Huskers Host Oklahoma State in Key Series

The Nebraska softball team (29-16, 5-6 Big 12) hosts Oklahoma State in a key two-game series this weekend at Bowlin Stadium. Both teams enter the weekend one game under .500 in the Big 12 Conference standings.

Oklahoma State currently sits in sixth place with a 6-7 league record, while NU is seventh with a 5-6 mark in Big 12 games. The top six teams automatically qualify for the Big 12 Tournament and the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place teams must compete in play-in games to qualify for the tournament.

Sunday's game also marks the final regular-season home game for Nebraska. The Huskers' three seniors will be honored before the game and fans can purchase general admission tickets for only $1 as part of Fan Appreciation Day. The first 500 fans will also receive a bag of popcorn, courtesy of Colby Ridge.

The Huskers are 2-1 this week after coming from behind twice to sweep a doubleheader from Northern Colorado on Thursday. Against the Bears, NU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in both games before UNC rallied to take a 2-1 lead. The Huskers responded in both games to put together a two-run inning and claim a pair of 3-2 victories.

Freshman right-hander Jordan Keen tossed a complete game to earn the victory in the first game of the doubleheader. Keen allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits to post her ninth victory of the season. Offensively, freshman Cassie Kleinsmith tied a career-high with two hits, finishing 2-for-2 at the plate. Senior Sheena Lawrick was one of four Huskers to record a multi-hit game and drove in all three runs.

In the second game, sophomore right-hander Jaime Borg threw a career-high six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on only three hits. Fellow sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr, the reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, entered with the tying run on second and no outs in the seventh inning and struck out all three batters she faced to earn the first save of her career.

Prior to the two-game set with Northern Colorado, NU hosted Kansas on Wednesday with a chance to get above .500 in the Big 12. Jayhawks' starter Christina Ross limited the Huskers to just three hits and a home run from Destiny Frankenstein was all Ross would need in a 2-0 Kansas victory.

DeBuhr took the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work.

Nebraska again has a chance to move above .500 in the league this weekend. However, as Oklahoma State leads the all-time series, 40-35, and is 2-0 at Bowlin Stadium.

Scouting Oklahoma State (31-16, 6-7 Big 12)
Oklahoma State is 31-16 this season after finishing 27-28 in 2004. The Cowgirls have received a big boost from freshman pitcher Marjorie Johnson. Johnson is 11-3 this season with a 1.26 ERA. She has struck out 155 in 105.2 innings and opponents are hitting just .149 against her. In league games, she is 3-1 with a 1.12 ERA.

Jessica Hoppock is OSU's No. 2 pitcher. Hoppock, who started both games against NU last season, is 13-9 with a 2.67 ERA. The staff boasts a 2.52 overall ERA and a 3.22 ERA in Big 12 games.

Offensively, Shanel Scott leads the team with a .416 average and is one of three players hitting .416 or better. As a team, OSU is hitting .295. Stephanie Nicholson leads the team with nine home runs, 17 doubles, 36 RBIs and a .728 slugging percentage.

OSU leads the all-time series, 40-35, and is 2-0 at Bowlin Stadium, but Nebraska has won the last two meetings in the series.

Last Year
Nebraska swept the season series from Oklahoma State last season in Stillwater, routing the Cowgirls 10-2 in the first game, before taking the second game, 5-0. In the first game, NU put together a season-high 10-run inning to take control of the game. The Huskers hit three home runs in the frame, including a grand slam from Sheena Lawrick. Lawrick finished 2-for-2 with four RBIs and a pair of walks, while Jessica Yoachim finished 2-for-3 and Katie Linke was 1-for-3 with a home run.

In the second game, OSU was held to just one hit. Trisha Tannahill went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Peaches James went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs in addition to tossing a shutout.

Jessica Hoppock took the loss in both games for the Cowgirls, tossing 11.1 innings and allowing 13 runs (nine earned) on 18 hits.

Leading Off
Nebraska has excelled at getting the leadoff hitter on base this season. Batters leading off the inning have recorded a hit 101 times in 274 at bats for a .369 average. Leadoff hitters have also drawn 21 walks this season. Overall, a Nebraska hitter leading off an inning reaches base 50 percent of the time.

Rock & Roll
Junior Elizabeth Rock is hitting .500 (5-for-10) in her last five games with four runs scored and four sacrifices.

She is 0-for-5 this week, but went 7-for-11 in the Huskers’ four games last week for a .636 average. In addition to leading the team in average, Rock was also tops in runs (four), doubles (one), total bases (9), slugging percentage (.727), on-base percentage (.636), sacrifice hits (3) and stolen bases (2) last week.

In Nebraska’s three Big 12 Conference games last week, Rock was even better, posting an .857 average (6-for-7) including going 5-for-5 in two games against Texas Tech. She added four runs, a double, an RBI, three sacrifices and a stolen base against league foes last week.

