Huskers Look to Continue Winning Ways

The Nebraska softball team (24-14, 2-5 Big 12) looks to build off a 3-1 record last week and even its conference record at 5-5 when it hosts Iowa State on Wednesday and Texas Tech on Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers will break from conference action on Thursday and travel to 25th-ranked Creighton, where Nebraska will be looking to avenge a tough 6-5 nine-inning loss to the Bluejays on March 23.

NU's mid-week games will be carried live on KKUL FM and will also be available on Huskers.com. Fans attending Saturday's spring football game can attend the Huskers' 3 p.m. game against Texas Tech for free with their football ticket stub.

Against Iowa State, NU will be seeking its 12th straight victory over the Cyclones and 21st win in the last 22 meetings. The Huskers own a 24-4 all-time record against Iowa State at home and have outscored the Cyclones 25-1 in the last five games in Lincoln dating back to 2000.

When Nebraska faces Creighton on Thursday, it will mark the seventh ranked opponent the Huskers have faced in the last 11 games. The Bluejays snapped a 15-game losing streak to Nebraska by coming back froma 4-0 deficit to win 6-5 in nine innings earlier this season.

The Texas Tech series will mark the beginning of a season-ending seven-game homestand for NU. Nebraska swept the series with Tech last season and has won the last eight games and 15 of the last 16 meetings. The Lady Raiders and Huskers met earlier this season in non-conference action with Nebraska earning a 4-0 victory.

This weekend could also represent a milestone victory for NU Head Coach Rhonda Revelle. Revelle, who won the 500th game of her career on March 29, needs just three victories to record her 500th career win at Nebraska.

Scouting Iowa State (12-22, 0-8 Big 12)
Iowa State will be seekings its first Big 12 victory when it travels to Lincoln on Wednesday. The Cyclones are 12-22 overall and 0-8 in league play, but took No. 6 Texas A&M to extra innings before losing 4-2 last Sunday.

The Cyclones are led offensively by Katie Reichling, who is hitting a team-best .299 this season. ISU is hitting just .203 as a team and Reichling's average is 49 points highers that Jessica Quade's .250 average, which ranks second on the team.

In the circle, Alyssa Ransom has thrown a team-high 122.2 innings, compiling a 6-13 record with a 3.42 ERA. Reichling has also seen extensive action, posting a 6-7 record with a 2.61 ERA in 83 innings.

NU leads the all-time series 56-14 and has won 20 of the last 21 series meetings, including 11 straight.

Last Year’s Meetings
Nebraska and Iowa State met just once last season after rain washed out a scheduled matchup in Ames. The Huskers posted a 6-0 victory at Bowlin Stadium in the only meeting.

Anne Steffan was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored in last year's game, while Trisha Tannahill went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Jamie Waldecker went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win, while current Huskers Jessica Yoachim and Devin Porter also collected a hit in the victory.

Alyssa Ransom took the loss for ISU, allowing six runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings.

Scouting No. 23 Creighton (32-4, 13-1 Missouri Valley)
No. 23 Creighton is 32-4 this season and 9-1 at home and has won 11 in a row and 26 of its last 27 games. The Bluejays defeated the Huskers 6-5 in nine innings in the team's first meeting this season at Bowlin Stadium.

Creighton is led offensively by Melanie Dorsey, who leads the team with a .411 average and 16 stolen bases, and Abby Johnson, who has driven in 31 runs and boasts a .610 slugging percentage, both tops on the team.

In the circle, the combination of Johnson and Tammy Nielsen have been terrific. Nielsen is 19-2 this season and has compiled a 1.45 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 145 innings. Johnson meanwhile is 12-2 with a 1.13 ERA and opponents are hitting just .189 against her.

NU leads the all-time series 70-29 and has won 23 of the last 25 games.

Last Meeting
Powered by a first-inning three-run home run off the bat of sophomore Jamie Waldecker, NU led 3-0 after one inning of play, but could not make the lead hold up as the Huskers dropped a tough 6-5 decision in nine innings to Creighton on March 23.

