Huskers Head South to Face Off Against Lady Raiders

Lincoln, Neb.--The 15th-ranked Nebraska softball team looks to stay undefeated in the Big 12 Conference when it heads to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend for a pair of games against Texas Tech.

 

The Lady Raiders (19-30, 1-11) have lost 10 straight games, all against Big 12 opponents. Tech split a pair of games with Iowa State to open the Big 12 schedule, but has not picked up a conference win since March 27.

 

Nebraska, on the other hand, has won 10 straight conference games and is in first place in the Big 12. NU is 21-4 over its last 25 games and is 6-0 in true road games this season.

 

NU had a busy week last week, playing four games against teams who had previously combined to post a 3-0 record against the Huskers this season. Nebraska avenged two early-season losses to Notre Dame on national television on Monday. Behind a complete-game, one-hit shutout by senior right-hander Peaches James, NU edged the Irish, 1-0, for its 12th straight win.

 

Two unearned runs cost Nebraska the second game against Notre Dame, as the Huskers dropped a 2-0 decision. Sophomore right-hander Summer Tobias suffered her second defeat to the Irish, allowing two runs on four hits.

 

NU returned to Big 12 Conference play over the weekend, hosting 17th-ranked Oklahoma for a two-game set. James out-pitched Oklahoma All-American Kami Keiter to lead Nebraska to a two-game sweep. NU and James had dropped a 1-0 decision to Keiter and the Sooners on March 20.

 

In the first game, both teams combined to commit six errors, as neither team plated an earned run. Nebraska used five hits and four Sooner errors to score two runs in the 2-1 victory. James was dominant in the circle, allowing only two hits while striking out 11. The victory was the 25th of the season for James, a new single-season career high.

 

The second game played out in similar fashion. NU again used five hits and four OU errors, this time scoring three runs in a 3-1 win. Freshman first baseman Jamie Waldecker accounted for the Huskers’ only earned run of the weekend with her game-winning solo home run that snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning.

 

James threw well again, allowing only one run on five hits in a complete-game effort, striking out six without surrendering a walk. In the game, James recorded her 800th career strikeout, making her only the third player in school history to reach 800 career victories. James also struck out her 251st batter of the season, a new single-season career high.

 

For her efforts, James picked up her league-high fourth Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week honor to go along with one Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honor and two National Player-of-the-Week honors.

 

In the Huskers’ four games last week, NU pitching allowed only one earned run in 28 innings. Opposing hitters were just 12-for-96 (.125) against James and Tobias and struck out 24 times. Nebraska’s offense also struggled, hitting just .181 last week.

 

Sophomore Jessica Yoachim provided an offense spark with a 6-for-13 week (.462). Yoachim also scored the game-winning run in the Huskers’ 2-1 win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Junior Jocelyn Evans also hit well, going 3-for-7 (.429) with an on-base percentage of .556.

 

A Look at Texas Tech (19-30, 1-11)

Texas Tech is currently on a 10-game losing streak and has lost 11 straight Big 12 Conference games. The Lady Raiders are led offensively by Elyssa Sigala, who ranks first in the Big 12 with 15 doubles. For the season, Sigala is hitting .371 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs, 27 runs scored, a .712 slugging percentage and a .509 on-base percentage, all team-highs. As a team, Texas Tech is second in conference games with a .283 average, six points shy of Nebraska's conference-leading .289 average.

 

In the circle, Erin Crawford (9-10) has a team-best ERA of 2.31. In 115 innings, Crawford has struck out 103 and held opponents to a .246 average. The Lady Raiders have three other pitchers who have thrown more than 62 innings this season.

 

Last Season

Nebraska defeated Texas Tech twice last year by scores of 6-0 and 5-1. Senior right-hander Peaches James tossed a two-hit shutout in the Huskers' 6-0 win, while sophomore right-hander Summer Tobias allowed one run on six hits in a complete-game effort in NU's 5-1 win.

 

Offensively, several current Huskers enjoyed a good series against Tech last season. Senior Nicole Trimboli led the way going 4-for-7 with two runs scored and an RBI. Sophomore Jessica Yoachim hit .500 (3-for-6) and also scored a pair of runs, while junior Anne Steffan went 2-for-4.

 

Nebraska leads the all-time series 17-3 and has won the last five meetings.

 

Big 12 Bats

Sophomore Jessica Yoachim, who has moved up to the No. 2 spot in the Huskers' lineup, is hitting a team-high .440 (11-for-25) in Big 12 Conference games only. Both Yoachim and senior Liz Lawhorn have seen their numbers increase since Big 12 play began.

 

Yoachim ranks second in the Big 12 with her .440 average, while Lawhorn is hitting .346, sixth-best in the league.

 

In Big 12 play, Yoachim is hitting .224 points higher than she hit in non-conference games. Lawhorn is hitting .182 points higher in conference games.

 

Other Huskers have also continued to hit well in Big 12 play. Junior Anne Steffan leads the league with 10 runs scored, while sophomore Trisha Tannahill is tied for first in the league with 10 RBIs. Senior Nicole Trimboli is tied for second with four doubles, while fellow senior Peaches James ranks third with three home runs.

 

As a team, Nebraska enjoys a league-best .389 average and .369 on-base percentage in Big 12 games.

 

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 .362 average, three runs scored, 54 hits and 22 stolen bases ... Only a junior, Steffan is just one stolen base shy of enterig the top 10 in school history in career stolen bases. She has already entered the top 10 in school history with 12 hit-by-pitches ...second in the Big 12 with 37 runs scored and is eighth in average, ranks fourth in stolen bases and is fourth 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 led the team with six hits last week en route to hitting a team-high .462 ... For the season, Yoachim is fourth on the team with 17 runs scored ... Defensively, has made only six errors in 70 chances ... Enjoyed a career day against Manhattan on Feb. 21 at the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas, going 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 .516 slugging percentage, is second with 23 runs scored and is fourth with a .301 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.

