Huskers Wrap Up Road Swing in Florida

Day

Date

NU Rank

Matchup

Location

Radio

Time

Friday

March 2

7/18/12

vs. Iowa (1-1)

Deland, Fla.

Husker Sports Network

Noon

Saturday

March 3

7/18/12

vs. Notre Dame (2-4)

Deland, Fla.

Husker Sports Network

2 p.m.

Saturday

March 3

7/18/12

at Stetson (9-3)

Deland, Fla.

Husker Sports Network

6 p.m.

Husker Pitching Probables

Opponent Pitching Probables

Fri.

Tony Watson, Jr., LHP
(1-0, 1.50 ERA, 4K, 6.0 IP)

Iowa

Steve Turnbull, So., RHP
(0-0, 4.50 ERA, 4 K, 4 IP)

Sat.-1

Drew Bowman, So., LHP
(1-0, 3.00 ERA, 7 K, 9.0 IP)

ND

Wade Korpi, Jr., LHP
(1-1, 3.72 ERA, 8 K, 9.2 IP)

Sat.-2

Johnny Dorn, Jr., RHP
(1-1, 5.73 ERA, 9 K, 11.0 IP)

Stetson

Chris Ingoglia, Sr., LHP
(1-1, 3.29 ERA, 15 K, 16.2 IP)

Huskers Wrap Up Road Swing in Florida
In over a century of baseball at the University of Nebraska, the Husker baseball team has played in many places around the country. Surprisingly, Florida is not one of the them, but the Huskers will rectify that situation this weekend, as the No. 7 Huskers travel to Deland, Fla., for the Stetson Invitational. The three-day tournament will feature the host Hatters (9-3), along with Notre Dame (2-4) and Iowa (1-1). This weekend’s trip to Florida not only is the Huskers’ first visit to the Sunshine state, but wraps up a 10-game road trip to begin the 2007 season.

The Huskers will take on Iowa in the first of two matchups this season on Friday, March 2, at Noon (central). On Saturday, the Huskers will play both Notre Dame (2 p.m.) and Stetson (6 p.m.). All three games will be played at Melching Field on Stetson’s campus.
Every game this weekend will be carried on the Husker Sports Network - the first of 49 games on the network during the 2007 season - and on Huskers.com with Jim Rose and Randy Lee calling all of the action. Fans should contact their local Husker Sports Network affiliate for broadcast information.

Saturday’s game against Notre Dame will be joined in progress following the conclusion of the NU-Colorado men’s basketball game, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. tipoff. Fans can also watch all three games live on HuskersNside (subscription required) as the website will carry nearly all of the Huskers’ 2007 schedule, both home and away. Live stats will be on Huskers.com.

Tournament Schedule
Friday, March 2
Noon Nebraska vs. Iowa
6 p.m.  Notre Dame vs. Stetson

Saturday, March 3
10 a.m. Stetson vs. Iowa
2 p.m. Nebraska vs. Notre Dame
6 p.m. Nebraska vs. Stetson

Sunday, March 4
10 a.m. Notre Dame vs. Iowa
all times listed are central

Nebraska is 5-2 on the season and comes off an 8-7 victory over No. 27 Florida Atlantic Sunday to complete a 2-1 weekend. In that game, Ryan Wehrle homered and drove in three runs, while the Husker bullpen preserved a one-run lead with three shutout innings.
The Huskers opened the tournament with a 9-1 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before suffering a 9-5 loss to No. 6 Rice the following afternoon. Even in the loss, the Huskers tagged a Rice pitching staff for five runs after it entered the contest with a 1.69 ERA in their first 11 games. NU remained seventh in the Collegiate Baseball poll on Monday and moved from 19th to 18th in Baseball America.

Leading Off
?-The three northern schools (Nebraska, Iowa and Notre Dame) are separated by 546 miles on Interstate 80, but will all travel at least 900 miles for this weekend’s tournament at Stetson.
?-The Huskers and Hawkeyes will meet up again for the second time this season on Tuesday, April 10, at Hawks Field in the continuation of a home-and-home series started in 2005. Prior to that meeting, Nebraska and Iowa had not met on the diamond since 1930.
?-The Huskers have a two-game winning streak against the Fighting Irish, including an 11-1 victory at the 2006 Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis. In that game, Luke Gorsett became the first Husker baseball player to hit for the cycle in over a decade.
?-The Huskers have finished .500 or better in each of the last five pre-conference tournaments they have participated in dating back to the start of the 2006 season.
?-Getting off to fast starts is not uncommon for the Huskers, who have scored at least one run in the first inning in six of their seven games this season. NU is outscoring opponents 12-2 in the first inning of games this season.
?-The Huskers received a boost from the return of first baseman Andrew Brown to the lineup. The senior hit .455 with a homer and four RBIs at Rice last weekend, helping the Huskers average over seven runs per game.
?-Jake Opitz earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors Monday after hitting .600 (6-for-10) with five runs scored over the weekend. It is his first career Big 12 honor.
?-Nebraska has scored at least one run in each of its last 197 games dating back to the start of the 2004 campaign. The streak is the longest in the Big 12, while NU has scored in 528 of the last 529 games dating back to 1998.
?-Nebraska is one of only seven teams in all of Division I baseball to post team ERAs below 4.00 in each of the last five years, joining Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Oral Roberts, Rice, Texas and Wichita State.
?-After 23 practices indoors to start the season, the Huskers worked out for the first time outdoors in Arlington on Feb. 15, going straight from the airport to the UTA ballpark. NU has yet to practice at Hawks Field this season.

Weekend Review
The Huskers acquitted themselves well against a stout field, posting a 2-1 record against nationally ranked Rice and Florida Atlantic and a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team that was 9-1 heading into the tournament.

Friday (NU 9, TAMUCC 1): Drew Bowman held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to one run over six innings, leading NU to a 9-1 victory. Bowman, starting in place of Tony Watson, scattered seven hits and retired 14 of 15 during one stretch en route to his first win as a Husker. NU took control from the start, jumping out to a 5-0 lead after two innings and used a 3-for-4 effort from Jake Opitz to pace a 12-hit outburst. Andrew Brown and Thad Weber also had two RBIs apiece with Brown opening the scoring with his first homer of the year.

Saturday (Rice 9, Nebraska 5): The Huskers jumped to a five-run lead against No. 6 Rice, but could not hold on, as the Owls rallied for a 9-5 victory at the Rice Invitational Saturday at Reckling Park. Jeff Tezak, Ryan Wehrle and Jake Optiz all enjoyed two-hit days for NU, while Nick Sullivan finished with two RBIs in a losing effort. NU starter Charlie Shirek was tagged for the loss, allowing six runs ? two earned ? over 3.2 innings.

Sunday (NU 8, Florida Atlantic 7): Ryan Wehrle went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs, while four relievers combined on three innings of shutout relief to preserve NU’s 8-7 win over No. 27 Florida Atlantic on Sunday.Wehrle belted his second homer of the year to highlight NU’s 13-hit outburst, while Andrew Brown and Andy Gerch enjoyed three-hit days for the Huskers. The Husker bullpen was the big story, squelching FAU rallies in both the seventh and ninth innings. Steve Edlefsen hurled 2.1 innings of shutout ball, while Zach Herr and Erik Bird recorded the final two outs. Bird got NU out of a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth for his third save.

