Huskers Face Creighton Tuesday Night in Omaha

LINCOLN – The Nebraska softball team plays its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday, when the Huskers travel to Omaha to take on the Creighton Bluejays.

First pitch for Tuesday’s game is set for 6 p.m. Fans unable to make the short drive to Omaha can follow the action live, as Nate Rohr will be on the call for a free radio broadcast on Huskers.com, courtesy of the IMG College Husker Sports Network. Nebraska is making its first trip to the CU Sports Complex since 2013, as NU’s scheduled trips to Omaha in both 2014 and 2016 were cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Huskers have won four straight games against Creighton and 10 of the last 11 meetings. The Bluejays’ last win in the series came five years ago in a 2-1 victory in Omaha on April 25, 2012.

Nebraska outscored its opponents 20-11 in four games last week but posted only one win. Despite the 1-3 week, the Huskers are 12-5 in their last 17 games, while the Bluejays have won seven of their last nine games. Nebraska has also won six of its last eight road games, while Creighton has won five of its last six home games.

The Huskers are 11-5 in April, thanks in large part to improved pitching. Nebraska entered April with 5.40 ERA but has lowered that mark by nearly one run to 4.49. Nebraska’s current ERA is its lowest mark at any point this season, and the Huskers have lowered their season ERA at the end of 10 consecutive games. NU allowed only six runs in three games to No. 25 Illinois last weekend against an Illini squad that entered the series ranked 12th nationally in scoring (6.3 runs per game).

This Week's Top 10

1) Twenty-five percent of the Huskers’ wins this season have come against ranked opponents.

2) Nebraska has played 47 percent of its schedule against teams that have been ranked at game time (21 games) and 53 percent of its schedule against teams that have been ranked at some point this season (24 games).

3) NU has won more games this month (11) than in the first two months of the season combined (9).

4) In its last game, Nebraska posted the largest win over a ranked team in program history (14-0 in five innings vs. No. 25 Illinois).

5) The Husker pitching staff owns a 2.46 ERA over its last 10 games.

6) Tuesday’s game will mark the Huskers’ first game at Creighton since a 4-3 win in 2013.

7) NU has played more games (120) and posted more wins (83) over Creighton than any other team.

8) Nebraska has won four straight games against Creighton and 10 of the last 11.

9) The Nebraska and Creighton rosters feature a combined 17 native Nebraskans. The Huskers have eight Nebraska natives on their roster, while the Bluejays boast nine natives of the Cornhusker State.

10) Rhonda Revelle and Brent Vigness are the winningest all-time coaches in the history of Nebraska and Creighton athletics, respectively.

NU Posts Record Win vs. No. 25 Illinois

After a pair of close losses to No. 25 Illinois last weekend, NU routed the Fighting Illini 14-0 in five innings in the series finale, posting its first run-rule victory of the year.

• The win marked the largest win over a ranked opponent in program history and the third-largest victory over a conference opponent.

Nebraska Pitching on a Roll

Nebraska’s pitching staff has ended each of its last 10 games with a lower season ERA than it had to begin the game. During that 10-game stretch, Nebraska’s season ERA has gone from 5.11 to its 4.49, its lowest mark at any point this season.

• Although the Huskers are just 5-5 over their last 10 games, NU pitching boasts a 2.46 ERA during that stretch and has limited opponents to 3.1 runs per game.

• In the past 10 games, Nebraska pitching is limiting opponents to a .258 average and has allowed only 17 extra-base hits and just two home runs.

• Opponents are just 17-for-84 (.202) with runners in scoring position over the past 10 games.

• The pitching has a chance for even more improvement, as 15 of the 31 runs the Huskers have allowed the past 10 games have been scored with two outs (48 percent).

Edwards Riding 6-Game Hitting Streak

Freshman Tristen Edwards has emerged over the second half of the season after a slow start to her career.

• Edwards has hit safely in a career-high six straight games. She is 12-for-22 (.545) during the streak with four doubles, five RBIs and five runs.

• Edwards has totaled a trio of three-hit games during her six-game hitting streak.

• She is batting .346 over Nebraska’s last 25 games, a .188 improvement from the first 20 games this season. Edwards has more than doubled her extra-base hits over the last 25 games compared to the first 20 games (8-to-3) while more than tripling her RBIs (16-to-5).

• In Big Ten Conference play, Edwards is batting .370 with five doubles, one home run, eight walks and 15 RBIs. Edwards ranks fifth in the league in doubles during conference play and 10th in RBIs.

