Huskers, Aggies Clash in Lincoln this Weekend

This Week in Husker Baseball
Season Record (29-12, 8-7 Big 12)
National Rankings (--/--/19 - as of April 26)

Tues. (April 27) Northern Colorado Hawks Field W, 4-3
Wed. (April 28) Northern Colorado Hawks Field W, 13-7
Fri. (April 30) No. --/16/10 Texas A&M (33-13, 9-8 Big 12) Hawks Field 6:15 p.m.
Sat. (May 1) Texas A&M Hawks Field 2:05 p.m.
Sun. (May 2) Texas A&M Hawks Field 1:05 p.m.
Note: All rankings are listed as follows: Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America/Sports Weekly-ESPN Coaches

Pitching Matchups
Fri. - NU (Zach Kroenke, So., LHP, 6-1, 2.55 ERA) vs. TAMU (Jason Meyer, Fr., LHP, 8-0, 1.27 ERA)
Sat. - NU (Phil Shirek, Jr., RHP, 5-0, 3.02 ERA) vs. TAMU (Zach Jackson, Jr., LHP, 8-3, 3.61 ERA)
Sun. - NU (TBA) vs. TAMU (TBA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network
TV: NETV (Sat.)*
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Internet Video Streaming: Every remaining regular season game will be video streamed live on HuskersNside, which is a subscription-based service of the Nebraska Athletic Department. For more information on how to subscribe, visit Huskers.com.

*- Saturday’s game will also be tape-delayed on College Sports Television (Ch. 610 on DirecTV) Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

Huskers, Aggies Clash in Lincoln this Weekend
On the eve of final exams, the Nebraska baseball team prepares for one of its toughest tests of the season, as No. 10 Texas A&M comes to Lincoln for a three-game series with the Huskers. The series commences Friday evening with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch, while afternoon clashes are set for Saturday at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Tickets are available for all three games by calling 800-8-Big Red or at the Hawks Field Ticket office 90 minutes before first pitch.

All three games will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network and video-streaming of all three games is available on HuskersNside, a premium subscription service of the NU Athletic Department. Saturday’s game will be televised state-wide on Nebraska Educational Television (NETV) with Kevin Kugler and Adrian Fiala. In addition, that game will be aired on College Sports Television (CSTV) Sunday, May 2, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.

Nebraska got the week off on the right foot, sweeping Northern Colorado (4-3, 13-7) and carries a three-game winning streak into the weekend. Nebraska is 29-12 overall and 8-7 in Big 12 action, while the Aggies come to town with a 33-13 record (9-8 in Big 12 play) after dropping a 1-0 decision to Texas State on Tuesday.

Both the Huskers and Aggies are jostling behind Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in the Big 12 race, sitting fifth and sixth, respectively. The league race for positioning heads into the homestretch this week with four teams (Tech, NU, A&M and Baylor) within two games of the .500 mark in league play.

Nebraska holds a slim 13-11 lead in the all-time series which has been dominated by the home team in recent years. In each of the last five seasons, the home team has taken the season series. Nebraska has won its last six games against the Aggies in Lincoln, sweeping the season series in both 2000 and 2002, while going 1-2 in each of its two visits in College Station. Texas A&M took 2-of-3 from the Big Red last spring, marking the only series the Huskers dropped in league play en route to the league title.

Following this weekend, the Huskers will be off for final exams next week. NU’s next game is Saturday, May 8, when the Huskers travel to Oklahoma State for a three-game series with the Cowboys.

Huskers Aid National Join Hands Day Efforts
The Nebraska baseball and softball teams have teamed up with several Lincoln organizations to assist in 2004 Join Hands Day on Saturday.

At Saturday’s baseball and softball games, volunteers from charitable organizations around the Lincoln community will be at the entrances at both Hawks Field and Bowlin Stadium to collect items for the homeless and to assist those who are in need.

Some of the items which fans are encouraged to donate include: new socks and underwear, personal care products, diapers and wet wipes, paper products, first aid supplies and cleaning supplies.

