NU Opens Busy Week with Tuesday Doubleheader

The Nebraska softball team begins a busy week at Bowlin Stadium on Tuesday, with a doubleheader against the Drake Bulldogs beginning at 3 p.m.

Tuesday’s doubleheader is the first of six home games for the Huskers this week. Nebraska also hosts South Dakota State on Wednesday in another doubleheader, before hosting its first home conference games of the season on Friday and Saturday against No. 17 Texas A&M.

Tickets are available over the phone by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED, online at Huskers.com or on the day of the game at the ticket window located at the main entrance to Bowlin Stadium behind home plate. On Tuesday and Wednesday, fans with a ticket to the Husker baseball game can get into the softball game for only $1 with their baseball ticket stub.

Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can follow the busy schedule on Huskers.com. A free radio broadcast of all six games will be available on Huskers.com, while the weekend series with Texas A&M will feature free live video.

The Huskers enter play this week with a 17-15 record, after being swept at 15th-ranked Texas last weekend in the opening games of Big 12 play. The sweep snapped a four-game Husker winning streak and left Nebraska with an 8-8 March record with four games remaining this month. The Huskers need to win three of their four games this week to secure a winning record in the month of March for the 16th straight season.

History is on the Huskers’ side this week, as Nebraska has never lost to Drake or South Dakota State at home. NU is a perfect 20-0 at home against Drake, although the Huskers have had to rally from two-run deficits in each of their last three victories over the Bulldogs. Overall, Nebraska has won 12 straight games against Drake, but the Bulldogs returned every starter from last season. Drake has also added some talented freshmen as the Bulldogs are 18-7 on the year and own impressive victories over several squads, including Arkansas, Central Florida and New Mexico State teams that all defeated the Huskers.

South Dakota State is not only winless in Lincoln, but Nebraska is 10-0 all-time against the Jackrabbits. The Huskers are also 48-0 all-time against members of the Summit League and 33-0 all-time against the four Division I softball programs from North and South Dakota, a pair of streak Nebraska will put on the line on Wednesday against the 8-17 Jackrabbits.

Nebraska is 6-5 over its last 11 games, but during that stretch, all five losses have come to ranked teams, including four road losses to top-15 squads. The Huskers have won six straight games against non-ranked teams, including a perfect 4-0 start to the home season with doubleheader sweeps of South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The Huskers are still seeking consistent play this season, but have shown glimpses of their potential. Offensively, five players are hitting above .300 and Nebraska is on pace to post its highest home run total since 2003 and its highest doubles total since 2001.

In the circle, Nebraska has struggled with walks and home runs, but the staff is averaging 8.0 strikeouts per seven innings, a total that leads the Big 12 Conference.

Scouting the Drake Bulldogs (18-7)
Drake returned every starter from last year’s team, which finished 30-23 and fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. With the returning experience, the Bulldogs are an impressive 18-7 this season and have won eight of their last nine. Nebraska and Drake share four common opponents this season in Arkansas, Colorado State, Central Florida and New Mexico State. The Huskers went 1-4 against those four teams, with the lone win coming against Colorado State. The Bulldogs had more success, defeating each team, while posting a 4-1 record after splitting two games with Arkansas.

Drake is a balanced team that has been solid offensively, in the circle and defensively. The Bulldogs are averaging 4.5 runs per game and have homered 25 times in 25 games, while stealing 42 bases in only 51 attempts. In the circle, Drake has tossed nine shutouts while posting a staff ERA of 1.41. Defensively, the Bulldogs own a .964 fielding percentage.

