Huskers Take on Texas A&M this Weekend

Record (29-6, 6-3 Big 12) ? National Rankings: 10 (CB) ? 17 (BA) ? 11 (Sports Weekly) ? 10 (NCBWA)
Day Date Opp. Rank Opponent (Record) Location Time
Wed. April 13  North Dakota State Hawks Field W, 12-1
Wed. April 13  North Dakota State Hawks Field W, 10-0
Fri. April 15  at Texas A&M (22-14-1, 4-8 Big 12) College Station, Texas 7 p.m.
Sat. April 16  at Texas A&M College Station, Texas 2 p.m.
Sun. April 17  at Texas A&M College Station, Texas 1 p.m.
Polls are listed in the following order: Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America/Sports Weekly

Pitching Probables
Fri. NU - Joba Chamberlain, Sr, RHP (4-0, 2.10 ERA) vs.  TAMU - Jason Meyer, So., LHP (5-1, 2.84 ERA)
Sat.  NU - Zach Kroenke, Jr.. LHP (4-1, 2.21 ERA) vs.  TAMU - Kyle Marlatt, Sr., RHP (4-2, 2.21 ERA
Sun. NU - Brian Duensing, Jr., LHP (5-0, 2.55 ERA) vs.  TAMU - Chance Corgan, Fr., RHP (3-1, 3.31 ERA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (Fri.-Sun)                      
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Television:  Saturday (Fox Sports Net)
Internet Video Streaming: Friday and Sunday on HuskersNside. For more information, log on to Huskers.com

Huskers Take on Texas A&M this Weekend
The Nebraska baseball team returns to Big 12 action this weekend, as it travels to College Station, Texas, for a crucial series at Texas A&M. The three-game set between the 10th-ranked Huskers and Aggies begins Friday, April 15, with a 7 p.m. start, while the series continues with afternoon tilts on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

All three games will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington, although Saturday’s game will be joined in progress following the annual Red/White Football spring game.  Saturday’s contest will also be carried live on Fox Sports Net (Ch. 37 in Lincoln, check local listings around the state) throughout the Midwest. It will be the fifth nationally or regionally televised game in the last two weeks for the Big Red.

The Huskers, 29-6, head into the weekend with a two-game winning streak, dispatching North Dakota State in a twinbill on Wednesday. Nebraska showed it can play with the top teams in the country, narrowly missing a series win over top-ranked Texas last weekend. Of Nebraska’s six losses this spring, five have been by one run.

Texas A&M (22-14-1) was ranked in the top-10 nationally during the first part of the season, but has struggled in Big 12, going just 4-8 in conference play. The record is a little deceiving, as the Aggies have played three of its first four conference series on the road, including a three-game sweep at No. 13 Missouri last weekend. The Aggies dropped their midweek game at Rice, 5-3, on Tuesday.

College Station has been one of the toughest places for the Huskers to win since the formation of the Big 12. NU is 2-10 all-time in College Station, and not won a series in four attempts. The Huskers came close in 2001, taking a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning, but Texas A&M came back with three runs with two outs to earn a series win.  Last season, Texas A&M won 2-of-3 games in Lincoln, as all three games were decided by three runs or less.

The weekend series also features two of the Big 12’s top position players in Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon and Texas A&M’s Cliff Pennington. The two are among the Big 12’s top position prospects for the June draft and were chosen for Baseball America’s mid-season All-America team chosen earlier this week.

Following this weekend, the Huskers will conclude its four-game road trip, as they travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for a non-conference matchup against Northern Iowa next Wednesday, April 20.

Leading Off
?-At 29-6, the Huskers are enjoying one of their best starts in the program’s 100-plus year history, as only the 1983 squad - a team that opened the year with a school-record 26 consecutive wins - started better.

Best 35-Game Starts in School History
1983 31-4 44-15
2005 29-6 --
1979 29-6 49-15
2004 26-9 36-23

?-The weekend series between the Huskers and Aggies features two of the nation’s top fielding teams. NU is ranked fourth nationally with a .978 fielding percentage in this week’s NCAA rankings, while Texas A&M came into the week with a national-best .981 fielding percentage. 
?-The Huskers are 19-2 at Hawks Field this season and 96-21 (.821) since the ballpark opened in 2002.
?-The Huskers have also gotten off to quick starts, scoring at least one run in the first inning in 19 of 35 games and outscoring their opponents 33-7 in the first inning of games this season.
?-Earlier this month, Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson coached his 150th game at Nebraska, becoming only the fourth Husker coach to reach that mark in program history. His winning percentage is the second-highest among any Husker coach at the 150-game mark.
?-Nebraska’s starting pitchers are a combined 21-1 this season and had won their first 19 decisions before Zach Kroenke’s loss to No. 1 Texas on April 9.
?-Nebraska will look to end a power outage this weekend, as Nebraska has not hit a homer in its last five games, the longest stretch in at least six seasons.
?-After having just one multi-homer game in 2004, Nebraska has seven already this season, including three by first baseman/catcher Curtis Ledbetter and two by All-American third baseman Alex Gordon.

