Huskers Welcome 17 Newcomers

Lincoln -- University of Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson welcomed 17 newcomers to the Husker program on Monday, the first day that classes started for the fall semester. The group, which totals 11 freshmen and six transfers, features players from seven states (Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas) and includes seven freshmen who earned all-state honors last spring (Braden Keith, Colorado; Brad Furnish, Texas; Jon Klausing, Colorado; Mike McDonald, Kansas; Matthew Pike, Colorado; Al Smith, Nebraska and Tony Watson, Iowa). Of the transfers, Brett Jensen was a first-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman at Iowa Central Community College.

"We are very excited about this group," Head Coach Mike Anderson said. "We are in a unique position with the number of players we have back to mix them in with a great group of newcomers coming into the program. The key to our success over the past few years is the development of players once they have entered our program, and we believe this group will help us continue the success we have had over the next few years."

Three of the newcomers were selected in the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in June, but elected to enroll in school: freshman left-handed Tony Watson (23rd round by Florida); freshman right-handed pitcher Matthew Pike (32nd round by Boston) and sophomore right-handed pitcher Brett Jensen (45th round by Baltimore).

"College baseball is put in a unique situation because of the competition with pro baseball, but we are fortunate that we had a number of kids who wanted to come to Nebraska and be a part of this program," Anderson said. "Now it is time to go to work, and to help them get better as student-athletes."

The Huskers will conduct fall drills from Sept. 15 to Oct. 12, with the annual Red/White Series tentatively slated for the week of Oct. 6. The Huskers return 17 letterwinners, including All-Big 12 selections Curtis Ledbetter and Quinton Robertson, In all, Nebraska returns seven everyday starters from a team that went 47-18 and won the school's second Big 12 title in the last three years.

No.

Player

Pos.

B/T

Ht.

Wt.

Cl.

Hometown (High School/Previous Schools)

9

Bowden, Johnny

C

R/R

6-3

210

Fr.

Springfield, Ore. (Thurston)

36

Foust, Matt

RHP

R/R

6-3

215

Fr.

Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West)

20

Furnish, Brad

LHP

L/L

6-1

175

Fr.

Lucas, Texas (Allen)

19

Hertzel, Jared

RHP

R/R

6-0

195

Jr.

Lincoln, Neb. (Wayne State College/Northeast)

33

Jensen, Brett

RHP

R/R

6-7

185

So.

Eagle Grove, Iowa (Iowa Central CC/Eagle Grove)

25

Jensen, James

OF

R/R

6-3

200

Fr.

Grand Island, Neb. (Grand Island)

6

Keith, Braden

OF

L/L

6-0

160

Fr.

Elbert, Colo. (Falcon)

22

Klausing, Jon

LHP

L/L

6-6

185

Fr.

Arvada, Colo. (Pomona)

17

McDonald, Mike

LHP

L/L

6-4

185

Fr.

Wichita, Kan. (Wichita South)

26

Moore, David

OF

L/R

6-3

200

Fr.

Boulder, Colo. (Boulder)

51

Pike, Matthew

RHP

R/R

6-6

205

Fr.

Pueblo, Colo. (Centennial)

10

Shockey, Colin

OF/INF

L/R

5-10

165

Jr.

LaVista, Neb. (Iowa Western CC/Ralston)

32

Smith, Al

1B/OF

R/R

6-1

220

Fr.

Omaha, Neb. (Westside)

16

Sullivan, Beau

INF/LHP

L/L

6-2

215

Jr.

Leedey, Okla. (Seminole JC/Woodward)

11

Vaughn, Tyler

INF

R/R

6-2

195

Fr.

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Rampart)

30

Watson, Tony

LHP

L/L

6-4

180

Fr.

Grimes, Iowa (Dallas Center-Grimes)

40

Wierzbicki, B.J.

RHP

R/R

6-6

220

So.

Ralston, Neb. (Iowa Western CC/Ralston)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bios of Players Not Previously Announced
Jared Hertzel - A former Super-State selection at Lincoln Northeast, Hertzel pitched at Division II Wayne State the past two seasons, compiling a 5-2 record with a 4.38 ERA en route to honorable-mention Northern Sun Conference honors last spring. Hertzel went 11-7 with 88 strikeouts in 116 innings in his two seasons at the school and the 6-0, 195-pounder right-hander will have two seasons remaining at Nebraska.

David Moore - Moore earned honorable-mention All-Colorado honors as a senior at Boulder High School, batting .403 with eight homers and 27 RBIs. Moore, who was a first-team All-Centennial League selection as an outfielder, led all of Class 5A in homers last spring. An outfielder, Moore improved those numbers by playing American Legion ball over the summer, belting 14 homers and driving in 46 runs, as he had a .757 on-base percentage and a .858 slugging percentage this summer. He selected NU over Arizona, UNLV and several junior colleges.

Al Smith -- Smith was a two-time All-Nebraska selection by both the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald after completing a decorated career at Omaha Westside High School. Smith batted .500 with seven homers and 47 RBIs, leading Westside to a 32-3 record and a state title in 2003. He led the state in RBIs and was either second or third in the state in nearly every major category, including batting average (third), runs scored (47, second), homers (second) and hits (53, second).

James Jensen -- A former track and football standout, Jensen will walk-on to the Husker baseball team this season. He played American Legion ball with Grand Island Home Federal during his high school career. In track, he was the outstanding male performer at the 2002 Central Nebraska Track Championship, becoming the first junior to win the honor. He competed at the Nebraska State Track Meet in the 100 and 200 meters, as well as the Islanders' 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams in 2002. He earned a total of seven varsity letters. Jensen comes from athletic bloodlines, as his grandfather - Richard Thigman - played basketball and baseball at NU, while his uncle is Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin.