Huskers Head West to Open 2005 Season

The 20th-ranked Nebraska softball team opens the 2005 season with five games in three days at the Louisville Slugger UNLV Desert Classic this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. The Huskers open the season at 5:45 p.m. (CDT) on Friday against UC Santa Barbara.

NU is compeing in the Classic for the seventh time in 2005. Nebraska finished with a 2-3 mark last season and owns a 15-9 overall record at the tournament.

After facing top-10 teams in their first three games of 2004, the Huskers open the 2005 campaign with the Gauchos (4-3) and UNLV (4-1) before facing their first ranked team on Saturday. Nebraska closes the tournament by facing two top-25 teams in its final three games. The Huskers face 14th-ranked Tennessee and Texas State on Saturday, before closing with 16th-ranked Oregon State, which defeated NU 1-0 at last year's Classic, on Sunday.

The defending Big 12 regular-season and tournament champions, NU returns seven starters from last year's 45-17 squad. Back are All-Big 12 picks sophomore Jamie Waldecker, juniors Trisha Tannahill and Jessica Yoachim and senior Anne Steffan, as well as senior Sheena Lawrick, who was enjoying a career season before tearing her anterior cruciate ligament just two games into Nebraska's Big 12 Conference schedule.

With plenty of returning firepower on offense and a solid core of returnees on defense, NU's young pitching staff should enjoy room to grow in the early portion of the schedule. Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr is the only pitcher on the staff with any collegiate experience, as she tossed 36.2 innings as a freshman in 2004.

Although inexperienced in the circle, a strong nucleus of returning starters and upperclassmen should help ease any growing pains for a team that is seeking its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.

Scouting the Field
Unlike the five teams that Nebraska will face this weekend, NU will not have played a game in 2005 entering the tournament. The Huskers' five opponents have a combined 19-6 record.

UC Santa Barbara (4-3)
UC Santa Barbara is 4-3 on the young season ater posting a 4-1 record at its Commerical Capital Bank Early Bird Tournament. All three of the Gaucho's losses have come to ranked teams. UCSB dropped a pair of games to two-time defending national champion UCLA to open the season and split a pair of games against 16th-ranked Oregon State last weekend.

UNLV (4-1)
UNLV, the host school for the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, is off to its best start to a season since 2000. The Rebels, 4-1 on the year, are currently enjoying a four-game winning streak after claiming a share of the Alexis Resort Kickoff Classic titlelast weekend.

No. 14 Tennessee (5-0)
Led by junior All-American pitcher Monica Abbott, the Tennessee Lady Vols are off to a 5-0 start in 2005. Abbott tossed a no-hitter in her first start of the season and is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .066 against her, while Tennessee's collective staff is holding opponents to .091. The Lady Vols' offense is also off to a hot start in 2005, posting a .288 average while scoring 27 runs in only five games.

Texas State (3-1)
Texas State is off to a 3-1 start that includes a win over Big 12 Conference foe Texas Tech. The Bobcats have scored 23 runs through four games and suffered their only loss by dropping a 3-2 extra-inning decision to Wichita State in their last game.

No. 16 Oregon State (3-1)
Oregon State has been led by a potent offense while starting the 2005 campaign with a 3-1 record. The Beavers' pitching staff has a combined of ERA of 3.37 and has surrendered 15 runs through four games, but OSU's offense has managed to produce 23 runs while hitting .313 with 12 extra-base hits.

2005 Season Outlook
The 2005 Nebraska softball team returns seven starters and four all-league selections from last year's Big 12 regular-season and tournament championship squad, but outside the program some people are more focused on what the Huskers have lost.

Gone are the 37 victories and 298.1 innings that Peaches James, the Big 12 Most Valuable Player, conference tournament MVP and second-team NFCA All-American racked up during a dominant senior season in that included several school records in 2004.

Despite James’ absence, NU returns most of its starting infield, an All-Big 12 outfielder and its designated player. Although inexperience in the circle has tempered expectations outside of the program, goals remain high within the team according to Coach Rhonda Revelle.

"Our expectations are still to vie for the Big 12 championship," Revelle said. "We understand that it would have to look different and that it would take more of a team effort. That’s really one of the challenges that each team member is taking on ? to be more responsible for their share of the victories. Really, what it is going to take is more of an offensive and defensive effort.

"If we’re going to bring home a trophy, every team member is going to have to grab a piece of it."

The task of replacing James' production falls on a trio of underclassmen. Among the hopefuls are freshman Jordan Keen and sophomores Ashley DeBuhr and Jaime Borg, who was an outfielder for the Big Red last season.

