Huskers Open Rice Tournament with 10-3 Win

2006 Record (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)

National Rankings: 3 (CB) ? 25 (BA) ? 10 (Sports Weekly) ? 7 (NCBWA)

Weekend Schedule

Day

Date

Rank

Matchup

Internet/TV

Time

Fri.

Feb. 24

-/-/-

vs Texas State (3-5)

HuskersNside Video

1 p.m.

Sat.

Feb. 25

4/5/4

at Rice (6-2)

None

1 p.m.

Sun.

Feb. 26

-/-/-

vs. St. John's (0-1)

HuskersNside Video

Noon

Polls are in the following order: Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America/Sports Weekly

Pitching Probables

Fri.

Tony Watson, So., LHP
(1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP)

Texas St .

TBA

Sat.

Joba Chamberlain, Jr., RHP
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.1 IP)

Rice

Eddie Degerman, Sr., RHP
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 15.2 IP)

Sun.

Johnny Dorn, So., RHP
(0-1, 12.46 ERA, 4.1 IP)

St. John's

Luis Monell, Jr., LHP
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 IP)

Huskers Continue Early Season Slate at Rice Tourney
The Nebraska baseball team opened its second tournament of the season with a 10-3 victory over Texas State at the Rice Invitational in Houston on Friday afternoon. The four-team tournament features a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in St. John’s and the host Owls, along with Texas State from the Southland Conference.

After a 3-1 showing in South Carolina over the weekend, the Huskers are ranked in all four major polls (Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, Sports Weekly and the NCBWA) this week with a high of third (CB) and a low of 25th (BA).

The Huskers open the tournament by taking on a Texas State squad that downed the Big Red, 2-1, in 10 innings last season in Friday’s tournament opener set for 1 p.m. (central). The game will not be on the radio, but live stats will be available on Huskers.com, while HuskersNside subscribers will be able to watch the action live from their desktop. Friday and Sunday's games will be available on HuskersNside, a premium subscription video site which features all 23 Husker teams.

The following day, the Huskers will renew its annual rivalry with a Rice team that is ranked as high as second nationally and is 6-2 on the young season. Last spring, NU swept both meetings with the Owls, including its first win at Reckling Park.

The weekend concludes Sunday afternoon, as the Huskers will meet up with St. John’s, which dropped its season opener, 5-4, at Texas Tech on Sunday. The matchup between the Huskers and Red Storm will be the first meeting since the 1996 season.

Tournament Schedule
Friday, February 24

• 1 p.m.       Texas State vs. Nebraska
• 4:30 p.m.   St. John’s vs. Rice

Saturday, February 25, 2006

• 1 p.m.       Nebraska vs. Rice
• 4:30 p.m.   St. John’s vs. Texas State

Sunday, February 26, 2006

• Noon         Nebraska vs. St. John’s
• 3:30 p.m.   Texas State vs. Rice

Leading Off
?-Nebraska has annually participated in one of Rice’s early-season tournaments, as the 2006 campaign marks the seventh time in eight years that NU has played in one of the Owls’ events. NU is 9-8 all-time, including a 2-0 record in 2005 that featured the Huskers’ first-ever win at Reckling Park against Rice. The only time NU did not participate in one of the tournaments, the Huskers faced Rice in a single game at Reckling Park.

NU at Rice Tournaments
Year      Record (Results)
1999     2-1  (W, Nicholls State; L-Rice; W-Jacksonville St.)
2000     1-2 (L-Northwestern State, L-Rice, W-Arkansas St.)
2001     1-2 (L-Rice, W-Lamar; L, Georgia Tech)
2002     1-2 (W-New Mexico; L-Rice; L-Wake Forest)
2004     2-1 (W-Northwestern State; L-Rice; W-No, Carolina)
2005     2-0 (W-New Mexico; W-Rice)

?-With a youthful roster that features 28 freshmen or sophomores, Nebraska has reshaped its roster from a year ago. Of the 30 players who went to South Carolina, 21 were freshmen or sophomores and 15 were getting their first taste of Division I baseball. Of Nebraska’s opening-day lineup against Charleston Southern, only one player - senior catcher Jeff Christy - was at the same position he started for the 2005 opener.