Offensively, four starters are hitting better than .300. Erin Mollohan leads the team with a .388 average and 10 doubles. Lindsey Vande Wall, a freshman that broke into a batting order that returned every starter, is hitting .348 and has homered six times and produced 16 RBIs while stealing 12 bases. Similarly, Elena Leon is batting .315 with six homers, 15 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. She has also drawn 22 walks to post a .479 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Brynne Dordel and Jenna DeLong have split the majority of the innings for Drake. Dordel is 9-3 on the season with a 0.94 ERA in 81.2 innings. She has struck out 97 and opponents are hitting just .202 against her, as she has thrown a shutout in five of her eight complete games. DeLong is also 9-3 on the season with a 1.89 ERA in 85.1 innings. Opponents are hitting only .200 against her and she has struck out 108. Mandy Osborn, a native of Blair, Neb., rounds out the staff with an 0-1 record and a 1.11 ERA in 6.1 innings.

Husker History vs. Drake
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Drake, 29-6, including a perfect 20-0 mark at home. The Huskers have won 12 straight in the series, including the last seven meetings dating back to 2003, which have all been at Bowlin Stadium. Drake’s last wins in the series came all the way back in 1998, when the Bulldogs swept a doubleheader from the Huskers, which marked Nebraska’s only losses in a 27-game stretch. Drake was the only team to defeat the Huskers during that stretch, which included a perfect 16-0 run through the Big 12 schedule, an undefeated run through the Big 12 Tournament and undefeated run to the Women’s College World Series.

Although the Huskers have dominated the series, the past four meetings have all been decided by three runs or less. In 2007, Nebraska rallied from a 3-0 deficit in game one of a doubleheader to win 4-3 in eight innings. In last year’s doubleheader at Bowlin Stadium, Nebraska trailed 2-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning before the Huskers hit three home runs in the span of four batters to rally for a 5-2 win. In game two, Nebraska scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally for a 7-4 victory over the Bulldogs. Overall, Drake has led by at least two runs in three of the past four meetings.

Individually, a pair of Huskers have enjoyed success against Drake. In the 2007 doubleheader, Whitney Barrett went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scores and the game-winning RBI in the eight-inning victory. She is a career .571 hitter against Drake. Julie Brechtel went 1-for-2 with three walks, a hit batter, a run scored and two RBIs in last year’s doubleheader sweep.

Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8-17)
South Dakota State is 8-17 this season, but the Jackrabbits have won three of their last six games. A familiar face will be in the SDSU dugout on Wednesday, as former Husker Haley Long is in her first season as a graduate assistant on the Jackrabbits’ staff after completing her playing career at Nebraska last spring. Nebraska and SDSU share three common opponents this season in Colorado State, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Tulsa. The Huskers went 2-3 against those three schools, defeating CSU and SIUE and losing three at Tulsa. South Dakota State went 0-4 against those same teams, including being shut out twice.

South Dakota State is scoring only 3.3 runs per game while allowing 4.4. Opponents are batting .292 against the Jacks, while the pitching staff owns a 4.09 ERA.

Offensively, freshman Krista Honken leads the team with a .414 batting average, although she has appeared in only 12 games. Five of her 12 hits have gone for extra bases, as she boasts a .724 slugging percentage, two home runs and seven RBIs in only 29 at bats. Four other Jackrabbits are hitting better than .300, including Ashley Durazo, who has two doubles, two triples and 10 RBIs. Dani Broshar has been the top power threat, as she leads the team with four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs and 14 walks to go along with her .281 average.

In the circle, South Dakota State carries only two pitchers on its roster. Freshman Kori Seidlitz has seen the most action, posting a 7-10 record in 91.0 innings. She has started 17 of the Jackrabbits’ 25 games, posting a 4.15 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 51 walks. Pam Nicholson is 1-7 with a 4.01 ERA in 64.2 innings.

Husker History vs. South Dakota State
Nebraska is a perfect 10-0 all-time against South Dakota State, after run-ruling the Jackrabbits in each of the team’s three meetings last season. The Huskers are 9-0 against the Jackrabbits at Bowlin Stadium, including four run-rule victories and Nebraska has outscored SDSU 65-10 all-time. Overall, Nebraska is a perfect 48-0 all-time against members of the Summit League, while NU is 33-0 all-time agains the four Division I Dakota softball programs (North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State).

