Huskers Host Final Home Games This Weekend

The Nebraska softball team closes out the regular season this weekend with a key Big Ten Conference series against Illinois at Bowlin Stadium.

Both Nebraska and Illinois are poised to earn a bye in next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio. The Huskers enter this weekend’s series in third place in the Big Ten standings with a 15-5 record in league play. The Fighting Illini are right behind NU in fourth place with a 13-7 record in conference action.

The top four finishers earn a bye for the conference tournament. One win this weekend would clinch a bye for the Huskers and would guarantee Nebraska no worse than the No. 3 seed. Illinois would clinch a bye with two wins this weekend. Nebraska (2.5 games ahead) and Illinois (0.5 games ahead) are battling with Northwestern (12-7) for a bye.

Nebraska and Illinois are two of the Big Ten’s hottest teams. The Huskers posted a 12-3 record in the month of April and have won 10 of their last 11 games. Illinois was 13-4 in April, and the Fighting Illini have won 13 of their last 16 games.

NU has won seven of its last eight Big Ten games, while Illinois has won 10 of its last 13 conference games, including six of its last seven on the road.

Fans are encouraged to attend the final home games of the season in what should be an exciting weekend at Bowlin Stadium. Saturday is Fan Appreciation Day. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. and the first 500 fans through the gates will receive a Nebraska softball trading card set and there will be free giveaways and raffle prizes throughout the game. On Sunday, NU’s senior class will be honored.

A live video stream of all three games this weekend will be available to subscribers of BTN Plus. On Saturday, NET Sports will televise the game live in the state of Nebraska, with the television broadcast also available on BTN Plus and BTN2Go.

This Week's Top 10

1. One win this weekend would guarantee the Huskers a bye for the Big Ten Tournament and would also give Nebraska a top-three conference finish for the fourth straight season.
2. Nebraska has won five straight and 10 of its last 11. The Huskers were 12-3 in the month of April.
3. NU has won 30 of its last 36 Big Ten games, and the Huskers have won 19 of their last 21 weekend conference series dating back to 2012.
4. The Huskers are 34-8 at Bowlin Stadium in Big Ten play, and Nebraska has won 16 of its last 19 conference home games.
5. NU has scored 349 runs this season, 10 runs shy of the school record (358 runs in 1996)
6. Nebraska has scored double-digit runs a school-record 18 times this season. Fueled by its high-scoring offense, the Huskers have run-ruled their opponent in half of their victories (15 of 30).
7. Nebraska is averaging 7.1 runs per game. The school record is 5.7 runs per game in 2014.
8. The Huskers own a .344 team batting average. The NU record is .315 in 1995.
9. Nebraska’s offense ranks 13th nationally in on-base percentage (.438), 17th in scoring (7.1 runs per game) and 18th in average (.344).
10. Defensively, the Huskers rank 15th nationally in double plays per game (0.48).

Leading Off...

• Three of Nebraska’s last five wins have been run-rule victories. In conference play, four of the Huskers’ last six Big Ten victories have been run-rule wins.
• Nebraska has scored 159 runs in its 20 Big Ten Conference games this season. The most runs a Husker team has ever scored in a conference season was 167 runs in 23 Big Ten games last season.
• NU needs to score 10 runs and produce three RBIs this weekend to set the school record in each category.
• NU records an extra-base hit nearly as often (128 extra-base hits) as it strikes out (135 times).
• Kiki Stokes has reached base safely in 22 straight games.
• Kiki Stokes has scored 57 runs, the most ever by a Husker junior. She is four runs from tying the school record (61).
• MJ Knighten has hit safely in eight consecutive games. Her eight-game hitting streak started immediately after her 21-game hitting streak was snapped at UNO on April 15. Knighten has collected a hit in 29 of her last 30 games.
• MJ Knighten has hit safely in each of Nebraska’s 20 Big Ten Conference games this season, and she leads the league with a .500 batting average in league play. Overall, Knighten has a hit in 21 consecutive Big Ten Conference games.

Putting It In Play
Nebraska has been one of the nation’s toughest teams to strike out this season, as the Huskers have struck out just 135 times in 49 games.

• Nebraska’s 135 strikeouts are the second-fewest of any team from a Power Five conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC).
• Nebraska’s 135 strikeouts are 39 fewer than any other Big Ten team (Minnesota, 174 strikeouts).
• NU has recorded 51 more walks than strikeouts this season. Including Nebraska’s 46 hit-by-pitches, the Huskers own 97 more free passes than strikeouts.
• Nebraska has struck out just 38 times in its 20 Big Ten Conference games. The Huskers’ 38 strikeouts are 42 fewer than any other Big Ten team in conference play (Illinois and Minnesota, 80 strikeouts).
• Every Husker with at least 30 plate appearances has totaled more walks than strikeouts.

Stokes Ties Husker Hit-by-Pitch Record
Junior Kiki Stokes was hit by a pair of pitches at Wisconsin on April 26, giving her 16 hit-by-pitches this season.