?-Nebraska’s new-look lineup showed some early season pop, hitting six homers in its first four games. In 2005, it took the Huskers seven games to hit six homers - bolstered by a four-homer game against New Mexico.

?-One consistent was NU’s rotation, as Husker starters held three of their four opponents to one run or less, including 7.1 innings of two-hit, shutout ball by Joba Chamberlain.

?-Nebraska is in the middle of a stretch where it plays eight times against 2005 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. The stretch began against NC State on Feb, 17 and goes until its home-opening series against Alabama.

?-Nebraska’s 2006 team has already accomplished one thing that last season’s record-setting team could not do. Sunday’s 5-4 win over Richmond marked the first time since the 2004 season that NU trailed entering the ninth inning, but came back to win. Despite recording 20 come-from-behind wins in 2005, the Huskers were 0-9 when trailing entering the ninth frame.

?-Nebraska is one of only three teams in the country that returns two pitchers who won at least 10 games in 2005 (Oregon State and Miami of Ohio are the others).

?-Nebraska is one of only six programs nationally to reach the College World Series in three of the past five seasons, joining Cal State Fullerton, Miami, South Carolina, Stanford and Texas. The Big 12 is the only league with more than one team in that group.

? - Nebraska has scored at least one run in each of its last 135 games dating back to the start of the 2005 campaign. The streak is the longest in the Big 12, while NU has scored in 465 of the last 466 games dating back to the 1998 season.

Scouting the Tournament Field
Texas State: Coach Ty Herrington’s Bobcats were picked to finish third in the Southland Conference after going 32-26 a year ago. The Bobcats suffered a 7-4 loss to nationally ranked Texas on Wednesday, snapping a two-game winning streak that included a win over a ranked TCU squad. Wednesday’s game against Texas marked the first of five straight contests against NCAA qualifiers for Texas State. Offensively, senior Cody Merrill tops the Bobcats with a .519 average (14-for-27), as the Oklahoma State transfer leads TSU in hits, runs scored and RBIs while being hit seven times in nine contests. Adam Witek (.333) and and Luke Cannon (.308) are also hitting over .300. On the mound, senior Scott Moore (2-0, 2.35 ERA) leads Texas State in nearly every pitching category. The two teams have split the two previous meetings, a 9-6 Husker win in 2004 and a 2-1 TSU win last season in Round Rock.

Rice: The Owls, who are ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls this week, are 7-2 after a 9-3 win over Sam Houston State on Tuesday evening. Wayne Graham’s squad begins its first season in Conference USA after going 45-19 before losing the Super Regional to Tulane last spring. The Owls feature a pair of preseason All-Americans in infielder Brian Rodriguez (.267-2-10) and first baseman/pitcher Joe Savery (.348-0-3/1-1, 3.52 ERA), who was Baseball America’s National Freshman of the year in 2005. Freshman Aaron Luna has been one of the Owls’ top offensive threats, belting a team-high four homers and driving in 10 RBIs. On the mound, the Owls will throw senior right-hander Eddie Degerman, who is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in 15.2 innings. A first-team All-WAC selection who went 8-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 2005, Degerman has fanned 24 and is holding foes to a .093 average. Rice leads the all-time series, 14-11, but Nebraska has won the last two meetings.

St. John’s: The Red Storm makes its second trip to Texas in as many weeks this weekend. St. John’s traveled to Texas Tech last weekend, but weather reduced the series to one game, a 5-4 loss to the Red Raiders. St. John’s won the Big East regular-season title and went 41-18, setting a school record for wins, before losing in the Oregon State Regional. SJU has 18 letterwinners returning, including Eddie Schultz, a preseason All-Big East performer who hit .301 with 26 RBIs in 2005. The Red Storm has not announced its pitching rotation for this weekend. Nebraska has won four of the five meetings in the all-time series, while the two teams have not met since the 1997 season. Nebraska has won the last 12 meetings against Big East opponents since a 5-3 loss to Notre Dame during the 1995 season. NU is 8-0 against Big East opponents under Head Coach Mike Anderson.

