NU Looks to Extend Big 12 Streak Against Sooners

The first-place Nebraska softball team is looking to grab firm control of the Big 12 Conference this weekend when Oklahoma, the preseason pick to win the league, comes to town for a pair of games against NU. Both games can be heard live on KKUL 105.3 FM in Lincoln.The 18th-ranked Huskers and 17th-ranked Sooners have already met once this year, with Oklahoma winning 1-0 on March 20.

Nebraska (30-12, 8-0) has won 12 of 13 games since the Oklahoma loss. NU had won 12 consecutive before falling to Notre Dame, 2-0 on Tuesday. Over that same period, Oklahoma (31-14-1, 5-4) posted a 5-6 record, but has won five of its last six games. Last weekend, the Sooners swept Missouri, which had been undefeated in the Big 12.

In mid-week action, the Huskers split a pair of games with Notre Dame. Nebraska won the opener behind a complete-game shutout by senior right-handed pitcher Peaches James. The shutout was the 15th of the season for James, which is a school record.In seven innings against the Irish, James allowed only one hit and struck out four. She retired the last 19 batters and faced just one batter over the minimum in picking up her 24th victory of the season, a new career high for victories in a season.

Offensively, NU managed only two hits. Junior Anne Steffan was the only Husker to reach base more than once and scored the game's only run. Steffan was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the first. She stole second before moving to third on a ground out. Steffan then came home on a wild pitch.

Sophomore right-hander Summer Tobias started the second game and gave up only four hits in seven innings. Notre Dame scored a pair of unearned runs to avoid the sweep. Steffan once again led the Husker offense, finishing 2-for-4. Nebraska had a chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the sixth, but was unable to score after loading the bases with one out.

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. James and 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 Monday 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 Sooners

Oklahoma (31-14-1, 5-4)
The preseason favorite to win the Big 12, the 17th-ranked Sooners have won five conference games in a row after starting 0-4 in league play.

Offensively, Heather Scaglione is the Sooners' top hitter. Scaglione has been named Big 12 Player of the Week a league-high three times this season. Scaglione leads the team with a .404 average, 31 runs, eight doubles, 13 home runs, 38 RBIs, 102 total bases, a .740 slugging percentage, 27 walks and a .503 on-base percentage.

Scaglione also leads the Big 12 in average, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. In nine league games, Scaglione is hitting .417 with a slugging percentage of .917.

In the circle, an injury to their No. 2 starter has forced the Sooners to rely heavily on left-hander Kami Keiter. Keiter, who saw limited action early in the season while recovering from off-season surgery, has appeared in all nine of OU's Big 12 games, starting eight contests.

Overall, Keiter is 9-7 with a 0.98 ERA. The 2003 All-American has struck out 76 in 114 innings and is limiting opposing hitters to a .208 average.

Oklahoma is 1-0 against Nebraska this season, defeating the Huskers 1-0 at the Kia Klassic on March 20.

In the first meeting, Keiter outdueled NU ace Peaches James in a 1-0 win. Keiter tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits and striking out seven in seven innings. James and junior leadoff hitter Anne Steffan were the only Huskers to record hits against Keiter.

James was nearly as good, allowing one earned run in seven innings. James struck out seven and did not surrender a walk.

Norelle Dickson and Mariee Mena each had two hits to lead the Sooner offense.

Last season, the two teams split with Oklahoma winning 1-0 and Nebraska winning 8-0 in six innings. NU leads the all-time series 31-27.

Nebraska vs. Left-HandersThe Nebraska softball team will be facing a left-handed pitcher for only the fourth time this season when OU All-American Kami Keiter steps into the circle on Saturday. NU's starting lineup features four left-handed hitters.

In 76 at bats against left-handed pitching this season, the Huskers have produced 14 hits for a .184 average. Junior Anne Steffan has collected six hits against left-handed pitching in 10 at bats, highlighted by a 3-for-3 day against Florida State All-American Jessica van der Linden on March 18.

Senior Peaches James and sophomore Trisha Tannahill are the only other Huskers to have more than one hit off of left-handed pitching this season.

A Look at the Lineup
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, who is also the backup catcher, 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.

