NU Travels to Purdue to Close Out Regular Season

LINCOLN – The Nebraska softball team embarks on a 10-day road trip on Friday, a trip that begins with a three-game series with Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., to close out the regular season.

Due to Nebraska's final exams schedule, the Huskers' series at Purdue will be played on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday's series opener is set for 5 p.m. (Central), Sunday's game will begin at Noon (Central) and Monday's series finale will start at 11 a.m. (Central). Fans can listen to a free radio broadcast of all three games on Huskers.com, while fans with a subscription to BTN Plus can watch every game of the series.

Following the series at Purdue, Nebraska will bus to Ann Arbor, Mich., in advance of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament, which begins on Thursday, May 11.

Although the Big Ten Tournament begins next Thursday, the Huskers have a chance to earn one of four first-round byes. Nebraska enters this weekend in a fourth-place tie with Ohio State in the Big Ten standings, with both teams only one-half game behind third-place Illinois. The Buckeyes and Fighting Illini face each other this weekend.

Nebraska can guarantee itself a bye at the Big Ten Tournament with two wins this weekend and could finish as high as the No. 3 seed. After being swept by No. 8 Minnesota in the opening weekend of Big Ten play, Nebraska was just 8-20 and winless in the league. But the Huskers have caught fire, winning 16 of their last 21 games - including five straight - to bring their season record to 24-25. Nebraska, which started the year 0-10, is aiming to reach .500 for the first time all season this weekend.

This Week's Top 10

1) Nebraska has climbed back to within one game of .500 for the first time since an 0-10 start.

2) Nebraska is tied with Ohio State for fourth place in the Big Ten standings, one-half game behind third-place Illinois. NU would clinch a bye for the Big Ten Tournament with two wins this weekend.

3) The Huskers posted a 15-5 record in April. NU won more games in April (15) than it did in the first two months of the season combined (9).

4) The 15 wins in April were Nebraska's most wins in the month since 2006.

5) Nebraska has posted four three-game sweeps in conference play, tying for the most three-game conference sweeps in school history (also 2014).

6) The Huskers are 6-2 in Big Ten road games this season and are within reach of the school record for most conference road wins in a season (9).

7) NU has won five consecutive games, its second-longest winning streak of the season (8 games).

8) Nebraska's pitching staff has lowered its season ERA at the end of 14 consecutive games, dropping its mark from 5.11 to 4.26 during that stretch.

9) Kaylan Jablonski fired a five-inning no-hitter vs. Purdue last season, and she is 2-0 with a 0.82 career ERA against the Boilermakers.

10) MJ Knighten recorded her 250th career hit last weekend. She is one of only 13 active Division I players who has totaled 250 career hits.

A Look at the Big Ten Standings

Nebraska will be either the No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 seed at next week's Big Ten Tournament, with the top four seeds earning a first-round bye.

• Minnesota (19-1) is in first place in the Big Ten standings, Michigan (17-3) is second and Illinois (13-6) is third. Nebraska and Ohio State are tied for fourth with identical 13-7 records in conference play.

• NU would clinch a bye with two wins this weekend or with one win and a sweep by either Ohio State or Illinois, who face each other. If Nebraska and OSU post the same record this weekend, a tiebreaker would be needed.

• If Nebraska earns the No. 3 seed, the Huskers will play on Friday, May 12, against the winner of the No. 6 vs. No. 11 seed. If the Huskers earn the No. 4 seed, they will play on Friday against the winner of the No. 5 vs. No. 12 seed. If Nebraska earns the No. 5 seed, it would play on Thursday, May 11 vs. the No. 12 seed.

Knighten's Consistency Continues

Senior MJ Knighten has continued her remarkable consistency this season.

• Knighten has six home runs this season becoming the fifth Husker to hit more than five home runs all four years of her career. The other Huskers to accomplish that feat are Tatum Edwards, Jennifer Lizama, Brooke Thomason and Nicole Trimboli.

• With her next hit, Knighten would become the fourth Husker to total 50 hits all four seasons of her career. The other Huskers to accomplish that feat are Jennifer Lizama, Kim Ogee and Nicole Trimboli.

• Knighten owns 28 RBIs this season. With two more RBIs, she would become the fourth Husker to produce 30 RBIs all four seasons of her career. The other Huskers to accomplish that feat are Taylor Edwards, Brooke Thomason and Nicole Trimboli.

• Knighten is currently batting .329 and is bidding to become the seventh Husker to hit .300 all four years of her career. The other Huskers to accomplish that feat are Denise Day, Tobin Echo-Hawk, Jennifer Lizama, Kim Ogee, Brooke Thomason and Ali Viola.

Streaking Huskers

Several Huskers bring impressive streaks into the final series of the regular season this weekend at Purdue.

• Senior MJ Knighten has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Husker this season. Knighten is batting .340 during the streak (16-for-47) with three doubles, three home runs, 13 walks and 16 RBIs, while posting a .476 on-base percentage.

• Freshman Tristen Edwards has reached base safely in a career-high 10 consecutive games. During the streak, Edwards is 14-for-31 (.452) with four doubles and six RBIs, while reaching base at a .553 clip.

• Sophomore Alyvia Simmons has hit safely in a career-high nine straight games. Simmons is 11-for-29 (.379) during the streak with five doubles, five walks and five RBIs.

• Simmons has also started 29 consecutive games and is batting .402 (41-for-102) during that stretch with 15 doubles.