Gordon Invited to USA National Team Trials
Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon was one of 19 players invited by USA Baseball to participate in the USA National Team Trials June 20-26 in Durham, N.C. Gordon was one of three Big 12 players invited, joining the Texas duo of J. Brent Cox and Taylor Teagarden. An additional 17 players will be invited later in the spring for the 20-man final roster. Gordon is bidding to become Nebraska’s first Team USA player since Paul Meyers was selected in 1985.

Leading Off
? - Hawks Field has been an inhospitable place for ranked teams over the years, as the Huskers are 20-6 against ranked teams since the ballpark opened in 2002. In addition, the Huskers have won 14 straight games against top-10 teams dating back to the 1998 season.

? - One of the strengths of the Huskers in 2004 has been the play of their defense. NU is ranked ninth nationally with a .974 fielding percentage, a pace that would break the school mark of .971 set in 1994 and 1995. The Huskers are a 16-1 this season when they play errorless baseball and had won 14 straight before last Friday’s loss at Texas. NU has had a pair of stretches of at least 45 innings without an error, including a stretch of 63.1 innings - the longest stretch in over 20 years - last month.

? - Third baseman Alex Gordon rides a 12-game hit streak into the weekend series, hitting .422 with four homers and 18 RBIs. First baseman Curtis Ledbetter has also been on a roll, hitting .405 with three homers and 11 RBIs in his last 10 contests.

? - Throughout 2004, the Huskers have gotten out to fast starts, outscoring opponents 47-21 in the opening inning of games and 127-55 over the first three innings.

? - One trait the 2004 Huskers have shown is the ability to win close games, as Nebraska’s six one-run wins not only equals the entire 2003 team’s total, but is the most since the 1998 season.

Photo Finishes (One-Run Games since 1998)
Year Record
1998 7-3
1999 4-2
2000 6-6
2001 5-8
2002 5-10
2003 6-4
2004 6-1

? - With less than a month remaining in the regular season, Alex Gordon is in position to become the Big 12’s first Triple Crown (average, homers and RBIs) winner. The Husker third baseman leads the league in both hitting (.391) and RBIs (62) and is second in the conference with 15 homers, one behind Kansas’ Travis Metcalf. A Husker has led the Big 12 in homers in each of the past four seasons, dating back to the 2000 season (Matt Hopper and Dan Johnson, 2000; Dan Johnson, 2001; Jed Morris, 2002; Matt Hopper, 2003). The last conference player (Big Eight/SWC) to lead the league in all three categories in a single-season was Oklahoma State’s Pete Incaviglia (.464-48-143) in 1985.

While Gordon adds his legacy to an impressive list of Husker sluggers, he also looks to become the first Husker third baseman to earn first-team all-conference accolades since Derek Dukart in 1994. Gordon’s performance not only potentially puts him among the favorites for league honors, but also compares very favorably to NU’s last two Big 12 Players of the Year (Jed Morris in 2002 and Matt Hopper in 2003).

A trio of Huskers have been nominated for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, as pitchers Mike Sillman (3.775 GPA in business administration) and Jeremy Becker (3.674 GPA in agricultural engineering) are joined by outfielder Daniel Bruce (3.872 GPA in English). This is the second time that Bruce has been nominated and the first for both Becker and Sillman.

? - The Nebraska baseball team joined the men’s basketball, track and cross country teams as the four finalists for the Herman Award. The honor is presented to the men’s and women’s teams with the highest GPA over the previous two semesters. It marked the second straight season that the Husker baseball team has been a finalist for the campus award (won by the cross country team on Sunday).

? - The Huskers have scored five or more runs in an inning nine times in 2004, spanning a total of eight games. The eight runs scored against Missouri on Sunday equaled the highest single inning total in 2004 (also vs. Northwestern on Feb. 20) and was the most in an inning since scoring nine runs in the fifth inning vs. Texas-Pan American on April 23, 2002. NU is 8-0 when scoring five or more runs in an inning this season.

? - The April 18th win over Missouri marked the 100th game under Head Coach Mike Anderson at NU, and the Huskers celebrated the occasion by pulling out a dramatic 11-10 win over the Tigers. Anderson’s record at the 100-game mark was 73-27, which is the second best mark at that point in school history.

? - Nebraska’s win against No. 1 Texas last Sunday in Austin was the Huskers’ first over a top-ranked team since an 8-7 win over No. 1 Texas A&M at the Big 12 Tournament on May 23, 1999.