• Stokes has tied the Nebraska season record for hit-by-pitches. Taylor Edwards was also hit by 16 pitches in 2013.
• Stokes leads the Big Ten and is tied for sixth nationally with her 16 hit-by-pitches.
• Stokes has also drawn 30 walks this season, giving her 46 combined free passes. The Nebraska record for most combined free passes in a season is 54 by Taylor Edwards in 2014.
• Stokes ranks third in the Big Ten and 30th nationally with a .544 on-base percentage.

The Producers
Alicia Armstrong, MJ Knighten, Steph Pasquale and Kiki Stokes have each totaled more than 40 RBIs this season, while Cassie McClure owns 36 RBIs.

• Four Huskers have each produced 40 RBIs in the same season for only the second time in school history (1996).
• NU has never had five players total 40 RBIs in a season.

Huskers Pitched Well in April
Nebraska’s pitching staff has shown improvement throughout the season, and the staff was at its best in the month of April.

• Nebraska owned a 12-3 record and a 2.73 ERA in April.
• NU allowed one run or less in five of its 15 games in the month of April.
• Nebraska threw three shutouts in 15 April games after having just one shutout over the first 34 games of the season.
• NU struck out 68 batters in April and walked only 36. The Huskers issued more walks than strikeouts in each of the first two months of the season.
• Compared to the first two months of the season, Nebraska lowered its ERA by 2.76 in April and lowered its opponent batting average by .095.
• Fueled by the performance of the pitching staff, Nebraska allowed just 3.0 runs per game in April. The Huskers allowed 5.5 runs per game in the first two months of the season.
• Junior Emily Lockman was 4-3 in April with one save, a 2.75 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 48.1 innings.
• Freshman Kaylan Jablonski was 6-0 in April with a 2.62 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 37.1 innings.
• Sophomore Cassie McClure was 2-0 in April with one save, a 3.00 ERA and four strikeouts in 9.1 innings.

Jablonski Coming On Strong
Freshman Kaylan Jablonski has played her best softball over the last few weeks, both offensively and in the circle.

• In the circle, Jablonski has won her last six decisions, all in the month of April.
• Jablonski was 6-0 in April with a 2.62 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 37.1 innings. She entered the month with a 1-5 record, a 7.69 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
• Jablonski is 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA in her last six starts dating back to her first career complete game and shutout at Purdue on April 11.
• Jablonski is 5-1 in Big Ten play and ranks sixth in the league with a 2.92 ERA in conference action. She has won four of her last five conference starts with a no-decision in the lone game she did not earn the win.
• Jablonski has not allowed an earned run in three of her last six starts.
• Jablonski has struck out 28 batters in her last six starts totaling 32.2 innings. She had only 18 strikeouts in her first 38.1 career total innings.
• Jablonski has produced at least one hit in six of her last seven starts in the lineup, batting .421 (8-for-19) in that stretch with three RBIs.
• In the month of April, Jablonski hit .360 (9-for-25) with five runs and four RBIs, including her first career home run at Ohio State in game two of an April 4 doubleheader.

Scouting Illinois (25-24, 13-7)
Illinois enters this weekend with a 25-24 record following a 9-0 six-inning shutout of Western Illinois on Tuesday. The Fighting Illini are in fourth place in the Big Ten standings with a 13-7 record in league play.

Illinois has won 13 of its last 16 games, 10 of its last 13 conference games and six of its last seven road conference games. Nebraska and Illinois share five common conference opponents in Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Huskers posted a 10-4 record against that group while Illinois went 7-7.

The Fighting Illini boast one of the league’s top offenses, batting .332 as a team while averaging 6.3 runs per game. Illinois’ .547 slugging percentage ranks third in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally, while the Illini are second in the league with 92 doubles, ranking fourth nationally in doubles per game. In Big Ten play, Illinois has scored 166 runs, trailing only Michigan (175) for most runs scored. The Fighting Illini are hitting .369 in league play, .025 higher than any other Big Ten team (Northwestern, .344).

Allie Bauch paces the Illini with a .399 average that includes 18 doubles, 11 homers and 34 RBIs. Bauch ranks 15th nationally in doubles per game. Alyssa Gunther is hitting .383 with eight doubles and four triples, and she has struck out only five times in 162 at bats. Nicole Evans paces the team with 17 homers and is tied with Jess Perkins for the team lead with 48 RBIs. Carly Thomas leads the Big Ten with a .957 slugging percentage in conference play and is second with a .493 average.

While the Illini have been outstanding offensively, they have not been as strong in the circle. Illinois is allowing 6.8 runs per game this season, and the team’s 5.94 ERA ranks 12th in the Big Ten. Although the Fighting Illini boast a higher ERA in league play (6.84), Illinois ranks ninth in the Big Ten in ERA in conference-only games.

Jade Vecvanags has thrown nearly half of the team’s total innings this season, compiling an 18-10 record with a 4.97 ERA. Vecvanags is 12-5 with a 5.17 ERA in conference play, leading the league in wins. Shelese Arnold (4-6, 7.40 ERA in 76.2 IP) and Breanna Wonderly (2-8, 6.68 ERA in 65.0 IP) have also seen extensive action.