The Nebraska softball team is set for a busy week at Bowlin Stadium, as the Huskers host doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday before welcoming Texas Tech to Lincoln this weekend for a two-game Big 12 Conference series.
In mid-week action, NU will face Drake on Tuesday, March 27, in a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m. The Huskers will then host a doubleheader against Colorado State on Wednesday, March 28, with the first game set for a 2 p.m. start.
Each game of the homestand can be heard live on Huskers.com and the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader with Drake can be heard on select Husker Sports Network stations in Nebraska.
A return home will hopefully ignite the NU bats, which struggled in three games last week. As a team, the Huskers are looking to snap a current four-game losing streak, which ties for the longest losing streak at Nebraska since 1996.
NU had won 12 consecutive games prior to dropping its last four. Over the last four games, Nebraska has continued to receive solid pitching, but the Husker offense - which had shown signs of improving its production - took a step back.
Nebraska managed just one run in three games last week and was shut out in both games of its conference-opening series at 17th-ranked Baylor.
The back-to-back shutouts marked the first time a Husker team had been shut out in consecutive games since 1999.
In the circle, senior Ashley DeBuhr and sophomore Molly Hill posted a deceiving 2.95 ERA. Hill rebounded from a rough start against Creighton to retire the final 15 batters she faced. Against Baylor, Hill kept the Huskers in the game before the Lady Bears broke a scoreless tie with three runs in their final at bat.
DeBuhr received one start last week, but allowed just one earned run in a complete-game effort against Baylor. She held the Lady Bears to a season-low four hits.
Nebraska was only out-hit 10-6 in the two games at Baylor, but was outscored 5-0.
The Huskers have a perfect opportunity to get the bats going this week, as Drake and Colorado State both have a team ERA above 3.00.
NU then has an excellent chance to even its Big 12 record this weekend, as the Huskers have posted 12 consecutive victories over Texas Tech.
Scouting Drake
Drake snapped a six-game losing streak by winning four of its last five games last weekend, including taking two-of-three from Northern Iowa in a Missouri Valley Conference weekend series.
Drake is now 10-20 on the season, but the Bulldogs appear to being playing their best ball. Drake has won as many games in the last five days as it had in its previous 18 days, including a 3-2 win at Oklahoma State on March 20.
After putting up great offensive numbers last week, the Bulldogs are now hitting .276 as a team. Drake hit six home runs in six games last week and now has 13 on the season. The Bulldogs also managed 37 runs last week - an average of more than six per game - and are now averaging 3.6 runs per game this season.
Susan Slycord leads the team with a .373 average, 20 RBIs and 15 walks. Kristin Birocci (.343) and Jenna Wilkin (.337) are both hitting above .300, while Elena Leon leads the team with four home runs.
In the circle, Drake has struggled, posting a collective staff ERA of 4.08. Opponents are hitting .289 against the Bulldogs, as the staff has allowed 240 hits in only 207.2 innings. Cassie Heller has seen the most action, posting a 7-9 record in 97.2 innings with a 3.87 ERA. Mandy Osborn has been the Bulldogs’ best pitcher statistically, compiling a team-low 3.36 ERA while posting a 5-10 record.
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Drake, 27-6. The Huskers have won eight straight in the series and 22 of the last 25, including a 7-1 Husker victory at Bowlin Stadium last season.
Scouting Colorado State
Colorado State is 21-14 on the year, entering a Tuesday doubleheader at Creighton. The Rams have played a challenging schedule this season and are 1-3 against Big 12 competition.
Overall, NU and CSU share six common opponents this season in Minnesota, Fresno State, Wichita State, Arkansas, Hawaii and California. The Huskers posted a 6-4 record against that group, while the Rams went 4-3.
Colorado State is led by a powerful offense that has already hit 41 home runs through the first 35 games. The homers have helped the Rams scored 163 runs and post a team slugging percentage of .482. CSU can also hit for average as five starters boast batting averages above .300, led by Allison Majam’s .378 mark.
Brittany Huerta is hitting .311 and has slugged four home runs en route to producing a team-high 26 RBIs. Eight Rams have hit at least three home runs this season, while no Husker has hit more than two.
In the circle, Kim Klabough has been Colorado State’s top pitcher, as she is the only member of the Rams’ staff to boast an ERA under 3.50. In a team-high 86.2 innings, Klabough is 7-5 and has thrown four shutouts while posting a team-low 1.94 ERA. Jessica Strickland (6-4, 3.54 ERA), Rebecca Penland (5-3, 3.83 ERA) and Cayte Billman (3-2, 4.60 ERA) have also seen extensive time in the circle.