• Junior Taylor Otte owns a career-best five-game hitting streak. Otte is 7-for-17 (.412) during her hitting streak with two doubles, two homers and four RBIs. Otte has also scored a run in five straight games, and she produced her first career game with multiple extra-base hits in Nebraska's last game vs. Northwestern.

• Otte also owns a streak of 20 consecutive starts, the longest such streak of her career. She is 19-for-56 (.339) in that stretch with all three of her career home runs, all nine of her career RBIs and three of her five career doubles.

• Junior Kaylan Jablonski has allowed three earned runs or fewer in four consecutive outings, posting a 1-0 record with one save and a 1.31 ERA in that stretch.

• Jablonski had posted a season-long streak of 14.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run before that streak was snapped in the third inning of Nebraska's last game vs. Northwestern.

• Senior Cassie McClure has allowed three earned runs or less in eight consecutive appearances, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.31 ERA in that stretch.

Nebraska at Home on the Road in Big Ten Play

Nebraska boasts a 6-2 record in Big Ten road games this season and a 41-24 all-time record in Big Ten road games.

• The school record for most road wins in a conference season is nine in 2015, a mark Nebraska could tie this weekend.

• Nebraska has won 11 of its last 15 conference road games dating back to last season.

Nebraska Pitching on a Roll

Nebraska's pitching staff has ended each of its last 14 games with a lower season ERA than it had to begin the game. During that 14-game stretch, NU's season ERA has gone from 5.11 to its 4.26, its lowest mark of the year.

• The Huskers are 9-5 over their last 14 games, and NU pitching boasts a 2.30 ERA during that stretch and has limited opponents to 3.3 runs per game.

• In the past 14 games, Nebraska pitching is limiting opponents to a .255 average and has allowed only 22 extra-base hits and just three home runs.

• The pitching has a chance for even more improvement, as 23 of the 46 runs the Huskers have allowed the past 14 games have been scored with two outs (50 percent).

Huskers Were Hot in April

NU finished with a 15-5 record in April, posting more wins in April than in February (2) and March (7) combined (9).

• The Huskers entered April with a 9-20 overall record and a 1-3 Big Ten record. Nebraska ended April with a 24-25 overall record and a 13-7 conference record.

• This year's team became just the second Husker squad to win 15 games in April since the NCAA limited teams to 56 regular-season games beginning in 2005. Overall, Nebraska's 15 wins in April ranked as the program's fourth-highest total in the past 22 years.

Scouting Purdue (17-35 Overall, 6-14 Big Ten)

Purdue brings a 17-35 overall record into the final weekend of the regular season. The Boilermakers are in 12th place in the Big Ten standings with a 6-14 record in league play. Purdue has lost seven straight games, all to Big Ten foes ranked in the top 70 of the NCAA RPI. The Boilermakers lost the series finale at home against Wisconsin and have been swept in back-to-back weekend road series at Northwestern and No. 4 Minnesota. Purdue has been outscored 56-11 during its losing streak.

Nebraska and Purdue have both faced Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin conference play. The Huskers posted a 7-7 record against that group, while the Boilermakers went 2-13.

Offensively, Purdue is batting .258 as a team and averages 3.2 runs per game. In conference play, the Boilermakers are hitting .244 and averaging 2.9 runs per game. Purdue has hit only 12 home runs in its 52 games, but nine of those 12 home runs have come in conference play. The Boilermakers also boast plenty of speed, ranking second in the league with 63 stolen bases.

Mallory Baker is Purdue's top hitter and one of two Boilermakers batting above .300. Baker leads Purdue a .364 average, 10 doubles and 27 RBIs. She has also drawn a team-leading 22 walks - while striking out only seven times - and is a perfect 13-of-13 in stolen bases. In conference play, Baker is batting .377 with her lone home run of the season. Maya Hughes is hitting .331 this season, and she leads Purdue with 57 hits and ranks second with 17 stolen bases. Hughes is hitting only .239 in conference play but has produced four of her six extra-base hits and six of her 12 RBIs in Big Ten play. Kaylah Hampton is tied for the team lead with three home runs this season and is tied for second on the team with eight doubles and 20 RBIs. Hampton is batting .288 on the season but is hitting just .192 in conference play. Kristen Hoppman ranks second on the team with a .283 average in conference play and she is batting .276 overall. Hoppman also leads the Big Ten with 25 stolen bases and she has yet to be caught stealing this season.

Defensively, Purdue boasts a 4.66 ERA and a .942 fielding percentage while allowing an average of 5.6 runs per game. The Boilermakers own a 5.28 ERA in conference play and are allowing an average of 6.1 runs per game.

Kaitlynn Moody has been Purdue's top pitcher, as she has compiled a 7-14 record with a team-low 3.77 ERA in a team-high 137.1 innings. She has thrown two shutouts and added one save. Moody is 3-7 with a 4.24 ERA in Big Ten play, when she has thrown more than half of Purdue's total innings. Maddie Damon has started a team-high 21 games and leads Purdue with eight wins. Damon is 8-11 with a 3.98 ERA in 119.2 innings this season, including a 2-4 record with a 6.23 ERA in Big Ten play. Katie Johnson (2-10, 7.18 ERA in 66.1 IP) and Brooke Perry (0-0, 9.55 ERA in 7.1 IP) round out the Boilermaker staff.