Huskers Host Big Red Fall Classic This Weekend

Softball fans are in for a treat this weekend, as the Nebraska softball team continues its fall season by hosting the Big Red Fall Classic on Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium. Admission is free and each day features a four-game schedule, with the first contest set to begin at 10 a.m.

The tournament consists of a strong regional field consisting of Nebraska, Big 12 rival Kansas, in-state foe Creighton and Colorado State, which is coached by Mary Yori, the sister of NU women's basketball head coach Connie Yori. KU, CU and CSU are each competing in their final tournament of the fall as the three programs have combined for a 22-3 record.

The Big Red Fall Classic marks the Huskers' second of three fall tournaments. Nebraska opened its fall season at the Bluejay Softball Round Robin Classic on the Creighton Campus on Sept. 23 and 24. Despite a limited number of available players, the Huskers finished with a 2-2 record in their first weekend of competition.

A pair of highly-touted freshman, Crystal Gonzalez and Alex Hupp, made their first appearance in a Husker uniform at the Bluejay Classic. Gonzalez started all four games and hit .300 (3-for-10) with a team-high three sacrifices at the tournament, despite fighting a nagging injury of her own.

Hupp also started all four games, including one start in the circle. She earned the start against North Dakota State and picked up the victory by tossing five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out three. At the plate, Hupp recorded just one hit, but it was a solo homer that lifted Nebraska to a 1-0 victory over South Dakota State.

Fellow newcomers Whitney Barrett and Haley Long were unable to participate in the Creighton tournament due to injury.

Action begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, when the Huskers face Colorado State. Below is a brief look at the teams competing at Bowlin Stadium this weekend, as well as the complete Big Red Fall Classic Tournament schedule. Live stats will also be available for every game this week and can be found by clicking on the tournament homepage link at the top of this page.

Big Red Fall Classic Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 7
Nebraska vs. Colorado State, 10 a.m.
Nebraska vs. Colorado State, 12:15 p.m.
Creighton vs. Kansas, 2:30 p.m.
Kansas vs. Creighton, 4:45 pm.

Sunday, Oct 8
Colorado State vs. Kansas, 10 a.m.
Creighton vs. Colorado State, 12:15 p.m.
Nebraska vs. Kansas, 2:30 pm.
Nebraska vs. Creighton, 4:45 p.m.

Colorado State Rams (7-0 Fall Record; 26-26 in 2006)
Colorado State finished the 2006 season with a 26-26 record, but the Rams were 14-4 through the first 18 games and 22-9 after 31 games. CSU has posted an impressive start to the 2006 fall season, as the Rams are a perfect 7-0 through their first two weeks of play. Colorado State wraps up its fall slate this weekend and looks to continue to roll as CSU has outscored its fall opponents 57-8 this season, including posting three shutouts. Four of the Colorado State's eight victories this fall have come by at least eight runs, including a 15-1 win over Northern Colorado and an 11-0 blanking of Western Nebraska. The Rams went 2-2 at last year's Big Red Fall Classic, with their lone losses coming to Michigan (4-1) and Team Canada (1-0).

Creighton Bluejays (8-2 Fall Record; 23-27 in 2006)
After making three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Bluejays missed the 2006 postseason after finishing with a 23-27 record. This weekend, Creighton wraps up its fall season with its third and final tournament. The Bluejays have hosted a pair of tournaments this fall and have posted an 8-2 record heading into this weekend. CU has averaged nearly six runs per game this fall, while allowing just 1 1/2 runs per contest. Included in Creighton's 8-2 record is a 4-1 victory over Nebraska in CU's last game. The Bluejays went 0-4 at last year's Big Red Fall Classic. Creighton also has high hopes for a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and are bolstered by a talented eight-player newcomer class.

Kansas Jayhawks (7-1 Fall Record; 36-26 in 2006)
The Jayhawks are coming off their first Big 12 Conference softball championship in 2006. Kansas captured the Big 12 tournament title, eliminating the Huskers in the semifinals. KU also advanced to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament, before falling to Washington and finishing with a 36-26 record. Kansas is 7-1 on the fall campaign after finishing a perfect 4-0 at the KU Invitational last weekend. The Jayhawks have outscored their fall opponents by a 37-7 margin and have allowed only one run in their last four games, led by All-Big 12 pitcher Kassie Humphreys, who did not allow a hit and struck out 21 in 13 innings of work last weekend. Kansas did not compete at the 2005 event, but was in Lincoln for the 2004 Fall Classic. This weekend's tournament marks the end of the Jayhawks' fall slate.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-2 Fall Record; 44-12 in 2006)
The Huskers are coming off another successful season in 2006 that saw them post the fourth-best winning percentage in school history after finishing with a 44-12 record. NU advanced to its 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament - one of only nine teams in the nation to do so - and finished with a No. 14 national ranking, making the Huskers one of only six teams in the nation to be ranked in the final poll in each year the NFCA/USA Today Coaches poll has existed. NU has played just one fall tournament this season, finishing 2-2 at the Bluejay Round-Robin Classic, including a 4-1 loss to Creighton. Nebraska went 3-2 at last year's Fall Classic, including splitting a pair of games with Michigan (2-5, 4-1) and Team Canada (9-1 [5], 1-2 [12]). Following this weekend, Nebraska will travel to Notre Dame on Oct. 14 and 15 to conclude its fall season.