DeBuhr is the only Husker hurler who has thrown a pitch at the collegiate level. The Beatrice native went 2-2 last season with a 3.82 ERA in 36.2 innings. In Nebraska’s fall season, DeBuhr posted a 5-0 record. She threw five complete games, tossed two shutouts and allowed just five earned runs in 46 innings of work for a miniscule 0.78 ERA. Perhaps the highlight of her fall season came when she allowed no earned runs in a complete-game victory at Michigan, a team that has qualified for three of the last four Women’s College World Series.

"What we saw in Ashley this fall was a lot of poise on the mound," Revelle said. "I don’t think anybody would have believed that she only threw 36 innings last year. You could tell that she had taken last spring and still learned from it by watching a real veteran of the game."

Aiding the young pitching staff will be a potent returning lineup that features four All-Big 12 selections and three All-Midwest Region selections. Also back is 2004 Olympian Sheena Lawrick, who was one of Nebraska's top players last season before missing NU's final 26 games. The senior first baseman is fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury.

The 2005 Huskers return four of the top five hitters from last season, including senior Anne Steffan, a second-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest Region selection and junior Jessica Yoachim, a first-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest Region selection. Steffan and Yoachim batted 1-2 in last year's lineup, while Lawrick hit in the No. 3 spot before her injury.

Junior Trisha Tannahill, a first-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest region pick, also returns after finishing 2004 as the Huskers' cleanup hitter.

Adding more punch to the offense will be sophomore Jamie Waldecker. A second-team all-conference selection, Waldecker emerged in Big 12 play last season and moved up to the No. 5 spot in the lineup, where she delivered four game-winning RBIs down the stretch for the league champion Huskers.

Those five players went a combined 221-for-729 for a .303 average and scored 137 runs while driving in 85 more.

"The first five in our order, I would really put up against anybody," Revelle said. "It’s a pretty scary lineup when you consider the speed and the tools and the weapons. Anne Steffan is as good a leadoff hitter as anyone in the country and when she gets on, she’s almost as fast as anybody, too. Jessica Yoachim has been really a menace to opponents and that 1-2 combination is very difficult to contend with.

"Then you have Sheena Lawrick or Jamie Waldecker hitting behind them and both of those players have the ability to drive it to the gap, and they also have that ?pop’ power too. Then Trisha Tannahill, if they want to pitch around Sheena or Jamie, Trisha doesn’t strike out very much and she has an uncanny ability to hit in clutch situations. I think that’s a pretty potent top of the lineup, plus it has good speed."

Speaking of speed, Nebraska has plenty of it returning. Steffan, Tannahill and Yoachim finished 1-2-3 in steals last season with 29, 17 and 11, respectively. As a team, the returning Huskers stole 62 bases in 2004, three-fourths of the team total from last season.

The returning firepower on offense should allow the pitching staff room to grow, and has Revelle hopeful that NU can again earn a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive year. In all, Nebraska returns 73 percent of its run production from last season.

The Pitchers
Although Nebraska's trio of right-handers boast plenty of potential, they will need time to adjust to the collegiate level. Revelle hopes the staff will have the benefit of enjoying the Huskers' powerful returning offensive lineup early in the season.

Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr is NU's only returning pitcher after throwing 36.2 innings in 2003. As a freshman last season, the Beatrice, Neb., native's playing time was limited because of James' dominance.

DeBuhr still benefited from plenty of quality experience. She made her collegiate debut against top-ranked UCLA in Nebraska's season opener and started games against 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Notre Dame and Missouri.

DeBuhr posted a 2-2 record in six starts, tossing three complete games and one shutout. She allowed 20 earned runs for an ERA of 3.82 and opposing hitters batted .298 against her.

After the Huskers' opening tournament in 2004, DeBuhr's numbers improved, as she posted a 2-1 record with a 2.21 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to a meager .220 average. Her improvement as the season wore on bodes well for DeBuhr as she prepares for a bigger role this season.

"Mentally, she’s gotten smarter and she’s being very open-minded," Revelle said. "We’ve seen great improvement in her curve ball and her off speed pitch. I think she’s going to have a great season and really surprise some people."

Jordan Keen, a true freshman from Sarasota, Fla., will be expected to contribute in her first season. Keen was impressive while starring as the staff ace at Out of Door Academy.

In Nebraska's 2004 fall season, Keen tossed one shutout while compiling a 3-2 record and a 2.21 ERA.

Sophomore Jaime Borg returns to the circle after playing the outfield in her freshman season. Borg was a high school pitcher and posted impressive numbers last fall.

In five appearances during the Huskers' 14-game fall season, the Lincoln native did not allow an earned run in 19 innings of work and held opposing hitters to a paltry .211 average.