2005 Multi-Homer Games
Player Opponent Date
Ledbetter vs. New Mexico 2/25
Fusilier vs. South Dakota State * 3/13
Ledbetter vs. South Dakota State * 3/13
Gordon vs. Northern Colorado 3/15
Nimmo vs. Seton Hall 3/19
Gordon at Kansas-1 3/26
Ledbetter vs. Iowa 4/6
* - Two homers in the same inning (Big 12 and NCAA record)

?- Five of Nebraska’s six losses this season have been by one run, as the Huskers are 3-5 in one-run games this year.
?-With complete-game shutouts by Zach Kroenke and Brian Duensing, Nebraska became the first team to hand Oklahoma State consecutive shutouts since 1976. It also marked the first time since March of 2002 that Nebraska received back-to-back complete-game shutouts (Jamie Rodrigue and Aaron Marsden).
? The Huskers’ pitching has been a strength throughout 2005, as Nebraska entered the week ranked fourth nationally in ERA (2.43). Nebraska has held 31 of its 35 opponents to four runs or less.

National ERA Team Leaders
No. Team ERA
1. North Carolina  2.02
2. Long Beach State  2.07
3. Missouri  2.33
4. Nebraska  2.43
5. San Francisco  2.64

?-Nebraska is only one of 11 teams nationally - and one of only two schools in the Big 12 - to have team ERAs under 4.00 in each of the last three seasons.
?-NU has scored at least one run in 421 of the last 422 games dating back to the 1998 season. In 2004, the Huskers were the only Big 12 team not shut out.
?-Nebraska has scored three runs or more in an inning 29 times already this season, including an 11-run inning against South Dakota State on March 13.
?-Third baseman Alex Gordon will look to become the first position player and only the second player in Big 12 history to repeat as conference player of the year. Baylor’s Jason Jennings is the only other player to win multiple Big 12 Player-of-the-Year awards (1998-99).
?-Nebraska has had two players honored as Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Week this season. Alex Gordon was chosen on March 22, joining Joba Chamberlain, who earned the honor on Feb. 25.

Scouting Texas A&M
Texas A&M looks to reverse a mid-season slide, as the Aggies are 22-14-1 on the season, but have lost their last five contests. The Aggies are 9-4-1 at Olsen Field this season and won their only Big 12 series in College Station. Offensively, the Aggies are led by infielder Cliff Pennington, who is hitting .377 with team-highs in both homers (six) and RBIs (31). He is the only Aggie with more than 20 RBIs, while also hitting nearly a quarter of Texas A&M’s 25 homers. Pennington also leads A&M with 15 stolen bases.
On the mound, the Aggies have one of the Big 12’s best starting pitchers in sophomore right-hander Jason Meyer, who is 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Senior Kyle Marlatt is the only other Texas A&M pitcher with at least four victorys, as 10 different pitchers have at least one win.
Texas A&M holds a 15-12 lead in the all-time series that has been tradtionally dominated by the home time. The Huskers are 2-11 all-time in College Station, winning the opening game of the season series in 2001 and 2003.  Last season, Texas A&M won the final two games to take the season series, winning the finale by a score of 7-6.
 
Team Comparison
Huskers Category Aggies
35 Games 37
.313 Batting Average ...286
1,190 At Bats 1,239
7,9 Runs/Game 5.5
10.7 Hits/Game 9.6
41 Home Runs 25
60-75 Stolen Bases 51-67
2.34 ERA 3.55
308.0 Innings 316.2
2.7 Runs Allowed/Game 3.7
275 Strikeouts 253
84 Walks 131
6.6 Hits Allowed/Game 7.2
28 Errors 28
.978 Fielding Percentage .980