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Colorado State, 12-4. The teams have met only once since 2001, with the Huskers earning a 2-1 victory in 2005. The Rams and Huskers have never played at Bowlin Stadium, although NU owns a perfect 9-0 record in Lincoln vs. CSU.
Borg Breaks Through
With the Husker offense struggling, senior Jaime Borg made her first start at designated player since Feb. 11 - and only her second start of the season - last Sunday at Baylor. Borg made the most of her opportunity and did her part to help jumpstart the offense, finishing 1-for-1 with two hit-by-pitches.
Her single was only the second hit of her career and her only other hit came last season against the Lady Bears. By reaching base safely in all three of her plate appearances against Baylor, Borg now has a .600 on-base percentage this season.
Plenty of League Season Left
Although the Huskers dropped a pair of games at 17th-ranked Baylor last weekend to open the Big 12 Conference season with an 0-2 record, that doesn’t concern the Big Red. Nebraska has opened league play at 0-2 in each of the last three seasons, including in 2006 when NU won its next five conference games en route to finishing in second place with a 13-4 league record.
Despite the recent slow starts, the Huskers are the only team in the league that has not had a losing season in the history of the Big 12.
Errors Proving Costly
Nebraska’s defense has again been solid in 2007, compiling a .964 fielding percentage while featuring new starters at five positions. Despite the respectable fielding percentage - NU has the third-lowest error total in the Big 12 Conference - the errors the Huskers have committed have come back to haunt them.
Unearned runs have been the difference in four of NU’s eight losses and are the difference between the Huskers’ current 20-11 record and a possible 24-7 record that would rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Unearned runs have also cost Nebraska five potential shutouts, including three for sophomore Molly Hill and two for senior Ashley DeBuhr.
Nebraska has already allowed more unearned runs through the first 31 games of 2007 than it did in 56 games last season. In fact, the Huskers’ 23 unearned runs this season are already more than they had surrendered in three of the last five years.
While these numbers may seem astounding, the Huskers have not been a poor defensive team; opponents have just been able to capitalize frequently on NU miscues so far this season. The Huskers have a .964 fielding percentage this season, but 38 percent of the runs they have allowed have been unearned. Since 2000, an average of only 19 percent of Nebraska’s runs have been unearned when the Huskers fielding at a .960 clip or better.
Double Trouble
Despite the high number of unearned runs, the Nebraska defense has still been solid this season. In addition to their respectable fielding percentage, the Huskers have already turned 13 double plays this season, their highest total since the 2004 season.
Nebraska has turned nearly twice as many double plays as its opponents and the Huskers are averaging 0.45 double plays per game, more than double their average from the past two seasons.
A Look at the Expected Lineup
1. Meghan Mullin, RF (31 starts, .316, 0 HR, 7 RBIs)
Mullin saw limited action as a freshman in 2006, but showed good patience and bat control in the box. As a regular starter this season, Mullin has already surpassed her freshman totals in nearly every category and she leads the team with 30 hits, a .316 average, nine stolen bases and four game-winning RBIs.
2. Haley Long, LF (27 starts, .275, 0 HR, 10 RBIs)
Long was a late find for the Huskers as she was brought in this past summer to add depth to the outfield. Long has appeared in 26 of NU’s 29 games and ranks fourth on the team with a .275 average. She has also recorded four doubles and 10 RBIs, while striking out only twice, drawing six walks and being hit by two pitches.
3. Crystal Carwile, 1B (31 starts, .276, 1 HR, 15 RBIs)
Carwile burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2006, homering three times in her first weekend en route to finishing with 12 home runs, one shy of the NU freshman record. Carwile began the 2007 season slowly after missing the offseason with shoulder surgery, but has emerged recently and has 11 RBIs in her last 12 games.
4. Brittany Pascale, C (29 starts, .268, 0 HR, 4 RBIs)
Pascale showed continued improvement throughout 2006 and emerged as one of NU’s most clutch hitters. Pascale had three seventh-inning, pinch-hit at bats that resulted in the game-tying run. In 2007, she has drawn a team-high 15 walks and has filled in at catcher for the injured Jamie Waldecker.
5. Devin Porter, SS (31 starts, .280, 2 HRs, 9 RBIs)
Porter has made great progress as a player through her first three seasons in the Husker program. She has been named the Huskers’ Most Improved Player in each of the last two years and enjoyed her best season in 2006, when she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after leading the Huskers with a .360 average in league play.
