Apr 02, 2024

Nebraska hosts Kansas on Tuesday

Posted Apr 02, 2024 12:30 PM

Story by NU Athletic Communications

The Nebraska softball team plays its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday when the Huskers host the Kansas Jayhawks at Bowlin Stadium.

First pitch is set for 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Tickets can be purchased by visiting huskers.com/softball, calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch. Fans can also watch the game with a subscription to Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 per month. A free radio broadcast of Tuesday’s game - and every game this season - will be available on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app.

Nebraska brings a five-game winning streak into Tuesday’s game, matching its longest winning streak of the season. Overall, the Huskers have won 10 of their last 11 games. The offense has powered the recent hot stretch as Nebraska is averaging 8.5 runs per game over its last 11 contests.

The Huskers have also won seven of their last eight home games. Nebraska is hosting Kansas for the first time since 2017 as each of the last seven meetings between the programs have been played in Lawrence.

Kansas enters Tuesday’s game with a 22-11-1 record after the Jayhawks were swept in a three-game series by No. 1 Oklahoma over the weekend. Kansas was ranked 24th in the USA Softball poll last week and the Jayhawks are No. 30 in the NCAA RPI ranking.

Leading Off

  1. Nebraska enters Tuesday’s game with 1,599 wins in program history.
  2. The Huskers entered the week ranked in the top 10 nationally in doubles (5th, 64) and defensive double plays (4th, 20).
  3. Nebraska used the same batting order in the final two games at Wisconsin, marking the first time this season NU has duplicated a batting order.
  4. NU has won four games when trailing after six innings, its most such wins in a season this century.
  5. Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 106 extra-base hits and is the only team in the conference with 100 extra-base hits.
  6. Three Huskers rank in the top seven in the Big Ten in extra-base hits: Billie Andrews (1st, 23); Ava Bredwell (4th, 19); and Sydney Gray (7th, 17).
  7. Billie Andrews and Sydney Gray are the only players to win multiple Big Ten Player of the Week awards this season.
  8. Brooke Andrews has 99 career starts in center field and 98 career RBIs.
  9. Billie Andrews entered the week as one of only 15 players nationally averaging 1.0 hit, 1.0 run and 1.0 RBI per game.
  10. Billie Andrews is Nebraska’s all-time home run leader and ranks eighth in Big Ten history with 55 career home runs.

Huskers Showing Comeback Ability in 2024Nebraska has shown a knack for coming from behind this season. The Huskers have trailed in 14 of their 21 wins, including eight times where Nebraska came back from a multi-run deficit.

  1. The Huskers have won four times when trailing after six innings this season. Nebraska is 4-8 when trailing after six innings this season after a 3-74 record in the previous five seasons.
  2. Nebraska’s four wins this season when trailing after six innings of play are its most in a season since 2016, when the Huskers were 4-13 when trailing after six innings. A Nebraska team has not won five times in a season when trailing after six innings since at least 2000.

A Sister Act at the Top of the LineupThe Andrews sisters have hit first and second in the Nebraska batting order each of the past 18 games with younger sister Billie Andrews leading off and older sister Brooke Andrews hitting second. The sisters have proven to be a productive combination at the top of the order.

  1. During the last 18 games when Billie has led off and Brooke has hit second, Nebraska has averaged 7.3 runs per game. In the first 16 games, Nebraska averaged 4.7 runs per game.
  2. The duo has hit .336 collectively over the last 18 games while combining to average 2.6 hits per game, 2.4 runs per game and 2.0 RBIs per game.

Caneda Thriving as ‘Second’ Leadoff HitterWith the Andrews sisters anchoring the top of the lineup, Nebraska had been in search of a strong No. 9 hitter to act as a second leadoff hitter batting ahead of Billie Andrews. The Huskers appear to have found that hitter in Katelyn Caneda.

  1. Caneda, who posted the third-highest batting average (.366) by a freshman in program history last year, has bounced back from a slow start to the season. In the last four weeks, Caneda is batting .333 (15-for-45) with a .444 on-base percentage, 12 runs and 11 RBIs.
  2. As Caneda has gotten hot, Rhonda Revelle has chosen to move Caneda down in the order to the No. 9 spot in the hopes that Caneda will get on base in front of Billie Andrews. The move has proven effective as Nebraska has scored 67 runs in the eight games Caneda has hit ninth (8.4 runs per game) with Caneda scoring nine runs and Billie Andrews totaling 13 RBIs.
  3. Since moving into the No. 9 spot in the lineup eight games ago, Caneda is 8-for-19 with five walks, reaching base in 13 of her 24 plate appearances for a .542 on-base percentage.

