Four Huskers Earn All-Big Ten Honors

Four Nebraska softball players were honored by the Big Ten on Wednesday, when the conference announced its 2015 All-Big Ten teams.

Senior catcher Steph Pasquale, junior center fielder Kiki Stokes and sophomore third baseman MJ Knighten were all first-team selections, while junior pitcher Emily Lockman was a second-team pick. Sophomore Lotte Sjulin rounded out the group of Husker honorees, as she earned a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Pasquale was the lone catcher on the 18-player first team, and she earned the fourth all-conference accolade of her career after being a three-time All-Atlantic-10 selection at Temple. Lockman, who was also named the pitcher on the Big Ten All-Defensive team, earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for the third straight season. Knighten was one of six unanimous selections to the 2015 All-Big Ten first team one year after being the only Big Ten freshman position player to earn all-conference accolades. Stokes was named an All-Big Ten performer for the first time in her career.

Pasquale hit .406 in Big Ten play with seven doubles, eight homers and 36 RBIs. Her 36 RBIs in conference play ranked second in Big Ten history, one shy of the record. Pasquale added an .855 slugging percentage and a .506 on-base percentage in league play. Overall, Pasquale is batting .373 this season with 10 doubles, 10 homers and 47 RBIs. She is just the 12th Husker to record 10 doubles and 10 homers in the same season.

A native of Olathe, Kan., Stokes is enjoying a breakout junior season. She hit .338 in Big Ten play with two doubles, three triples, two homers and 17 RBIs. She led Nebraska with a .510 on-base percentage during the conference season and scored 25 runs in only 23 games. On the season, Stokes has scored 60 runs – one shy of the school record – and her .536 on-base percentage is currently the top mark in school history. Stokes is batting .404 this spring with nine doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 32 walks and 49 RBIs.

Lockman got better and better as Big Ten play continued, posting a 10-4 record with a 3.11 ERA in league play. Only the fourth Husker pitcher to earn all-conference accolades each of her first three seasons, Lockman ranked fourth in the Big Ten in wins during conference play, and she was sixth in ERA. A native of Corona, Calif., Lockman allowed only two earned runs over her final five appearances in conference play. On the season, Lockman owns a 16-12 record and she is 5-2 with a 1.84 ERA over Nebraska’s last 15 games.

Knighten’s appointment as one of six unanimous selections solidified her spot as one of the Big Ten’s top players. Knighten finished second in the Big Ten with a .475 average and 38 hits in conference play. She averaged more than one hit, one run and one RBI per game during the conference slate, scoring 25 runs and producing 31 RBIs, the eighth-highest total in Big Ten history. On the season, Knighten leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th nationally with 76 hits, which ranks sixth in Husker history. Her .427 batting average currently ranks third in school history, and Knighten’s 53 RBIs are tied for the eighth-highest total in the history of Nebraska softball.

Minnesota’s Sara Groenewegen was named the 2015 Big Ten Player of the Year, while Michigan’s Megan Betsa was the league’s Pitcher of the Year. Northwestern’s Sabrina Rabin was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Michigan’s Carol Hutchins was tabbed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading the Wolverines to the regular-season title.

With the postseason awards announced, attention turns to the 2015 Big Ten Tournament, which begins on Thursday. The third-seeded Huskers will open play at the conference tournament on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (Central) against the winner of Thursday’s first-round matchup between host Ohio State, the No. 6 seed, and 11th-seeded Indiana.

Complete All-Big Ten Teams