DeBuhr Nearing Record
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr has 220 strikeouts this season, which ranks seventh in single-season school history. She needs just 16 strikeouts to surpass Jenny Voss' sophomore record of 235, set in 1998. DeBuhr also has a chance to become only the second player in school history to record 300 strikeouts in a season. Peaches James became the first last season when she struck out a school-record 394 batters.

Sacrifices
Junior Elizabeth Rock leads the team with 18 sacrifices this season, a number that ranks fifth on the Nebraska single-season list. She currently leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks fourth in the nation with an average of .38 sacrifice hits per game.

Career First for DeBuhr
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr picked up the first save of her career in Nebraska's win over Northern Colorado on Thursday. DeBuhr entered the game in the top of the seventh with the Huskers' leading 3-2 and a runner on second base and no outs. She made quick work of the three hitters she faced, striking out all three to pick up the save.

Career Best for Borg
Sophomore right-hander Jaime Borg enjoyed perhaps the best start of her career against Northern Colorado on Thursday. Borg threw a career-high six innings and allowed only one earned run on three hits. The six innings topped her previous career high of 4.1 and the one earned run was her career-low in a start. Borg also picked up the third victory of her career in the game.

Happy Fielding
Nebraska struggled with its fielding as it experimented with several different alignments earlier this season, but has been solid defensively since Big 12 play began. The Huskers, who were fielding at a .955 clip during the non-conference season, boast a .974 fielding percentage in league games. NU ranks seventh in the Big 12 in fielding percentage over all games, but is third in conference games only.

Stolen Base Duo
Senior Anne Steffan and junior Jessica Yoachim have become a lethal base-stealing duo at the top of the Huskers' order. Steffan (29 steals) and Yoachim (23 steals), who hit 1-2 in NU's lineup, both rank in the top eight in stolen bases in single-season school history. The 52 combined stolen bases have tied the school record for most stolen bases by teammates in a season, matching Kim Ogee (31) and Lisa Wangler (21), who stole 52 bases combined during the 2002 season.

Tannahill Triples
Junior Trisha Tannahill hit the second triple of her career against Northern Colorado on Thursday. In addition to being just the second of her career, the triple was also just the second by a Husker this season, joining sophomore Devin Porter. Nebraska hit nine triples in 2004.

Kleinsmith Stepping Up
Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith, who has started 28 games this season, has started two of Nebraska's three games in left field this week in place of the injured Carmen Kier.

Kier, who left NU's game with Texas Tech on April 17 in the bottom of the second inning, is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. In the meantime, it appears Kleinsmith will be asked to step up for Nebraska.

Kleinsmith showed she is ready for the increased role as she is 3-for-4 this week with a double. She tied a career-high by recording two hits against Northern Colorado on Thursday and has hit safely in two straight games.

Yoachim Streaking
Junior Jessica Yoachim has hit safely in six straight games, just two shy of her career high. She is 9-for-16 (.563) over that stretch, including three multi-hit games. In her last five games, Yoachim is 8-for-12 with five runs scored. She has also scored four runs in the last six games to increase her team-best total to 40. Yoachim needs only one more run to record the 100th run of her career.

Steffan Joins Elite List
Senior Anne Steffan, who has already etched her name into several categories in Nebraska's record books, joined another elite list this week. Against Northern Colorado on Thursday, Steffan recorded her 70th hit of the season. She is just the seventh player in school history to record 70 hits in a season, and she has accomplished the feat twice. Steffan recorded 74 hits in 2004 and with back-to-back 70-hit season, Steffan joins Ali Viola and Tobin Echo-Hawk as the only Huskers to ever accomplish that feat.

Perfection
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr tossed her first career perfect game and only the third in school history in the Huskers' 2-0 victory over Iowa State on April 13.

Following an hour and a half delay due to a scheduling problem with the umpires, DeBuhr made quick work of the Cyclones, retiring all 21 batters she faced on just 81 pitches.

She allowed only two balls to leave the infield and racked up 10 strikeouts, including a punch-out of Jessica Quade with two outs in the seventh inning to complete the perfect game.

RPI Simulation
The National FastPitch Coaches Association (NFCA) released a simulated Rating Percentage Index (RPI) on April 22. NU came in at No. 23 on the RPI behind by a schedule that ranked as the 11th-toughest in the nation.

The simulated RPI is designed to predict the official RPI the NCAA uses to determine selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

Nearing History
Senior Anne Steffan has 29 stolen bases this season, tying her career high and just two shy of the school record. Kim Ogee currently holds the single-season school record with 31 stolen bases in 2002. With one more stolen base, Steffan would join Ogee as the only Huskers in school history to steal 30 bases in a season.

DeBuhr's Career Week
Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr pitched every inning of Nebraska’s four games last week, posting a 3-1 record for the week, including a perfect 3-0 mark in Big 12 Conference games. Against Iowa State on April 13, DeBuhr recorded the first perfect game of her career and only the third in school history. She retired all 21 batters she faced in the Huskers’ 2-0 victory, including 10 via the strikeout. She finished the week recording double-digit strikeouts in three of the four games.

