Huskers Earn Preseason Honors

Three Nebraska softball players have earned individual preseason honors from CollegeSportsMadness.com, which kicked off its 2012 softball season coverage last week.

Sophomore catcher Taylor Edwards was chosen as a third-team preseason All-American and a first-team preseason All-Big Ten selection. Her twin sister Tatum also earned a spot on the preseason All-Big Ten first team, while senior right-hander Ashley Hagemann was tabbed the Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Each of those three players earned all-conference accolades a season ago, while Edwards was a third-team All-American and Hagemann was a second-team all-region selection. Overall, Nebraska's roster features six returning all-conference performers (also including Ashley Guile, Nikki Haget and Brooke Thomason), the highest total to begin a season in school history. The Huskers also add three talented newcomers, including a pair of first-team high school All-Americans (Jordan Bettiol and Mattie Fowler) and Courtney Breault, transfer from Arkansas who was a two-year starter for the Razorbacks and earned SEC All-Freshman team honors in 2010.

Nebraska opens its 2012 season with six games in four days at the Kajikawa Classic Feb. 9-12.