• One reason for more Edwards’ improvement has been better strike-zone awareness. Edwards has drawn 12 walks and struck out only five times in her past 26 games, after not drawing a single walk and striking out 12 times in her first 15 games.

Simmons is Double Trouble

Sophomore Alyvia Simmons ranks second in the Big Ten and 14th nationally with 15 doubles, and she leads the league with 10 doubles during conference play.

• Simmons has slugged two doubles three times in her past 12 games, totaling 10 doubles in that stretch.

• Simmons’ career-high 15 doubles rank in a tie for fifth place in Nebraska history.

• Simmons has totaled 10 doubles in 17 Big Ten games, three more than any other Big Ten player has produced.

• Simmons has become the fourth Big Ten player to record 10 doubles in league play since the conference adopted a 23-game schedule beginning in 2012.

• The record for doubles during conference play under the current scheduling format is 12 by Wisconsin’s Whitney Massey in 2012. Ohio State’s Krinon Clark holds the overall record for doubles during a conference season with 15 doubles in 28 Big Ten games in 1994.

Jablonski Pitching Well

Junior Kaylan Jablonski has been one of the Big Ten’s best pitchers the past month, figuring into eight of NU’s last 12 wins, with seven wins and one save in that span.

• Jablonski is 7-4 with one save and a 2.88 ERA over the past four weeks. Over the first seven weeks of the season, Jablonski was 3-10 with a 5.83 ERA.

• She has lowered her season ERA from 5.83 after seven weeks of play to its current mark of 4.34. Jablonski’s current mark is the lowest her ERA has been this season.

• Jablonski is 6-4 with one save and a 2.87 ERA in April. She has appeared in 12 of Nebraska’s 16 games this month while throwing more than 60 percent of the Huskers’ total innings.

• Jablonski posted a five-game winning streak from March 31 to April 9, the second-longest of her career, trailing only a six-game win streak during her freshman season.

McClure Tosses First Shutout

While Kaylan Jablonski has been pitching well the past few weeks, the performance of senior Cassie McClure is not to be overlooked.

• McClure picked up her first win over a ranked team in her last outing during Nebraska’s 14-0 (5) victory over No. 25 Illinois on Sunday.

• McClure fired a three-hit shutout against the Illini. The shutout was the first by a Husker pitcher this season.

• The shutout was the fourth of McClure’s career and was her second career shutout vs. a ranked team.

• McClure has appeared in five of NU’s last 10 games, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.10 ERA in that stretch. She also owns a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1 in her last five games, totaling 14 strikeouts to just seven walks.

Scouting Creighton (18-24)

Creighton has won seven of its last nine games and brings an 18-24 overall record into Tuesday’s matchup. The Bluejays are 6-4 at home this spring.

Nebraska and Creighton share two common opponents this season in Auburn and Iowa. The Huskers were 0-3 against that duo while the Bluejays posted a 1-2 record.

Offensively, Creighton is batting .264 as a team and averaging 4.1 runs per game. The Bluejays have scored 38 runs in their past five games (7.6 runs per game).

Tash Coffiel leads Creighton with a .367 batting average as one of four Bluejays batting .300 or better. Only four of Coffiel’s team-leading 47 hits have gone for extra bases, and she has struck out 29 times while drawing only seven walks. Sam Dellinger is batting .352 and is the Bluejays’ top power hitter, slugging 11 doubles and nine homers while totaling 37 RBIs. Dellinger has totaled 10 more extra-base hits and 13 more RBIs than any other Bluejay, and her .648 slugging percentage is .186 higher than any other Creighton player. Ashley Cantu owns a .342 average with seven doubles and 13 RBIs, while Anna O’Gorman is hitting .300 with six doubles, two homers and 24 RBIs.

Defensively, Creighton is allowing 5.4 runs per game, and the Bluejays boast a 4.29 ERA. Opponents are hitting .292 against CU, and the Bluejays have been hurt by a defense that has committed 60 errors and allowed 61 unearned runs in 42 games (1.5 unearned runs per game).

Bryana Clark has thrown nearly 45 percent of Creighton’s total innings this season, posting a 9-9 record with a 3.47 ERA. She has thrown 12.0 innings while appearing in 29 of CU’s 42 games with 20 starts. Michal Hylton has seen the most action behind Clark, appearing in 26 games with 14 starts. Hylton is 7-11 this season with a 5.69 ERA in 96.0 innings. In addition to being one of the Bluejays’ top hitters, Dellinger has seen extensive action in the circle, compiling a 2-3 record with two saves and a 3.99 ERA in 45.2 innings. Jenny Hittinger (0-1, 5.25 ERA in 8.0 IP) rounds out the Bluejay staff.