NU Hosts Iowa State and Kansas in Mid-Week Action

The Nebraska softball team continues an eight-game homestand with a pair of mid-week contests at Bowlin Stadium this week. The Huskers host Iowa State on Tuesday at 5 p.m. before facing Kansas on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Tickets for both games can be purchased online at Huskers.com, over the phone by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or on the day of the game at the ticket window located behind home plate at the main entrance to Bowlin Stadium.

Fans unable to make it out to the ballpark can follow both games on Huskers.com. Both games will feature a free video stream, accompanied by the radio call of veteran softball play-by-play announcer Nate Rohr.

The two mid-week games continue a long home stretch for the Huskers. Not only is Nebraska in the midst of an eight-game homestand, but overall, the Huskers are set to play eight of their final 10 regular season-games at Bowlin Stadium beginning this week.

Nebraska is also in the middle of 10-game stretch against Big 12 opponents. The Huskers are 3-3 through the first six games of that stretch. Despite a pair of disappointing losses last week, the Huskers have won nine of their last 12 games. NU is currently in a tie for fifth place in the conference standings, a solid position in a league that boasts five nationally ranked teams, including four in the top 15.

Neither Iowa State nor Kansas are ranked, but beginning with this weekend’s series against No. 12 Oklahoma, each of the Huskers’ final six conference games are against top-15 squads. But before Nebraska can turn its attention to the ranked teams that lie ahead, the Huskers will first look to defeat Iowa State and Kansas, the ninth and 10th place teams in the league.

On Tuesday, the Huskers will be looking to avenge a 9-5 loss at Iowa State last Thursday, when the Cyclones broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk-off grand slam. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, Iowa State has never swept a season series from Nebraska. In fact, the Cyclones have only posted a winning season record against the Huskers three times since the series began in 1978 - 1-0 marks in 1979 and 1983 and a 3-1 record in 1994.

While the Huskers will be looking to avoid the sweep against Iowa State, Nebraska aims to sweep the season series from Kansas on Thursday. The Huskers have not swept the regular-season series from the Jayhawks since 2006. Nebraska shut out KU in Lawrence last Tuesday by a score of 2-0.

In the two games against Kansas and Iowa State last week, the Huskers pounded out nine extra-base hits, including seven doubles and two home runs. In conference-only games, Nebraska leads the Big 12 with 20 doubles, while ranking second with 27 extra-base hits, two behind Texas.

Overall, the Huskers have produced 64 doubles and 32 home runs this season. The 64 doubles are tied for fourth in school history and mark Nebraska’s highest total since 2001, while the 32 homers are the most by a Husker team since 2006. The double and home run totals have helped Nebraska post a .430 slugging percentage that is on pace to rank second in program history.

Scouting the Iowa State Cyclones (24-21, 2-7 Big 12)
Iowa State is 24-21 on the season and 2-7 in Big 12 play after being swept at home by No. 21 Texas A&M last weekend. The Cyclones have lost eight of their last 10 games, with the lone victories coming against the Huskers and Northern Iowa in mid-week action last week.

Iowa State is batting .279 as a team and is averaging 4.0 runs per game. Four Cyclone regulars are batting above .300, led by Heidi Kidwell. Kidwell is batting .350 and ranks second in the Big 12 to NU’s Heidi Foland with 55 hits. Kidwell also leads the Cyclones with two triples and 11 stolen bases. Erica Miller is batting .311 with six doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs. Miller went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs against Nebraska last week. Sydni Jones is batting .306 and leads the team with eight doubles and five home runs. She hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Huskers last Thursday. Carleigh Berry rounds out the .300 hitters with a .301 average. In conference play, Berry is hitting .333 and Miller is batting .304. The Cyclones are hitting just .218 as a team in league play and are averaging 2.4 runs per game, but five of ISU’s 19 home runs this season have come during the Big 12 slate.

In the circle, Iowa State owns a 3.06 ERA and is allowing 3.5 runs per game. Rachel Zabriskie has thrown more than two-thirds of the Cyclones’ total innings. Zabriskie is 19-13 on the season with a 2.43 ERA in 202.0 innings. She has struck out 228 and walked only 38. Opponents are hitting just .221 against her, but she has allowed 35 home runs, including two homers in her start against the Huskers last week. In conference action, Zabriskie has thrown 50.2 of a possible 60.1 innings, posting a 1-6 record and a 3.87 ERA. Tori Torrescano is 4-5 on the season with a 3.74 ERA in 67.1 innings, while Lauren Kennewell is 1-3 with a 4.75 ERA in 28.0 innings.