Last Time Out
Wednesday: NU 12-10, North Dakota State 0-1:
Andy Gerch went 5-for-7 on the day, while Nebraska pitchers held North Dakota State to one run in 15 innings, sweeping a doubleheader against the Bison Wednesday at Hawks Field. The Huskers (29-6) got big performances from several freshmen throughout the doubleheader sweep. Gerch went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored to pace NU’s 10-hit attack in game one. Bryce Nimmo and Ryan Wehrle drove in two runs apiece, while Jake Opitz also had an RBI, as freshmen accounted for seven of the Huskers’ 11 RBIs in the opener. The offensive performance was more than enough for freshman Tony Watson, who improved to 4-1 on the season by tossing three shutout innings in a predetermined stint.
In the nightcap, Husker pitching shined, as Ryan Bohanan (1-0) and two relievers combined on a four-hit shutout ? the fourth whitewash by the Nebraska staff this season. Bohanan, who was on a limited pitch count, fanned two in three shutout innings for his first career win, while Matt Foust pitched the final three innings for his first career save. Once again, Nebraska’s freshman did most of the damage, as Gerch went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Wehrle and Mark Hightower drove in two runs apiece. The bottom three spots in the Husker lineup combined to go 7-for-11 with four RBIs and five runs scored. Both Wehrle and Hightower established career highs in RBIs, while the 2-for-4 effort was Wehrle’s first multi-hit game of the season.

Gordon’s Gone Wild
Probably no player in the Big 12 is as hot as NU third baseman Alex Gordon over the past month The first-team All-American is hitting .463 (38-for-82) with nine homers, 30 RBIs and 32 runs scored in NU’s last 24 games. Gordon has had four three-hit games in that stretch, raising his season average from .270 to .398.
Gordon was the Big 12’s Player of the Week for two straight weeks (March 21 & 28), earning national honors from Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America on March 21, after he hit .560 with four homers, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored in six games. Three weeks ago, Gordon went 4-for-9 with three homers, four RBIs, eight runs scored and six walks in the series win against Kansas. He went 4-for-7 with a homer and four RBIs against No. 29 Oklahoma State, as he was walked twice and hit by four pitches.
 
Gordon in the Big 12 (stats as of April 12)
Category No. Big 12 Rank
Walks 38 1st
Runs 44 1st
On-Base Pct. .570 1st
Slugging Pct. .788 1st
Batting Avg. .398 2nd
Homers 11 2nd
Total Bases 89 2nd
Stolen Bases 15 4th
RBIs 34 9th

Huskers Look for Extra Television Time
Over the last five seasons, Nebraska’s two longest games have one thing in a common - a television audience. Friday’s 16-inning contest against Texas was the Huskers’ longest game in six seasons, taking 4:17 on an ESPN2 national telecast.  Nebraska’s Big 12 Tournament semifinal against Baylor was the Huskers’ longest television broadcast, going 14 innings in May of 2004.

Longest Husker Games Since 2000
Opponent Date Innings Television
vs. Texas April 8, 2005 16 ESPN2
vs. Baylor May 22, 2003 14 Fox Sports Net
vs. New Mexico Feb. 15, 2002 13 None

Fusilier Provides Spark for Husker Offense
After missing all of the 2004 season with a shoulder injury, fifth-year senior Brandon Fusilier has given the middle of the Husker lineup added protection. He enters the weekend hitting .328 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs in 33 contests. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from Coppell, Texas, ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in homers (10, fourth), RBIs (39, fourth) and slugging percentage (.639, seventh). Fusilier is also 10-of-11 on the basepaths, doubling his entire 2003 total of steals.

The Buck Starts Here
Junior college transfer Brandon Buckman ranks 16th in the Big 12 in hitting with a .345 average. He is third on the team with 12 multi-hit games, including a four-hit effort at Hawaii-Hilo on Feb. 17 and a three-hit game against Texas on April 8. Buckman drove in a season-high four RBIs against Northern Colorado on March 15 and had four RBIs in a doubleheader split against Kansas on March 26. Last season, he earned junior college All-America honors at Garden City Community College, when he hit .460 with 16 homers.

Mr. Twinbill
Redshirt freshman Andy Gerch has shined in the Huskers’ four doubleheaders this season. The Lincoln native is hitting .571 (12-of-21) with two homers and 13 RBIs while playing in seven of eight doubleheader games this season. Gerch had five hits in Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of North Dakota State.

Bruce Leads Husker Hit-by-Pitch Parade
Senior outfielder Daniel Bruce continues to climb the NCAA record book. With his two hit-by-pitches over the weekend, he moved past J.R. Revere (62, Georgia Southern, 1999-2002) for sole possession of fifth place in the NCAA record book.
Bruce, who set Nebraska’s single-season record with 28 HBP in 2002, has rebounded after a disappointing 2004 season, by hitting .318 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 32 contests. In Big 12 play, Bruce is hitting .324 with 12 runs scored, a total which is third in the conference.

