Huskers Set for Mid-Week Game Against Creighton

LINCOLN –The Nebraska softball team (13-22, 2-7 Big Ten) travels up I-80 for a mid-week matchup against in-state rival Creighton (11-17, 1-8 BIG EAST) on Tuesday. First pitch in Omaha is set for 6 p.m.

Last time out
Nebraska looks to bounce back after getting swept at home to No. 25 Northwestern in a three-game Big Ten series April 5-7. The Huskers only scored two run in the series, while the Wildcats scored 20. Over the weekend, Lexey Kneib, Madi Unzicker and Alyvia Simmons each had two hits for Nebraska. Tristen Edwards also had a home run in game two against the Wildcats. It marked her 29th career home run, moving her into ninth place on Nebraska’s career home run list. In the circle, Lindsey Walljasper pitched 8.0 innings in two appearances. She gave up one earned run on five hits, finishing the weekend with a team-best 0.88 ERA.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters the mid-week with a record of 11-17. The Bluejays are on a six-game losing streak, dating back to March 30. Most recently, Creighton got swept by St. Johns last weekend in Omaha. St. John’s outscored Creighton 29-16 over the three-game series. Creighton’s last win came on March 27 when the team defeated South Dakota 11-5 in Omaha. Kiara Mills leads the Bluejays at the plate with a .361 average. She has 22 hits, 10 runs, three doubles and a team-high two triples, five home runs and 19 RBIs. Ashley Cantu and Courtney Sandell are also hitting above .300. Cantu has a .353 average, with a team-best 30 hits, 19 runs, 19 walks and four doubles. She also has two home runs and 12 RBIs. Sandell is hitting .310, with six runs, three doubles and four RBIs. As a team, Creighton is batting .266 and is averaging nearly five runs per game and almost seven hits a game.

In the circle, Logan Black has seen most of the action. She’s pitched 77.0 innings, including a team-high 13 starts. She has an ERA of 4.09 and a record of 2-6. She also has a team-best 62 strikeouts. Laura Roecker (4-8) also has an ERA of 4.09 and has appeared a team-high 17 times. She’s pitched 53.0 innings and has 29 strikeouts. Kiele Miller has a record of 5-2 and an ERA of 4.30. She’s pitched 42.1 innings but has 61 strikeouts. She also has two of the team’s three shutouts this season. As a team, Creighton is fielding .950 with 39 errors in 28 games. The Bluejays have given up 34 unearned runs through 28 games so far this season.

Follow the Huskers
A live radio broadcast will be available on Huskers.com and the official Huskers App for all of Nebraska’s games this season. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@HuskerSoftball).

Edwards at the Plate Tristen Edwards returned this season as Nebraska’s top hitter. She currently leads the team with a .337 average. She also ranks first in hits with 32, home runs with 13, RBIs with 33, walks with 21 and slugging percentage (.800). However, over the last four games, Edwards is 8-for-18 (.444) with six runs, six RBIs, two doubles, four home runs and five walks. She’s slugging 1.222 and has an on-base percentage of .600. Edwards has two 4-for-4 games at the plate this season, most recently against Tulsa in game one of the Rock Chalk Challenge.  Edwards also leads the team with 13 home runs, which ranks first in the Big Ten and 17th in the country. Edwards has also moved into the top 10 on Nebraska’s career all-time home runs list. She ranks ninth with 29.

Edwards made Husker history on April 2 against South Dakota State. The junior finished with two home runs, marking her fourth multi-home run games this season and the sixth in her career, putting herself elite company. The only other Huskers to have at least five multi-home run career games are Tatum Edwards and Jennifer Lizama. Both Tatum Edwards and Jennifer Lizama earned multiple All-America awards while at Nebraska. Additionally, her four multi-home run games this season are the most multi-home run games in a single season in school history. Previously, MJ Knighten and  Ali Viola held the record at three and both Knighten and Viola earned first-team All-America honors following those seasons.

Simmons Back in the Lineup Alyvia Simmons returned as one of Nebraska’s top hitters this season, but she suffered a minor injury in the middle of the season that limited her playing time. However, Simmons has bounced back quickly and is performing quite well since getting back in the starting lineup. Simmons started the first 10 games, but was unable to start several games during the middle of the season. However, she’s been back in the starting lineup for 16 of the last 17 games and is hitting .327 in that stretch, an improvement from her .288 season average. 

Additionally, the senior leads Nebraska starters in conference play. Through the first nine Big Ten games, Simmons has gone 10-for-29 (.345). During the Illinois series, Simmons went 5-for-12 (.417) with one run, two doubles, one triple and two RBIs. Simmons now ranks in the top 10 on Nebraska’s all-time career list. She ranks ninth with 37.