Huskers Finish Homestand With South Dakota State

The Nebraska softball team wraps up a seven-game homestand against South Dakota State on Wednesday at Bowlin Stadium. In a change from the original schedule, the teams will play only one game beginning at 5 p.m.

Fans can purchase tickets for Wednesday’s game online at Huskers.com, over the phone by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or in person at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office, located at the main entrance to the stadium, behind home plate. Those fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can follow all of the action online. A free radio broadcast will be available on Huskers.com, with Nate Rohr providing the play-by-play. HuskersNSide subscribers can also watch a live video stream of the matchup.

Nebraska is a perfect 6-0 on its homestand thus far, as the Huskers have won a season-high eight straight games to improve to 19-12 on the season. Nebraska is coming off a 4-0 week that included a three-game sweep of Northwestern in the Huskers’ first-ever Big Ten Conference series.

The Big Red began last week by rallying from a one-run deficit to sneak past in-state foe UNO, 2-1, last Tuesday. The Huskers then fell behind by scores of 4-0 and 5-1 in the opener against Northwestern before storming back. Junior Brooke Thomason hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull Nebraska within 6-4 heading into the final frame. After the Huskers plated a run, Thomason again came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs and the Huskers trailing 6-5. Thomason then delivered a dramatic victory with a walk-off grand slam that powered Nebraska to a 9-6 win and marked NU’s first game-winning, walk-off home run since 2002.

In the theme of the week, the Huskers again fell behind early in game two of their series with Northwestern. The Wildcats led 3-0 after one-half inning of play, before Nebraska plated three runs with two outs in the bottom of the first. NU went on to score seven times over the first three innings, then held on for a 7-6 victory after Northwestern scored three times in the top of the seventh.

After playing three close, dramatic games, the Huskers won comfortably in the series finale. Nebraska took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and added six more runs in the fourth to coast to an 8-1 victory. Sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards was dominant in the circle for the Huskers. In her first start in nearly a month, Edwards fired a five-hitter and did not allow an earned run.

For their efforts, Edwards was named Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week, while Thomason was named Big Ten Player of the Week.

Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (4-15)
South Dakota State enters Wednesday’s game with a 4-15 record this season. The Jackrabbits have lost nine consecutive games, including three one-run decisions at Northern Colorado last weekend. Three of SDSU’s four wins this season have come over Toledo, while the Jacks also own a victory over Florida Gulf Coast. Wednesday’s matchup will mark South Dakota State’s 10th consecutive road game. The Jacks are 0-9 on the road this season.

SDSU has struggled offensively, batting just .217 as a team while averaging only 2.3 runs per game. The Jackrabbits have been held to one run or less in 10 of their 19 games this season. South Dakota State has also recorded only 21 extra-base hits in 460 at bats this season, an average of one every 22 at bats.

Omaha native Devon Reick is SDSU’s top hitter, as she boasts a .345 average with two doubles, an RBI, six walks and a stolen base. Morgan McCabe is batting .346 with a team-high four doubles, but she has started only five games this season. Tina Winter is batting .278 with a double and four RBIs, and Alex Landon has walked a team-high 10 times while posting a .271 average. Landon has also hit one of the team’s four home runs, while Emily Weber leads the Jacks with two home runs and seven RBIs.

In the circle, South Dakota State is allowing an average of 5.6 runs per game while posting a 4.93 team ERA.  The Jacks’ staff has struggled with its control, walking 83 batters on the season and striking out only 60. SDSU averages more than five walks per seven innings pitched. No South Dakota State pitcher boasts more strikeouts than walks this season.

The Jackrabbits have used a four-pitcher rotation this season led by Pam Nicholson. Nicholson has made a team-high 11 appearances and thrown a team-high 50.1 innings. She is 2-7 on the year with a team-low 3.75 ERA, but has walked 34 and struck out 31. Kori Seidlitz has started a team-high eight games and is 1-6 on the year with a 5.59 ERA. She has walked 26 and struck out 22 in 36.1 innings. Landon is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in 19.1 innings, and she has walked 22 and struck out only six. Mindy Lorimor has made seven appearances and two starts, but has thrown only 9.0 total innings. She is 0-1 on the year with a 7.00 ERA.

South Dakota State is led by first-time head coach Kim Aggabao, who joined the Jackrabbit program last summer following a seven-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego.

Series History
Nebraska is a perfect 14-0 all-time against South Dakota State. The teams are meeting at Bowlin Stadium for the seventh consecutive season since South Dakota State began reclassifying to the Division I level in 2006. The Huskers have run-ruled the Jackrabbits in six of the 14 all-time meetings, while outscoring SDSU by an 89-14 margin. In addition to its success against South Dakota State, Nebraska is also a perfect 56-0 all-time against members of the Summit League and 40-0 all-time against the four Division I Dakota softball programs (North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State).

