Husker Seniors Hope to End Where They Began

Nebraska has won a Big Ten championship and two NCAA Regional titles over the past three seasons. The Huskers' 2016 senior class has accomplished much, and the group hopes its journey ends where it began: at the Women's College World Series.

Nebraska's seniors were freshmen in 2013 when the Huskers last made it to Oklahoma City, with the exception of Mattie Fowler, who was a sophomore. The group made key contributions during Nebraska's postseason run, with Alicia Armstrong, Kiki Stokes and Fowler starting every postseason game and Dawna Tyson started 29 games during the regular season before pinch hitting in all three games of the Super Regional and twice during the Women's College World Series. In the circle, Emily Lockman made three postseason appearances and earned a complete-game victory in the Super Regional series-clinching win at Oregon.

The Huskers' five seniors can draw upon that experience in their quest to end their careers with another successful postseason. The group is expected to provide leadership for a 2016 squad that boasts a unique blend of young potential and proven experience. Nebraska returns 10 players with extensive starting experience, but the Huskers have inexperienced positions, with the 19-player roster combining for only seven career starts at catcher and 13 in right field. Nebraska also brings back its entire pitching staff from 2015, but three of the four pitchers are in their first or second season as Huskers.

The seniors not only provide leadership, but they bring plenty of talent to the Husker roster. Stokes was a 2015 third-team All-American after batting .407 and setting school records with 66 runs scored and a .532 on-base percentage at the top of the NU lineup. Lockman is a three-time All-Big Ten performer who is one of only four pitchers nationally to be a two-time, first-team all-region selection. Armstrong is a two-time All-Big Ten choice who ranks eighth in Husker history with a .340 career batting average. Fowler (.321) and Tyson (.301) both posted career-best batting averages while splitting time at first base last season.

"We have a strong senior class who is leading well both on and off the field," Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle said. "They are a group that has won a Big Ten championships, played in two Super Regionals and one Women's College World Series, so they understand the rigors of success and are being great role models for the team." 

Knighten, McClure Returning All-Region Selections
Nebraska's seniors have earned their recognition, but they're not the only award-winners on the Huskers' 2016 roster. Juniors MJ Knighten and Cassie McClure have combined for three all-region accolades in their careers, as the classmates join seniors Emily Lockman and Kiki Stokes to give Nebraska an impressive four returning all-region performers.

Knighten has started every game at third base for the Huskers the past two seasons. She hit .311 and earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades as a freshman before exploding onto the national scene last spring en route to earning first-team all-region honors. Knighten led Nebraska with a .412 batting average, 82 hits and 60 RBIs in 2015. Her 82 hits were the most by a Husker in 19 seasons and her .412 average was the best mark at Nebraska in 17 years. Knighten's .364 career batting average ranks fifth in Husker history.

McClure earned first-team All-Midwest Region honors in her first season at Nebraska in 2015 after being a third-team All-Central Region choice as a freshman at Texas Tech in 2014. McClure contributed both at the plate and in the circle for Nebraska in 2015, despite not arriving on campus until January. Offensively, McClure hit .346 with 11 doubles and 39 RBIs for the Huskers. In the circle, McClure posted the first nine victories of her career, finishing with a 9-3 record and ranking 12th nationally with a Big Ten-leading five saves.

Veteran Nebraska Infield Together Again in 2016
Nebraska will feature a veteran infield in 2016, one that returns every starter from the 2015 season. Collectively, the group has combined for 539 career starts on the infield.

Senior Alicia Armstrong has started 179 of a possible 181 games the past three seasons at shortstop, including 119 straight. Junior MJ Knighten has started all 120 games at third base the last two years and sophomore Laura Barrow started all 58 games at second base last spring. At first base, the senior tandem of Mattie Fowler and Dawna Tyson have combined to start the last 181 games at the position. Fowler has earned 99 career starts at first base and also has starting experience at shortstop (49 starts) and third base (5). Tyson has made 82 career starts at first.