Last Time Out
Nebraska improved to 15-4 at Hawks Field this season with a pair of wins over Northern Colorado. While NU managed four hits and needed a three-run ninth in the opener, the Husker bats erupted for 13 hits in Wednesday’s triumph.

Tuesday (Nebraska 4, Northern Colorado 3): Joe Simokaitis’ two-run single culminated Nebraska’s ninth-inning comeback, as the No. 19 Huskers rallied for a 4-3 victory over Northern Colorado Tuesday evening. Trailing 3-1, Nebraska scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth off UNC starter Craig Ayers, who allowed two hits in his first eight frames. Curtis Ledbetter walked to open the ninth before Jake Mullinax, who had two of Nebraska’s four hits, singled, putting runners on first and second. Braden Keith’s sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position before Colin Shockey’s fly ball was misplayed, allowing Ledbetter to score. Pinch hitter John Grose was intentionally walked to load the bases for Simokaitis, who sent Ayers’ first pitch into right center, scoring both Mullinax and Shockey. Dustin Timm (2-1) earned the victory with two innings of shutout relief, getting out of jams in both the eighth and the ninth innings, while freshman Jon Klausing pitched well, allowing three runs over the first seven frames.

Wednesday (Nebraska 13, Northern Colorado 7): Brad Furnish allowed one hit over five innings, while Alex Gordon and Curtis Ledbetter homered and combined for seven RBIs, leading No. 19 Nebraska to a 13-7 win over Northern Colorado on Wednesday Furnish (2-0) allowed two first-inning runs before settling down, matching his career high with seven strikeouts and retiring 11 straight at one point. Furnish was backed by an offensive attack that pounded out 15 hits and scored in six of eight innings. Gordon went 2-for-4 with his 15th homer of the season, drove in four runs and scored three times, while Ledbetter went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Freshman Tyler Vaughn also enjoyed a big day at the plate, getting a career-high three hits, as eight starters had at least one hit in the win.

Gordon Stacks Up at Third
One of the reasons for the Huskers’ strong first half start has been the play of third baseman Alex Gordon. The sophomore from Lincoln has been a steady force in the middle of the Husker lineup, leading the Big Red in nearly every offensive category. Gordon, who was named to the Golden Spikes Watch List earlier this month, also paces NU in multi-hit games (19) and multi-RBI efforts (16) and has been walked a team-high 32 times.

The following is a comparison of Gordon against the preseason All-American third basemen picked by national publications.

Ledbetter on a Tear
Junior first baseman Curtis Ledbetter has been nearly unstoppable since returning to the lineup on March 31. The 6-3, 220-pound junior first baseman is hitting .390 with all six of his homers and 25 RBIs over the last 19 games, raising his season totals to .323-6-42. He was named the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Week two weeks ago, batting .563 with two homers, three doubles and five RBIs in four games. Ledbetter also leads the Huskers in game-winning RBIs with 10, two more than runner-up Alex Gordon.

Aces High
After playing a significant role in NU’s Big 12 title run last season, sophomore left-hander Zach Kroenke has become the ace of the 2004 staff. The Omaha Northwest product has followed in the footsteps of some of the best pitchers in school history, going 6-1 with a 2.55 ERA after his first 10 starts. Kroenke’s numbers are remarkably similar to former Big 12 Pitchers of the Year Shane Komine (2000-01) and Aaron Marsden (2003). Kroenke saw his personal nine-game winning snapped last Friday at Texas, as two of his three career losses have come against the nation’s top-ranked team (Rice in 2003; Texas in 2004).

Shockey Does it All
After three years of seeing Jeff Leise patrol center field, junior college transfer Colin Shockey has made the transition look seemless this spring. While both are rather diminutive (Shockey - 5-10, 170; Leise - 5-10, 165), both have some pop in their bats. Leise had seven homers as a senior last spring, while Shockey is tied for fifth on the squad with nine doubles. Shockey, who is third on the team with seven stolen bases, is fourth in the Big 12 with a .450 on-base percentage, bolstered by a team-high 15 hit-by-pitches.

