Rohr of the Crowd - March 14, 2013

Rohr of the Crowd is the official blog of Nate Rohr, the play-by-play announcer for Husker softball. Nate has called Nebraska softball games since 2004 and will call every game of the 2013 season. Nate is not employed by the University of Nebraska and the opinions and content of this blog are his own. Look for new blog entries weekly. 

Stat of the Week: Nebraska is 6-2 in true road games (so far) this year after winning just seven true road games last year.

The Loudest Roars: From the Wichita State doubleheader, Kiki Stokes gave the Huskers the lead for good in game one with an inside-the-park home run. In game two, Dawna Tyson leads off the top of the fourth with a home run to give her three straight games with a home run.

It's a little ironic that the end of part one of the Nebraska Softball team's 2013 schedule came to a close with the Huskers on a bus, crawling up Highway 81 and over on I-80 at about 25 MPH, as an unexpected snowstorm pelted the Midwest. It's ironic because this team that could've easily stumbled through tournament season as young players gained their footing and veterans settled into new roles, instead has raced out to a 16-5 record. Despite starting at least three freshmen in every game, and as many as five freshmen at times, this team has fought at the highest levels, keeping three nationally-ranked teams within a run or two while beating two nationally-ranked teams.

What's more, the freshmen that you thought could be liabilities this season, have instead been equal to the challenge. Dawna Tyson has a home run in each of her last three games and has shown impressive ability at the plate. Kiki Stokes has consistently set the table at the top of the Nebraska lineup, and came up with a huge hit in the seventh inning against Wichita State in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader that ulitmately won the game for NU. Alicia Armstrong has flashed the athleticism we expected, but has hit better than I thought she would, including two towering home runs in the last two weekends. And, most of all, Emily Lockman has been all she was billed and more, full of guts and composure, with a surprising 11 strikeouts Sunday in game one. That's all with Hailey Decker, who may have the most talent of all of them, showing flashes of brilliance but overall putting together an inconsistent freshman season (but still with more than two-thirds of the season to change it around).

Tatum Edwards has plugged into the ace role nicely. Taylor Edwards has shaken off a slump with home runs in both games at Wichita State. And Brooke Thomason has been Brooke Thomason, and maybe just a little more, hitting a glittering .406 with five homers and 23 RBI, either leading the team or tied for the team lead in all three categories.

There are a lot of promising signs as we move into the second stage of the season (I'm taking a little liberty in starting the second phase now, with a non-conference series, as opposed to next week, when conference play begins). The defense has been solid and athletic. The offense, though a bit inconsistent, has shown plenty of power. And the pitching of Lockman and Edwards has been reliable.

We begin part two of the season where it will end: Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln, site of the Big Ten Tournament, where the Huskers hope to nail down a postseason bid after missing regionals last year, and move into phase three of the season: Regionals. I'm excited to begin part two of the trip, and not just because we won't have to deal with much more snow during our bus rides.

Weekly Warmup: New Mexico State, UNO & North Dakota State
The Huskers open their home schedule with a three-game series starting Friday against New Mexico State. The Aggies are 15-10, dropping their last three games in Tempe, Arizona, two to Notre Dame and one to No. 2 Arizona State. Before that, though, NMSU has won five in a row and eight of 10. The Aggies have scored just under five runs a game while hitting .293 as a team. Four New Mexico State regulars are hitting .300 or better, and two others are hitting .290. Amber Olive has been a potent table-setter, hitting .360 with 10 stolen bases. Staci Rodriguez has feasted at that table, hitting eight homers with 28 RBI. Lacey Rother, a part-time starter for NMSU, has strong Nebraska ties: Her father, Tim, was a defensive lineman for Nebraska in the 1980s, leading a tough Blackshirt defense that held six of seven Big Eight opponents to seven points or less, losing only No. 2 Oklahoma in the Game of the Century II. Rother led a defense that had Broderick Thomas and Neil Smith in sacks with 13 and tackles for loss with 7.5. Meanwhile, the Aggies pitching staff has held its opponents to a better-than-usual 2.58 team ERA. Alex Newman has taken the bulk of the innings, pitching to a 7-5 record and a 1.82 ERA in 69.1 innings pitched. She's struck out just 36, but walked even fewer-7. The reason why the Aggies record isn't better may be because of a shoddy defense that has committed 35 errors and allowed 22 unearned runs.

On Tuesday, the Huskers square off with UNO at Bowlin Stadium. The Mavericks dominated the competition at the Tennessee State Tournament, winning five games by a combined 33-1. The Mavs enter the weekend 19-2 before squaring off with North Dakota State in a three-game series in Omaha this weekend. Nebraska-Omaha has only lost to Iowa (2-1) and Washington (10-2 in five innings). Dana Elsasser has thrown the bulk of the innings, pitching to a 10-2 record with a 1.73 ERA in 13 starts and 85 innings. As a team, UNO has an ERA of 1.76. The offense hasn't been a slouch either, scoring 6.4 runs per game. Creighton transfer Allie Mathewson has paced the Mavericks offense, hitting .389 with eight home runs and driving in 23 runs. Seven of nine Mavs regulars are hitting .300 or better, with Amber Lutmer providing the power, slugging .948 while hitting 10 home runs and driving in 32 runs.

On Wednesday, North Dakota State and Nebraska will tussle in a doubleheader. The Bison enter their Summit League series with UNO at 12-12 with wins of 8 of their last 10 games. Included in that run is a 3-0 win over No. 23 Georgia in Athens on March 2. NDSU has found its way to a respectable record despite struggling on offense, hitting a meager .213 as a team while scoring 3.6 runs per game. The Bison have more strikeouts at the plate (145) than hits (127). Jenina Ortega is the only North Dakota State player hitting better than .240. She's hitting .340 with 11 RBI. NDSU has pitched okay, to a team ERA of 2.84. Whitney Johnson has accelled in her senior year, with an 8-6 record and a 1.78 ERA, striking out 104 batters in 94.1 innings pitched. Friend, Neb., native Krista Menke is the No. 2 pitcher, with a 4-6 record and a 4.49 ERA. She's walked 32 while striking out 38.

That's all for now, we'll talk to you tomorrow from Bowlin Stadium!

Go Big Red!

Nate