NU led 4-0 after four innings before the Bluejays mounted a two-out rally in the sixth inning. After an error kept the fifth inning alive, the Bluejays recorded a single and a hit batter before pinch hitter Stephanie Cortese hit a two-out bases-clearing double to give CU a 5-4 lead.

Junior Trisha Tannahill sent the game into extra innings with a clutch two-out RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, but a lone run in the top of the ninth proved to be the game-winner for CU.

In the ninth, Katie Ayers reached on a one out single and scored on a double off the bat of Lauren Flores.

In the bottom of the ninth, NU hit the ball hard but came up empty. Senior Sheena Lawrick reached on a one-out single and Tannahill drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second for junior Katie Linke. Linke worked the count full before hitting a hard line drive to left field that was caught by Ayers to end the game.

In the circle, sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr tossed a complete game, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out a career-high 16.

For Creighton, Tammy Nielsen threw a complete-game, allowing four earned runs on eight hits.

Leading Off
Nebraska has excelled at getting the leadoff hitter on base this season. Batters leading off the inning have recorded a hit 94 times in 242 at bats for a .388 average. Leadoff hitters have also drawn 20 walks this season. Against ninth-ranked Baylor on Sunday, NU leadoff hitters reached base in seven of the 10 innings. Overall, a Nebraska hitter leading off an inning reaches base 51 percent of the time.

Steffan Reaches Another Milestone
Senior Anne Steffan went 1-for-5 against ninth-ranked Baylor last Sunday to record the 200th hit of her career.

With the hit, Steffan becomes just the seventh player in school history to record 200 career hits. She is just two hits shy of moving into sixth place on the all-time hit list.

Steffan is also one of just six players in NU history to record 200 hits and 100 runs scored in a career. She has scored 123 runs to date, which is tied for seventh place all-time at Nebraska.

Tannahill Breaks Through
Junior Trisha Tannahill enjoyed an excellent stretch during the Huskers' four games last week. Tannahill hit .400 (6-for-15) with a home run and six RBIs while leading Nebraska to a 3-1 record.

After going 0-for-3 against North Dakota State on Wednesday, Tannahill went on a tear the next three games, finishing 6-for-12, collecting at least one hit in each game. She went 3-for-3 in the finale against NDSU and produced the game-winning RBI.

Against ninth-ranked Baylor, Tannahill powered the Huskers to victory in the first game of the series with a clutch two-out grand slam in NU's 4-1 win. She finished the game 1-for-3 but produced her second straight game-winning RBI after only recording one game-winning RBI through the first 35 games of the season.

In the finale against the Lady Bears, Tannahill reached base three times and went 2-for-5 to notch her second multi-hit game in the past three contests. She finished the four-game week with two multi-hit outings and two-multi RBI games, including a career-high four against Baylor.

First Time for Everything
Nebraska out-hit Baylor 10-7 on Sunday but lost a tough 6-3 10-inning decision. The loss wasthe first of the season for the Huskers when they out-hit their opponent. NU is now 23-1 when it out-hits an opponent and 0-12 when it is out-hit by an opponent.

With the extra-inning loss to Baylor, NU also fell to 21-2 with leading after four innings.

Power Surge
Sophomore Jamie Waldecker, Nebraska’s cleanup hitter, hit more home runs in a 10-game stretch from March 17 to March 30 than she did in her first year and a half as a Husker. A proven run producer, Waldecker has homered four times in her last 14 games and is second on the team with a career-high five round-trippers this season.

Senior Sheena Lawrick and junior Trisha Tannahill, who each homered last weekend at No. 9 Baylor, have also set single-season career highs in home runs this season. Lawrick leads the team with six home runs, while Tannahill has belted two round-trippers this season, after hitting one in each of her first two seasons.

