Huskers Host Wisconsin to End Regular Season

The Nebraska softball team closes out the regular season this weekend by hosting the Wisconsin Badgers for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers enter the weekend with a 30-17 overall record, and Nebraska is in sixth place in the Big Ten standings with an 11-8 record in conference play. NU is still in contention to earn one of four byes for next week’s Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers need to pass two of the three teams ahead of them in the standings - Penn State, Ohio State and Northwestern - in order to earn a bye. Nebraska can secure a top-four finish by simply finishing with one more win this weekend than both the Buckeyes and Wildcats.

Nebraska has earned a Big Ten Tournament bye the past three years, and NU finished second in 2015.

Looking beyond the Big Ten Tournament, the Huskers came in at No. 32 in this week’s RPI ranking, putting Nebraska in solid position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if necessary.

Nebraska hopes Husker Nation will come out and support the Big Red as they make one final push to improve their postseason positioning. The Husker softball program is also challenging its fans to help set a season attendance record in 2016.

Nebraska is averaging 997 fans per game this season in its quest to average 1,000 fans per game for the first time ever. With Husker softball being the only Nebraska team in action at home on Friday and Sunday and warm temperatures forecasted all weekend, the Huskers hope fans will be a part of a record-breaking crowd this weekend.

To entice fans to come out to Bowlin Stadium, there will be giveaways before each game. It is also Military Appreciation Weekend at Bowlin Stadium and active or retired members of the military will receive a free general admission ticket for all three games with a valid military ID.

This Week's Top 10

1. Nebraska is averaging 997 fans per game this season, a school record. The Huskers need to draw a total of 3,026 fans this weekend to average 1,000 fans per game for the first time in program history.
2. The Huskers are the only team in the country with wins over two of the top three teams in the NFCA poll (No. 2 Michigan & No. 3 Oregon).
3. Nebraska is 1 of 6 teams nationally with wins over three of the top-10 teams in this week’s RPI.
4. Nebraska came in at No. 32 in this week’s NCAA RPI ranking, remaining in solid position for a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
5. Nebraska is 9-4 at home and has clinched its 39th consecutive season with a winning home record.
6. Nebraska enters this weekend’s series with 198 all-time wins at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers are 41-14 all-time at home in Big Ten play.
7. Nebraska has posted its eighth straight 30-win season and its 18th in the last 19 seasons.
8. The Huskers have scored the winning run in the seventh inning or later in 10 of their 30 victories this season, including six walk-off wins.
9. Nebraska’s senior class has combined for 154 wins, two NCAA Regional titles (2013 & 2014), one Big Ten championship (2014) and one trip to the Women’s College World Series (2013).
10. MJ Knighten is 1 of 6 players nationally with 50 hits, 50 runs and 50 RBIs this season.

A Challenge to Husker Nation
Nebraska softball is on the verge of a school record, and the program needs the help of Husker Nation to set that record. The goal? Average 1,000 fans per game for the first time in the 41-year history of Nebraska softball.

• Nebraska is averaging 997 fans per game, which would top the school-record average of 963 set in 2014.
• The Huskers are hoping to average 1,000 fans per game, something only 15 schools achieved in 2015.
• Nebraska needs to draw a total of 3,026 fans for this weekend’s three-game series to reach the goal of averaging 1,000 fans per game.
• Other than a track meet on Saturday, Nebraska softball is the only Husker team competing at home this weekend.
• This weekend is also Military Appreciation Weekend at Bowlin Stadium. All current and former military members will receive a free general admission ticket into all three games by presenting a valid military ID.
• Nebraska will also honor its senior class this weekend, with the five seniors honored following Sunday’s game. The Husker seniors have already been a part of two NCAA Regional championship teams, one Big Ten title team and one Women’s College World Series team.

A Look Ahead to the Big Ten Tournament
Following the final series of the regular season this weekend, the Huskers will head to Penn State for the 2016 Big Ten Tournament May 12-14. The Huskers could still be as high as the No. 3 seed or as low as the eighth seed.

The top four seeds earn a first-round bye at the conference tournament. Nebraska has earned a bye each of the past three seasons, and the Huskers could still earn a bye this year despite entering the final weekend of Big Ten play in sixth place in the conference standings.

Nebraska is behind Penn State, Ohio State and Northwestern in the standings and needs to pass two of those three teams in order to earn a bye. The simplest way for Nebraska to guarantee itself a bye would be to finish one game better than both Ohio State and Northwestern in this weekend’s three-game series.

Knighten Second Husker to Hit 20 Homers
Junior MJ Knighten leads the Big Ten and ranks in a tie for second nationally with 20 home runs.