Second Base - #1 Anne Steffan, 5-7, Jr., L/R, Mankato, Minn.
Steffan scored the Huskers' only run of the week on Monday. She is 3-for-6 this week and has a current six-game hitting streak ... One of the fastest players in school history, Steffan leads the team with a .376 average, 37 runs scored, 53 hits and 22 stolen bases ... Only a junior, Steffan is just one stolen base shy of entering the top 10 in school history in career stolen bases ...She leads the Big 12 with 37 runs scored and is sixth 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 was second on the team last week with three runs scored ... For the season, Yoachim is fourth on the team with 17 runs scored ... Defensively, Yoachim has made only five errors in 69 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.

Shortstop - #2 Devin Porter, 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 had seen limited time at the plate until last week ... Porter drove in a career-high two runs with a two-run double against Florida A&M on March 13.

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 saw her career-high six-game hitting streak end on Monday ... for the season, Tannahill is hitting .311 and is fifth in runs scored (17), third in hits (38), first in doubles (eight) and second 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.

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 .516 slugging percentage, is second with 23 runs scored and is third with a .313 average ... 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.

Right Field - #9 Liz Lawhorn, 5-5, Sr., R/R, Muscatine, Iowa
Lawhorn is fourth on the team with a .375 on-base percentage, including 20 walks, second best on the team. Her 20 walks are tied for seventh best in the Big 12 ... 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

Pitcher - #42 Peaches James, 5-7, Sr., RHP, Papillion, Neb.
James threw a one-hitter against Notre Dame on Monday and has won her last 11 decisions. Last week, James went 3-0 with two shutouts and a 1.00 ERA. She struck out 28 last week while surrendering 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. James is 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.

Designated Player - #23 Jocelyn Evans, 5-9, Jr., R/R, Newhall, Calif.
Evans, a junior college transfer from Mt. San Antonio College, has started the Huskers' last four games, collecting one hit and drawing four walks to post an impressive on-base percentage of .417 ... Drew a career-high two walks against Texas on Friday ... For the season, Evans is hitting .209 with a run scored and four RBIs and an on-base percentage of .370.

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.

Rankings Released
NCAA statistics were released for the first time on April 14 and two Huskers made the list in four different categories. Statistics included games through April 11.

Junior Anne Steffan is 27th in the nation with an average of 0.53 stolen bases per game, recording 21 steals in 40 games.

Senior right-hander Peaches James ranks in the top 15 in three different pitching categories. James is in a tie for eighth place with 23 victories this season. She is also 13th with an average of 9.5 strikeouts per seven innings. In 170.3 innings, James has struck out 232 batters.

Finally, James came in at No. 14 on the ERA chart with an ERA of 0.74, allowing only 18 earned runs in 170.3 innings.

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 five 1-0 victories by tossing shutouts over Notre Dame on April 12, Houston (2/20), Virginia Tech (2/28), Kansas (3/7) and fourth-ranked Florida State (3/18).

Lawrick Out for YearThe 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 .376, 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 eighth 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 53 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 seventh-place on the single-season list with 22 steals. At her current pace, Steffan would finish with 30 stolen bases, one shy of 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 46 RBIs, which would place her in eighth place on the single-season chart.

Sophomore Trisha Tannahill
Tanahill leads the team with eight doubles and is on pace to finish with 11 doubles in 2004, which would leave her one double shy of a tie for eighth place on the chart.

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

James has already struck out 236 batters this season, leaving her just 49 strikeouts away from the single-season record. James has also tossed 15 shutouts this season, which is a new school record.
James' 24 victories so far this season are tied

for third place on the single-season chart. She has also logged 177.1 innings, and needs just 31 more to enter the top 10. James is also challenging in complete games. Having already thrown 23 complete games, James is tied for No. 8 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 fourth in at bats with 713, 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 InningsNebraska 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 19 of 42 games (45 percent). NU is 18-1 on the season when it scores a run in the first inning.

Against Notre Dame on Monday, junior Anne Steffan scored the only run of the game in the first inning of the Huskers' 1-0 win.

The 50 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 (50/191).

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.

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.