 

Left Field - #28 Trisha Tannahill, 5-9, So. L/R, Overland Park, Kan.

Tannahill had the game-winning RBI in the Huskers' 2-1 win over Oklahoma last Saturday. Tannahill leads the team with eight game-winning RBIs this season ...Saw her career-high six-game hitting streak end last Monday against Notre Dame ... for the season, is hitting .311 and is fifth on the team 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.

 

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. Against Oklahoma last Sunday, Waldecker's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth broke a 1-1 tie and proved to be the game-winning hit. 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 on April 12 ... Is third on the team with 14 walks. For the season, Waldecker's on-base percentage is .333... 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.

James threw a one-hitter against Notre Dame and limited No. 17 Oklahoma to one earned run in 14 innings last week. James has won her last 13 decisions. For her efforts last week, James was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for a league-high fourth time this season. ... James was named the USA Softball and NFCA National Player of the Week for the week of April 6. Jamesis 26-5 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) ... 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.

 

Designated Player - #23 Jocelyn Evans, 5-9, Jr., R/R, Newhall, Calif.

Evans, a junior college transfer from Mt. San Antonio College, was the Huskers' second-leading hitter last week, going 3-for-7 and leading the team with a .556 on-base percentage  ... Drew a career-high two walks against Texas on April 12 ... For the season, is hitting .234 with a run scored, four RBIs and an on-base percentage of .379.

 

Right Field - #9 Liz Lawhorn, 5-5, Sr., R/R, Muscatine, Iowa

Lawhorn is fourth on the team with a .382 on-base percentage, including 21 walks, second-best on the team. Her 20 walks are tied for seventh best in the Big 12 ... In Big 12 play, is hitting  .346 which ranks sixth in the league ... Set career-highs March 27 with two doubles and two RBIs against Oklahoma State... Also matched her career high by collecting three hits March 27 against the Cowgirls.

 

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 43 of the Huskers' 44 games at short, but had seen limited time at the plate until the week of April 6 ... Drove in a career-high two runs with a two-run double against Florida A&M on March 13.

 

Perfect Start

Nebraska is off to a 10-0 start in the Big 12 Conference, only the second time in school history the Huskers have been unbeaten 10 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.

 

Two is the Magic Number

For the 15th-ranked Nebraska softball team, two is the magic number when senior right-hander Peaches James is in the circle.

 

James (26-5) 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).

 

Single-Season Records Watch

Junior Anne Steffan

Steffan, who is currently hitting .362, willfinish with the 12th best single-season average if she can maintain her current pace. Steffan also has 149 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 54 hits this season and at that pace would finish with 72 hits, including two-game stints at the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Regionals. Seventy-two 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 29 stolen bases, two shy of the school record.

 

Junior Sheena Lawrick

Although Lawrick's season is over, she did enough in her time to leave her mark on the record books. 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 44 RBIs, which would place her in 10th place on the single-season 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 253 batters this season, leaving her just 32 strikeouts away from the single-season record. James has also tossed 15 shutouts this season, which is a new school record.

 

James' 26 victories so far this season place her third on the single-season chart. She has also logged 191.1 innings, and needs just 17 more to enter the top 10. James is also challenging in complete games. Having already thrown 25 complete games, James is tied for No. 6 on the chart.

 

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.

 

Nebraska vs. Ranked Teams    
Nebraska, 32-12 overall, is 8-4 against top-25 teams this season after facing 18th-ranked Oklahoma last weekend. 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 the prestigious Kia Klassic, NU defeated then-fourth-ranked Florida State, 1-0, but fell to then-No. 7 Oklahoma (1-0) and then-No. 23 Arizona State (6-3).

 

At the plate, junior second baseman Anne Steffan and sophomore third baseman Jessica Yoachim have excelled against ranked teams. In the Huskers’ 12 games against ranked teams, Steffan is hitting .366 (15-for-41) with six runs scored, one RBI and four stolen bases. Against then-No. 4 Florida State on March 18, Steffan was 3-for-3 and scored the only run of the game.

 

Yoachim has been nearly as good against top-25 teams, going 9-for-25 with two runs scored and an RBI. A .289 hitter for the season, Yoachim is hitting .360 against ranked team, .105 points better than her average against teams outside the top-25 (.255).

 

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

 

Trimboli is currently in second place for career RBIs with 158. 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 third in the Big 12 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 317, is third in at bats with 723, eighth in games played with 236 and is in a tie for 10th place with 42 stolen bases.

Trimboli needs just one double and three hit by pitches to crack the top 10 in each category.

 

Big Innings

Nebraska has been prone to big innings this season. NU has scored in 82 innings this year and has scored more than one run in 50 of those 82 innings (61 percent).

 

On 25 different occasions, 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.

 

In four games last week Nebraska scored in five innings, but only produced one multi-run inning. That inning, however, was a two-run sixth inning that propelled the Huskers to a 3-1 win over Oklahoma on April 18.

 

Fast Starts

Nebraska has gotten off to some fast starts this season, as the Huskers have scored a run in the first inning in 20 of 44 games (46 percent). NU is 19-1 on the season when it scores a run in the first inning.

 

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

 

The 51 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 overwhelming 51-11. Twenty-six percent of the Huskers' total runs have come across the plate in the first inning (51/196).

 

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 20 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 27 game-winning RBIs have come in the first inning.