Middle of the Order Swinging Hot BatsWhile the top and bottom of the Husker lineup have been strong of late, three big bats in the middle of the order have been productive as well. Ava Bredwell, Samantha Bland and Sydney Gray have all been enjoying hot stretches over the past four weeks.

  1. Bredwell is 17-for-39 (.436) over the last four weeks with seven doubles, two triples, four homers and 15 RBIs in 16 games. Over the last four weeks, she leads Nebraska in doubles.
  2. Bland is 17-for-51 (.333) over the last four weeks with four doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs.
  3. Over the past four weeks, Gray leads Nebraska with a .417 average (20-for-48), seven homers, 12 walks, a .917 slugging percentage and a .525 on-base percentage.
  4. The Huskers have hit Bredwell third, Bland fourth and Gray fifth in each of the last five games. In those five games, NU is averaging 8.8 runs per game.

Tokheim Returns in a Big WayTalia Tokheim has returned to the Nebraska lineup in a big way. Tokheim played in just 15 games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. She went exactly one year between starts, but Tokheim has returned to start Nebraska’s last four games.

  1. Tokheim is 5-for-14 (.357) with three homers, six runs and six RBIs since returning to the Nebraska starting lineup. She has had a hit, a run and an RBI in three of her four starts.
  2. Tokheim has three extra-base hits in 15 at bats this season and 13 extra-base hits in 54 career at bats. She averages an extra-base hit every four at bats in her career.

Scouting Kansas (22-11-1)Kansas is 22-11-1 on the season, including a 7-5 record in Big 12 Conference play. The Jayhawks, who were ranked in the USA Softball poll last week and were the top receiving votes team in the NFCA coaches’ poll, have won nine of their last 13 games despite being swept in a three-game series by No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend. Nebraska and Kansas share five common opponents this season in Creighton, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon and Wichita State. The Huskers went 4-4 against that group while the Jayhawks were 4-2.

Kansas is batting .267 as a team while averaging 4.5 runs per game. In the circle, the Jayhawks boast a 2.84 ERA and a .964 fielding percentage while limiting opponents to 3.3 runs per game.

  1. Campbell Bagshaw is the lone Jayhawk starter hitting above .300. Bagshaw leads the team with a .315 average, two triples and 25 RBIs.
  2. Lyric Moore is hitting .298 and leads KU with five home runs and a .521 slugging percentage. She is also tied for the team lead with two triples.
  3. Hailey Cripe owns a .927 average and leads the team with 30 hits and seven doubles while ranking second with 23 RBIs.
  4. Angela Price leads Kansas with nine stolen bases and a .393 on-base percentage to complement a .274 average.
  5. In the circle, Kansas has relied on the combination of Kasey Hamilton and Katie Brooks, who have thrown more than 80 percent of the team’s innings.
  6. Hamilton is 9-7 with two saves and a 2.73 ERA in 115.1 innings. She has appeared in 21 of Kansas’ 34 games with 17 starts, 15 complete games and five shutouts. Hamilton is tied for the national lead with 15 complete games and ranks 10th in shutouts and 12th in innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .224 against Hamilton.
  7. Brooks is 10-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 75.0 innings. She has appeared in 16 games with 14 starts. Brooks has allowed only one home run this season.
  8. Five other Jayhawks have seen action behind Hamilton and Brooks. Olivia Bruno is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 16.1 innings while Addison Purvis is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 7.0 innings and Lizzy Ludwig is 0-0 with a 7.00 ERA in 7.0 innings. Savanna DesRochers (1-0, 7.00 ERA in 5.0 IP) and Anna Soles (0-0, 7.00 ERA in 1.0 IP) round out the Kansas staff.
  9. Jennifer McFalls is in her sixth season at Kansas. Her 22 wins this season are just three shy of her most in a season with the Jayhawks. McFalls owns a 117-149-1 record at Kansas and in her head coaching career.
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