NU Hosts Husker Fall Classic This Weekend

The Nebraska softball team invites fans to enjoy a free weekend of softball at Bowlin Stadium this weekend, when NU hosts Colorado State and UNO as part of the Husker Fall Classic. The tournamen features three games on Saturday and Sunday with free admission into every game.

Nebraska opens play on Saturday at 11 a.m. against Colorado State, followed by a matchup with UNO slated for 1:30 p.m. The Rams and Mavericks then wrap up Saturday play by facing each other at 4 p.m. On Sunday, NU and CSU get the day started at 11 a.m. before Colorado State and UNO square off at 1:30 p.m. Nebraska and UNO then conclude the Husker Fall Classic at 4 p.m.

This weekend marks the last chance for Husker fans to watch the softball team at home until March 20, 2015. Nebraska is 1-1 this fall after splitting a doubleheader with South Dakota last Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers return nine players with starting experience and 11 letterwinners from last season. Nebraska also welcomes six new faces to the fold this fall, as the Huskers' 18-player roster is the program's largest since 2009. NU is coming off a 44-18 campaign in 2014, when the Huskers won a share of the Big Ten Conference regular-season title, captured an NCAA Regional championship for the eighth time in program history and set school records for road wins (18), conference victories (18) and home runs (73).

After losing a pair of one-run games at national runner-up Alabama in the NCAA Super Regional, Nebraska finished with a No. 16 final ranking in the 2014 NFCA coaches' poll. By advancing to an NCAA Super Regional, Nebraska recorded its eighth top-10 NCAA finish in the past 18 seasons and its second straight after the Huskers advanced to the 2013 Women's College World Series.

Nebraska's 2015 senior class consists of returning starters Mattie Fowler and Kylee Muir and first-year transfer Steph Pasquale. Fowler has started 119 games at Nebraska in her first three seasons, serving as a Husker co-captain in 2013 and 2014. Fowler started the first 11 games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. She was granted a medical hardship for the 2014 season and is eligible to return for the Huskers in 2016. Fowler has recorded 87 hits, nine doubles, one triple, nie homers and 53 RBIs in her Husker career.

Muir became a starter for the first time as a fifth-year Husker in 2014, earning 53 starts and batting .266 with 12 doubles, four homers and 38 RBIs. After working at first base and primarily seeing playing time as a pinch hitter or designated player in her first four years in the program, Muir moved to the outfield and emerged as Nebraska's starting right fielder last season. Pasquale is the lone All-American on Nebraska's roster, as she was a third-team All-America catcher at Temple in 2013. Pasquale was scheduled to end her career at Temple last season, but a broken hand prematurely ended her year, and the NCAA granted her a medical hardship for the 2014 season. Temple shut down its softball program after last season, so Pasquale transferred to Nebraska. She brings a .379 career average with 45 doubles, 25 home runs and 152 RBIs to the Husker program.

NU's four-player junior class is chalked full of returning starters. Alicia Armstrong returns after earning All-Big Ten accolades in each of her first two seasons while starting all but two games at shortstop. She is sitting out this fall following offseason surgery, but Armstrong is expected to be at full strength this spring, and she owns a .331 career average with 20 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 46 RBIs. Emily Lockman is the only returning pitcher on Nebraska's 2015 staff, but she has gained extensive experience in her first two seasons. The only pitcher in school history to be a first-team all-region selection as both a freshman and a sophomore, Lockman is also a two-time all-conference honoree. She brings a 35-11 career record into her junior season with a 1.93 ERA in 322.2 innings.

Kiki Stokes is back for her junior year after starting 120 games as an outfielder for the Huskers in 2013 and 2014. One of the fastest players in school history, Stokes showed great improvement as a sophomore last season, posting a .297 batting average with seven doubles, four triples, four homers, 24 RBIs, 27 walks and 16 stolen bases. Dawna Tyson has earned 84 starts in her first two seasons at Nebraska, including 55 starts last spring when she took over at first base following Fowler's injury. A Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week selection on March 11, 2013, Tyson has produced 52 hits in her first two seasons, including five doubles and five home runs, while driving in 26 runs.

Five Huskers return for their sophomore seasons, including a trio who earned extensive playing time as freshmen. Rachel Arthur is serving as Nebraska's starting shortstop for the second fall season in a row. She earned four total starts in 2014 - including one at short - and produced one walk and one RBI in only four plate appearances. Marjani Knighten returns at third base after posting an impressive freshman season. Knighten started every game at third in 2014, producing a .311 average with eight doubles, two triples, six homers, 38 RBIs and 21 walks en route to earning second-team All-Big Ten accolades. She was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week last spring. Lotte Sjulin is back for her sophomore season after serving a valuable role off the bench as a freshman in 2014. In addition to helping the Husker coaches with in-game duties and working with Nebraska's pitching staff as a catcher during practices and individual bullpen sessions, Sjulin made 27 appearances as a pinch runner in 2014, scoring 12 runs.

Returning starters Austen Urness and Kat Woolman round out the Huskers' sophomore class. Both players split time in the outfield last season alongside Stokes and Muir. A head injury limited Urness to 42 games as a freshman, but she earned 38 starts and hit .274 with six doubles, one triple, four homers and 22 RBIs. One of her home runs was a two-run shot off four-time All-America Jaclyn Traina against Alabama in game one of the NCAA Super Regional. Woolman worked her way into the starting lineup 39 times in 2014 while appearing in 52 games overall. She produced a .242 batting average with two doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs. Woolman moved to the outfield last season in an effort to earn playing time and she will again work in the outfield this season, while also competing for the starting spot at second base, her high school position.

The Huskers feature a large, six-player freshman class this season, including four in-state products. Laura Barrow and Caitlin Bartsch are the two out-of-state players in this year's freshman class. Barrow is expected to compete for Nebraska's starting job at second base after earning second-team all-state honors for Kearney High School in Missouri's largest classification. Bartsch will figure into the Huskers' three-pitcher rotation. She brings a winning attitude to Nebraska after posting a 46-9 career record with a 1.46 ERA for The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas. In addition to her individual success, Bartsch helped the Highlanders win the state title and earn a No. 1 national ranking as a freshman in 2011.

Kaylan Jablonski, Gina Metzler, Taylor Otte and Madi Unzicker make up Nebraska's four in-state freshmen. Jablonski, the 2014 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, will figure into Nebraska's lineup and pitching rotation. A four-time Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska selection, Jablonski produced a .557 batting average - an all-class state record - with Class B career records of 25 home runs and 137 RBIs. In the circle, Jablonski led Omaha Skutt to a pair of state titles by compiling an 81-14 record with a 1.50 ERA and 891 strikeouts. Metzler was also a four-time All-Nebraska selection, becoming only the fourth player in the 21-year history of the All-Nebraska team to be a four-time, first-team honoree. Metzler figures to battle for a starting spot in a crowded Husker outfield after batting .600 with 52 runs and 40 stolen bases as a senior for Papillion-La Vista, which finished as the Class A runner-up in 2013.

Otte has the talent to compete for playing time at a variety of positions for the Huskers this season. A three-time state champion at Wahoo High School, Otte was a two-time All-Nebraska selection. She hit .584 as a senior with 17 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 34 stolen bases, 44 RBIs and 61 runs scored. Unzicker rounds out Nebraska's freshman class, and she is sitting out this fall while rehabbing from offseason surgery. Expected to be at full strength this spring, Unzicker will figure into Nebraska's catching rotation in 2015. Unzicker's bat will make her hard to keep out of the lineup, as she slugged a Nebraska all-class record 37 home runs for Millard South High School, eclipsing the previous record by 13 homers. Unzicker was a three-time, first-team All-Nebraska selection and was named the 2012 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year.

Following the Husker Fall Classic this weekend, Nebraska wraps up its eight-game fall exhibition season next Sunday, Oct. 12, with a doubleheader at Creighton.

Husker Fall Classic (FREE ADMISSION TO ALL GAMES)
Saturday, Oct. 4 Nebraska vs. Colorado State - 11 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4 Nebraska vs. UNO - 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4 UNO vs. Colorado State - 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 5 Nebraska vs. Colorado State - 11 a.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5 UNO vs. Colorado State - 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5 Nebraska vs. UNO - 4 p.m.