Champion Huskers Seek Big 12 Sweep as Top Seed

Record (46-12, 19-8 Big 12) ? May 16 Natl. Rankings: 5 (CB) ? 7 (BA) ? 7 (Sports Weekly) ? 6 (NCBWA)
Day Date Opponent (Record) Location Time
Wed. May 25 vs. Texas Tech (33-23, 9-16 Big 12) SBC Bricktown Ballpark 8 p.m.

If Nebaska Wins on Wednesday
Thurs. May 26 Missouri/Oklahoma Winner SBC Bricktown Ballpark 8 p.m.

If Nebaska Loses on Wednesday
Thurs. May 26 Missouri/Oklahoma Loser SBC Bricktown Ballpark 1 p.m.

Husker Pitching Probables
Game 1 Brian Duensing, Jr., LHP (6-0, 2.92 ERA)
Game 2 Joba Chamberlain, So., RHP (7-2, 2.46 ERA)
Game 3 Johnny Dorn, Fr., RHP (9-1, 1.96 ERA)
Game 4 Zach Kroenke, Jr., LHP (6-2, 2.84 ERA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (Jim Rose & Randy Lee)
Live Stats: Huskers.com & Big12sports.com
TV: Saturday’s first semifinals (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and Sunday’s title game (1 p.m.) will be carried on Fox Sports Net

Huskers Look for Big 12 Title Sweep in OKC
The Big 12 co-champion Nebraska baseball team travels to Oklahoma City this week looking for its fourth Big 12 Tournament title in seven years, as the Huskers (46-12, 19-8 Big 12) participate in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament. The eight-team, five-day extravaganza begins Wednesday, May 25, at the SBC Bricktown Ballpark with four opening-round games and runs until Sunday, May 29, with the championship game.

All of Nebraska’s Big 12 Tournament 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 with audio also available on Huskers.com. Live stats for the tournament will be posted on Huskers.com and Big12sports.com, though video streaming will not be available. Fox Sports Net will provide live broadcasts of both of Saturday’s first semifinals (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and the title game.

The Huskers come into the tournament with momentum, winning each of their last six Big 12 series including a sweep of Kansas State over the weekend. The series sweep, coupled with Missouri’s series win over Big 12 co-champion Baylor, gave both teams identical 19-8 records in the Big 12. NU trailed Baylor by two games with only two remaining before pulling even with the Bears, who lost two-of-three meetings to the Huskers during the regular season. It is Nebraska’s third Big 12 title in five years (also 2001 and 2003) and sixth conference championship in school history (also 1929, 1948 and 1950).

As the No. 1 seed, Nebraska, which owns a five-game winning streak - its longest since March - will open the tournament on Wednesday at 8 p.m. taking on Texas Tech, the No. 8 seed. The Huskers won two of three meetings between the teams two weeks ago in Lubbock. Missouri and Oklahoma, the No. 4 and 5 seeds, respectively, are the other two teams in NU’s bracket.

Nebraska has traditionally enjoyed the confines of the SBC Bricktown Ballpark, one of the influences for the Huskers’ own ballpark - Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. NU has won 15 of 18 games played at the Bricktown Ballpark, including 15 of its first 16 games.

Leading Off

?-With the 2005 regular-season co-championship, Nebraska becomes the only Big 12 school to win three regular-season titles. The Huskers won outright Big 12 crowns in 2001 and 2003. The only other Big 12 schools to win multiple conference regular-season crowns are Texas A&M (1998-99), Baylor (2000 and 2005) and Texas (2002 and 2004).

?-The Huskers have now won six league titles in school history (1929, 1948, 1950, 2001, 2003 and 2005), while Mike Anderson and Tony Sharpe are the only coaches in school history to lead NU to more than one regular-season title.

?-Nebraska’s Big 12 baseball title marks the seventh conference crown by a Husker team this season. NU won Big 12 titles in volleyball, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and women’s outdoor track and field, while the Husker rifle team also won the Great America Rifle Conference title.

?-Nebraska’s 46 wins entering the Big 12 Tournament already ranks eighth on NU’s single-season win chart. The 46 regular-season wins is also the third-highest total in school history and the most by a Husker team since 1988. Five of Nebaska’s top-eight win totals in school history have come since 2000.

?-The Huskers’ pitching has been a strength throughout the 2005 season, as Nebraska leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally in ERA.

National ERA Team Leaders (as of May 22)
No. Team Team ERA
1. Long Beach State 2.42
2. Nebraska 2.48
3. Texas 2.68
4. Missouri 2.82

?-Nebraska has held 47 of its 58 opponents to four runs or less and its 2.48 ERA is on pace to break the school record of 2.64 set in 1965. Since the aluminum bat was introduced into college baseball in 1974, NU has never posted an ERA below 3.00. The Huskers could also break the Big 12 record for lowest ERA in a season, which is 2.66 by Texas in 2004.

?-The Huskers are 28-4 at Hawks Field this season and 105-23 (.820) since the ballpark opened in 2002.