Shockey comes from a baseball background, as his father, Curt, played at Kansas State in the early 1970s and is a longtime high school coach. Colin also brings versatility to the Huskers with his ability to play every position except catcher. On the mound, he has made four relief appearances, allowing three run in 4.1 innings of work. Shockey picked up the win in the series finale at Missouri, becoming the first Husker position player to earn a win since Jarod Bearinger in 1997. While Bearinger was primarily a pitcher, making eight starts in the field, Shockey has been entrenched in center field all spring and has not committed an error in 89 chances.

Gordon Honored Twice
Gordon was named to Baseball America’s mid-season All-America team in early April. The Lincoln native was one of 17 sophomores chosen for the team, which includes one starter at each position, one utility player and six pitchers (five starters and a reliever). Baseball America lists a team for each of the four classes.

He was also honored, as one of 30 players selected to the Golden Spikes Watch List. The Golden Spikes Award has been presented annually by USA Baseball since 1978 to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. Gordon is one of four Big 12 players on the 30-player watch list, joining Texas’ pitching duo of J.P. Howell and Huston Street and Oklahoma State catcher Jason Jaramillo.

Grose Named to Johnny Bench Watch List
John Grose has been named to the Johnny Bench Watch List. The senior from Henderson, Nev., is a three-year starter for the Huskers and a career .300 hitter. Grose has thrown out nearly 40 percent of would-be base stealers this spring, as Nebraska has allowed only 24 stolen bases. Grose is one of 45 candidates on the initial Watch List. The list will be trimmed to 10 semifinalists on May 10, with the winner being named in early June.

Thou Shall Not Steal on Husker Catchers
Nebraska’s catching duo of John Grose and Chad Steele have combined to throw out 20 of 44 would-be base stealers this season. Grose, who was limited by an elbow injury last spring, has thrown out nearly 40 percent of runners in 23 attempts, while Steele has thrown out 55 percent in 20 attempts. The 24 stolen bases given up by NU is the second-lowest total in the Big 12 and one behind league leader Oklahoma State.

Second (Base) to None
With the graduation of Big 12 Player of the Year Matt Hopper, one of the questions entering 2004 was who would supply some of Hopper’s home run power. Second baseman Jake Mullinax has become of NU’s long ball hitters in 2004. The senior co-captain from Hesperia, Calif., is second on the team with six homers - including four in conference play. Mullinax, who also ranks among the Big 12 leaders with a .362 average and 12 sacrifices, has driven in a team-high 18 runs in Big 12 action.

Pitchers Set Big 12 Shutout Streak Mark
In early April, the Nebraska pitching staff established a record with 43.1 scoreless innings. The record, which included 42 complete innings and parts of two others, broke the Big 12 record of 41 set by Texas in 2002. In all, the Husker pitchers tossed a pair of one-hitters, a three-hitter and a five-hitter before Kansas State scored a run in the fourth inning of NU’s win on April 4, marking the first run scored by a Husker opponent since March 28. Oklahoma held the Big Eight record with 31 straight scoreless innings in 1971, while Arizona State holds the NCAA mark with 64 straight scoreless innings back in 1972.

Ouch!
Husker hitters have been hit at an alarming rate in 2004, getting plunked an amazing 78 times in 41 contests. In all, Nebraska has been hit by three or more pitches 17 times, including a season-high six against UW-Milwaukee on March 30. Colin Shockey leads the Huskers with 15 HBPs, while Daniel Bruce has been hit 13 times, increasing his school record to 55 in 159 career games. At the current rate, NU’s projected 56-game regular-season total of 106 would set a school and Big 12 record (99 in 2002) and threaten Nevada’s NCAA mark of 125 set in 1997.

Stingy Becker Cuts Out Inheritance
Junior left-hander Jeremy Becker has made a name for himself as one of the Big 12’s best situational relievers. While he does not have a save, the 5-11, 215-pounder from Scottsbluff has played a major role in the Huskers’ success. He owns a 4.72 ERA in a team-high 17 appearances, but the most significant number that relates to Becker is that he has allowed only one of 21 inherited runners to score. The academic All-America candidate went nearly an entire year (25 runners over his last 21 appearances) without allowing an inherited runner to score dating back to April 25, 2003.