Jessica Yoachim Season 2006

Honors & Awards

2005
First-Team All-Big 12
First-Team Academic All-Big 12
Second-Team All-Midwest Region
Big 12 All-Tournament Team
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring)

2004
First-Team All-Midwest Region
First-Team All-Big 12
Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
Big 12 All-Tournament Team
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring)
Nebraska Co-Most Improved Player Award

2003
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall)

2002
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall)

2006: Season Outlook

Jessica Yoachim (pronounced YOKE-um) will start for her fourth consecutive season in 2006. Yoachim has been Nebraska's starter at third base the last three years, but is expected to primarily start at second base this season.

A gifted athlete who has proven she can play anywhere on the diamond, Yoachim will replace All-American Anne Steffan at second. Her move will also allow junior Carmen Kier, who has started at various positions including designated player in her career, to become a regular starter at her natural position of third base.

Yoachim, who has earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in each of the last two seasons, could also see some time in the outfield. While her fielding position may not be set in stone, her position in the Husker lineup is. The Arkansas City, Kan., native will hit near the top of the order and is expected to begin the season at the No. 2 spot, where she batted in 2005.

Yoachim has gotten better each season and last year was no exception. She hit a career-best .324 and added 19 sacrifices and 27 stolen bases in 29 attempts. Her speed and bat control - she can slap and swing away - cause fits for opposing defenses and provides a perfect table setter for the heart of the Husker order. Yoachim hit .391 (34-for-87) with runners on base and posted an on-base percentage of .516 when she led off an inning.

If she continues her pattern of improvement, Yoachim could have an All-America season in 2006.

Defensively, Yoachim has experience at several different positions in the infield and outfield. Despite switching positions midseason in 2005, Yoachim committed only seven errors in 148 chances. Her quickness should help her cover a lot of ground up the middle and make her an even more valuable asset at second base.

2005: Junior Season

Yoachim played several positions before settling in and starting the final 45 games at third base ... started the season at second base, then moved to left field before moving back to third base, where she started her first two seasons ... hit a team-best .321 in Big 12 games only and a career-high .324 overall ... made only one error in the field against league teams ... ranked 19th in the nation in sacrifices per game ... tied for fifth in the Big 12 with 27 stolen bases ... stole the 50th base of her career against Missouri on the final weekend of the regular season ... a good slapper and bunter, was second on the team with 19 sacrifices ... recorded her 100th career hit against Texas' Cat Osterman on April 2 ... became just the second left-handed hitter in 91 at bats to record a hit off Osterman ... hit safely in a career-high eight games Feb. 12-25 ... had a seven-game hitting streak snapped when NU was no-hit by Oklahoma State on April 24 ... led the team with a career-high 43 runs scored ... scored the 100th run of her career against Iowa State on April 27 ... drew a career-high 19 walks, 10 more than she drew in her sophomore season ... drove in a career-high 10 runs ... went 4-for-5 with four runs scored in the two-game series with Texas Tech April 16-17 ... hit her second career double against Texas-San Antonio on Feb. 19 in a career day ... set a school record with five hits in five at bats against Texas-San Antonio ... also had a season-high two RBIs against the Roadrunners ... went 3-for-4 with two runs scored against North Dakota State on April 7 ... drew a career-high two walks against Wichita State on March 11 ... had 15 multi-hit games, fourth-most on the team ... recorded the game-winning RBI in NU’s 9-1 victory over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech on Feb. 26 ... was the Huskers' lone first-team All-Big 12 selection, her second straight honor ... also earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors.

2004: Sophomore Season

Yoachim began the season splitting time at third base before winning the job outright ... was the Huskers' No. 2 hitter in the lineup and hit .295 for the season ... in Big 12 games only, Yoachim was second in the league with a .356 average and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors ... led the team with seven sacrifice bunts and ranked third on the team with 33 runs scored, fourth with 38 hits and third with 11 steals ... was named a co-recipient of Nebraska's Most Improved Player award ... was named first-team All-Big 12, first-team All-Midwest Region, second-team academic All-Big 12 and was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team ... recorded three straight multi-hit games, collecting two hits against No. 18 Oklahoma on April 17-18 and against Texas Tech on April 24 ... had a season-high six-game hitting streak April 7-24 ... enjoyed a career day against Manhattan on Feb. 21 at the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas, going a season-high 3-for-3 at the plate with a season-high three runs scored and a career-high three RBIs ... went 5-for-8 with four runs scored in a doubleheader against Northern Colorado on April 22.

2003: Freshman Season

Yoachim started 43 games at third base after training at second base during the fall season ... a slap hitter, Yoachim hit .257 (26-for-101) with 26 runs scored, which ranked fifth on the team ... was tied for third on the team with 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts ... had six multiple-hit games ... started three games at the ASU/Fiesta Bowl Classic and went 3-for-3 with four runs scored and two stolen bases ... played well at the UNLV Classic, batting .273 with a stolen base.

High School

A gifted all-around athlete, Yoachim was a four-year letterwinner in softball and volleyball at Arkansas City High School and also earned a letter in basketball ... earned All-Arkansas Valley League honors four times, including three years as a pitcher and one as an outfielder ... was named the 2001 Arkansas Valley League MVP ... was a three-time all-state selection and helped lead Coach Bob Juden’s squad to a Kansas state title, two runner-up finishes and an 82-12 four-year record ... hit .558 with 17 stolen bases and a .573 on-base percentage as a senior ... contributed significantly to the 2000 Arkansas City state championship team by tossing 18 of the team’s 21 innings, scoring five of ACHS’s 10 runs and accounting for seven of the team’s hits at the state tournament ... led Arkansas City’s state championship team with a .522 batting average (48-for-92) and 12 doubles ... competed for Coach Phil Walkup and the Wichita Stingers Kansas ASA Under-18 state title team that posted a 33-9 record ... hit .529 with 50 stolen bases in 42 games ... garnered the Kansas High School Athletic Association Citizenship award ... graduated in the top 10 of her senior class ... was a member of the National Honor Society and served as president of her junior class.

Coach Revelle on Yoachim
"Jess is a very dynamic player who can bring the team and crowds to life with her heads up style of play. She has a knack for getting on and getting around the basepaths and scoring runs for the Huskers. Typically, when Jess is scoring, the Huskers are winning. See Jess run...see Jess score...and watch her lead her team to victory."