NU Continues Road Trip at Iowa State Wednesday

The No. 24 Nebraska softball team continues its nine-game, 11-day road trip with a matchup at Iowa State on Wednesday before opening Big Ten play over the weekend with a three-game series at Illinois.   First pitch for Wednesday’s game is set for 2 p.m. Fans can listen to the game for free on Huskers.com, with Nate Rohr calling all of the action for the IMG College Husker Sports Network.   Nebraska (18-9) went 3-3 last week, including a disappointing 2-3 showing at the Easton Tournament. The Huskers earned wins over Omaha, UNLV and DePaul last week, while losing to New Mexico, Arkansas and No. 13 Oklahoma. In Saturday losses to New Mexico and Arkansas, NU had the tying or go-ahead run on base in the seventh inning of both games but could not pull out either victory.   The Huskers struggled with different phases of the game in their Saturday losses. Nebraska’s offense stranded 16 runners and was just 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position while being held to three runs in the loss to New Mexico. The offense rebounded to score 10 runs in game two against Arkansas, but it was not enough as Nebraska allowed 11 runs in an 11-10 loss. Defensively, NU tied a season high with three errors in both losses on Saturday.   After a frustrating Saturday, Nebraska rebounded on Sunday. The Huskers took an early lead against No. 13 Oklahoma and played well against the Sooners, who scored two runs in their final at bat to earn the win. Nebraska then showed great resiliency against DePaul, rebounding from a pair of deficits to win 7-5 on Mattie Fowler’s walk-off, three-run homer.

This Week’s Top 10

1. Nebraska owns an 18-9 record this season while facing the nation’s 12th-toughest schedule.
2. The Huskers have used 27 different starting lineups (P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, DP) this season and 27 different batting orders, never duplicating a starting lineup or batting order.
3. After playing seven of its last 18 games against ranked opponents, the Huskers will play each of their next 10 games against unranked opponents.
4. Nebraska is 16-4 against unranked opponents this season.
5. Eleven different Huskers have homered this season, the most players to hit a home run in a single season in school history.
6. Nebraska plays 12 of its first 17 Big Ten games on the road, beginning with a conference-opening series at Illinois this weekend.
7. Overall, Nebraska will play 38 of its first 47 games away from home, spending nine of the season’s first 11 weekends on the road.
8. MJ Knighten ranks second nationally with 15 home runs, the sixth-highest total in school history.
9. Alicia Armstrong made her 200th career start against Omaha last Wednesday and tied the Nebraska game record with eight RBIs.
10. Kiki Stokes made her 200th career start against UNLV last Friday, and she tied the Nebraska record with four runs scored vs. UNO last Wednesday.

Leading Off... • Nebraska came in at No. 22 in the first NCAA RPI ranking of the season, released on Monday.   • The Huskers have played the nation’s 12th toughest schedule according to the NCAA RPI.   • The opponent has scored first in 19 of Nebraska’s 27 games this season, including 12 of the last 15 games and 18 of the last 23 games.   • Nebraska was 6-0 this season when scoring first before losing both games last weekend when scoring first.   • NU was 8-0 when scoring in the first inning before losing both times last weekend when it scored in the first.   • NU is 17-2 when holding the opponent five runs or less.   • The Huskers have hit multiple home runs in 14 of their 27 games this season (12-2 record).   • Nebraska is 15-2 this season when committing one or no errors and 3-7 when committing two or more errors.   • Nebraska has committed multiple errors in six of its last nine games, including five games with three errors. In the first 18 games, the Huskers had only four games with multiple errors and no games with three errors.   • The Huskers have drawn 52 walks in their last eight games (6.5 per game). In the first 19 games, Nebraska totaled only 33 walks (1.7 per game).     Husker Quick Hitters • Eighteen of Alicia Armstrong’s 29 RBIs this season have come with two outs.   • Laura Barrow went 8-for-16 (.500) in five games at the Easton Tournament last weekend with two doubles and four RBIs. In her first 18 games, Barrow was 11-for-54 (.204) with one double and four RBIs.   • Barrow has four multi-hit efforts in her last five games after having two multi-hit games through the first 18 games of the season.   • Caitlin Bartsch threw a career-high 4.1 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief vs. DePaul in NU’s last game.   • Senior Mattie Fowler owns a six-game hitting streak, batting .529 (9-for-17) during the streak with two homers, five walks and seven RBIs.   • Fowler has produced multiple hits in three straight games.   • Taylor Kadavy made her collegiate debut last Saturday, allowing one run in 3.2 innings against Arkansas. She became the first left-hander to pitch for NU since 2001.   • MJ Knighten ranks second nationally with 15 home runs. She is already tied for sixth on Nebraska’s season home run chart, one shy of the most by a Husker junior.   • Due to her power, Knighten has seen fewer pitches to hit recently. She has drawn a walk in eight straight games, totaling 13 walks and two hit-by-pitches in that stretch.   • Knighten has produced either multiple hits, multiple RBIs or both in 19 of 27 games this season. She owns eight games with both multiple hits and multiple RBIs.   • Knighten is hitting .429 and has had a season batting average above .400 at the end of 60 consecutive games dating back to March 21, 2015.   • Knighten has started 147 consecutive games. She is the only Husker with more than 11 straight starts.   • Junior Cassie McClure earned her 10th victory in Nebraska’s last game. The 10 wins are a career high for McClure, and she entered the week as one of 65 Division I pitchers with a double-digit win total.   • Senior Kiki Stokes is one of only eight active players nationally who has totaled 150 career hits, 150 runs and 50 stolen bases.   • Last weekend, Stokes became the sixth Husker to draw 100 career walks. She is one of 27 active Division I players who has walked 10 0 times.

