Huskers Sign Two Players to National Letters-of-Intent

Lincoln - Nebraska Head Baseball Coach Mike Anderson announced the signings of Jeff Christy (Lincoln, Neb./Barton County (Kan.) CC) and Luke Wertz (Parker, Colo.) to National Letters-of-Intent on Thursday.

Christy comes back to Lincoln after playing the last two seasons at Barton County Community College under Head Coach Mike Warren and former Husker pitcher Jay Sirianni. Christy leads Barton County with a .352 average, two homers and 25 RBIs in 36 games this spring, helping the Cougars to a 22-14 record. Defensively, Christy also has thrown out over 33 percent of base runners and has committed one error in 241 chances. As a freshman, he hit .333 with five homers and 34 RBIs and 30 runs scored while starting 49 games for a squad that went 30-22 in 2003. A 49th round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2002 MLB Draft, Christy was a Super-State selection by the Lincoln Journal Star at Lincoln Southeast High School, where he teamed with Alex Gordon to lead the Knights to a state playoff appearance. Christy hit .430 with 41 RBIs as a senior, while throwing out 22 runners during his two seasons as a starter.

"Jeff is a great catch-and-throw guy who we think can help us defensively," Anderson said. "We have been able to follow him at Barton County and see him continue and develop in his two seasons in the program. We are excited to have him return home and be a Husker next season."

Wertz is one of the top high school players in the state of Colorado, pitching at Ponderosa High School and Coach Clark Eyl. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 1.70 ERA this spring. He leads the Denver area with 74 strikeouts and has walked only 14 in 37 innings of work this season. Wertz has struck out 10 or more in all six of his starts, including a 15-strikeout performance against Douglas County in his last outing. He was an honorable-mention all-state selection as a junior, going 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA, as he struck out 53 in 49 innings of work.

"Luke is someone who popped on our radar late," Anderson said. "He has a fastball in the low 90s and a plus curve. In addition, he also meets the criteria that we are looking for because he is also an excellent student. We think his addition strengthens a strong pitching class we signed in the fall."

After last night's 7-4 win over 10th-ranked Wichita State, the Huskers are 25-7 on the season and ranked as high as 15th in the national polls heading into a weekend series at Missouri.