Last year, the Huskers defeated the Jackrabbits 11-2 on the opening week of the season inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Huskers hit three home runs in the victory, as Heidi Foland homered twice for her first two career home runs while driving in a career-high six runs. Brittany Pascale also excelled, falling a triple shy of the cycle in a 3-for-4 day that included a pair of RBIs.

The teams met again in a March doubleheader at Bowlin Stadium, with Nebraska winning both games by an 8-0 score in five innings. In game one, Ashley Hagemann fired a two-hitter for her first career shutout while striking out eight and going 2-for-3 at the plate. Offensively, the Huskers pounded out 13 hits, as five players produced at least two hits and Crystal Carwile drove in three runs. In game two, Alex Hupp stole the show by tossing a one-hit shutout in the circle and going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a home run and a career-high four RBIs.

Individually, several Huskers have enjoyed success against South Dakota State. Foland is 6-for-12 with one double, two home runs, four runs scored and six RBIs in five career games against the Jackrabbits, while posting a 1.083 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage. Julie Brechtel is 6-for-14 against South Dakota State with two runs scored and three RBIs. Hupp is 3-for-10 in her career against the Jackrabbits with one double, one home run, two runs scored and four RBIs. In the circle, Hupp is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA, as she has struck out 10 and allowed only four hits in 10.0 innings against South Dakota State.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers open a six-game homestand with mid-week doubleheaders against Drake and South Dakota State.

• NU is 401-239 (.627) all-time in the month of March. Nebraska is 8-8 in March this season after posting an 18-3 record in the month last season. The Huskers have posted a winning month of March in each of the last 15 seasons dating back to 1994.
• NU has outscored its opponents 120-33 in its 17 wins, winning by an average of more than five runs per game.
• Nebraska is 1-6 this season in one-run games, winning its first one-run game last Wednesday against Wisconsin.
• Three Huskers have already hit at least four home runs this season.
• Nebraska tied the school record by turning three double plays at No. 10 Arizona State on March 14.
• Junior second baseman Julie Brechtel has not committed an error in 25 straight games, as she is perfect in 79 chances this season. The 25-game errorless streak is the second-longest streak of Brechtel’s career, as she posted a 32-game errorless streak last season. Overall, Brechtel has posted five separate 10-game stretches without an error in her career.
• The Nebraska pitching staff has struck out 234 batters in only 205.0 innings this season. The Huskers’ average of 8.0 strikeouts per seven innings leads the Big 12 Conference, while the 234 total strikeouts rank third.
• Junior Heidi Foland has 97 career hits entering play this week, while classmate Julie Brechtel has 94 career hits. Junior Robin Mackin has already reached the 100-hit plateau this season, counting statistics from her two seasons at Fresno State in 2006 and 2007.

Huskers at Home in Bowlin Stadium
Nebraska officially opened the ninth season of play at Bowlin Stadium with a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota on March 17. With another sweep of Wisconsin on March 24, Nebraska is 4-0 at home for the fourth straight season.

NU has posted a winning record every season at Bowlin Stadium. Overall, the Huskers have owned a winning home record in each of the past 32 seasons dating back to 1977.

Guile in a Groove
Ashley Guile is enjoying a tremendous sophomore season after redshirting last year. Guile is batting .376 on the year with team-high totals of nine doubles, 20 walks and 27 RBIs. She has already set career highs in doubles and RBIs, while tying her career high in home runs and hit-by-pitches.

On the year, Guile ranks fourth in the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.518), tied for sixth in walks (20), seventh in doubles (9) and eighth in RBIs (27).

Foland Already Setting Season Bests
Heidi Foland is enjoying an outstanding junior season, as she is batting .380 with six doubles, eight home runs and 19 RBIs while ranking among the top 10 players in the Big 12 in five offensive categories. A three-year starter, Foland has set career highs this season in runs (32), hits (41) and home runs (8), and she has tied her career high in doubles (6) and needs only one more RBI to tie her career high. After homering six times in 102 career games and 242 at bats entering this year, Foland homered seven times through 19 games and 63 at bats in 2010.