Last Week in Review
Thursday (NU 11, Charleston Southern 1): Shortstop Ryan Wehrle enjoyed a career day with three hits and five RBIs to lead a 16-hit attack, as Nebraska opened the season with an 11-1 victory. Wehrle went 3-for-3 with his first career homer, while Nick Jaros went 3-for-4 and scored three times. Nebraska scored four times in the top of the first and cruised to victory.  Sophomore Tony Watson earned the win, allowing one run over a career-high six innings, while Matt Foust hurled three shutout innings for the save.

Friday (NU 4, No. 19 North Carolina State 3): Joba Chamberlain fanned seven over 7.1 scoreless innings, as Nebraska built a 4-0 lead and held on for the one-run win. Chamberlain allowed two fifth-inning singles and held a potent Wolfpack offense off the board. Nebraska used run-scoring hits from Bryce Nimmo and Ryan Wehrle to take a 2-0 lead in the third before Nick Jaros’ two-run, sixth-inning double made it 4-0. N.C. State pulled within a run in the ninth, but Brett Jensen got out of the jam to preserve the win.

Saturday (The Citadel 8, Nebraska 5): Nebraska pounded out 15 hits, but could not make the most of its opportunities in an 8-5 loss. Andy Gerch, Ryan Wehrle and Andrew Brown had three hits apiece, as the Huskers out-hit the Bulldogs, 15-10, but stranded 13 runners on base, including six over the final three frames. Brown paced NU with a 3-for-4 effort, including his first career homer, while Wehrle and Gerch both went 3-for-5 in a losing effort. Johnny Dorn took the loss, allowing six runs over 4.1 innings of work.

Sunday (Nebraska 5, Richmond 4): Nick Jaros’ 12th-inning RBI single broke a 4-all deadlock, as Nebraska rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Spiders. Nebraska used the long ball, as Jeff Christy, Andy Gerch and Luke Gorsett all homered, including Gorsett’s ninth-inning two-run homer that sent the game to extra innings. In the 12th, Ryan Wehrle doubled with one out before coming home on Jaros’ single to center three batters later. Brett Jensen earned the victory with four innings of two-hit, shutout ball. NU also received a strong pitching effort from redshirt freshman Charlie Shirek, who allowed one run on four hits and took a shutout into the seventh.

Chamberlain Earns Big 12 Honor
Right-hander Joba Chamberlain was honored Feb. 22, as he was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week in voting by a media panel.

Chamberlain held No. 19 North Carolina State to just two singles over 7.1 shutout innings in Nebraska’s win on Friday. Chamberlain fanned seven and took a no-hitter into the fifth against a team that entered the game hitting .460 as a team and averaging over 17 runs per game. With the win, Chamberlain improved to 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA in eight starts against nationally-ranked teams during his Husker career.

It is the third career honor for Chamberlain, as he picked up the honor twice in 2005.

What a Difference a Year Makes
Shortstop Ryan Wehrle has emerged as one of the cataysts at the top of the Husker lineup. The sophomore from Papillion, Neb., went 8-for-18 with a team-high six RBIs during NU’s four-game trek through South Carolina. Wehrle also scored three times, including the game-winning run in the 12th inning against Richmond. Last year, Wehrle struggled during the first month of the season and did not drive in his sixth RBI until April 3, his 17th game in a Husker uniform.

Wehrle also continued Nebraska’s trend of recent opening day outbursts, as he had career-high five RBIs and matched his career high with three hits against Charleston Southern.

Recent Opening Day Performances
Year      Player (Offensive Output)
2006      Ryan Wehrle (3-for-3, 2BB, HBP, HR, 5 RBIs)
2005      Brandon Buckman (4-for-5, RBI)
2004      Alex Gordon (2-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBIs)
2003      Curtis Ledbetter (3-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBIs)

Welcome to Nebraska
A number of Husker newcomers turned in solid performances during the first weekend of the seeason.