Last season, Nebraska swept a doubleheader from SDSU. The Huskers cruised to a 9-1, six-inning win in game one, before escaping with a 1-0 victory in game two. Nebraska has played seven games against SDSU the past three seasons, and several current Huskers have put up impressive numbers against the Jackrabbits. Madison Drake is a .429 career hitter against SDSU with three RBIs in only seven at bats. Brooke Thomason is 5-for-11 (.455) in her career against South Dakota State with three doubles and five RBIs. Taylor Edwards went 2-for-6 in last year’s doubleheader with a homer and three RBIs.

In the circle, Ashley Hagemann is 3-0 in her career with a 0.39 ERA against the Jacks. Hagemann has started one game against South Dakota State in each of her first three seasons. She tossed a two-hit shutout as a freshman in 2009 with eight strikeouts, then threw a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts as a sophomore. Last year, Hagemann fired another two-hitter and gave up one run in 6.0 innings. Tatum Edwards threw her second career shutout in last year’s second game, allowing only one base runner and striking out a career-high nine.

Quick Hitters
The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes of interest as the Huskers wrap up a seven-game homestand on Wednesday against South Dakota State.

• Nebraska owns an all-time record of 430-247 (.635) in the month of March. The Huskers have clinched a winning month of March this spring for the 18th straight season dating back to 1994.
• Fourteen of NU’s 31 games this season have come against teams ranked or receiving votes in the polls.
• The Huskers have committed 40 errors and allowed 31 unearned runs through 31 games this season. In 55 games last year, Nebraska committed 43 errors and allowed only five unearned runs. 
• Thirty-nine of the 113 runs Nebraska has allowed this season have scored on home runs (35 percent).
• Thirty-nine of the 113 runners who have scored against NU this season reached base by a walk or hit-by-pitch.
• Overall, batters who have walked or been hit by a pitch score an average of 1.3 runs per game this season.
• Not a single player has started every game at the same position this season. The closest are Brooke Thomason, who has started 30 of NU’s 31 games at right field and Ashley Guile, who has started 30 of 31 games at first base.
• Nebraska has won eight consecutive games against Big Ten teams dating back to a 2009 loss to Northwestern. 
• Nebraska was 1-6 entering last weekend when the opponent scored five or more runs this season, but the Huskers won two such games against Northwestern, winning 9-6 on Friday and 7-6 in game one on Saturday. 
• Tatum Edwards owns 19 career homers. With her next home run, she would join Brooke Thomason (24) and Taylor Edwards (21) to give NU three players with 20 career home runs for only the second time in school history (1998).
• Brooke Thomason enters Wednesday’s game with 99 career RBIs.
• Thomason also owns 24 career home runs, one shy of cracking Nebraska’s all-time top 10.
• Ashley Hagemann needs 14 strikeouts to move into third place on Nebraska’s all-time chart.

Huskers Producing RBIs in Record Fashion
Nebraska’s potent offense the past two seasons has led to some impressive individual RBI totals. This season, five Huskers have already produced more than 20 RBIs and every member of that group reached the mark in 27 or fewer games. This year’s group is only the ninth team in school history to have five players produce 20 RBIs in the same season. The 2011 and 2012 Huskers are the only teams to accomplish that feat since the NCAA limited teams to a maximum of 56 regular-season games beginning with the 2007 season.

Five Huskers are on pace for not only 30 RBIs, but 40 RBIs this season. In program history, no team has ever had more than four players produce 40 RBIs in the same season and only the 1996 Huskers have had five players produce even 30 RBIs in the same season. Overall, five of the Big Ten’s top 10 RBI producers are Huskers.

The impressive RBI totals have helped one Husker eclipse 100 career RBIs, while two others are nearing the mark. Senior Ashley Guile owns 113 career RBIs, while junior Brooke Thomason has driven in 99 runs in her career and sophomore Taylor Edwards has produced 95 RBIs. With one more RBI from Thomason and five more from Edwards, Nebraska will have three players in the lineup with 100 career RBIs for the first time in school history.

Thomason’s Walk-Off Grand Slam First by a Husker in a Decade
With Nebraska trailing 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning against Northwestern last Friday, junior Brooke Thomason belted a walk-off grand slam to power the Huskers to a 9-6, come-from-behind victory. The home run was the second of the day for Thomason, whose solo shot pulled Nebraska to within 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth. Thomason’s walk-off home run was the first by a Husker since Nicole Trimboli also had a walk-off grand slam to give Nebraska a 6-2 win over Texas A&M on May 4, 2002 at the Big 12 Tournament.