6. Jaime Borg, OF (2 starts, .333, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Borg moved back to the outfield after being the Huskers’ No. 3 pitcher in each of the past two seasons. She recorded her first career hit and stolen base last season and added a career-high 10 runs and two walks. She added her second hit and was hit by two pitches in her start at Baylor last Sunday.
7. Kimberly Fuller, 2B (18 starts, .130, 1 HR, 7 RBIs)
In limited action in 2006, Fuller went 2-for-11, but drew three walks to post a .357 on-base percentage. She is currently engaged in an ongoing battle with Whitney Barrett for the starting job at second, although Fuller has started 15 straight games at second, partly due to an injury to Barrett.
8. Crystal Gonzalez, CF (21 starts, .231, 0 HR, 0 RBIs)
Labeled as "probably the best defensive prospect in Southern California" by the Los Angeles Times, Gonzalez is perfect in the field this season and has shown great range and a strong arm. Her speed has also paid off on the basepaths, as she has scored five runs and is a perfect 5-of-5 on stolen bases.
9. Carmen Kier, 3B (31 starts, .156, 0 HR, 7 RBIs)
Kier is in her second season as the everyday starter at third after belting a career-high five homers and driving in a career-high 19 in 2006. Known as a patient hitter, Kier has drawn 46 career walks, including eight this season to rank second on the team. She also boasts power as nearly 30 percent of her career hits have gone for extra bases.
10. Ashley DeBuhr, RHP (13 starts, 9-5, 1.51 ERA, 121 Ks, 97.2 IP; 10 starts, .200, 1 HR, 4 RBIs)
DeBuhr continued to be more dominant in the circle, following her second-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest honors from 2005 with first-team selections in 2006. One of 50 players named to the 2007 USA Softball Preseason Player of the Year Watch List, she has two shutouts and has five starts against ranked teams (3-2 record).
Whitney Barrett, INF (13 starts, .115, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Barrett earned 13 starts at second base through the first 22 games of the season. Barrett is now dealing with an arm injury that has relegated her to pinch-running duties over the last 15 games.
Alex Hupp, RHP/DP (4 starts, 2-0, 1.98 ERA, 12 Ks, 17.2 IP; 16 starts, .104, 1 HR, 4 RBIs)
A two-time NFCA High School All-American, Hupp is a solid pitcher who can also hit. She tossed a one-hit shutout in her first career start and boasts an ERA under 2.00, and has hit two doubles, a home run and driven in four.
Darcy Rutherford, OF (18 starts, .265, 0 HR, 2 RBIs)
Rutherford is arguably the Huskers’ most improved player. Primarily a pinch runner in 2006 when she appeared in 25 games and scored four runs, Rutherford went 2-for-4 in the first weekend to post her first career hits.
Jamie Waldecker, C/DP (11 starts, .219, 1 HR, 2 RBIs)
A clutch hitter with power, Waldecker is also one of the best defensive catchers in the Big 12 Conference. A broken hand forced her to miss 18 games, but she is now able to hit with a newly fitted cast.
Molly Hill, RHP (14 starts, 9-6, 1.22 ERA, 108 Ks, 103.0 IP)
Hill is the Huskers’ No. 2 pitcher, but has the credentials to be the ace of nearly any staff. As a freshman, Hill went 18-2 to establish a school-record .900 winning percentage. She is 9-6 this year with a team-low 1.22 ERA.
Fielding Their Position
Nebraska’s three-pitcher staff has not only combined to post a collective 1.41 ERA - the second-lowest in the Big 12 Conference - but the staff has also done an excellent job of fielding its position.
Senior Ashley DeBuhr, sophomore Molly Hill and freshman Alex Hupp are perfect in the field in a combined 49 chances. In 2006, the staff had a .935 fielding percentage, committing five errors in 77 chances. Hill has shown great improvement, as she is perfect in 28 chances this year after committing four errors in 28 chances in 2006.
Sophomores Stepping Up
While it’s not unusual for players to show great improvement from their freshmen to sophomore seasons, the statistical improvement of this year’s sophomore class has been remarkable, especially considering where they rank on the team and how little the majority of the class played as freshmen.
Meghan Mullin leads the team with a .316 batting average and sophomores claim five of the top six batting averages on the team (minimum of 25 at bats).
In addition to Mullin, Crystal Carwile (.276), Haley Long (.275), Brittany Pascale (.268) and Darcy Rutherford (.265) have all posted totals higher than the team’s collective .239 batting average. Those five are hitting a combined .283 while the entire sophomore class has posted a .267 average.