The Outfielders
Nebraska returns just one starting outfielder this season, but has plenty of depth at the position with two more returning letterwinners. NU also adds junior college transfer Elizabeth Rock. Junior Jessica Yoachim may also see time in the outfield after serving as Nebraska's starting third baseman for the majority of the 2004 season.

Junior Trisha Tannahill will anchor the group from either left field or center field. Tannahill finished third on the team with a .300 average in 2004. The Overland Park, Kan., native started 60 games in left last season and hit cleanup for the last half of the season. She finished second on the team with 32 RBIs, nine doubles and 17 stolen bases.

Defensively, Tannahill was perfect in 49 chances and made several outstanding plays. She also threw out nine runners last season and boasts a .984 combined fielding percentage in her first two seasons.

Rock, a tranfer from Mount San Antonio Junior College, is slated to be Nebraska's starter in right, although junior KoKo Tacha and freshman Cassie Kleinsmith will also see action at the position.

Like Tannahill and Yoachim, Rock will bring plenty of speed to the outfield. Primarily a slap hitter, Rock hit .427 last season with four doubles, five triples and two home runs in 123 at bats. She also drove in nine runs and went a perfect 31-for-31 in the stolen base department.

Senior Kira Boerkircher is set to see the most playing time of her career in her final season at Nebraska. Primarily a pinch runner in 2004, Boerkircher appeared in 21 games and started one game in right field. She hit .250 at the plate and scored 11 runs. A native of Cozad, Neb., Boerkircher enjoyed an excellent fall campaign and is poised for a career season. She will most likely play left field in addition to competing for a starting position as designated player.

Tacha appeared in 42 games last year, often as a pinch runner. She started nine games, including seven in right field. She collected eight hits in only 26 at bats for a .308 average. She also scored 13 runs, was 3-for-4 in stolen bases and was perfect in the field in four chances.

The Infielders
Nebraska returns plenty of experience on the infield. The Huskers have returning starters at first base, second base and shortstop, and have two other returning infielders who started a combined 75 games in 2003.

Senior Anne Steffan will start and bat leadoff for Nebraska. One of the fastest players in school history, the Mankato, Minn., native led the team with a .356 average last season.

The team leader in hits (74), at bats (208) and stolen bases (29), Steffan was also great in the field. Her outstanding range translated into 193 chances at second, where she finished the season with a .950 fielding percentage.

Joining Steffan in the starting infield at first base will be fellow senior Sheena Lawrick, who was in the middle of a career season before a knee injury ended her year after only 36 games. Lawrick has made a full recovery from her injury and was able to compete for her native Canada in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, last August.

Expected to be a team leader, Lawrick hit .337 last season with seven doubles, two triples, four home runs, 23 runs scored and 24 RBIs in only 89 at bats. She led the team with a whopping .508 on-base percentage, a .596 slugging percentage and 28 walks. Her 28 walks were good enough for fourth place in the Big 12 and placed ninth on the NU single-season chart despite a premature end to the season.

Defensively, Lawrick was brilliant, committing only three errors in 259 chances (.989 fielding percentage) while preventing several runners from reaching base by digging balls out of the dirt.

Junior Jessica Yoachim started 49 games at third base in 2004 and will again be a starter for Nebraska in 2005. She is expected to be a starter in the infield this season, but may also see time in the outfield as well. Yoachim, who is one of the fastest players on the team, has the ability to cover a tremendous amount of ground.

Offensively, Yoachim came on strong during the Big 12 Conference portion of the schedule last season. Yoachim hit .295 for the year, but led the team with a .356 average in league games only. A native of Arkansas City, Kan., Yoachim led the team with nine sacrifice hits and finished third on the team with 33 runs and 11 stolen bases.

Sophomore Devin Porter started 60 games last season at shortstop in a mainly defensive role for the Huskers. Porter finished 2004 with 10 RBIs, nine runs and four doubles, third-most on the team. In the field, Porter posted a fielding percentage of .882. Known for her strong arm, Porter's defense steadily improved last season, and she is expected to make even greater strides for NU in 2005. Porter is expected to see time at shortstop and third base.

Sophomore Carmen Kier also returns in 2005 after starting 27 games last season, including 13 at third, two games at short and 12 games at designated player. Kier got off to a slow start at the plate in 2004, but finished on a strong note. For the season, she posted a .342 on-base percentage and three of her six hits went for extra bases, including two home runs. Defensively, Kier made five errors in 36 chances in limited action.

Behind the plate will be sophomore Jamie Waldecker., who saw some action at catcher last season, but most of her playing time came at designated player and first base following Lawrick's injury. Waldecker started 48 games last season, including 13 games at catcher.