Stealing an Advantage
Nebraska has enjoyed a decisive advantage in stolen bases over its opponents this season. Nebraska has stolen 70 bases in 85 attempts. While the Huskers have swiped 70 bases, opponents have only stolen 10 bases in 19 attempts. In four games last week, NU swiped 10 bases in 11 tries, while opponents stole just three bases in five attempts.

Stat of the Week
Nebraska has drawn 102 walks this season, an average of nearly three per game. The walk totals have helped NU post an impressive .367 on-base percentage. Although complete on-base percentage statistics are unavailable, this year’s Huskers would rank third in school history in on-base percentage.

Hit Parade
Four Huskers have already recorded 10 or more multi-hit games this season. Senior Anne Steffan leads the team with 21 multi-hit performances through 38 games. Juniors Elizabeth Rock (14) and Jessica Yoachim (11) and senior Sheena Lawrick (11) have also reached double-digits in the category. In all, 11 of Nebraska’s 12 position players have recorded a multi-hit game and as a team, NU has recorded 79 multi-hit games this season.

RBI Parade
Senior Sheena Lawrick and sophomore Jamie Waldecker, the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters in the Nebraska lineup, have combined for 17 multi-RBI games in 38 games this season. Even more impressive is the fact that as a team, NU has produced 34 multi-RBI games and 10 of the Huskers’ 12 position players have recorded a multi-RBI game this season.

Tough Stretch
Nebraska has entered a tough stretch of its schedule now that Big 12 play has begun. Seven of the Huskers’ last 10 games have been against teams currently ranked in the top 25, including six games against top-10 teams. In Nebraska's first three Big 12 series, NU traveled to No. 7 Texas A&M, hosted fifth-ranked Texas and traveled to No. 9 Baylor.

100-Hit Club
Junior Jessica Yoachim recorded the 100th hit of her career against Texas on April 2. The hit was not only a milestone for Yoachim, but proved to be the only hit the Huskers would muster off Cat Osterman. Yoachim also became just the second left-handed hitter to get a hit off Osterman in 94 at bats this season.

Senior Sheena Lawrick also recorded her 100th hit against North Dakota State on April 6.

Junior Trisha Tannahill reached the milestone earlier this season, singling in the second inning against Wichita State on March 13, marking the 100th hit of her career. Senior Anne Steffan entered the season with 137 hits in her career.

School-Record Streak Ends
Senior Anne Steffan went 0-for-4 on March 25 against Texas A&M to end her school-record 26-game hitting streak. She quickly responded by going 2-for-3 in the series finale and has hit safely in 35 of 38 games this year.

Revelle Earns 500th Career Victory
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle won her 500th career game on March 19 when the Huskers blanked Cal-State Fullerton 8-0 at the Kia Klassic. Revelle is one of 38 active coaches to reach the milestone and is one of just three all-time coaches across all sports at Nebraska to record 500 career victories.

Earlier this season, Revelle won her 475th game at Nebraska on Feb. 13 when NU defeated 16th-ranked Oregon State, 4-3, at the Louisville Slugger UNLV Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.

Revelle's 475th victory also marked the 950th win in the history of Nebraska softball, with Revelle collecting exactly half of NU's all-time victories. She needs just three more victories to record her 500th victory at Nebraska.

In the Clutch
Sophomore Devin Porter has provided several clutch hits for the Nebraska softball team this season. Porter recorded the game-winning RBI in four of the Huskers' five games at the Shocker Invitational March 11-13 and leads the team with six game-winning RBIs. On the season, Porter ranks third on the team with 13 RBIs. Last week, Porter drove in the game-tying run in the fourth inning against fifth-ranked Texas before NU eventually fell 3-1. The run was the only run scored against the Longhorns.

Last season Porter had only two game-winning RBIs and 10 total RBIs.

NU vs. Ranked Teams
NU is 4-7 this season against ranked teams after splitting a pair of games with No. 9 Baylor last weekend. The Huskers have posted victories over then-No. 14 Washington, then-No. 16 Oregon State and then-No. 15 Georgia Tech along with Saturday's victory over Baylor.