?-Luke Gorsett (Jr., OF): Batted .500 (8-for-16) with a homer and three RBIs in four starts. The NJCAA All-American had four straight multi-hit games and provided the weekend’s most dramatic moment with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie Richmond at 4-all.

?-Nick Jaros (Jr., OF): Junior college transfer hit .375 (6-for-16) with four RBIs and four walks during the opening weekend. He went 3-for-4 and scored three times in Thursday’s opener, delivered a two-run double against NC State and drove in the game winner in the 12th inning on Sunday with an RBI single.

?-Andrew Brown (Jr., OF/INF): Brown made the most of his only start, going 3-for-4 with a homer in Saturday’s loss to The Citadel.

?-Charlie Shirek (R-Fr., RHP): Went six-plus innings in his Husker debut, allowing one run on four hits in a 5-4, 12-inning win over Richmond.

?-Erik Bird (Fr., RHP): Came out of the bullpen to fire 1.1 innings of no-hit relief in Sunday’s win over Richmond.

Stern to Play in World Baseball Classic
Former Nebraska outfielder Adam Stern has been selected to represent Team Canada in the 2006 World Baseball Classic next month. Stern, who was a two-year starter (2000-01) and right fielder on NU’s 2001 CWS team, spent the 2005 season with the Boston Red Sox. Stern also represented Canada in the 2004 Olympics, helping them to a fourth-place finish. For the World Baseball Classic, the Canadians are in Pool B, a grouping that includes the United States, Mexico and South Africa.

Three Named Preseason All-Americans
A trio of Husker baseball players have been honored  during the preseason, as pitchers Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Dorn and Brett Jensen have been selected to various preseason All-America teams.

Chamberlain turned in an impressive first season at NU, going 10-2 with a 2.81 ERA to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors. Chamberlain struck out 130 in 118.2 innings in 2005, including a 13-strikeout effort against Miami. He also picked up the Huskers’ first-ever CWS win with a victory over Arizona State in Omaha.

Jensen is one of the nation’s top closers after saving a school-record 16 games in 2005. He posted a 2-5 record and a 1.96 ERA in 33 games. He was 16-of-17 in save chances and ranked third nationally in saves in 2005.

Dorn enjoyed the finest freshman pitching season in school history, going 12-2 with a 2.16 ERA in 104 innings. The Grand Island, Neb., native led all freshmen nationally in wins and ranked among the Big 12 leaders in ERA and opponent batting average (.199), as he earned third-team All-America honors in 2005. He was also a second-team preseason pick by the NCBWA.

Preseason All-Americans
Player                        All-America Team (Publication)
Joba Chamberlain    1st (CB); 2nd (NCBWA, BA, RR)
Brett Jensen                  1st (CB, RR); 3rd (NCBWA)
Johnny Dorn                        2nd (NCBWA, CB, RR)
NCBWA - National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America BA - Baseball America; CB - Collegiate Baseball; RR-Rosenblatt Report

Huskers Look for Road Success
Nebraska willl look to continue its road success from last season, when the Huskers went 15-5 in true road games, a total that ranked third nationally in 2005. It was NU’s highest road win total since 2001, when the Huskers posted an 18-8 record.

Jensen Named to Stopper Watch List
Nebraska closer Brett Jensen was one of 30 players on the initial watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award released on Feb. 2.

This is the second major award watch list for Jensen. He was named to the Roger Clemens Award Watch list last month. In 2005, Jensen set a school record with 16 saves, as he posted a 2-5 record with a 1.96 ERA in 33 games. He was 16-of-17 in save chances in 2005, while his total ranked third nationally. Jensen, who posted a 46-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 46 innings of work, is the nation’s returning leader in saves.

Three Huskers on Clemens Watch List
Husker pitchers Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Dorn and Brett Jensen are also among the 40 college pitchers named to the initial Roger Clemens Award Watch List. The trio makes Nebraska one of only three schools in the country with three Clemens Watch List members, joining defending NCAA champion Texas and fellow 2005 College World Series qualifier Oregon State. The Big 12 combined for seven of the 40 Watch List members, including Missouri right-hander Max Scherzer, the second most of any conference.