NCAA All-Time Hit-by-Pitch Leaders
No. Name, School (Years) HBP
1. Tony Hurtado, San Francisco (1997-00) 92
2. Gabe Somarriba, Florida Atlantic (1999-02) 81
3. Jeff Ontiveros, Texas (1999-02) 74
4. Clay Schwartz, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1994-97) 68
5. Daniel Bruce, Nebraska (2002-present) 64

Homers Come in Bunches for Ledbetter
Throughout his Husker career, first baseman Curtis Ledbetter has shown the propensity to homer in bunches. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder has four career multi-homer games, including three this season. The trend began in his Husker debut in 2003 when he hit two homers against Texas State.  Ledbetter has shown versatility, as he has played outfield, catcher and first base throughout his three seasons at Nebraska.

Ledbetter’s Multi-Homer Games
No. Opponent  Date
2 vs. Texas State 2/14/03
2 vs. Kansas State 3/21/03
2  vs. New Mexico  2/25/05
2 vs. South Dakota State 3/15/05
2 vs. Iowa 4/6/05

Gordon Piles Up Numbers, Honors
After a season where he earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Year and unanimous first-team All-America honors,  Gordon has already racked up a number of impressive honors heading into the 2005 season. He hit .365 with 18 homers and 75 RBIs in his sophomore campaign, a year where he ranked in the top four in the league in nine offensive categories. With Team USA last summer, Gordon hit .388 with four homers and 12 RBIs, while hitting .523 at the World University Games in Taiwan.
This season, Gordon is hitting .403 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs and leads the Big 12 in four offensive categories. His biggest hit of 2005 so far was a three-run eighth-inning homer to break a 3-all tie against No. 7 Rice on Feb. 27, NU’s first win over the Owls since the 2001 NCAA Super Regional.

Gordon’s 2005 Honors
? Baseball America National Midseason Player of the Year
? USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Nominee
? Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year
? Collegiate Baseball Natl. Player of the Week (3/21)
? NCBWA Natl. Player of the Week (3/21)
? Big 12 Player of the Week (3/21 & 3/28)
? First-Team preseason All-American (Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and Baseball America)
?  Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year (Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America)
? Baseball America’s Top Junior in the Country
? Baseball America’s No. 1 College Prospect for the
 2005 MLB Draft
? Wallace Award Watch List

The Lincoln native is considered the top collegiate prospect in the country and will look to become the fifth first-round pick in school history and the first since Darin Erstad and Alvie Shepherd in 1995. The following is a list of the previous first round Husker draft picks.

Previous First-Round Husker Picks
Player No. Team Year
Steve Stanicek 11 San Francisco 1982
Bill McGuire 27 Seattle 1985
Darin Erstad 1 LA Angels of Anaheim 1995
Alvie Shepherd 21 Baltimore 1995

Husker Pitchers Earn Passing Grade
Despite having five pitchers drafted in 2004 - the highest total of Husker pitchers taken in the draft in more than 20 years - Nebraska’s pitching staff has excelled during the first half of the season.
Nebraska pitchers currently...
? Rank second in the Big 12 and fourth nationally with a 2.34 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a league-low .211 batting average. Nebraska has only posted a sub-3.00 ERA three times in school history (1965, 1966 and 1969).
? Have held 25 of 35 opponents to three runs or less as only two teams have scored more than four runs.
? Rank second in the Big 12 with nine saves and allowed just nine of 42 inherited runners to score.
? Issue a league-low 2.45 walks/nine innings, while ranking third in the league with 8.04 strikeouts/nine innings.

Huskers’ Homegrown Rotation
Pitching Coach Rob Childress has built Nebraska’s pitching staff into one of the Big 12’s best on an annual basis, and 2005 is no exception. The Huskers are second in the Big 12 in ERA (2.33) and are holding opponents to a league-low .211 average. Of Nebraska’s top five starters, four are in-state products, including the entire weekend rotation of Joba Chamberlain (Lincoln), Zach Kroenke (Omaha) and Brian Duensing (Omaha), who are a combined 13-1.

