Knighten and McClure Claim Big Ten Weekly Honors

The Nebraska softball team was rewarded for being the only Big Ten team to go undefeated in the opening weekend, as junior Marjani Knighten was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday and classmate Cassie McClure was recognized as the conference pitcher of the week.

Knighten earned her first career Big Ten player-of-the-week accolades, and she was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week in 2014. McClure, in her second season at Nebraska after spending the 2014 season at Texas Tech, earned the first player-of-the-week honor of her career. Rounding out the group of winners of the first 2016 Big Ten player-of-the-week accolades was Purdue’s Lauren Stewart, who was named the league’s freshman of the week.

Knighten began 2016 with a bang, homering five times in Nebraska’s five games at the UNI-Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She finished 12-for-19 at the tournament, posting a .632 batting average to go along with a 1.474 slugging percentage. Her five home runs helped her produce 14 RBIs on the weekend. Knighten had four multi-hit efforts in five games, including a trio of three-hit games. She set or tied career highs in runs (3) RBIs (5) and home runs (2) at the UNI-Dome Classic. After one weekend of play, Knighten leads the Big Ten in batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage.

A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Knighten homered in each of the first four games over the weekend and produced at least one extra-base hit in all five games. She began her season with a 3-for-5 day against Northern Iowa that included four RBIs, including a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning that powered Nebraska to the come-from-behind win. She added a two-run homer the next day against Western Illinois before producing three more hits and another two-run home run against Drake. On Sunday, Knighten went 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBIs vs. Green Bay. She closed the tournament with a 2-for-4 effort against Saint Louis that included an RBI double.

While Knighten was locked in at the plate, McClure was just as dominant in the circle for the Big Red. A right-hander from Kingwood, Texas, McClure had a hand in four of Nebraska’s five victories. She posted a 2-0 record and added two saves, while not allowing a run in 12.0 total innings. McClure was one of only four Big Ten pitchers to not surrender a run in the opening weekend, but the other three pitchers on that list combined to throw only 5.2 innings. In addition to her 0.00 ERA, McClure added 16 strikeouts while walking only one. She surrendered more than one hit only once in her four appearances and allowed a total of only six base runners in her 12.0 innings.

McClure earned the win in relief of Nebraska’s comeback victory over Northern Iowa. She pitched the final 3.0 innings, allowing only a single and a walk. She picked up the save the next day against Western Illinois, allowing only a single and striking out three in 2.0 innings of work. McClure earned her first start of the season on Sunday against Green Bay and was nearly perfect in the Huskers’ run-rule victory. McClure tossed a one-hit shutout – the first shutout of her career – and allowed only one base runner. She also struck out 10 batters, an average of two per inning. A first-team All-Midwest Region selection in her first season at Nebraska in 2015, McClure capped her weekend with another save against Saint Louis in the final game of the weekend, striking out three and allowing only two hits in 2.0 scoreless innings.

McClure also contributed offensively, batting .429 (6-for-14) at the UNI-Dome Classic with a  double, three RBIs and three runs scored.

The only undefeated Big Ten team, Nebraska (5-0) travels to Raleigh, N.C., this weekend to participate in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Huskers, who will be joined in Raleigh by Wisconsin, will play two games against both North Carolina State and Louisville in the three-day tournament.