Roster Features Seven Drafted Huskers
Nebraska’s 2006 roster boasts a total of seven Huskers who have been previously selected in the annual Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The list is seniors Brett Jensen and Dustin Timm, who have both been drafted twice during their career.

Three Huskers Earn Laurels from Baseball America
A trio of Husker baseball players were honored in Baseball America’s preseason issue. Starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain and closer Brett Jensen were both chosen as first-team preseason All-Big 12 picks, while senior catcher Jeff Christy was tabbed as the best defensive catcher in the Big 12 after throwing out 46 percent of baserunners and finishing with a .985 fielding percentage in 2005.

Chamberlain Climbs Up Draft List
Although the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft is several month away, Nebraska pitcher Joba Chamberlain received consideration as one of the nation’s top draft-eligible prospects. Chamberlain ranked 12th on Baseball America’s list and was one of four Big 12 players in the top 15, joining Missouri’s Max Scherzer (No. 3) and the Texas duo of Drew Stubbs (No. 2) and Kyle McCulloch (No. 11).  Of the top 15 players on Baseball America’s list, Chamberlain and Long Beach State infielder Evan Longoria were the only two who were not previously drafted.

Chamberlain is projected by Baseball America as a first-round pick, as the Huskers will look to post consecutive first-round picks for the first time in school history. Alex Gordon was the No. 2 overall pick by Kansas City in 2005.

Chamberlain, Dorn on Wallace Award Watch List
Joba Chamberlain and Johnny Dorn round out the awards circuit, as they were both chosen for the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. They will look to become the second straight Husker to capture the award, joining 2005 winner Alex Gordon.

The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by late May. Following the NCAA Super Regionals, the selection committee will narrow the list to three finalists at a press conference in Omaha. The finalists, their head coaches, and their parents will be invited to Lubbock, Texas, for a schedule of special events tied to the award banquet, which will again be nationally televised by Fox Sports Network.

Huskers Rank Among Nation’s Best
Nebraska has been among the nation’s top programs over the past few years. The Huskers rank fifth nationally in wins in that stretch, highlighted by three College World Series appearances (2001, 2002, 2005).

In Big 12 play, the Huskers have shown that same consistency, ranking first or second in the Big 12 in five of the last six seasons, including a Big 12-best three regular-season titles (2001, 2003, 2005). Here is a list of top-two finishes by league schools over the last six years.

15 Huskers Named to Big 12 Academic Honor Roll
A total of 15 current or former Husker baseball players were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fall semester earlier this month.

Junior Mike Harmelink, redshirt freshman Nick Sullivan and senior Brandon Buckman made their third appearance on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while five newcomers make their debut on the honor roll, which recognizes students who posted a 3.0 GPA or better during the previous semester.

Of the 15 Huskers honored, freshman John Lee was the only baseball player, and just one of 35 student-athletes across all of NU’s 23 athletic teams that posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall.

 

Join the Home Run Club in Minnesota
The Husker Home Run Club is planning three trips for fans to watch the Husker baseball team on the road this season.

The first of the three trips begins next month with Home Run Club members joining the Huskers at the Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis. The trip includes selected meals, hotel room and tickets to Nebraska’s games that weekend. For more information and prices, contact the Nebraska Baseball Office at (402) 472-2269 or visit Huskerhomerunclub.com.

In addition to the Minneapolis trip, the Home Run Club is also setting up bus trips to Missouri (April 8-9) and Oklahoma State (May 6-8).

2006 Home Run Club Bus Trips
Dates         Bus Trip
March 3-5   Minnesota Bus Trip
April 8-9      Missouri Bus Trip
May 6-8      Oklahoma State Bus Trip

Up Next: Huskers Travel to DQ Classic
The Huskers wrap up their three-week road trip next weekend, as they travel to Minneapolis for the Dairy Queen Classic. NU will take on nationally ranked Notre Dame, Arizona and the host Gophers in the Metrodome. All three games will also be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network.