Chamberlain Becomes Ace in the Hole
Sophomore Joba Chamberlain’s college career has been a whirlwind experience. The right-hander began his collegiate career at Division II Nebraska-Kearney, where he went 3-6 with a 5.23 ERA as a freshman, before transferring to NU last summer.
The 6-3, 225-pounder has made an immediate impact, going 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in eight starts for the Huskers. The right-hander ranks among the Big 12 leaders in ERA (third), strikeouts/nine innings (11.92, second), total strikeouts (68, third) and opponent batting average (.169, third). Chamberlain has struck out nine or more hitters five times this spring.
Against New Mexico on Feb. 25, Chamberlain struck out 15 in seven shutout innings en route to Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and National Co-Player-of-the-Week honors from Collegiate Baseball. His 15 strikeouts were the most by a Husker pitcher since Shane Komine in 2000 and two shy of the Huskers’ single-game record. Chamberlain then shut down No. 7 Rice, holding the Owls to one unearned run on four hits while striking out nine over 6.1 innings. He also has wins against South Dakota State, where he struck out nine and allowed one unearned run, and against Seton Hall, where he fanned 12 over eight innings.

Well Duensing
The return of junior left-hander Brian Duensing has solidified the Huskers’ weekend rotation. The Omaha native is 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA in nine appearances,  heading into Sunday’s start at Texas A&M. He is 11th in the Big 12 in ERA and is holding opponents to a .219 batting average since missing nearly two full seasons because of Tommy John surgery. Duensing went 16.2 innings - spanning  four appearances - without allowing a run before allowing four runs against Northern Colorado on March 15. Duensing went a season-high 7.1 innings, scattering six hits in a 9-4 victory at Kansas on March 27. Against No. 29 Oklahoma State, Duensing tossed a complete-game three-hitter, fanning six Cowboys in a 10-0 triumph.

Zach Attacks No. 2 Starter Role
While the return of Brian Duensing and the emergence of Joba Chamberlain have been the big stories early on for the Huskers, junior Zach Kroenke has regained the form that has made him one of the Big 12’s best pitchers. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder from Omaha is 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA, holding opponents to  .217 average. Kroenke had won his last four outings before suffering the loss against Texas on April 9. He matched his season high with seven strikeouts in a complete-game three-hitter against Oklahoma State on April 2 in his last start.

Jensen Shines at Closing Time
Another pleasant surprise this spring has been the emergence of junior Brett Jensen as the Huskers’ closer. The 6-foot-7, 195-pounder has converted all five of his save opportunities, as he is third in the Big 12 in that category. He is one save away from breaking into NU’s single-season top-10 list.

Simokaitis Makes Sacrifices
Shortstop Joe Simokaitis has made it a habit of turning sacrifices into an art form. The senior has 39 sacrifices during his career, a total which ranks ninth on the NCAA’s all-time list. He is second on the squad with seven sacrifices this season.

NCAA Sacrifice Bunt Chart
No.  Player, Team  Years  Sacrifices
1. Rob Macrory, Auburn 1994-97 58
2. Jose Trujillo, Miami 1986-89 53
3. Damon Katz, Pepperdine 1997-00  49
4. Jack Jones, Cal Statr Fullerton 1994-96 47
5. Vince Pietro, Creighton 1997-00 46
6. Jason Smith, North Carolina State  1997-00 42
7. Mike Coss, Notre Dame 1988-91 42
8. Michael Dartt, Hawaii 1996-99 40
9. Joe Simokaitis, Nebraska 2002-present  39 
 Howie Shapiro, Miami 1976-79 39

Double Down for 11 vs. SDSU
Nebraska put together one of the most explosive innings in school history on March 13 against South Dakota State, putting up 11 runs, highlighted by five homers. The 11 runs were the most by Nebraska in an inning since 2002, while the five homers in the frame set a school and Big 12 record. In addition, a pair of Huskers found their way into the NCAA record book by hitting two homers in the same inning. Brandon Fusilier and Curtis Ledbetter became the third and fourth Huskers to hit two homers in one inning, and the first since the 2000 season.

Ledbetter Gets Defensive at First Base
One of the reasons for Nebraska’s school record .975 fielding percentage in 2004 was the performance of first baseman Curtis Ledbetter. A two-time All-Big 12 pick, Ledbetter committed one error in 473 chances, as his .998 fielding percentage was the best ever by a Husker with 400 total chances in a season. In addition to his defensive prowess, the senior from Lawrence, Kan., hit .297 with eight homers and 56 RBIs, while leading the squad with 12 game-winning RBIs. 
This season, Ledbetter has been a major offensive force, hitting .338 with nine homers and 31 RBIs, while ranking fifth in the conference in round trippers. He is third on the team in homers and is second with nine doubles. In addition to playing first base, Ledbetter has also seen time at catcher, a position he has not played since his freshman year at Garden City Community College. He is fiffh in school history with 842 putouts.