?-The Huskers’ No. 3 ranking earlier this month was its highest in any national poll since the 2001 season - a year the Huskers were ranked first for two weeks in Baseball America.

?-At 46-12, the Huskers are enjoying one of their best years in the program’s 100-plus year history. Here are NU’s records at the 58-game mark for the last six years.

?-The Huskers have gotten off to quick starts, scoring at least one run in the first inning in 29 of 58 games and outscoring their opponents 45-13 in the first inning of games this season.

?-NU has 17 come-from-behind wins this season, including overcoming a four-run deficit against No. 17 Missouri on May 8.

?- Eight of Nebraska’s 12 losses this season have been by one run, as the Huskers are 8-8 in one-run games this year.

?-Nebraska’s starting pitchers are a combined 31-4 this season and had won their first 19 decisions before Zach Kroenke’s loss to No. 1 Texas on April 9.

?-NU has scored at least one run in 445 of the last 446 games dating back to the 1998 season. In 2004, the Huskers were the only Big 12 team not shut out, and NU currently has a string of 117 games with at least one run.

?-After having just one multi-homer game in 2004, Nebraska has eight this season, including four by first baseman/catcher Curtis Ledbetter and two by All-American third baseman Alex Gordon.

?-Last month, Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson coached his 150th game at NU, becoming only the fourth Husker coach to reach that mark.

NU Puts Together Memorable 2005 Season
From being ranked 50th in one preseason magazine, Nebraska has enjoyed a steady climb to consensus top-10 ranking in the national polls. The following is a list of highlights of the 2005 regular season.

? Feb. 17 - Nebraska overcomes an early 3-0 deficit in the season opener at Hawaii-Hilo - the first of its 17 come-from-behind wins in 2005

? Feb. 25 - Joba Chamberlain strikes out 15 New Mexico Lobos in a 12-0 victory to earn national player-of-the-week honors

? Feb. 27 - Alex Gordon’s eighth-inning three-run homer breaks a 3-all tie, as Nebraska defeated Rice for the first time ever at Reckling Park and the first time since the 2001 season

? March 12 - Gordon goes 6-for-6 in a doubleheader against South Dakota State, breaking out of an early-season slump where he hit .270 in his first 10 games.

? March 13 - NU hits a school and Big 12 record five homers in the fourth inning in a victory over SDSU.

? March 29 - Johnny Dorn takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning, highlighting a 10-2 victory over in-state rival Creighton.

? April 8 - Andy Gerch scores on Randy Boone’s wild pitch in the bottom of the 16th, as NU topples No. 1 Texas, 4-3, in front of a selllout crowd of 8,485 and an ESPN2 national audience.

? April 16 - Johnny Dorn fires 4.1 innings of shutout relief, capping NU’s 6-4 win over Texas A&M, completing the Huskers’ first-ever series win over Texas A&M in College Station.

? April 23 - Back-to-back homers by Alex Gordon and Curtis Ledbetter propel NU to a 4-3 win over No. 8 Baylor, completing a series win over the Big 12 leaders.

? April 27 - Nebraska’s bullpen combines for 5.1 innings of no-hit relief to preserve a 4-2 win over Wichita State, snapping NU’s eight-game losing streak in Wichita dating back to 1986.

? May 8 - Jesse Boyer’s 11th inning walk-off homer gives NU a hard-fought series win over Missouri. The homer was Boyer’s first homer in 276 career at-bats.

? May 9 - Nebraska is ranked third by Collegiate Baseball, its highest national ranking in any poll since the 2001 season.

? May 10 - A crowd of 20,011 - the largest single-game total in college baseball this season - is on hand to watch the rubber match of the season series between Nebraska and Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium.

? May 20 - Nebraska’s 5-4 win, coupled with losses by Missouri and Texas guarantees that Nebraska will finish either first or second in the league for the fifth time in six seasons.

? May 21 - Joe Simokaitis becomes the Big 12’s all-time assist leader, passing Will Bolt’s school mark of 639 assists.

? May 22 - Zach Kroenke’s complete-game 3-1 win, coupled with Missouri’s win over Baylor, gives NU a share of its third Big 12 title in five seasons.

The Class of 2005
NU’s eight seniors have enjoyed one of the most successful runs in school history. The group has helped NU to a 226-90 record (.715) over the past five seasons with two CWS appearances (2001-02), three Big 12 regular-season titles (2001, 2003 and 2005) and three NCAA regional appearances (2001-03). Members of the Huskers’ 2005 class include Jeremy Becker, Jesse Boyer, Daniel Bruce, Brandon Fusilier, Curtis Ledbetter, Phil Shirek, Joe Simokaitis and Dustin Timm.

Road Warriors
One of the main reasons for the Huskers’ success in 2005 has been their play on the road. The Huskers were 15-5 during the regular season after going 34-31 on the road during the previous three seasons. According to Warren Nolan’s RPI site (www.warrennolan.com), Nebraska’s road record ranks among the nation’s best entering the postseason.