Scouting Iowa State (13-13) Iowa State is 13-13 this season. The Cyclones won their first five games while opening the year 11-4, but ISU has lost nine of its last 11 games. Iowa State is 5-1 at home this season, but all five games were played inside the Bergstrom Indoor Complex the opening weekend of the season.   Nebraska and Iowa State share only one common opponent this season in New Mexico. The Cyclones shut out the Lobos, 6-0, on Feb. 27. The Huskers dropped a 6-3 decision to New Mexico last Saturday. Iowa State has also faced one Big Ten opponent this season, losing to Purdue, 1-0, last Friday.   Cyclone Offense Iowa State is hitting .289 as a team while averaging 4.5 runs per game. Cathlin Bingham and Brittany Gomez are both batting .383. Bingham leads the Cyclones with 13 walks and a .500 on-base percentage. Gomez leads the team with 20 runs and 16 stolen bases, leading the Big 12 in stolen bases.   Aly Cappaert is hitting .337 and has hit six of Iowa State’s 16 home runs, while pacing the Cyclones with 24 RBIs and a .578 slugging percentage. Kelsey McFarland rounds out the group of five ISU starters hitting above .300. McFarland owns a .316 average and has added four doubles, four homers and 20 RBIs.   Cyclone Defense ISU is allowing an average of 3.6 runs per game, and the Cyclones have committed 31 errors in 26 games. Utilizing a five-pitcher staff, Iowa State boasts a 2.91 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .236 against the Cyclones, but Iowa State has walked 88 batters and allowed 22 home runs in 26 games.   Savannah Sanders has thrown nearly half of the team’s total innings this season, posting a 5-7 record with a 3.34 ERA in 81.2 innings. Emma Hylen has appeared in a team-high 18 games this season, and she leads the Cyclones with six wins. Hylen is 6-3 on the year with two saves and a 1.58 ERA in 53.0 innings, and opponents are hitting just .199 against her.   Mandi Moore has also seen extensive action, compiling a 2-1 record with one save and a 2.55 ERA in 24.2 innings. Kristine Kimberley (0-1, 0.81 ERA in 8.2 IP) and Brianna Weilbacher (0-1, 14.44 ERA in 5.1 IP) round out the Cyclone staff.   Cyclone Staff Iowa State is coached by Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler, who owns a 235-300-1 record in her 11th season at Iowa State. Gemeinhardt-Cesler owns a 388-380-1 record in 15 seasons as a collegiate coach. Gemeinhardt-Cesler is assisted by Lindsey Ubrun (fourth season) and Brittany Weil-Miller (fourth season).

Series History Nebraska’s series with Iowa State dates back to a 9-4 Cyclone win on April 14, 1978. The teams met every season from 1978 to 2011, when both Nebraska and Iowa State were members of the same conference (Big Eight, 1978-1995; Big 12, 1996-2011). The programs have played 86 games against each other but have met only once since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2012.   Nebraska-Iowa State Series History • Series Record: Nebraska leads, 67-19 • Last Meeting: Nebraska won 10-3 in Lincoln in 2014 • Current Win Streak: Nebraska, 3 games • Non-Conference Regular Season: Nebraska leads, 1-0 • Last 5 Games: Nebraska leads, 3-2 • Last 10 Games: Nebraska leads, 6-4 • Last 20 Games: Nebraska leads, 15-5 • Series Record in Ames: Nebraska leads, 22-8 • Revelle vs. Iowa State: 38-12 (.760) • Revelle vs. Coach Gemeinhardt-Cesler: 8-5 (.615)