Nimmo Turns in Career Day vs. Seton Hall
Among all of the prolific offensive efforts during the first month of the season, one of the most suprising was the effort turned in by freshman outfielder Bryce Nimmo against Seton Hall on March 19. Nimmo, who had driven in just one run in his first 12 appearances, went 2-for-3 with two homers - the first two of his career- and six RBIs in a 11-2 win. The six RBIs were the most by a Husker since All-American Matt Hopper had seven in a 10-inning win against Missouri during the 2003 season.

13 Husker Games Picked for Television
Baseball fans throughout the state of Nebraska will have ample opportunity to see the Huskers on television this spring, as a total of 13 regular-season games will be shown on either a state-wide or national basis. Seven of the games will be shown on the ESPN family of networks, including the entire series against Oklahoma from Norman in two weeks.

Husker Baseball on Television in 2005
Date Opponent Network First Pitch
April 5 at Creighton   NETV L, 3-4.
April 6 Iowa   NETV/CSTV W, 6-1
April 8 Texas  ESPN2 W, 4-3 (16)
April 9 Texas  ESPN L, 4-11
April 10 Texas  ESPN L, 5-6 (8)
April 16 at Texas A&M  Fox Sports Net 2 p.m.
April 23 Baylor  NETV/CSTV* 2:05 p.m.
April 27 at Wichita State ESPNU 7 p.m.
April 28 at Oklahoma  ESPN 6 p.m.
April 29 at Oklahoma ESPNU 6 p.m.
April 30 at Oklahoma ESPNU 1 p.m.
May 7 Missouri  NETV/CSTV 2:05 p.m.
May 21 Kansas State  NETV/CSTV 2:05 p.m.
*- Live on NETV, Tape Delayed on CSTV

Simokaitis Climbs Assists List
Earlier this season, shortstop Joe Simokaitis became the fourth Husker to ever record 500 assists and is closing quickly on the top three on the Husker chart. He enters the weekend with 573 assists and passed Bruce Wobken (548, 1986-89) for third place on the list against Oklahoma State two weeks ago. Simokaitis has paced the Huskers in assists in each of the last two seasons, including a school-record 194 assists in 2003.

Career Assists
No. Mark Player Year
1. 639 Will Bolt 1999-02
2. 604 Darin Petersen 1992-95
3. 573 Joe Simokaitis 2002-present

Bohanan is Mr. Versatility for NU
Freshman Ryan Bohanan has emerged as one of the Huskers’ most valuable players during the first half of the season. In addition to his pitching, where he has a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.79 ERA in eight appearances, Bohanan has seen time at designated hitter, as a defensive replacement in right field and at first base.  Bohanan, who is hitting .167 with an RBI in six at-bats, was a two-way performer at Goddard High School in Kansas, where he played third base when he was not on the mound.

May 10th Tickets vs. Creighton on Sale
Tickets for Nebraska’s rubber match against Creighton at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium on Tuesday, May 10, are now on sale at Ticketmaster locations across the state. Reserve seating prices for the May 10 contest are $12, $10 and $8, while children’s tickets are $6. Tickets can be purchased over the phone at Ticketmaster in Lincoln at 475-1212, in Omaha at (402) 422-1212 or on the Internet at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the Nebraska Ticket Office. 
The Huskers won the first meeting of the series in Lincoln before Creighton evened the series earlier this week. The annual May matchup in Omaha is one of the biggest sporting events of the spring in the state, as the contest has drawn crowds of at least 10,000 in each of the last five seasons.

Huskers Ranked Among Big 12’s Best
A trio of Husker baseball players were honored in Baseball America’s preseason issue. Third baseman Alex Gordon tops three categories (Best Pure Hitter, Best Strike Zone Discipline and Best Defensive Third Baseman), while Curtis Ledbetter (Best Defensive First Baseman) and Daniel Bruce (Best Outfield Arm) also garnered honors in voting by the league coaches. Ledbetter committed one error in 473 chances in his first season at first base, while Bruce has thrown out 15 runners from the outfield during his Husker career.

Big 12’s Best Tools
Categories Player
Best Pure Hitter Alex Gordon
Best Strike-Zone Discipline Alex Gordon
Best Defensive 1B Curtis Ledbetter
Best Defensive 3B Alex Gordon
Outfielder/Best Arm Daniel Bruce