• Knighten’s 20 home runs rank second in school history. She has joined three-time All-American Ali Viola as the only Huskers to hit 20 home runs in a season. Viola hit a school-record 22 home runs in 1998.
• Knighten has hit 20 homers in 47 games after hitting 14 homers in 120 games over her first two seasons.
• Knighten’s 20 home runs are nine more than any Husker hit in 58 games last season, and it took Knighten only 17 games to surpass any player’s total from 2015.

Jablonski Tosses No-Hitter
Sophomore Kaylan Jablonski tossed a no-hitter in Nebraska’s 8-0, five-inning victory over Purdue on April 30. The no-hitter was her first solo no-hitter, although she did earn the start and throw 3.0 innings as part of a combined six-inning no-hitter vs. Montana on Feb. 7, 2015.

• Jablonski allowed only one base runner - a second inning walk - and retired the final 12 Boilermakers.
• Jablonski became the 20th Husker pitcher to throw a no-hitter, while her no-hitter was the 38th all-time no-hitter in Nebraska history.
• Jablonski became the first Husker to throw a no-hitter since Tatum Edwards in the 2014 NCAA Regional.
• Jablonski is the first Husker sophomore to throw a no-hitter since Alex Hupp in 2008. She is also the first underclassman to throw a no-hitter since Emily Lockman no-hit Utah State as a freshman in 2013.

Scouting Wisconsin (27-21-1, 10-9-1)
Wisconsin enters this weekend’s series one spot behind Nebraska in seventh place in the Big Ten standings. The Badgers are 27-21-1 overall and 10-9-1 in conference play. Wisconsin has lost three of its last four weekend conference series, but during that stretch the Badgers also swept a mid-week doubleheader at Minnesota.

Nebraska and Wisconsin share 10 common opponents this season in Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue and UNLV. The Huskers posted a 13-7 record against that group, while the Badgers were 10-14-1.

Badger Offense
Wisconsin is batting .281 as a team and is averaging 5.0 runs per game. The Badgers are averaging 4.9 runs per game in Big Ten play while batting .275.

Kelsey Jenkins is one of the Big Ten’s best hitters, as she ranks third in the league with a .429 average. She also leads the Big Ten with 46 walks and is second with a .588 on-base percentage. In addition to reaching base in nearly 60 percent of her plate appearances, Jenkins has slugged five doubles and seven homers while tallying 33 RBIs. Jenkins is batting .466 in league play. Chloe Miller is batting .346 and leads the Badgers with nine doubles, seven homers and 49 RBIs. Ashley Van Zeeland is the only other Badger hitting above .300, as she owns a .303 average with 10 sacrifices and 12 stolen bases.

Badger Defense
Wisconsin ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a 3.29 ERA, and the Badgers allow an average of 3.7 runs per game. UW has posted a 3.12 ERA in conference play but has allowed an average of 3.9 runs per game thanks to 16 unearned runs in 20 games.

The Badgers primarily rely upon the tandem of Taylor-Paige Stewart and Kirsten Stevens. Stewart has appeared in 39 of Wisconsin’s 49 games with 20 starts and 10 complete games. She is 16-11 with a 2.84 ERA in a team-high 162.2 innings while adding four saves. Opponents are hitting just .244 against her but more than one-third of the hits Stewart allows go for extra bases, including 17 home runs. Stevens has appeared in 34 games, including a team-high 28 starts. She owns a 10-10 record with a 3.04 ERA in 129.0 innings. In Big Ten play, Stewart and Stevens have thrown all but 3.1 innings. Stewart is 6-4 with a 2.72 ERA, while Stevens is 4-5 with a 3.18 ERA.

Mariah Watts (1-0, 6.90 ERA in 22.1 IP) and Angela Morrow (0-0, 9.00 ERA in 4.2 IP) round out the staff.

Badger Coaching Staff
Yvette Healy owns a 192-127-1 record in her sixth season at Wisconsin. She boasts a 323-299-2 career record in 12 seasons. Randy Schneider is the Badgers’ associate head coach and Kirsten Verdun is an assistant coach.

Series History With Wisconsin
Nebraska has won 14 of the 17 all-time meetings with Wisconsin, dating back to when the teams first met in 2000. The Huskers won each of the first six meetings in the series, while Wisconsin’s first win came in the first Big Ten Conference game between the programs in 2012. Nebraska has won five of the last six meetings, and the Huskers are 8-2 vs. the Badgers at home - including 6-2 at Bowlin Stadium.

The teams have met 11 times in conference play, with Nebraska boasting an 8-3 record in those meetings. Nebraska posted 2-1 series victories in Lincoln in 2012 and 2013, before the teams split a mid-week doubleheader in Madison in 2014. Last year, Nebraska posted its first series sweep at Wisconsin, winning all three games.