Best Road Records
No. School Road Record
1. Oregon State 15-4
2. Tulane 16-5
3. Nebraska 15-5*
4. College Of Charleston 17-6
*-Records as of 5/22; NU’s road record is listed as 15-4 on the site, but NU’s loss to Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium on April 5 is considered a road contest.

Huskers Show Consistency in Big 12 Race
Nebraska has been the Big 12’s most consistent program since the start of the 2000 season. The Huskers have finished either first or second in the Big 12 in five of the last six seasons, winning outright conference crowns in both 2001 and 2003. Here is a list of top-two finishes by league schools over the last six years.

Top-Two Big 12 Finishes (2000-05)
School No. Years
Nebraska 5 2000-03, 2005
Texas 3 2002-04
Baylor 2 2000, 2005
Texas Tech 2 2001-02
Oklahoma 1 2004
Texas A&M 1 2003

Its all about Winning...Series
After going 2-7 in Big 12 series last spring, the Huskers have enjoyed a 180 degree turnaround in 2005. Nebraska went 8-1 in its nine series, matching the best performance since the Big 12 was formed in 2005 (also in 2003). In fact, the only series NU dropped in 2005 was to No. 1 Texas in early April, and the Huskers then reeled off six straight series wins to close the regular season.

Big 12 Series Records
No. Year Weekend Series Marks
1 Nebraska 8-1
2. Texas 7-2
3. Baylor 6-3
Missouri 6-3
5. Oklahoma 5-4

It’s More Common than Halley’s Comet
When Nebraska clinched its series win at Texas Tech on May 14, it ended one of the longest dry spells in program history. It marked the first time that NU won every conference road series in Big 12 play and more remarkably, the first time that Nebraska won every league road series since 1938, a span of 67 years. For comparison’s sake, Halley’s comet, which last appeared in 1986, appears once every 76 years and is next scheduled to appear in 2061.

What to Watch For
?-With 11 saves, Brett Jensen is one save away from taking sole possession of NU’s single-season saves mark. Jensen is tied with Thom Ott (11, 2001) for the single-season mark.

?-Johnny Dorn heads into the Big 12 Tournament with nine wins, which not only ties NU’s freshman record (9 by Jamie Rodrigue in 2000), but is one shy of a school mark for most wins by a first-year Husker (10 Quinton Robertson, 2003). Dorn has won his last nine decisions and is tied for second in the Big 12 in wins.

?-Alex Gordon and Daniel Bruce both enter the Big 12 Tournament with 50 career doubles, tying for third on NU’s career list. Gordon is also one homer away from moving into fourth place on NU’s career homer list.

?-Joba Chamberlain has 106 strikeouts this season and is nine away from moving into fourth place on NU’s single-season strikeout list.

?-NU’s bullpen has been superb in 2005, posting a 15-8 record with a 1.91 ERA in 198.1 innings of work. NU has 15 saves, tying for second in the league. The Huskers had a streak of 37.2 innings without allowing an earned run from April 23 until May 10, and has not allowed an earned run in NU’s last five games.

?-While Joe Simokaitis holds the school and Big 12 record for assists (646 entering Wednesday), he stands in fifth place on NU’s single-season assist list with 175, 21 shy of his own single-season mark of 194 set in 2003.

Last Time Out
Nebraska extended its winning streak over Kansas State to 10 games, sweeping the Wildcats on the final weekend of the season. The sweep, coupled with Missouri’s series win over Baylor, forced a tie between the Huskers and Bears in the Big 12 standings.

Nebraska 5, Kansas State 4: Jeff Christy’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly broke a four-all deadlock, lifting No. 5 Nebraska to a 5-4 victory over Kansas State. Trailing 4-3, Nebraska rallied against KSU starter Chase Mitchell, scoring a pair of unearned runs on a Trey Adams RBI single before Christy’s RBI broke the tie. Adams paced the Huskers, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, while Brandon Fusilier had two hits and scored twice. Joba Chamberlain earned the victory, allowing four runs on six hits over six frames, while three relievers combined for three innings of one-hit relief.

Nebraska 10, Kansas State 2: Freshman Johnny Dorn earned his ninth win of the season, allowing four runs on six hits over 6.2 innings to improve to 9-1 on the season. The right-hander has won his last nine decisions and matched Jamie Rodrigue’s record for wins by a Husker freshmen set in 2000. Brett Jensen, who came in the eighth with NU holding a 7-6 lead and the tying runner at first, got out of the frame unscathed and allowed one hit in a scoreless 1.1 innings for his 11th save.

Nebraska 3, Kansas State 1: Zach Kroenke tossed a complete-game three-hitter, lifting the Huskers to a 3-1 victory in the series finale. The left-hander was dominant, fanning eight Wildcats and retiring 17 in row at one point before KSU broke up the shutout in the eighth. Alex Gordon went 2-for-4 while Brandon Buckman, Daniel Bruce and Curtis Ledbetter all had RBIs in the win.