Husker History vs. Iowa State
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 64-18. The Huskers have won 19 of the last 23 meetings, but the teams have split the season series the past two years and Iowa State took the first meeting of 2010 last week. Husker Head Coach Rhonda Revelle is 35-11 in her career against Iowa State and owns a 5-4 advantage over fifth-year Iowa State Head Coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. Nebraska is 28-5 all-time at home against the Cyclones. The Huskers had won 12 straight home games against Iowa State until the Cyclones won in Lincoln for the first time in the Big 12 era with a 4-3 win at Bowlin Stadium last season. ISU trailed 3-0 after one inning of play before rallying for the win.

In the first meeting this season in Ames, Nebraska twice rallied from a two-run deficit before losing on a walk-off grand slam. In a high-scoring affair, the Huskers took their only lead of the game with a run in the top of the first inning, before Iowa State built a 3-1 lead after two. Nebraska fought back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the third, before Iowa State answered in the bottom of the frame. The Cyclones pushed their lead to 5-3 in the sixth before junior Julie Brechtel and freshman Brooke Thomason launched back-to-back home runs to tie the game. A double and walk then put runners on first and second with no outs, but the Huskers were unable to take advantage of the opportunity and grab the lead. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cyclones loaded the bases with only one out when Sydni Jones blasted a 3-2 pitch to straight away center for a walk-off grand slam.

In the last meeting in Lincoln, Amanda Duran gave Nebraska a 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first before Iowa State rallied for its first ever win at Bowlin Stadium.

Scouting the Kansas Jayhawks (18-26, 1-10 Big 12)
Kansas is 18-26 on the season, as the Jayhawks are the only Big 12 team with a losing record. KU is just 1-10 in conference action, although Kansas has been competitive over the last two weeks. In addition to losing 2-0 to Nebraska last Wednesday, the Jayhawks have suffered one-run losses to No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Missouri over the last two weeks. Overall, KU has lost nine of its last 11 games.

Offensively, Kansas is last in the league with a .248 batting average. The Jayhawks have also scored the fewest runs of any Big 12 team and in conference play, KU is batting just .185 while averaging less than two runs per game. Two Jayhawks are hitting above .300, led by Rosie Hull at .381. Alex Jones is next with a .336 average, while Mariah Montgomery leads the team with 10 doubles. Allie Clark has hit a team-high six home runs, while Brittany Hile has driven in a team-high 26 runs. In conference play, Marissa Ingle leads the team with a .267 average and three home runs, despite seeing action in only seven of Kansas’ 11 games.

In the circle, Kansas owns the highest ERA in the league at 4.36, while the Jayhawks have allowed more runs than any other Big 12 team. In conference play, KU’s ERA is 6.21, as opponents are hitting .367 against Jayhawks pitching while averaging 6.9 runs per game. Allie Clark has been KU’s top pitcher, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.75 ERA in 104.2 innings this season. She has thrown more than half of Kansas’ innings in Big 12 play, posting a 1-3 record with a 5.91 ERA in 32.0 innings. Jones is 5-8 on the season with a 4.16 ERA, including an 0-4 mark and a team-low 5.60 ERA in conference action. Sarah Vertelka (6-12, 5.14 ERA in 99.1 innings) rounds out the KU staff.

Husker History vs. Kansas
Kansas leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 55-51. The Huskers have played more games against the Jayhawks than any other team except in-state rival Creighton. The series has gone back-and-forth recently, as neither team has won more than two straight games since the Huskers won four in a row from 2001 to 2002. Nebraska has won four of the past six meetings, but the teams split a doubleheader in Lawrence last season. The Huskers won the first meeting in Lawrence last week by a score of 2-0. In Lincoln, Kansas leads the series 19-17, and the Jayhawks have won four of the past six meetings at Bowlin Stadium.

Last week, junior Robin Mackin and sophomore Ashley Hagemann combined on a shutout, despite scattering nine hits. Nebraska scored a run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly from junior Julie Brechtel and added another run in the third on an RBI double from junior Heidi Foland. Those two runs were enough to hold up, although the Huskers left a total of eight runners on base despite recording four doubles.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers continue an eight-game homestand with mid-week games against Iowa State and Kansas:

• The Huskers are 458-220 (.676) all-time in the month of April, including a 6-3 mark this April.
• Nebraska is just 2-6 this season in one-run games, but has won its last two one-run decisions.
• Nebraska tied the school record by turning three double plays at No. 10 Arizona State on March 14.
• Junior Heidi Foland has homered 12 times this season, good for eighth place on the Husker season chart. With her next home run, Foland would become the first Husker to homer 13 times in a season since 2000.
• With a 2-0 shutout at Kansas last Wednesday, Nebraska notched its 10th shutout of the season. The Huskers have recorded 10 shutouts for the first time since 2007, after NU posted at least 10 shutouts in every season from 1998 to 2007.
• Freshman Gabby Banda has drawn 20 walks so far this season. She is the first freshman to walk 20 times in a season since Ashley Guile walked 25 times in 2008. Overall, Banda is only the third Husker freshman to draw 20 walks since 2001.
• Three Huskers have hit at least five home runs this season, including 12 from junior Heidi Foland, nine from freshman Brooke Thomason and five from junior Julie Brechtel. The last time three Huskers homered five times in a season came in 2006.
• Sophomore Ashley Guile (37 RBIs) and junior Julie Brechtel (31) have already driven in 30 runs this season. Junior Heidi Foland (27 RBIs) and freshman Brooke Thomason (27 RBIs) both have a chance to reach 30 RBIs. Nebraska has not had three players produce 30-or-more RBIs since 2006 and has not had four players all reach the mark since 1996.
• Nebraska has produced 99 extra-base hits this season in only 45 games. The Huskers have totaled 100 extra-base hits just once since 2004, when the 2006 squad produced 101 extra-base hits in 56 games.
• Junior Heidi Foland leads the Big 12 with 57 hits this season, two more than Iowa State’s Heidi Kidwell. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, a Husker has never led the league in hits.
• Sophomore Nikki Haget is tied for the Big 12 lead with 13 hits in conference play this season. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, a Husker has never led the league in hits in conference-only games.
• NU has hit seven home runs through the first 10 conference games of the season. That total ranks fourth in the Big 12 and is the highest Husker total since 2006 (15).

Thomason Putting Together Fine Freshman Season
Brooke Thomason’s outstanding freshman season has continued into the Big 12 Conference portion of the schedule. Thomason is batting .345 on the year with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 27 RBIs. She ranks second on the team in doubles, home runs and slugging percentage (.664). In Big 12 play, Thomason is batting .321 and has hit four of Nebraska’s seven home runs, while producing six RBIs and a team-high .821 slugging percentage.

Double Trouble
Nebraska has hit 64 doubles this season, as the Huskers are averaging 1.4 doubles per game. The 64 doubles are the most by a Husker team since 2001 (74). The total is tied for fourth in school history, while the average of 1.4 doubles per game currently ranks second in school history. In conference-only games, Nebraska leads the Big 12 with 20 doubles in only 10 games. The doubles are the most by a Nebraska team in Big 12 play since 2001 and are just five shy of the Husker record of 25 doubles set during the inaugural Big 12 season in 1996.

The Huskers are averaging 2.0 doubles per game and are on pace to hit 36 doubles in Big 12 play this season, a total that would pass the previous Big 12 record of 32 doubles set by Texas last season. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, the Huskers have never led the league in doubles in conference-only games. Among the seven offensive categories tracked by the Big 12 since the league’s inception, doubles is the only category in which Nebraska has never led the league in conference-only games.

Individually, three Huskers have doubled 10 times this season, including 13 doubles from sophomore Ashley Guile and 10 doubles from freshman Brooke Thomason and junior Heidi Foland. The last time three Huskers produced 10-or-more doubles in the same season was in 2001. Junior Julie Brechtel has added seven doubles. Nebraska has had four players hit 10 doubles in a season only once in the 35-year history of the program (four players in 1996).

Huskers Getting Hit by Pitches
Nebraska has been hit by a school-record 49 pitches this season, passing the previous record of 48 hit-by-pitches in 2009. Junior Heidi Foland and sophomore Ashley Guile have been hit by nine pitches each, tying for second place on the NU season chart. She tied classmate Julie Brechtel, who was hit by nine pitches last year and has been plunked six times this season. In her career, Brechtel has been hit 21 times, a total that ranks third in school history.

Husker Power
Husker Power been on full display this season, as Nebraska has produced impressive extra-base hit totals despite losing six regulars from last year’s lineup. The Huskers lost three of their top five doubles totals and four of their top six home run totals from last season, but have already produced more doubles and triples than they did last season, while equaling their home run total.

In 45 games, Nebraska has produced a total of 99 extra-base hits this season, including 64 doubles, three triples and 32 home runs. With one more, NU will reach 100 extra-base hits for only the second time since 2004, as the 99 extra-base hits are already the ninth-highest total in the 35-year history of the program.

NU is averaging 2.20 extra-base hits per game, a total that would rank second in school history. A Husker team has not averaged 2.00 extra-base hits per game in a full season since 1998 (2.15).

Tough at the Top
Nebraska’s primary No. 1-5 hitters in the lineup ? Heidi Foland, Nikki Haget, Ashley Guile, Julie Brechtel and Brooke Thomason ? are batting a combined .362 (235-for-649) with 46 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs, 133 RBIs and 130 runs scored. Collectively, the group boasts a .561 slugging percentage and a .442 on-base percentage. Each of the five players have at least 40 hits this season, while no other Husker has more than 21, and the five rank occupy the top five spots on the team in RBIs. The group is averaging 5.2 hits per game, 3.0 RBIs per contest and 2.9 runs per game. Perhaps even more impressive is that the group consists of two juniors, two sophomores and one freshman.