Huskers Host Creighton Wednesday Night

The 13th-ranked Nebraska softball team returns home to Bowlin Stadium on Wednesday, when the Huskers host the Creighton Bluejays at 6 p.m. Wednesday's game marks the first of two meetings between the Huskers and Bluejays this season, as the in-state programs are meeting for the 24th consecutive season and for the 113th time overall.

Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the Bowlin Stadium ticket office on game day, located at the main entrance behind home plate, or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or visiting Huskers.com. Fans attending the Husker baseball game with Doane on Wednesday afternoon can receive $1 admission into the softball game by presenting their baseball ticket stub when purchasing a softball ticket. The game has been dubbed a "Red Out" and fans are encouraged to wear red.

Fans unable to make it out to the ballpark can follow all of the action online, as Nate Rohr will have the radio call on Huskers.com.

Nebraska enters Wednesday's game with a 27-4 record, as the Huskers are off to the best start in school history. The start has come against quality competition, as Nebraska is 5-2 this season against ranked teams, including a 3-2 record against top-10 squads and a 1-1 mark against the nation's No. 1 team. The Huskers have also played 11 of their first 31 games against teams that made the 2010 NCAA Tournament, posting a 9-2 record against those squads. Beginning with last weekend's Big 12-opening series at No. 7 Oklahoma, the Huskers are currently in a stretch where they will play 12 of 14 games against 2010 NCAA Tournament teams.

The Huskers also qualified for the 2010 NCAA Tournament, taking a 29-27 record into the postseason, before going 1-2 at the Seattle Regional. With eight starters returning from that team, Nebraska needs only two more victories to match its regular-season win total from last year.

The biggest individual improvement among the returning starters has come in the circle, where junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann has already set career highs in wins and shutouts. Hagemann has had a hand in 21 of Nebraska's 27 victories, posting a 19-3 record with two saves and a 1.78 ERA.

Offensively, Nebraska is averaging more than six runs per game thanks to four returning players who earned All-Big 12 or All-Midwest region accolades last season and the addition of talented twins Tatum and Taylor Edwards. The four Husker hitters to be honored last season - Julie Brechtel, Ashley Guile, Nikki Haget and Brooke Thomason - have combined to hit .362, while scoring an average of 2.8 runs per game and producing an average of 2.0 runs per game.

Tatum and Taylor Edwards rank first and second on the team in homers and RBIs, as the twins have combined for 21 home runs and 71 RBIs in only 31 games.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays (11-13)
Creighton will be well rested for Wednesday's game, as the Bluejays will be playing their first game in 10 days after their scheduled series with Southern Illinois last weekend was cancelled due to inclement weather. Creighton is 11-13 on the year, and the Huskers and Bluejays share three common opponents this season in Arizona, Centenary and New Mexico State. Nebraska posted a 4-2 record against that group, while Creighton went 1-2. CU features more freshmen (11) than returning players (10) on its 2011 roster.

The Bluejays are batting .253 as a team and averaging 3.4 runs per game. Christa Ruf, Ellen Homan and Malloree Grove are all hitting above .300. Ruf leads the team with a .328 average, 22 hits and 11 runs scored, while adding two doubles, six homers and a team-high 20 RBIs. Amy Baker is the Bluejay's top power threat, as she leads the team with eight home runs and a .645 slugging percentage.

Defensively, Creighton is allowing an average of 3.6 runs per game while posting a staff ERA of 3.18. The Bluejays are led in the circle by freshman right-hander Becca Changstrom, a Lincoln native. Changstrom has thrown more than half of Creighton's total innings, posting an 18-5 record with a 1.42 ERA in 83.2 innings. She has averaged more than one strikeout per inning and has held opposing hitters to a .143 batting average. Sammy Snygg ranks behind Changstrom in starts and innings pitched. Snygg is 0-6 on the season with a 6.62 ERA in 24.1 innings. Left-hander Kylie Hovinga (2-2, 3.65 ERA in 23.0 IP) and right-hander Brittany Telecky (1-0, 5.67 ERA in 21.0 IP) round out the Creighton staff.

Husker History vs. Creighton
Nebraska has played more games against Creighton than any other program in school history. The Huskers and Bluejays have met 112 times entering Wednesday's contest, with Nebraska holding a 76-36 edge in the series. The Huskers' 76 wins in the series unofficially rank as the fifth-most victories against a single opponent in NCAA Division I history, according to research compiled by the Florida State media relations office. Head Coach Rhonda Revelle is 48-13 in her career against Creighton, including a 45-11 mark vs. Bluejay Head Coach Brent Vigness.

Nebraska had won 15 straight in the series - and 23 of 24 overall - before Creighton swept the season series for the first time ever in 2005. The Bluejays again swept the season series in 2008, the teams split the series in 2009 and NU posted its first season sweep in four years in 2010. NU leads the series 36-15 in Lincoln, including an 8-5 advantage at Bowlin Stadium, but the Bluejays have won four of the last five meetings in Lincoln.

In last year's meeting at Bowlin Stadium, Nebraska exploded for 11 runs in an 11-7 win, then its highest run total ever at the stadium. The Huskers scored all 11 runs in the first three innings and held off a late Creighton rally. Nikki Haget went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in the win, while Brooke Thomason was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a career-high five RBIs. Julie Brechtel added a double and three RBIs, while Gabby Banda was 2-for-4 and drove in a pair. Ashley Hagemann earned the win for NU, allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out 11 in 7.0 innings of work. The Huskers out-hit the Bluejays 13-10, but Creighton hit all of the game's four home runs. Nebraska also won the first meeting last year in Omaha by a score of 4-3. The Huskers again scored early, taking a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning before hanging on for the one-run victory.

Brechtel added a double and two RBIs in that win, as she is 8-for-17 in her career against Creighton with three doubles, a homer and six RBIs. Haget is 5-for-8 against Creighton, while Thomason is 3-for-7.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers wrap up play in the Month of March with Wednesday's game against Creighton:

• Nebraska owns an all-time record of 419-242 (.634) in the month of March. The Huskers are 13-2 in March this season and have clinched a winning month of March for the 16th straight season dating back to 1994.
• A 3-0 record this week would allow Nebraska to match last year's win total (30) and give the Huskers 30 wins for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons.
• Nebraska has out-hit 26 of its 31 opponents this season, and the Huskers have only been out-hit twice. NU is 26-1 when out-hitting its opponent and 0-2 when being out-hit.
• NU has been held to fewer than five hits only twice in 31 games. Both of those instances came against the nation's No. 1-ranked team, as the Huskers were held to four hits in a 6-1 loss to Arizona on Feb. 11 and totaled four hits in a 1-0 victory over Florida on March 12.
• The Huskers are 21-0 this season when scoring first and 12-0 when scoring in the first inning.
• Nebraska is 19-0 when holding the opponent to two runs or less.
• Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann owns 493 career strikeouts. She is seven strikeouts shy of becoming the seventh Husker pitcher to record 500 career strikeouts.

Finding a Way to Score
Through 31 games this season, Nebraska has yet to be shut out. In contrast, through 31 games last year, the Huskers had been shut out six times even though Nebraska finished with some of the top offensive numbers in school history.

This season marks only the fifth time in school history that a Husker team made it 20 games into a season without being shut out and only the third time a Husker team went 30 games without being held scoreless. Nebraska's current streak of 31 games without being shut out is the third-longest season-opening streak in school history.

Huskers Win Big 12 Opener for First Time Since 2004
Nebraska upset No. 7 Oklahoma, 4-1, last Saturday in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. The win marked the first time the Huskers picked up a victory in their first Big 12 game since defeating Oklahoma State, 10-2 in five innings in 2004. The league-opening victory is hopefully a preview of things to come. Entering this year, Nebraska had won its first Big 12 game seven times in 15 seasons. In those seven seasons when the Huskers won their league opener, they never finished lower than fourth in the final conference standings while winning three regular-season titles and averaging 13 wins in conference play.

Huskers Homer in 10 Straight Games to Tie School Record
Freshman Taylor Edwards homered at No. 7 Oklahoma on March 26 to extend Nebraska's streak to 10 consecutive games with a home run. The Huskers were held without a home run the next day, but the 10-game homer streak tied the longest streak in school history. The streak began on March 13 against Central Connecticut State.

During the 10-game streak, Nebraska hit 18 home runs. Taylor Edwards hit five home runs during the streak, while her twin Tatum homered four times, homering once each in four consecutive games. Senior Heidi Foland also added four home runs during the streak, while classmate Julie Brechtel, juniors Madison Drake and Ashley Guile and sophomores Gabby Banda and Brooke Thomason each hit one home run during the 10-game stretch.

Hagemann Wins 40th Career Game
Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann tossed a complete-game five-hitter to earn the win at No. 7 Oklahoma on March 26. The win was Hagemann's third straight against a top-10 opponent and marked the 40th win of her career. With a 19-3 record this season, Hagemann has set a career high in wins and improved her career record to 40-23. She is only the 12th Husker pitcher to win 40 games and she is tied with Mori Emmons (1982-85) and Angela Blackwood (1995-97) for 10th place on the Nebraska career wins list.

NU Nears 200 Runs Scored in Record Time
Nebraska has scored 198 runs in 31 games this season, an average of 6.4 runs per game. The Huskers are currently on pace to smash the school-record average of 5.6 runs per game set in 1978. This year's group can also become the fastest Nebraska team to reach 200 runs scored if it can score two runs in the next five games. That would seem to be a safe bet, as Nebraska has not been shut out this season, and the Huskers have scored at least three runs in 11 straight games and 28 of 31 games overall.

With 198 runs scored, the 2011 Huskers have already produced more runs that the entire season total in 20 of the first 35 seasons of Husker softball. Below is a breakdown of the Husker teams who scored 200 runs in 40 games or fewer:

Hagemann Seeks 20th Victory in Record Time
Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann is 19-3 this season and is seeking her 20th victory, even though Nebraska has only played 31 games. Hagemann is looking to become the fastest Husker pitcher to reach 20 wins in a season, as she could reach the mark in as few as 32 games if she were to earn a victory over Creighton on Wednesday. The fastest a Husker has ever reached the mark is 34 games.

Hagemann already became the fastest Nebraska pitcher to 10 wins earlier this season, needing only 15 games to reach the mark. The previous record was set in 1998, when All-American Jenny Voss picked up her 10th victory of the season in Nebraska's 21st game. Voss was also the fastest to 20 wins, earning her 20th victory of the 1998 season in the Huskers' 34th game.

Huskers Approach 2010 Win Total
With the season just past its halfway point, Nebraska is already nearing last year's victory total. The Huskers were 30-29 last season, including 29 victories in the regular season. In 2011, Nebraska is off to the best start in school history at 27-4. The Huskers need only two wins to match last year's win total in the regular season and only three victories to match last year's season win total. Three more wins would also give Nebraska a 30-win season for the 13th time in the past 14 seasons and for the 24th time in school history.

Switch Paying Off for Banda
Sophomore Gabby Banda batted right-handed all of last season, but in an effort to see the ball better and become a more versatile hitter, Banda decided to hit left-handed this spring. After a slow start, Banda again made a commitment to the team and switched back to hitting right-handed to help improve the Husker lineup. Since making the switch back to batting right-handed, Banda has been a tough out at the plate and has helped Nebraska increase its runs-per-game average by more than one run per game when she was hitting left-handed.

Taylor Edwards Ties Husker Freshman Home Run Record
Freshman Taylor Edwards has homered 13 times in only 31 games, including an NCAA-record streak of six consecutive games with a home run in February. Edwards' 13 home runs are already tied for the most ever by a Husker freshman and for the sixth-highest season total in school history by any player. Edwards has tied the freshman mark set by All-American Ali Viola in 1995.

The high home run total has helped Edwards produce 45 RBIs. The 45 RBIs are already tied for the second-highest total ever by a Husker freshman. Overall, Edwards' 45 RBIs are the highest total by a Husker since the 2005 season, and she needs only one more RBI to tie for 10th all-time on the Nebraska season RBI chart.

Road Warriors
Nebraska went 6-2 on its eight-game road trip over the last two weeks, the longest streak of consecutive road games in school history. The Huskers are 7-2 overall in true road games this season. Nebraska's seven road victories have already surpassed last year's total, when the Huskers were just 4-13 in true road games. Overall, Nebraska has posted seven road wins for only the second time in five seasons. With eight true road games remaining, the Huskers are looking to finish with a winning road record for only the second time in five seasons. Nebraska has not posted a winning road record in Big 12 Conference play since a 5-3 mark in 2006. The Huskers are currently 1-1 in Big 12 road games in 2011.

Huskers Rank Highly in NCAA Statistics
The NCAA released its second national statistical report on Tuesday, and Nebraska ranked favorably in several team and individual categories. The Huskers' .871 winning percentage ranked 11th nationally, while NU's .344 team batting average ranked 12th. Nebraska was also among the nation's top 30 teams in scoring (21st, 6.39), slugging percentage (23rd, .512) and home runs per game (29th, 1.06).

Individually, freshman Taylor Edwards and junior Ashley Hagemann were the most highly ranked Huskers. Edwards ranked seventh nationally in RBIs per game (1.45), seventh in total home runs (13), 11th in home runs per game (0.42), 16th in slugging percentage (.935), 37th in on-base percentage (.535) and 41st in batting average (.441). In the circle, Hagemann ranked second nationally in wins (19), 13th in total strikeouts (169), 25th in shutouts (5), 26th in saves (2), 28th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.1) and 36th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.48).

Husker Power
Nebraska has hit 33 home runs in 31 games this season, including a school-record-tying streak of 10 consecutive games with a home run that was snapped in the Huskers' last game at No. 7 Oklahoma. This year's group was only the second Husker team ever to hit 30 home runs in the first 30 games of a season and finished with 33 homers in 30 games, one shy of the school 30-game record.