Thomason is tied for the Big Ten Conference lead with two home runs in league play. Overall, 12 of Thomason’s 25 career home runs have come during conference play. A native of Overland Park, Kan., Thomason homered five times in Big 12 play in both 2010 and 2011, as she owns 12 home runs in 39 career conference games.

Banda Hit Barrage
Junior Gabby Banda has been a hit machine over the past 10 games. Banda has produced a three-hit game in  five of her last seven games. She has tallied six three-hit performances over her last 10 games, totaling 20 hits during that stretch. Banda has produced eight three-hit games this year after never recording more than two hits in any of her 111 career games entering this season. Overall this year, Banda has produced 12 multi-hit games after totaling only nine such games over her first two seasons combined.

With her three-hit effort against Northwestern last Friday, Banda recorded the 100th hit of her career.

Taylor Edwards Nearing 100 RBIs in Record Time
Sophomore Taylor Edwards enters Wednesday’s game with 95 RBIs in only 86 career games. She is bidding to become only the second Husker to drive in 100 runs in fewer than 100 career games and has a good chance at reaching the mark faster than any player in school history. Three-time All-American Ali Viola holds the current top mark, as she produced her 100th RBI in her 92nd career game.

Thomason and Tatum Edwards Win Big Ten Weekly Honors
A pair of Husker softball players were honored by the Big Ten Conference this week, as junior Brooke Thomason was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and sophomore Tatum Edwards was named the conference co-pitcher of the week. Both players won the first weekly Big Ten awards of their careers, while Thomason earned her second career conference honor, as she was named the Big 12 Player of the Week as a freshman in 2010.        

Thomason played a huge role in the Huskers’ sweep of Northwestern. The junior was key in Nebraska’s come-from-behind win in the series opener. Her sixth-inning home run cut Northwestern’s lead to 6-4 and one inning later, Thomason belted a walk-off grand slam to power Nebraska to the 9-6 win. She tied career highs with two home runs and five RBIs in the win, while becoming the first Husker to hit a game-winning, walk-off home run since 2002. Thomason finished the three-game series with seven RBIs, while batting .417 on the week.

Edwards pitched only once last week, returning from an elbow injury. She started the series finale against Northwestern, making her first appearance in the circle in three weeks and her first start in nearly a month. After the Wildcats had scored 12 runs the first two games of the series, Edwards held Northwestern to a single run in an 8-1 victory. A native of Murrieta, Calif., Edwards did not allow an earned run in a complete-game effort. She allowed only five hits and struck out six, while retiring 13 of the final 14 batters she faced.

Husker Pitching Staff Excelling in March
After a rough start to the season, the Nebraska pitching staff has fared well in the month of March. The Huskers owned a 4.20 ERA in February, while allowing an average of 4.9 runs per game. This month, the staff boasts a 1.69 ERA and is allowing an average of 2.3 runs per game. In 16 games during the month of February, Nebraska held its opponent to two runs or less only five times. But in March, the Huskers have held the opponent to two or fewer runs 10 times in 15 games, including 9 of the last 11 contests.

Comeback Kids
Nebraska has shown an ability to rally this season. The Huskers have come from behind to win in seven of their 19 victories this season. Five times Nebraska has rallied from a deficit of two or more runs and four times the Huskers have overcome a three-run deficit to win. But most impressively, the Huskers have rallied to win three games this season when they trailed by four runs.

The Huskers trailed No. 8 Arizona 6-0 on Feb. 10, before ultimately rallying for a 10-9 victory to post the biggest comeback in school history. Later that same day, Nebraska fell behind Idaho State 4-0, before coming from behind to post a 12-4, run-rule win. Then last Friday against Northwestern, Nebraska trailed 4-0 and 5-1 before earning a 9-6 win. The Huskers have overcome a four-run deficit to win a game three times this season after accomplishing that feat only twice from 2000 to 2011.

Nebraska has also shown the ability to rally in its final at bat, posting a pair of walk-off, come-from-behind victories. Against Arizona, the Wildcats scored three times in the top of the seventh inning to take a 9-8 lead. But Nebraska scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, winning on a two-out, walk-off, RBI single from junior Courtney Breault in her first career start as a Husker. Last Friday against Northwestern, Nebraska trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the seventh. The Huskers pulled to within one and had the bases loaded with two outs when junior Brooke Thomason blasted a walk-off grand slam - her second home run of the game - to lift NU to victory. That marked the Huskers’ first game-winning, walk-off home run since Nicole Trimboli in 2002.