Huskers Ready for Big Ten TournamentHuskers Ready for Big Ten Tournament
Softball

Huskers Ready for Big Ten Tournament

The Nebraska softball team begins postseason play this week with the Big Ten Tournament at Nittany Lion Softball Park on the Penn State campus.

The Huskers earned the No. 5 seed and will face 12th-seeded Purdue on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (Central). If Nebraska wins, it will face host Penn State, the No. 4 seed, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Both the semifinals and championship game are set for Saturday.

Every game of the Big Ten Tournament will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. A radio broadcast of every Nebraska game will also be available for free on Huskers.com, with Nate Rohr calling all of the action for the Husker Sports Network.

The 2015 Big Ten Tournament runner-up, Nebraska has won six all-time conference tournament titles.

Nebraska’s 2016 senior class aims to add a tournament title to its resume, something a Husker team hasn’t accomplished since NU won the 2004 Big 12 Tournament. A conference tournament title is one of the few accomplishments missing from the seniors’ resume, as the group has already won one Big Ten regular-season title (2014), two NCAA Regional championships (2013 & 2014), one NCAA Super Regional title (2013) and made one trip to the Women’s College World Series (2013).

Looking beyond the Big Ten Tournament, Nebraska came in at No. 32 in this week’s NCAA RPI ranking. The Huskers are in excellent position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Nebraska could earn an automatic invite by winning the Big Ten Tournament. The NCAA Softball Tournament selection show airs Sunday at 9 p.m. (Central).

This Week's Top 10

  1. Nebraska was the runner up at the 2015 Big Ten Tournament, its best finish at the event.
  2. The Huskers have won six conference tournament titles in school history, most recently winning the 2004 Big 12 Tournament.
  3. Nebraska is 1 of 6 teams nationally with wins over three of the top-10 teams in this week’s RPI.
  4. 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).
  5. 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.
  6. The NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced live Sunday at 9 p.m. (Central) on ESPNU.
  7. The Huskers have scored the winning run in the seventh inning or later in 11 of their 30 victories this season, including seven walk-off wins.
  8. Nebraska averaged a school-record 1,006 fans per game at Bowlin Stadium this season. Last season, only 15 Division I schools averaged 1,000 or more fans per home game.
  9. MJ Knighten is 1 of 8 players nationally with 50 hits, 50 runs and 50 RBIs this season.
  10. Kiki Stokes was a 2015 Big Ten All-Tournament team pick after going 5-for-11 (.455) with one homer, two RBIs, two stolen bases and three runs.

Leading Off...

  • NU is 28-4 when holding its opponent to five runs or less.
  • NU has come from behind in 18 of its 32 victories this season, while totaling seven walk-off wins.
  • Nebraska ranks in the top 50 nationally in double plays per game (13th), homers (14th), scoring (34th) and slugging percentage (40th).
  • The Huskers are averaging 6.0 runs per game this season, which would be the second-highest total in school history, trailing only last year’s average (6.9).
  • Nebraska ranks 34th nationally in scoring. The Huskers are one of only 12 teams to rank in the top 50 nationally in scoring each of the last five seasons (2011-15).
  • The Huskers currently rank in the top five in school history in on-base percentage (2nd, .395), slugging percentage (3rd, .494), extra-base hits (4th, 141) and batting average (5th, .301).
  • Nebraska has hit 63 home runs this season, the second-highest total in school history and only the third 60-homer season in the 41-year history of the program.
  • Nebraska has scored 301 runs this season, marking its fourth straight season scoring 300 or more runs. In the first 37 seasons in program history, the Huskers totaled 300 runs only three times.
  • Three Huskers have started more than 200 games at Nebraska (Kiki Stokes - 227; Alicia Armstrong - 223; Mattie Fowler - 201).


Husker Quick Hits

  • Laura Barrow has hit safely in seven straight games, tying her career-long hitting streak. Barrow is 9-for-21 (.429) during the streak.
  • Over her last 10 games, Barrow is 12-for-32 (.375) with five doubles and one home run.
  • MJ Knighten leads the Big Ten in homers (21) and ranks second in RBIs (59) and slugging (.835), third in walks (35) and runs (58), sixth in on-base percentage (.510) and ninth in hits (61) and average (.386).
  • Knighten has more home runs this season (21) than strikeouts (12). She has more than twice as many extra-base hits (29) as strikeouts (12).
  • Cassie McClure leads the Big Ten and ranks 14th nationally with five saves this season.
  • McClure is one of only 10 pitchers nationally with 15 wins and five saves.
  • Kiki Stokes ranks second in the Big Ten in hits (67), fourth in average (.414), stolen bases (20) and runs (53), fifth in on-base percentage (.515) and triples (3) and ninth in walks (30).
  • Stokes has hit safely in seven straight games, going 13-for-28 (.464) during the streak with seven runs, and four stolen bases.
  • Dawna Tyson has produced multiple hits in five of her last seven games. During that stretch, Tyson is batting .440 (11-for-25) with two doubles, one home run and eight RBIs.

