Husker Baseball Enjoys Conference Title

Lincoln - Second-year coach Dave Van Horn took just 15 months to accomplish what it took the Nebraska baseball program 50 years to attain, winning a conference title. In a marvelous season-ending run the Huskers defeated powerhouses Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Baylor to win the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Oklahoma City, winning the school's first baseball title since the Big Seven Championship in 1950.

In a year full of memorable moments, the Huskers capped the season playing in their first NCAA Regional since 1985. Nebraska went 1-2 at Columbus, Ohio, to end the season 42-18, its best record in 1990's. The Huskers lost twice to Mississippi State and defeated Bowling Green (10-5) in their first regional trip in 14 seasons.

Spearheading the charge throughout the 1999 season was first-team All-American first-baseman Ken Harvey. Harvey led the nation with a .478 batting average becoming the first Husker to win the NCAA batting crown in school history. He hit 23 home runs to break the school record of 21 which was set in 1988 by Bobby Benjamin.

Nebraska started the season 4-5 as a group of 19 newcomers tried to blend with 11 returnees from Van Horn's first team. The Huskers then got hot winning 16 of their next 17 games.

En route to returning to the national polls for the first time since 1988, the Huskers won two of three games at Oklahoma, swept three games at Kansas -- the first Big 12 Conference road sweep by NU -- and set three NCAA records in a 50-3 win over Chicago State on March 16. The 50 runs marked an NCAA Division I best, as well as 48 runs batted in and victory margin (47) in a game that lasted seven innings.

At the end of March, the Huskers swept a three-game series from national-power Texas. In the third game of the series, Buck Beltzer Stadium was packed to the seams as a record crowd of 3,387 was in attendance.

Nebraska came back to Earth in April going 10-9, including two wins over College World Series participant Oklahoma State. In the third game of the series, sophomore third baseman Danny Kimura belted a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth for the 6-2 win.

After final exams in early May, the Huskers got their swings back in gear. NU won two of three against Southern Illinois and following a 5-3 13-inning loss, the Huskers went on a tear winning nine straight games.

In midweek games, Nebraska defeated Northern Iowa 10-7 and beat Creighton in front of a crowd of 6,735 at Rosenblatt Stadium 10-9 as senior Jay Sirianni earned his first career save. In closing out its 1999 home and conference seasons, Nebraska swept three games from Kansas State to finish the year in fifth place in the Big 12 at 16-9. The Huskers were tough at home winning 24 of 29 contests.

Nebraska took that momentum into its first-ever game in the Big 12 Tournament as junior right-hander Chad Wiles tossed a one-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over Oklahoma State. For Wiles it was the second shutout of his career and the first in Big 12 Tournament history.

The next day, the Husker offense led the way in a 14-7 win over Oklahoma. Senior Jarod Bearinger earned the win throwing 6.2 innings, his longest outing of the season.

Nebraska continued its success at the Bricktown Ballpark holding on to beat top-ranked and Big 12 regular-season champion Texas A&M 8-7 to advance to the championship game. Trailing 3-0, the Huskers opened the game up scoring six runs in the third against the Aggies. A&M trimmed the lead to 6-5 before Harvey hit a solo home run and John Cole scored to put NU ahead 8-5. In the bottom of the ninth, R.D. Spiehs, who pitched 4.2 innings of relief to get the win, gave way to freshman All-American Shane Komine. Komine struck out Chad Hudson with the tying run at third to end the game.

In the championship game against Baylor, Nebraska took a 4-0 lead after the second and led 4-2 entering the eighth before junior Scott Fries allowed an RBI double to Jason Jennings. With the Bears trailing 4-3 and the tying run at second with no outs, Van Horn called on Wiles to get NU out of the eighth. In the ninth, Wiles got two quick outs before Anthony Hensley reached on an error and Jon Topolski walked. Eric Nelson followed with a line drive to left field that Cole leaped up and grabbed to preserve the Big 12 title for the Huskers. The catch set off a wild celebration in left-center field as the Huskers earned their first conference title in almost 50 years.

In the first game of regionals at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, Nebraska played two-time defending CWS qualifier Mississippi State. The Huskers led 8-6 after four innings, but MSU erupted for 12 runs in the final five innings to hand NU its first loss in nine games.

The Huskers rebounded the next day defeating Bowling Green 10-5. Spiehs earned the win allowing no runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Nebraska pounded out 15 hits, including four by junior shortstop Brandt Vlieger. NU trailed 5-2 after five innings before scoring eight runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth.

In their second elimination game of the tournament and second contest against Mississippi State, Jim Bailey homered for the second time in the regional, but the Bulldogs pounded 17 hits against three Nebraska pitchers in a 13-7 Mississippi State win.

Although the year ended in disappointment by not having more success at the regional, Van Horn and the Huskers set the tone in 1999 for a strong and successful future for the Nebraska baseball program.