NU has homered more than 20 times through the first 30 games of the year in each of Diane Miller's three seasons as hitting coach. Only once in the four seasons prior to Miller's arrival did Nebraska produce more than 20 home runs in an entire season. In fact, the Huskers' 33 home runs this season are more home runs than Nebraska hit in the 2007 and 2008 seasons combined, in the two years before Miller came to Nebraska.

The home run production has helped Nebraska score 198 runs this season and average 6.4 runs per game, 0.8 runs per game better than the best season average in school history (5.6 runs per game in 1978). As was the case with the home run production, the 198 runs scored have already eclipsed the season total from the 2007 and 2008 seasons, before Miller took over as Nebraska's hitting coach.

Big Red Posting Big Innings
Nebraska is averaging 6.4 runs per game this season and as one may expect, the Huskers have been prone to big innings. The Huskers have come to bat in 194 total innings this season, scoring at least one run in 82 of those innings (42 percent). Of those 82 run-scoring innings, Nebraska has scored at least two runs 51 times, meaning that 62 percent of the time the Huskers score in an inning, they will score more than one run.

The Huskers have scored at least three runs in an inning 31 times this season, while scoring five-or-more runs in an inning nine times. The Huskers' highest run total in an inning this season was a 12-run outburst in the second game of a doubleheader at New Mexico State on March 19, when all 12 runs scored with two outs. In addition to that explosion, the Huskers have posted two seven-run innings, two six-run frames and scored five runs in an inning four times.

The big innings have helped Nebraska outscore its opponents in every inning this season.  

Taylor Edwards Putting Together Fine Freshman Season
Freshman catcher Taylor Edwards is putting together arguably the greatest freshman season in Husker history. She is currently batting .441 with 13 home runs, seven doubles, 45 RBIs and a .935 slugging percentage.

Among the highlights of Edwards' freshman season:

• Edwards homered in six straight games beginning with Oregon State on Feb. 13 and ending with a home run in her final at bat against Tennessee Tech on Feb. 20. The streak of six consecutive games with a home run is an NCAA record.
• Edwards' 45 RBIs are tied for the second-highest total ever by a Husker freshman and rank tied for 11th on Nebraska's all-time season chart.
• Edwards has twice produced streaks of seven consecutive games with at least one RBI, tying the school record. Edwards is the only player to accomplish the feat twice, as the only other Huskers to produce an RBI in seven straight games are Ali Viola (1995) and Lisa Wangler (2003).
• Edwards produced her 30th RBI of the season with a solo home run against Central Connecticut State in the 21st game of the year. Edwards reached 30 RBIs faster than any player in Nebraska history, as the previous best was 30 games by Ali Viola in 1996.
• Edwards' seven home runs in February were the most ever by a Husker in the month.
• Edwards hit her 10th home run of the season in the 23rd game of the year. She reached 10 home runs faster than any other player in school history, as All-American Ali Viola hit her 10th homer in the 24th game of the 1998 season.
• Edwards ranks first nationally among all freshmen in home runs and RBIs and is seventh in batting average.
• Edwards ranks among the top 20 hitters nationally in RBIs per game (7th, 1.45), home runs (7th, 13), home runs per game (11th, 0.42) and slugging percentage (16th, .935).
• Edwards ranks second in the Big 12 in batting average (.441), home runs (13), total bases (87) and slugging percentage (.935), third in RBIs (45), fourth in on-base percentage (.535) and seventh in hits (41).
• Edwards has produced at least one RBI in 23 of her 31 games.
• Edwards has reached base safely in 27 straight games and 29 of her 31 games overall.
• Edwards has been intentionally walked twice this season. Her two individual intentional walks have matched the total of team intentional walks issued to Nebraska over the past three seasons combined. Edwards is the first Husker to draw two intentional walks in the same season since 2007.

Freshmen Showcasing Power Potential
Led by twins Tatum and Taylor Edwards, Nebraska's four-player freshman class has produced impressive extra-base hit totals this season. The Husker freshmen have combined for the second-highest home run total by a freshman class in school history and the seventh-highest extra-base hit total.

The Edwards twins have combined for all 21 home runs by the freshman class, with Taylor homering 13 times and Tatum adding eight home runs. Taylor hit a home run in an NCAA-record six straight games in February, while Tatum became the second Husker ever to hit a home run in her first career at bat. The duo has combined to hit 21 of Nebraska's 33 home runs this season and has produced 71 of the Huskers' 178 RBIs.

Morgan McCann has also contributed to the extra-base hit total by adding one double in only three at bats. The Huskers' final freshman - Kylee Muir - has not recorded an extra-base hit but does have two RBIs in only six at bats.