For the week, DeBuhr posted a microscopic 0.72 ERA, allowing just three earned runs in 29.1 innings. She also finished with one shutout and four complete games. Perhaps most impressive was DeBuhr’s strikeout-to-walk ratio. DeBuhr racked up 37 strikeouts while walking just three to finish with a whopping 12-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents hit just .133 against her last week, managing only 13 hits in 98 at bats.

In league games only, DeBuhr went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA and struck out 25 in 21 innings. Her only loss of the week came in a 1-0 nine-inning defeat to 22nd-ranked Creighton, although DeBuhr only surrendered four hits in the loss, including three infield singles.

For her efforts, DeBuhr was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, the first such honor of her career.

Steffan Reaches Another Milestone
Senior Anne Steffan went 1-for-5 against ninth-ranked Baylor on April 10 to record the 200th hit of her career.

With the hit, Steffan became 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 125 runs to date, which is tied for seventh place all-time at Nebraska.

Tough Losses
Nebraska is 7-3 in its last 10 games, with two of its three losses coming on the road to a ranked team in extra innings. The Huskers' lost three one-run leads, including two in extra innings, in a 6-3 defeat to No. 9 Baylor on April 10. NU's second loss was a 1-0 setback at No. 22 Creighton on April 14.

The Huskers are 28-2 this season when they out-hit their opponents with both losses coming in the last two weeks. Nebraska is 0-5 this season in extra inning games.

Stealing an Advantage
Nebraska has enjoyed a decisive advantage in stolen bases over its opponents this season. Nebraska has stolen 82 bases in 97 attempts (85 percent). While the Huskers have swiped 82 bases, opponents have only stolen 11 bases in 21 attempts (52 percent). So far this week, NU is 6-for-6 in stolen bases, while opponents are just 0-for-1.

Patient Hitting
Nebraska has drawn 109 walks this season, an average of more than two per game. The walks total has helped NU post an impressive .360 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
Five Huskers have recorded 10 or more multi-hit games this season. Senior Anne Steffan leads the team with 23 multi-hit performances through 45 games. Juniors Elizabeth Rock (16) and Jessica Yoachim (14), Trisha Tannahill (12) and senior Sheena Lawrick (13) 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 92 multi-hit games this season.

RBI Parade
Senior Sheena Lawrick and sophomore Jamie Waldecker have combined for 19 multi-RBI games in 45 games this season. Even more impressive is the fact that as a team, NU has produced 37 multi-RBI games and 10 of the Huskers’ 12 position players have recorded a multi-RBI game this season.

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 38 of 42 games this year.

Revelle Earns 500th Victories
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. She also earned her 500th victory at Nebraska in the Huskers' 3-2 win over Texas Tech on April 17.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 All-American 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.

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 19 RBIs. 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 4-8 this season against ranked teams after losing to No. 22 Creighton on April 14. The Huskers have posted victories over then-No. 14 Washington, then-No. 16 Oregon State, then-No. 15 Georgia Tech and then-No. 9 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, have been integral in the history of Nebraska softball. As both a player and coach, Revelle has been a part 579 of NU's 972 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 735 of the program's 972 victories.

Superb Seniors
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a tremendous senior season. She has reached base safely in 40 of Nebraska's 45 games this season. She is fourth on the team with a .352 average while pacing NU with 11 doubles, six home runs, 43 RBIs, a .578 slugging percentage, 28 walks and a .472 on-base percentage. Lawrick has also recorded a team-high 12 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 five categories. She ranks second in the league with 28 walks, fourth with a .483 on-base percentage, is tied for eighth with 11 doubles and ninth with 39 RBIs.

Senior Anne Steffan is also having a fine senior season. Steffan leads the team with a .435 average, 29 stolen bases and 70 hits and ranks second with 35 runs scored. On pace to put her name on several single-season school records, Steffan has hit safely in all but four games this season. She had her school-record 26-game hitting streak snapped against Texas A&M. Steffan leads the team with 23 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 (.441), hits (67), stolen bases (28) and is fifth in on-base percentage (.475).

Career Year for Lawrick
Senior Sheena Lawrick is enjoying a career season in 2005. Lawrick, who is fourth on the team with a .352 average, has already set single-season career highs in total bases (75), home runs (6), RBIs (42), runs scored (27) and stolen bases (8). Her six home runs are two more than she had in each of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Lawrick’s 42 RBIs are 18 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 27 runs scored are also a career high, four more than she had last season.

Lawrick has also drawn 28 walks this season to equal her career-high total from the 2004 season.

In addition, her .352 average, .578 slugging percentage and .472 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 95 innings in 2005 and has produced three or more runs in 26 of those frames. When the Huskers score a run in an inning, 27 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.

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 13 starts, 39 at bats and five RBIs are more than her previous three seasons combined. Her four hits are a new single-season 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, 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, 55 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.