For the season, the Garden Grove, Calif., native drove in 14 runs and was third on the team with two home runs. Defensively, she made only eight errors in 211 chances (.963 fielding percentage).

Backing up Waldecker at catcher will be junior Katie Linke, who has primarily been a designated player and pinch-hitter in her first two seasons. Last season, Linke appeared in 31 games and started 14, finishing with a .250 average, 10 RBIs and a .333 on-base percentage.

Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith will also compete for time in the infield as well as the outfield for Nebraska this season. A native of Omaha, Kleinsmith played well in the fall season, batting .290 (9-for-31) with five runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases.

15 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 10 NCAA Tournaments. Nebraska also has a strong history of earning high seeds in the tournament. For the past eight seasons, Nebraska has earned a No. 2 seed or higher in the NCAA Regional. The only other teams to accomplish that feat are Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington.

Overall, NU has earned 15 NCAA Tournament bids, tying Texas A&M for the most NCAA berths of any Big 12 school. The Huskers have also advanced to the College World Series seven times. Nebraska's success has allowed the Huskers to host an NCAA Regional in each of the past two seasons.

Tough Schedule Ahead
Nebraska has grown accustomed to playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and 2005 will be no exception. NU will play at least 19 games against teams that earned 2004 NCAA Tournament bids.

The Huskers will also play at least three regular-season contests against teams that advanced to the 2004 NCAA Women's College World Series, including Washington and Oklahoma (twice).

Finally, Nebraska will play at least 14 regular-season games against eight teams ranked in the pres 2004 season ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, including No. 6 Oklahoma (twice), No. 7 Washington, No. 15 Oregon State, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 19 Baylor (twice).

Big 12 Dominance
By capturing both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament crowns in 2004, the Nebraska softball program has claimed the most conference championships of any of the 10 league schools.

The Huskers have captured six overall titles, one more than Oklahoma and Texas. NU has won three regular-season championships and three tournament titles, both of which also tied for tops in the conference.

Nebraska is also the only school to boast a perfect record in league play since the Big 12 was formed in 1996. The Huskers went 16-0 in 1998. NU started 12-0 during last season's championship run before finishing 14-3.

Ranking Near the Top
Nebraska finished the 2004 season with a No. 14 final ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. The final ranking marked the 10th consecutive season the Huskers ended the year in the rankings in the 10-year history of the poll. Nebraska is one of only six teams in the nation - and one of only two in the Big 12 Conference - to be ranked in the final poll all 10 seasons.

Huskers in the Pros
Five former Huskers played in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league last summer.

Former Huskers Peaches James (2001-04), Nicole Trimboli (2001-04), Kim Ogee (2000-03), Amanda Buchholz (2000-03) and Leigh Ann Walker (1999-2001) all played in the six-team league.

James and Trimboli were each named to the 28-player NPF All-Star team. Only Arizona had more former players (four) named to the All-Star team than Nebraska.

James pitched for the Texas Thunder and finished the year with a 13-3 record and a microscopic 0.88 ERA. Trimboli hit .266 with a team-high 25 RBIs for the Akron Racers.

Among all NCAA softball programs, NU ranks second in producing professional players. Five former Huskers played in the NPF last season, one more than UCLA and Pacific. Arizona led all collegiate programs with nine former players appearing on NPF rosters.

Olympic Connections
Senior Sheena Lawrick was selected to the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team despite recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament when the team was announced. Lawrick's knee healed a few weeks before Canada opened play in Athens, Greece. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Lawrick started two games for the Canadians, who finished the Olympics with a 3-4 record, which tied for the country's best showing ever.

Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel joined Lawrick at the Olympics as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Sippel, who pitched for the Huskers from 1985 to 1988, was a member of the 1996 Canadian National Team that also went 3-4 in the inaugural softball competition at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga.

Home Sweet Home
The Husker softball team continued to receive tremendous fan support in 2004. Nebraska ranked fourth in the nation in Division I softball attendance with an average of 955 fans per game. The average was up 340 fans from the 2003 season marking the highest increase in the nation.

Nebraska also finished third in overall attendance after drawing 19,103 fans in 20 home games last season. NU drew more than 1,000 fans for a game on seven occasions in 2004, including a season-high 1,585 fans for Nebraska's opening NCAA Tournament game against Lehigh.

NU was one of only 14 schools to total more than 10,000 fans for the entire season and was one of only three schools to draw more than 15,000.

Head of the Class
Nebraska leads all Division I softball programs with 22 CoSIDA Academic All-America awards won by 15 players.

NU is the only school with more than 20 academic All-America awards, and the only Big 12 school ranked in the top 10.