Connected to the Program
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle, who is in her 13th year in charge of the Husker program, and Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel, who is in her 16th year as an assistant, have been integral in the history of Nebraska softball. As both a player and coach, Revelle has been a part 574 of NU's 967 all-time victories. Throw in Sippel's four-year playing totals and four years she coached before Revelle arrived, and Revelle and Sippel have been a part of 730 of the program's 967 victories.

Superb Seniors
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a tremendous senior season. She has reached base safely in 35 of Nebraska's 39 games this season. She is third on the team with a .380 average while pacing NU with 10 doubles, six home runs, 36 RBIs, a .639 slugging percentage, 26 walks and a .504 on-base percentage. Lawrick has also recorded a team-high 10 multi-RBI games. Two times this season Lawrick has reached base safely on seven consecutive at bats.

Lawrick ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in four categories. She leads the league with 26 walks, ranks third with a .504 on-base percentage, is tied for 10th with 10 doubles and tied for ninth with 36 RBIs. She also ranks 12th in the Big 12 with a .380 average.

Senior Anne Steffan is also having a fine senior season. Steffan leads the team with a .467 average, 27 stolen bases and ranks second with 31 runs scored and a .503 on-base percentage. On pace to put her name on several single-season school records, Steffan has hit safely in all but two games this season. She had her school-record 26-game hitting streak snapped against Texas A&M. Steffan leads the team with 21 multi-hit games this season and has had at least two hits in 20 of the last 31 games.

Steffan ranks in the top five in the conference in four offensive categories. She is second in average (.467), hits (63), stolen bases (27) and is fourth in on-base percentage (.503).

Career Year for Lawrick
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a career season in 2005. Lawrick, who is third on the team with a .380 average, has already set single-season career highs in total bases (69), home runs (6), RBIs (36), runs scored (26) and stolen bases (8). Her six home runs are two more than she had in each of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Lawrick’s 36 RBIs are 12 more than she had in 36 games last season, and her eight stolen bases are seven more than her previous career high and six more than her three-year career total before this season. Her 26 runs scored are also a career high, three more than she had last season.

Lawrick, who missed half of last season after suffering a torn ACL, is on pace to set career highs in nearly every category. She needs just three walks to break her previous high, set last season.

In addition, her .380 average, .639 slugging percentage and .504 on-base percentage would also be career highs. Lawrick also hit safely in a career-high eight games earlier this season.

Big Innings
Nebraska has been prone to producing big innings this season. In total, NU has scored in 84 innings in 2005 and has produced three or more runs in 25 of those frames. When the Huskers score a run in an inning, 30 percent of the time they add at least two more runs in that frame. Nebraska has also added seven innings where five or more runs have crossed the plate, including a five-run fifth inning against North Dakota State last Wednesday.

Record-Setting Day
On Feb. 19, two Nebraska single-game records fell in the same game as NU defeated Texas-San Antonio 14-6 in six innings.

Senior Sheena Lawrick hit a three-run home run in her first at bat and then drew four consecutive walks. The four walks were a single-game Nebraska record, breaking the previous mark of three. None were intentional.

Not to be outdone, junior Jessica Yoachim went 5-for-5 against the Roadrunners to set the mark for the most hits in a game of seven innings or fewer. Yoachim broke the previous mark of four hits.

Career Fair
Senior Kira Boerkircher and juniors Katie Linke and KoKo Tacha have already established single-season career highs in several categories.

Boerkircher has not only surpassed her previous career highs, but has also surpassed some of her previous career totals, as she has seen the most playing time of her career in 2005. Her 11 starts, 33 at bats and five RBIs are more than her previous three seasons combined. Her four hits are a new single-season career high, as are her four total bases. She also needs just one walk to tie her career high for walks in a season.

