three times this season ... Offensively, James was the Big 12 Player of the Week for the week of March 30 after hitting three home runs in a two-game set at Oklahoma State ... last week James hit .385 with a double and three RBIs. James has hit safely in her last six games.

Designated Player - #23 Jocelyn Evans, 5-9, Jr., R/R, Newhall, Calif.
Evans, a junior college transfer from Mt. San Antonio College, started both games over the weekend, going 2-for-8, but she drew three walks to post an impressive on-base percentage of .455 ... Drew a career-high two walks against Texas on Friday ... For the season, Evans is hitting .200 with a run scored and four RBIs.

Right Field - #9 Liz Lawhorn, 5-5, Sr., R/R, Muscatine, Iowa
Lawhorn set career-highs March 27 with two doubles and two RBIs against Oklahoma State. She also matched her career high by collecting three hits last Saturday against the Cowgirls ... Hit a team-high .500 (4-for-8) last week, recording an impressive on-base percentage of .636 ... Is fourth on the team with a .383 on-base percentage, including 16 walks, second best on the team.

Shortstop - #2 Devin Portet, 5-4, Fr., R/R, Lakewood, Calif.
Porter recorded her third career double against Iowa State on April 7. Porter has started 39 of the Huskers' 40 games at short, but has seen limited time at the plate until the last week. In 10 at bats last week, Porter scored two runs and drove in one run ... Porter drove in a career-high two runs with a 2-run double against Florida A&M on March 13.

Perfect Start
Nebraska is off to an 8-0 start in the Big 12 Conference, only the second time in school history the Huskers have been unbeaten eight games into the conference season. NU, which is the only undefeated team in the Big 12, is one game ahead of second place Texas A&M.

The only other time a Nebraska team started a Big 12 season with eight consecutive wins was in 1998, when NU finished the conference season with a perfect 16-0 mark and advanced to the NCAA Women's College World Series.

Winning Ways
Since losing 1-0 to then-No. 9 Oklahoma on March 20, NU has rattled off 11 straight wins. Over that stretch, Nebraska is hitting .294 while opponents are hitting a meager .149. The Huskers have also out-hit their opponents 86-37 during the streak, en route to outscoring their opponents 52-13.

In the circle, NU’s trio of right-handers have allowed only seven earned runs in 75 innings during the streak. The staff has posted a microscopic ERA of 0.65, while opposing pitchers have a healthy ERA of 3.30. During the 11-game winning streak, Husker pitchers have mounted a streak of their own. Nebraska shut out seven straight opponents from March 28-April 10, the second longest streak in school history.

NU’s current winning streak is the 13th time in school history a Nebraska team has posted a double-digit winning streak in a season. The Huskers are currently tied for the ninth longest winning streak in school history. The 2002 Nebraska squad set the school record by winning 23 consecutive games from Feb. 22-March 27.

Two is the Magic Number
For the 19th-ranked Nebraska softball team, two is the magic number when senior right-hander Peaches James is in the circle.

James (22-5) has not lost a game this season when her teammates have given her more than one run to work with. In her five losses as a starter, the Nebraska offense has produced only two runs. Twice this season, James has been on the losing end of 1-0 decision. In contrast, James has led Nebraska to four 1-0 victories by tossing shutouts over Houston (2/20), Virginia Tech (2/28), Kansas (3/7) and fourth-ranked Florida State (3/18).

Lawrick Out for Year
The Nebraska softball team will be without junior first baseman Sheena Lawrick for the remainder of the season. Lawrick had surgery today to repair a torn ACL.

The Huskers' No. 3 hitter in the lineup, Lawrick's offense and defense will be missed. Before her injury, Lawrick was second on the team with a .337 average, and lead the team with seven doubles, a .596 slugging percentage, 28 walks, three hit by pitches and a .508 on-base percentage. She was also second in home runs (4), second in RBIs (24), second in total bases (6) and committed only three errors in 259 chances at first base (.989 fielding percentage). Lawrick also finished the season with 28 walks, which ranks ninth on the NU single-season chart.

Freshman Jamie Waldecker and senior Peaches James have each filled in at first in place of Lawrick. Waldecker started three games at first last week, finishing with no errors and a .417 average.

Single-Season Records Watch

Junior Anne Steffan
Steffan, who is currently hitting .370, would finish with the 10th best single-season average if she can maintain her current pace. Steffan also has 135 at bats and is projected to finish the season with at least 195 at bats, just 10 shy of 10th place on the single-season chart.

Steffan is also challenging to put her name on the single-season hit list. The Mankato, Minn., native has 50 hits this season and at that pace would finish with 73 hits for the season, including two-game stints at the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Regionals. Seventy-three hits would put her in fifth place on the chart.

Finally, one of the fastest players in school history, Steffan is tied for eighth-place on the single-season list with 21 steals. At her current pace, Steffan would finish with 31 stolen bases, which would tie the single-season record.

Junior Sheena Lawrick
Although Lawrick's season is over, she did enough in her time to leave her mark on the record book. In only 36 games, Lawrick drew 28 walks, which is ninth on the single-season charts.

Senior Nicole Trimboli
Trimboli, who has driven in the second-most runs in school history, has 33 RBIs in 2004 and is projected to finish with 48 RBIs, which would place her seventh on the single-season chart and would tie her career high set last season.

Sophomore Trisha Tannahill

Tanahill leads the team with eight doubles and is on pace to finish with 12 doubles in 2004, which would tie for seventh place on the chart.

Senior Peaches James
James, who is enjoying one of the best seasons in school history, is challenging the top spot in single-season strikeouts and shutouts.

James has already struck out 232 batters this season, leaving her just 53 strikeouts away from the single-season record. James has also tossed 14 shutouts this season, which is already tied for the best single-season mark in school history.
James' 23 victories so far this season are tied

for fifth place on the single-season chart. She has also logged 170.1 innings, and needs just 38 more to enter the top 10. James is also challenging in complete games. Having already thrown 22 complete games, James is No. 10 on the chart.

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 10 career offensive categories and is poised to enter the top 10 in one other categories.

Trimboli is currently in second place for career RBIs with 158. Currently, Trimboli is second in the Big 12 this season with 33 RBIs.

Capable of hitting for power, Trimboli is currently ninth on the all-time home run chart with 24 round trippers. She is also fifth on the all-time hit list with 216, is eighth with 115 runs scored, ranks fifth all-time in total bases with 330, is fifth in at bats with 708, ninth in games played with 224 and is in 10th place with 42 stolen bases.

Trimboli needs one double and three hit by pitches to crack the top 10.

Big Innings
Nebraska has been prone to big innings this season. NU has scored in 77 innings this year and has scored more than one run in 49 of those 77 innings (64 percent).

On 25 different occassions, the Huskers have scored three or more runs in a single inning. On March 27 at Oklahoma State, Nebraska exploded for its biggest inning of the year, a 10-run fourth. NU has also produced two nine-run innings.

Last weekend against Texas, NU scored in six innings and had four multi-run innings. In the Huskers' 5-0 win on Friday, a two-run first inning and a two-run fourth inning propelled Nebraska. A two-run first and a two-run fifth inning secured NU's 5-3 win on Saturday.

Fast Starts
Nebraska has gotten off to some fast starts this season, as the Huskers have scored a run in the first inning in 18 of 40 games (43 percent). NU is 17-1 on the season when it scores a run in the first inning.

The 49 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 49-9. Twenty-six percent of the Huskers' total runs have come across the plate in the first inning (49/190).

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 12 of the 18 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 March 18 against fourth-ranked Florida State. In all, 12 of the 25 game-winning RBIs have come in the first inning.

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.

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.