Husker Pitching Staff Returns Intact
Nebraska's pitching staff aims to improve on its 2015 season, and the Huskers hope experience will help it reach that goal. Nebraska returns 100 percent of its pitching production from last spring, and three of the Huskers' four returning pitchers were in their first year at Nebraska in 2015. NU is hoping to build off a strong finish to last season.

Headlining the staff is senior Emily Lockman, a three-time All-Big Ten selection and one of only four pitchers nationally who is a two-time, first-team all-region honoree. Lockman finished last season strong, compiling a 7-3 record with a 2.11 ERA over her final 17 appearances. Junior Cassie McClure earned her first career decision last season, posting a 9-3 record and ranking 12th nationally with five saves, even though she arrived on campus only one month prior to the season. Sophomore Kaylan Jablonski posted an 8-6 record as a freshman and won seven of her final eight decisions. Classmate Caitlin Bartsch also made improvement during her freshman season, allowing only one run in 3.0 innings at Wichita State in her next-to-last appearance of her rookie year.

The Huskers also add a pitcher in sophomore transfer Taylor Kadavy, who spent her freshman season at Nebraska-Kearney, but was unable to pitch for the Lopers due to injury. Kadavy is Nebraska's first left-handed pitcher since 2000.

Huskers Return Plenty From Record-Breaking Offense
Nebraska set school records for batting average (.337), runs (400), RBIs (370), walks (217), on-base percentage (.431) and slugging percentage (.505) in 2015. The Huskers hope to build off last year's success, as Nebraska's returning hitters combined for a .344 average, a .443 on-base percentage and .507 on-base percentage in 2015, all of which would top the school records set last season.

The 2016 Nebraska lineup returns more than 70 percent of its 2015 production in every category except home runs (69 percent). Perhaps most impressively, returning Huskers combined to score 310 runs in 2015, a total that by itself would rank seventh in NU history.

Sophomores Look to Step Up
With eight members, Nebraska's sophomore class accounts for more than 42 percent of the Huskers' 19-player roster. The group primarily had to wait its turn as freshmen in 2015, but with the benefit of a year of experience, the emergence of the sophomore class may go a long way toward helping Nebraska achieve its goals for the 2016 season.

Laura Barrow started all 58 games at second base as a freshman in 2015, when she batted .331 with 13 doubles and 27 RBIs. Kaylan Jablonski earned 26 starts in the batting order and 16 in the circle, posting a .278 batting average and an 8-6 record.

Gina Metzler (11 starts), Madi Unzicker (8) and Taylor Otte (5) also saw starting action as freshmen, while Caitlin Bartsch made four relief pitching appearances. Although those four players saw limited action in 2015, each boasts plenty of potential. Unzicker hit more home runs (37) than any other player in the history of Nebraska high school softball, while Metzler was a four-time, first-team All-Nebraska selection every year of her high school career. Otte was a three-time all-state selection and two-time All-Nebraska performer and Bartsch earned all-state recognition in Texas while compiling a 46-9 career record with a 1.46 ERA and 17 saves.

The final members of the sophomore class are Austen Urness and Taylor Kadavy. Urness is in her third year with the program but is only a sophomore after redshirting in 2015 due to injury. Urness hit .274 with six doubles, four homers and 22 RBIs as a freshman in 2014. Kadavy is a transfer pitcher from UNK who was a three-time all-state selection in high school.

Huskers Add Pair of Freshmen
In addition to Kadavy, new to the Husker roster in 2016 are freshmen Bri Cassidy and Alyvia Simmons. Both are in the mix for significant playing time this spring, with Cassidy working behind the plate and Simmons competing for action in the outfield.

Cassidy was a first-team high school All-American for Cajon High School in San Bernardino, Calif. An excellent defensive catcher, Cassidy hit .428 in her high school career with 33 doubles, 10 homers and 97 RBIs. Simmons played only two seasons of high school softball due to a family move, but she earned all-state honors in each of those two seasons (in Nebraska and Kansas). Simmons also participated in tryouts for the 2015 U.S. Junior Women's National team.