Huskers Earn All-Big Ten Honors
A trio of Huskers earned All-Big Ten accolades on Wednesday. Senior Kiki Stokes and junior MJ Knighten were named to the All-Big Ten first team, while senior Mattie Fowler was a second-team selection and was the first baseman on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.

  • Stokes and Knighten also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2015. They were among seven players to repeat as a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
  • Stokes is the first NU outfielder to be a two-time first-team all-conference pick since Nicole Trimboli in 2004.
  • Knighten is the first Nebraska third baseman to be a two-time first-team all-conference selection since Jessica Yoachim in 2006.
  • Knighten earned All-Big Ten accolades for the third straight season. She is only the third Husker third baseman to be a three-time all-conference selection, joining Tobin Echo-Hawk and Jessica Yoachim.
  • Fowler earned all-conference honors for the first time.
  • Lotte Sjulin was also honored with a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight year.


Huskers Earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors
Twelve of Nebraska’s 16 eligible players earned academic All-Big Ten accolades this season.


Nebraska Team Awards Announced
Nebraska announced its 2016 team award winners at the program’s annual banquet on Sunday, May 8.

  • Mattie Fowler was named Nebraska’s Most Valuable Player in a vote of her teammates.
  • MJ Knighten was named Nebraska’s Lifter of the Year in a vote of her teammates.
  • Alicia Armstrong earned the Borg-Wright Coaches Award for consistently putting her teammates first while playing through a painful back injury.
  • Mattie Fowler was named the Nebraska Softball Student-Athlete of the Year. Fowler was also named Nebraska’s overall Female Student-Athlete of the Year and a Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipient.

Huskers Threatening School Records
Despite playing only 50 games, Nebraska is still challenging several team and individual season records.

  • Nebraska ranks second with 63 home runs this season, 10 shy of tying the school record (73 in 2014).
  • Nebraska’s current .494 slugging percentage ranks third in school history. The school record is .505 last season.
  • Individually, MJ Knighten ranks second in school history with 21 home runs, one shy of tying Ali Viola’s school record (22 in 1998).
  • Knighten is also challenging Viola’s school record for season slugging percentage. Viola slugged .865 in 1998 and Knighten is currently slugging .835.
  • Knighten is eight runs from matching Kiki Stokes’ school-record total of 66 runs scored last season.
  • Knighten is six walks from tying the Husker record for walks in a season (41).
  • Mattie Fowler owns a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 388 chances defensively. There has been only one Husker to post a perfect 1.000 season fielding percentage, with a minimum of 150 chances (catcher Jenny Smith in 272 chances in 1996).

Scouting Purdue (27-27)
Purdue brings a 27-27 overall record into the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilermakers were swept in a three-game series vs. Northwestern to finish with an 8-15 record in league play. Purdue finished in a three-way tie for 10th place in the final conference standings before losing a convoluted tiebreaker to wind up with the No. 12 seed. The Boilermakers have lost five straight games since defeating Nebraska, 4-3 (8), in the opening game of the teams’ three-game series on April 29.

Nebraska bounced back to win the next two games to take the series, 2-1. In the opener, Purdue scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and then held on for a one-run win. The Huskers then run-ruled the Boilermakers, 8-0, in five innings in game two. Game three was another tight contest, with Nebraska winning on a Mattie Fowler walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Boilermaker Offense
Purdue is hitting .241 as a team while averaging 3.7 runs per game. The Boilermakers boast plenty of speed, ranking second in the Big Ten with 80 stolen bases.

Kristen Hoppman is one of two Boilermakers hitting above .300, as she leads the team with a .311 average. Hoppman has added eight doubles, five triples, four homers and 28 stolen bases. She ranks second in the Big Ten in triples and third in stolen bases. Lauren Stewart is batting .303 with 10 doubles and 18 stolen bases, while Katie Harrison is hitting .296 with team highs of six homers and 25 RBIs.

Boilermaker Defense
In the circle, Purdue ranks third in the Big Ten with a 2.93 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .244 against the Boilermakers, and Purdue owns a staff strikeout-to-walk ratio of more than 3-to-1 (350 strikeouts and 115 walks).

Left-hander Lilly Fecho is the staff ace, posting an 18-13 record with a 1.89 ERA. She has started 31 of Purdue’s 54 games while throwing 214.1 innings, nearly 60 percent of the team’s total innings. Fecho has thrown more innings than any other Big Ten pitcher, and she ranks third in the league in ERA and strikeouts (216) and is fourth in wins and seventh in saves (3). Fecho was 1-1 with a 2.56 ERA in the regular-season series at Nebraska.

Behind Fecho, Gina Snyder has seen the most action, appearing in 21 games with 12 starts. Snyder is 5-8 on the season with a 4.30 ERA in 71.2 innings. Maddie Damon is 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 63.0 innings. Katie Johnson (0-0, 6.20 ERA in 14.2 IP) rounds out the Purdue staff.

Boilermaker Coaching Staff
Kim Schuette owns a 85-80-1 record in her third season at Purdue. She boasts a 341-299-2 career record in 12 seasons as a head coach. Schuette is assisted by Jason Dorey (third year) and Eileen Hannigan (first year).