Huskers Begin Fall Drills on Monday

Lincoln - The Nebraska baseball team begins preparations for the upcoming season on Monday, Sept. 15, with the first practice of the fall at Hawks Field. Head Coach Mike Anderson will run the Huskers through 22 practices over the next month, culminating with the annual Red-White Series, tentatively set for Oct. 7-12.

Anderson, who begins his second year as head coach, believes that the fall drills are an important part of preseason training and has a definite set of goals during the practices.

"First and foremost, we want to develop good team chemistry in the fall," Anderson said. "This is our 2004 team, and we want to develop this team as a unit and develop roles for players and pitchers. With our schedule, we understand that the first part of our schedule is tough, and also we need to come out of the fall with a good understanding of what our lineup is going to be heading into the spring."

The Huskers, who have won the Big 12 title in two of the past three seasons, return a total of 17 letterwinners, including first-team All-Big 12 selections Curtis Ledbetter and Quinton Robertson, from a squad that went 47-18 and finished one win shy of qualifying for its fifth straight Super Regional.

Ledbetter, who earned all-conference recognition as a sophomore after hitting .348 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs last spring, is one of seven starting position players back this fall. The group also includes third baseman Alex Gordon (.319-7-48), shortstop Joe Simokaitis (.293-1-39), second baseman Jake Mullinax (.320-0-21), catcher John Grose (.302-4-22) and outfielders Daniel Bruce (.311-6-33) and Brandon Fusilier (.289-6-41).

Ledbetter and Simokaitis will be limited in drills because of injuries, while Fusilier will miss the fall after a recent surgery. In addition to the three starts, pitchers Dustin Timm and Brian Duensing will also miss the fall.

"One of the important things about the fall is that we get healthy, and their rehab is on track," Anderson said. "We were in a similar situation last year with some of our guys (Matt Hopper and Jeff Leise) and it ended up pretty well for us."

Robertson, one of nine pitchers returning from a staff that ranked second in the conference and 29th nationally with a 3.79 ERA, headlines a talented pitching staff, as they blend veterans with a talented group of newcomers. Other starters who are back include juniors Phil Shirek (5-3, 3.90 ERA) and sophomores Brian Duensing (3-0, 2.42 ERA) and Zach Kroenke (6-2, 2.72 ERA), while the Husker bullpen returns two of its top three save leaders in right-handers Tim Schoeninger (4-2, 4.30, 6 SV) and Mike Sillman (1-1, 1.82 ERA, 3 SV).

The Huskers open the 2004 campaign on Feb. 21, when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to play New Mexico in a tournament. The home opener is set for Tuesday, March 16, against Western Illinois, one of 27 home games at Hawks Field next spring.