Nebraska Travels to Tulsa This Weekend

The Nebraska softball team travels to Tulsa, Okla., this weekend to begin the busiest month of the season with five games in four days at the Embassy Suites Festival.

After posting a 9-7 record in February, the Huskers are scheduled to play 20 games in March, including seven road games. Beginning with three road contests against Tulsa this weekend, all seven March road games will be against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams, including a pair of contests against Women’s College World Series qualifier Arizona State. Overall, Nebraska is in the midst of a 15-game stretch that sees the Huskers playing nine games against teams that qualified for the postseason a year ago.

The Huskers began the daunting stretch last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, when Nebraska faced three teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, including two teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Huskers went 2-3 at the tournament, but were close to two more victories.

The NFCA Classic began with a frustrating 2-0 loss to Arkansas. The Husker offense, which entered the game averaging more than five runs per game, was shut out for the first time this season. But the Huskers out-hit the Razorbacks, as sophomore right-hander Ashley Hagemann tossed a two-hitter. Unfortunately for Hagemann and the Huskers, both hits were solo home runs that powered Arkansas to the win.

Nebraska quickly rebounded by flipping the score in an upset victory over No. 8 Georgia Tech. This time it was junior right-hander Robin Mackin firing a two-hit shutout over the high-powered Yellow Jacket lineup that was averaging nearly eight runs per game. The game was scoreless heading into the top of the seventh before sophomore Ashley Guile came through with an RBI single and Mackin added a sacrifice fly to secure the 2-0 victory.

Day two of the tournament did not go as well for the Huskers, as Nebraska lost back-to-back games. The Huskers were overpowered by seventh-ranked Alabama’s hot bats, as the Crimson Tide homered three times en route to an 11-3 six-inning victory.

Nebraska then erased deficits of 3-0 and 4-3 to force extra innings against Central Florida, before falling 5-4 in eight innings. It was the Huskers’ second extra-inning loss of the season, as six of Nebraska’s seven losses have come by two runs or less, including four one-run setbacks.

The Huskers ended the weekend on a positive note, as Hagemann tossed another two-hitter but this time came through with the shutout in a 2-0 win over Virginia Tech. Guile again drove in the winning run to highlight an impressive weekend for the sophomore.

In five games, Guile went 5-for-12 (.417) with one double and three RBIs. She also walked twice and was hit by three pitches to post a .588 on-base percentage. On the year, Guile leads the Big 12 in walks (15) and on-base percentage (.603).

On the pitching front, Nebraska has held its opponent to three hits or less in five of the last 10 games, including three two-hit shutouts.

Scouting the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (7-7)
Tulsa is 7-7 and brings a four-game win streak into Wednesday’s game at No. 8 Oklahoma. The Hurricane, who returned six starters from 2009, were sent to the NCAA Norman Regional last season and eliminated Oklahoma before falling in the Regional Championship.

Despite a .500 record, Tulsa is outscoring its opponents by an average of more than one run per game, but like the Huskers, Tulsa has had a tough time winning close games. Only one of the Hurricane’s seven victories has been by less than three runs, while five of Tulsa’s seven losses have been by two runs or less, including three by one run.

Offensively, Tulsa is hitting .306 as a team while averaging more than five runs per game. Lauren Lindsay has been a terror at the plate for opposing pitchers. She is batting .463 and has homered five times and driven in 14. She is slugging .878 and has walked 12 times while striking out only twice. Four other Hurricanes are batting better than .300, while Samantha Cobb has also homered five times and leads the team with 18 RBIs.

Defensively, opponents are hitting only .249 against Tulsa, but have managed to score nearly four runs per game. Jackie Lawrence returned after an all-conference junior season, but she has seen her ERA jump more than 2.00, as she is 2-3 with a 3.71 ERA in a team-high 39.2 innings. Jordan Kinard (1-2, 2.44 ERA in 28.2 innings) and Kalynn Schrock (4-2, 3.90 ERA in 23.1 innings) split the innings behind Lawrence.

NU leads the all-time series with Tulsa, 3-0, including a 1-0 edge in Tulsa, as NU defeated the Hurricane on its home field in the most recent meeting, a 5-2 win in 2006.

Scouting the North Dakota Fighting Sioux (2-7)
North Dakota is 2-7 on the season, as the Fighting Sioux have lost four straight. UND is in its second year reclassifying to the Division I level and the Fighting Sioux feature 14 freshmen on their roster.

The Fighting Sioux are batting .070 lower than their opponents (.254 to .324) but nearly one quarter of North Dakota’s total hits have gone for extra bases. Defensively, UND has committed 18 errors and allow an average of three unearned runs per game.

At the plate, senior Casie Hanson leads the team with a .407 average, two triples and two home runs. Three other Fighting Sioux are batting better than .300 and all are freshmen, including Toni Schutte, who is hitting .333 and leads the team with seven RBIs.

In the circle, freshmen have thrown all but 9.0 innings for UND. Emma Gronseth (2-3, 5.92 ERA) has thrown a team-high 24.1 innings, while Michelle Frank (0-3, 1 save) owns a staff-low 4.26 ERA in 19.0 innings. Erica Younan is the only non-freshman on the staff and is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 9.0 innings. Abby Jo Tometich (0-0, 6.23 ERA in 4.1 innings) rounds out the Fighting Sioux staff.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with North Dakota, 4-0. The Huskers have outscored the Fighting Sioux by a combined total of 41-3, as NU has scored at least nine runs in every meeting. The teams met three times last year, with Nebraska posting an 11-1 victory in the first meeting, before winning 9-1 in five innings and six innings.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers travel to Tulsa, Okla., for the Embassy Suites Festival.

• NU is 395-231 (.631) all-time in the month of March, including an 18-3 mark last season. Nebraska historically plays more games in March than in any other month, and the Huskers have posted a winning month of March in each of the last 15 seasons dating back to 1994.
• The Huskers will play a three true road games at Tulsa this weekend. Nebraska is 0-3 in true road games this season after losing a doubleheader at New Mexico State (4-2 and 2-1) and a contest at Auburn (2-1). NU posted a 9-7 road record last season, snapping a two-year streak of losing road records. Prior to that, the Huskers posted a winning road record every year from 1995 to 2006.
• Junior Robin Mackin produced four hits last weekend after totaling only two hits in the first two tournaments combined. With a 2-for-4 effort against Central Florida last Saturday, Mackin recorded the 100th hit of her career (including her two seasons at Fresno State). She is the only Husker with more than 76 career hits.
• Nebraska has used a different batting lineup in all 16 games this season.
• The Husker pitching staff has allowed three hits or less in five of the last 10 games. Sophomore right-hander Ashley Hagemann has thrown a two-hitter in three of her last five starts, including two shutouts.

Learning How to Finish
One of the hardest things a young team can have to learn is how to win close games. Nebraska’s starting lineup - which regularly features six freshmen and sophomores - has suffered through several close losses this season, but last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Huskers were finally able to pull out a few close victories.

On the season, six of Nebraska’s seven losses have come by two runs or less, including four one-run losses. The Huskers have also lost both of their extra-inning games this season. But Nebraska showed improvement last weekend while facing its toughest competition of the season. After opening the tournament with a tough 2-0 late-inning loss to Arkansas, Nebraska rebounded to defeat No. 8 Georgia Tech, 2-0. That marked just the second Husker victory by less than three runs this season. After losing an extra-inning game the next day, Nebraska again won a close 2-0 victory over Virginia Tech to close the tournament.

Hit or Miss
Nebraska’s pitching staff has allowed only 84 hits in 109.2 innings this season, as the Huskers are holding opponents to a .203 batting average, a total that ranks third in the Big 12 Conference. NU is also tied for first with 115 strikeouts this season.

The Huskers have also tossed three shutouts and have allowed three hits or less in five of the last 10 games. But despite those impressive numbers, NU ranks only fifth in the league with a 2.55 ERA. That mark can improve if the Huskers can eliminate two problem areas so far this season - walks and extra-base hits allowed.

Nebraska ranks last in the Big 12 by allowing 3.32 walks per game and of the 84 hits the Huskers have allowed, 38 have gone for extra-bases (45 percent). Nebraska has allowed 20 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs through 16 games this season, an average of 1.25 doubles per game and 1.00 home run per game. Last season, NU did not allow one triple all season, while allowing only 47 doubles (0.87 per game) and 20 home runs (0.37 per game).

Guile Off to Fast Start
Sophomore Ashley Guile is off to a fast start in 2010 after redshirting during the 2009 campaign. Guile ranks third in the Big 12 in batting average (.436), first in walks (15) and on-base percentage (.603), fourth in doubles (5) and fifth in RBIs (15).

Guile has already matched her career total with one home run this season, while her five doubles are one shy of her career high. She is also only three RBIs shy of her career high and will also set a career high with three more hit-by-pitches, five more runs scored and 11 more walks.

Gonzalez Returns to Full Action
Junior Crystal Gonzalez returned to full game action last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She had played in a defensive-only role a week earlier in Auburn, Ala., but Gonzalez earned a start in the batting order against Arkansas last Friday. She earned the start in center field and batted ninth in the lineup, marking her first start where she was in the batting order since the first game of a doubleheader with Colorado State on March 28, 2007.

That doubleheader marked Gonzalez’s final action of her freshman season, as she tore her ACL the next week. She suffered another torn ACL injury and missed all of the 2008 season. Then in 2009, Gonzalez tore the ACL in her other knee after the first week of the season. This season, Gonzalez has been plagued by a hamstring injury that kept her out of action the first week of the season and limited her ability to run the bases until last weekend.

Huskers Getting Hit by Pitches
Nebraska has been hit by 23 pitches in only 16 games this season after setting a school record with 48 hit-by-pitches in 2009. The Huskers’ early-season total already ranks seventh in school history.

Junior Julie Brechtel has been hit by four pitches this season, as she has now been plunked 18 times in her career. She ranks third in school history in hit-by-pitches, trailing only Devin Porter (22) and Crystal Carwile (23). Brechtel is one of four Huskers who has been hit by at least three pitches this season.

Mackin Named to ESPN.com All-America Team
Junior right-hander Robin Mackin was named to the ESPN.com early season 2010 All-America team last week. The elite list consists of only 24 players, as Mackin was one of three pitchers named to the second team. Mackin was one of four 2008 Canadian Olympians on the list and one of only two players from the Big 12 Conference, joining reigning conference player of the year Amber Flores of Oklahoma.

Pencil Me In
All 17 of the players on Nebraska’s roster have earned at least one start this season, after freshman Keela Scott and sophomore Jamie Gay earned their first starts of the year against Virginia Tech last Sunday. Nebraska has used a different batting order in all 16 games this season, although junior Heidi Foland, sophomore Nikki Haget and sophomore Ashley Guile have hit 1-2-3, respectively, in each of the last 11 games. Nebraska has started two players in the leadoff role, two in the No. 2 spot, two in the No. 3 spot, six in the No. 4 spot, five in the No. 5 spot, eight in the No. 6 spot, nine in the No. 7 spot, eight in the No. 8 spot and six in the No. 9 spot.

Brechtel Looking to Continue Hot March Hitting
Junior Julie Brechtel has been a strong hitter in the month of March in her first two seasons after relatively slow starts in February both years. She hopes to continue that trend this season, although Brechtel has been battling concussion-like symptoms that have kept her out of seven games this season and prevented her from getting into any sort of rhythm at the plate.

Brechtel is a career .386 hitter in the month of March. She entered March of her freshman season batting .130 and by the time April rolled around, Brechtel had increased her average .127 points to a mark of .257. Brechtel saw similar results last season, when she hit produced 23 hits in 21 March games. Brechtel hit only .238 last February - a similar total to her .231 mark this year - before hitting a blistering .460 in March to raise her season average .156 points to .394.

Brechtel has produced 11 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests in 41 career March games, while producing three of her seven career home runs and nine of her 12 career doubles. Brechtel has also drawn 18 walks in the month and been hit by seven pitches to post a .508 career on-base percentage in March.