To put these totals in perspective, the sophomore class is hitting 121-for-453 in 31 games this season after going a combined 72-for-284 (.254) as freshmen in 2006.
Nebraska vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska has played a challenging schedule in 2007 and the Huskers have been decent against the best competition, posting a 4-3 record against ranked teams, while going 16-8 against foes outside of the top 25. Four of the seven games - and three of the four wins - have been decided by one run, with five games coming down to the winning teams’ last at bat.
Three of the seven contests have gone extra-innings, including a 2-1 nine-inning loss to No. 20 Florida State that stood as NU’s lone loss to a ranked team before 17th-ranked Baylor swept the Huskers last weekend. Nebraska had also led in every game prior to losing 2-0 and 3-0 at Baylor. In their four wins, the Huskers have produced the game-winning run in the seventh inning once and in the eighth inning twice.
Husker Hurlers Excelling Against Ranked Teams
While Nebraska is 4-3 against ranked teams, the pitching staff has been stellar against ranked competition, compiling a 0.83 ERA. Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr and sophomore right-hander Molly Hill have combined to allow just six earned runs in 50.2 innings, as they have thrown two shutouts in five games, while not allowing an earned run in two other contests. The numbers were even more astounding before No. 17 Baylor scored five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in posting two victories last weekend.
In fact, the staff had not surrendered an earned run to a ranked team through the first seven innings in any of the five games this season and no ranked team had recorded more than four hits in a game, prior to the Baylor series.
In a loss to No. 24 Florida State, DeBuhr was two outs away from tossing her third straight two-hit shutout against a ranked foe. Before giving up back-to-back ninth-inning homers to FSU, DeBuhr had thrown 23.1 scoreless innings against top-25 opponents, including two international tie-breaker frames where a runner was placed on second to begin the inning. She had also allowed just six hits in those 23 innings. DeBuhr is now 3-2 with a 0.56 ERA against ranked teams this season. A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr has stymied opposing hitters, holding them to a meager .133 average while striking out 44.
Pencil Me In
Nebraska has used a different batting lineup in each of the first 31 games of the season after having a fairly set lineup for most of 2006. Most of the starters have been set, with the exception of second base and designated player.
Even with the majority of the position starters settled upon, head coach Rhonda Revelle has done a lot of shifting in an attempt to maximize the strengths of the lineup. After beginning the year with senior Devin Porter leading off, the Huskers appear to have returned to their proven pattern of having a slapper lead off.
Oh, So Close
While Nebraska has posted a solid 20-11 record against a tough schedule that has featured 12 games against opponents that have appeared in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll at least once this season, the Huskers have come very close to posting an even more outstanding record.
NU has lost five one-run games and the Huskers have dropped four contests when they led after the third inning, matching the entire 2006 total. Overall, Nebraska has led in 24 of its 31 games this season.
Let’s Play Extras
After going to extra innings just five times in 56 games a year ago, Nebraska had already played five extra-inning contests through the first 26 games of the 2007 season. The Huskers were a perfect 5-0 in extra innings last season and are 4-1 this season after defeating North Dakota State, 2-1, in eight innings on March 17.
Nebraska had won eight consecutive extra-inning affairs before falling to No. 20 Florida State on Feb. 23 and has won three straight since that setback.
A big part of the reason for Nebraska’s success in extra-innings - especially this season - has been the work of the pitching staff. The Husker hurlers have thrown a total of seven extra frames this season, with each inning subject to the international tie-breaker rule, where a runner is automatically placed on second to start the inning. In those seven innings, the NU staff has allowed the runner placed on second to score only once.
Waldecker Playing Through Pain
Nebraska suffered a big blow at the NFCA Leadoff Classic when senior catcher Jamie Waldecker went down with an injury. In the second game of the day on Feb. 23 against Florida State, Waldecker suffered a broken hand while tagging out a runner. Although she attempted to play the next day, she was only able to catch for one inning.
Waldecker made her return against Arkansas on March 18, but was able to only swing with one hand. She did go 1-for-3 with an RBI, however. Waldecker’s cast was removed last week and she was fitted with a new cast on Tuesday that allows her to use her hand more when batting. Waldecker debuted the new cast by going 1-for-3 against Creighton with much better swings to extend her career-high hitting streak to five games. That streak was snapped as Waldecker popped out in pinch-hitting duty for her only at bat against Baylor last weekend.
Waldecker is scheduled to remain in the cast for another few weeks. She is not expected to be back to 100 percent and able to catch until some time in April.