Linke has drawn a career-high nine walks this season and has hit a career-high two doubles this season, which tied her previous career total. Linke is also nearing career highs in several categories. She needs just four runs, four RBIs and three total bases to set career highs in each respective category.

Tacha has set career highs of 19 starts, 54 at bats, 11 hits, one home run, 15 total bases, five walks, nine put outs and one assist, and her eight RBIs are just one shy of matching her career high.

Steffan Reaches Milestones
Senior Anne Steffan reached a pair of milestones in Nebraska's 4-2 win over New Mexico State on Feb. 20.

Steffan went 3-for-4 and her third hit was the 150th of her career. Steffan also scored one run in the game, the 100th run scored of her career.

Sippel Named Head Coach of Canadian National Team
Nebraska Associate Head Softball Coach Lori Sippel was named head coach of the Canadian National Team, Softball Canada announced on March 14.

The position extends from the spring of this year until Nov. 1, 2008, however Sippel will remain Associate Head Coach at Nebraska. The majority of Team Canada’s competitions will take place during the summer months.

Sippel was a four-time All-Big Eight and two-time second-team All-American selection during her playing career at Nebraska from 1985 to 1988. A four-time Big Eight champion, Sippel was also named the 1988 GTE Academic All-American of the Year, as well as being a Honda Broderick award nominee.

Sippel has had plenty of experiencing with the Canadian National Team. She was a member of the team for 16 years, including participating in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, softball’s debut as an Olympic sport. After her playing days, Sippel has continued to be involved with Softball Canada, most recently serving as a color commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s telecasts of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

For her service to the Canadian National Team, Sippel’s No. 16 was retired by Softball Canada in 1999 and she was inducted into Softball Canada’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sippel will first lead the Canadian National Team at the Pacific Rim Summit in Seattle, Wash., from June 6-13. At the tournament, Sippel will join senior Sheena Lawrick as Huskers with connections to the Canadian National Team.

Nine Huskers Make Honor Roll
Nine members of the Nebraska softball team and two former players were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the Fall 2004 semester.

Six Huskers made repeat appearances on the list, led by senior Kira Boerkircher who was honored for the fifth time in her career, and junior KoKo Tacha who also made the list for the fifth time in her career. Tacha has carried a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through her first five semesters of college.

Juniors Trisha Tannahill and Jessica Yoachim each earned their fourth appearance on the list, while sophomore Jaime Borg has appeared on the Honor Roll in each of her first three semesters. Senior Sheena Lawrick made the list for the second time in her career.

Junior Elizabeth Rock, a transfer this season from Mt. San Antonio College, and freshmen Jordan Keen and Cassie Kleinsmith were each honored for the first time in their career in their first semester of eligibility.

Former Huskers Peaches James and Liz Lawhorn, who completed their eligibility in 2004, were also named to the Honor Roll.

Huskers on Radio and TV
At least 11 Nebraska softball games will be carried by the Pinnacle Sports Network on Lincoln station KKUL 105.3 FM and two Husker games will be televised by NET Sports (formerly NETV) and College Sports Television (CSTV).

Nebraska’s radio schedule features nine regular-season games, including road games at Creighton, Iowa State and a pair of games at 2004 Women’s College World Series qualifier Oklahoma. The first two days of the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla., will also be carried on KKUL.

Nate Rohr will handle play-by-play duties, while Theresa Becker will add color commentary for most games.

A marquee matchup with Texas on Saturday, April 2 highlights the Huskers’ television schedule. The Texas game and NU’s game on Sunday, April 24 with Oklahoma State will be televised live by NET Sports and CSTV.

10,000th Hit
When junior KoKo Tacha singled in the second inning of Nebraska's 7-3 win over Loyola on Feb. 19, it marked the 10,000th hit in the history of Nebraska softball.

Husker softball began in 1976, but complete records are only available since the 1977 season.

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.

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, going 16-0 in 1998. NU started 12-0 during last season's championship run before finishing with a 14-3 record.

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.

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.

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 preseason 2004 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).

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.