Scouting this Weekend’s Opponents
Iowa (1-1): The Hawkeyes are 1-1 on the season after splitting a pair of games with Arkansas State over the weekend. Under former Creighton coach Jack Dahm, Iowa returned seven starters and eight pitchers from a team that finished with a 23-33 record last season. The Hawkeyes are led by shortstop Jason White, who hit .500 with four walks over the weekend and first baseman Wes Freie, who batted .429 with a homer and four RBIs in the Hawkeyes’ opening weekend. Catcher Dusty Napoleon led UI with 34 RBIs in 2006. Steve Turnbull, a sophomore right-hander who will face NU on Friday, allowed three runs on four hits over four innings in his first start of the year. Last season, he compiled a 1-2 mark with a 5.82 ERA in 15 appearances.  Nebraska leads the all-time series, 7-3, including both matchups since the series was renewed in 2005.
Last Season vs. Iowa:  Jake Opitz produced five hits and five RBIs, including the game-winning two-run single in the top of the 13th to lead Nebraska to a 16-14 victory in Iowa City. Opitz’s final hit made a winner of Jon Klausing (2-0), who pitched four innings of scoreless relief in his first outing in nearly a month.  Along with Opitz’s gaudy numbers at the plate, Steve Edlefsen erupted for one of the best individual nights by a Nebraska hitter in school history. Entering the game, Edlefsen had just six hits in 37 at-bats, but doubled his total with six hits against the Hawkeyes, including his first career homer while hitting for Nebraska’s second cycle of the season. Edlefsen’s six hits tied a Nebraska record last matched by John Cole. Brandon Buckman reached base all eight times he came to the plate, including his 10th home run of the season.

Notre Dame (2-4): Notre Dame is 2-4 on the season after two straight weekends on the road. The Fighting Irish returned 18 letterwinners, including 10 pitchers from a team that went 45-17-1 and advanced to the Lexington Regional last season. Infielder Brett Lilley is a two-time All-Big East performer at third base who moved to shortstop this season. Designated hitter Mike Drury leads Notre Dame with a .364 average and four RBIs, as only three regulars are hitting above .300. Right-hander Wade Korpi was tabbed as the Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball after going 7-2 with a 2.00 ERA in 2006. This season, he is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA, fanning eight in 9.2 innings of work.  The Huskers trail the all-time series, 10-3, but have won the last two meetings, both taking place at the Metrodome in Minneapolis (2003 and 2006).
Last Season vs. Notre Dame: Luke Gorsett became the first Husker to hit for the cycle since 1995,  propelling NU to an 11-1 victory in the tournament opener. Gorsett went 4-for-5 with a single in the first, a homer in the third and a double in the fourth before completing the cycle with a triple to left center in the eighth. Gorsett’s performance nearly overshadowed another dominant performance from Joba Chamberlain, who silenced Notre Dame’s offense attack, holding the Fighting Irish to just three singles. NU pounded out 17 hits including three by center fielder Bryce Nimmo, who went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and two each by Nick Jaros, Andy Gerch and Jeff Christy as NU built a 9-0 cushion after four innings.

Stetson (9-3): The Hatters have gotten off to an impressive start, going 9-3 during the first month of the season. Stetson, which went 38-24 a year ago, was also a postseason team in 2006, advancing to the Atlanta Regional. Under head Coach Pete Dunn, who has over 1,000 career wins at the school, the Hatters already have series wins over LSU and Louisville this season and come off a 10-3 win over 2006 NCAA Regional participant Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday. Offensively, Stetson is hitting .298 as a team with four starters over .300. Third baseman Braedyn Pruitt has been one of the sparkplugs to the offense, hitting .422 with two homers and 13 RBIs. He is joined by center fielder Shane Jordan, who is batting .413 with 15 runs scored and a team-high four stolen bases. The Hatters have a team ERA of 3.08 through 12 games with four starters posting ERAs under 3.50. Senior Left-hander Chris Ingoglia will start against the Huskers on Saturday. Closer Blake Marsocci has three saves and a 2.45 ERA in six outings. The two teams have met just once before, a 16-5 victory by Nebraska on March 22, 1986.

Quick Look at Nebraska
Offense: The Huskers enter the weekend fourth in the Big 12 with a .303 team batting average. NU features three of the top-20 hitters in the conference in junior college transfer Thad Weber (.389, eighth), junior outfielder Andy Gerch (.379, 13th) and junior second baseman Jake Opitz (.360, 18th). Junior college transfer Craig Corriston tops NU with seven RBIs, while All-American shortstop Ryan Wehrle has two of the Huskers four round trippers.

Pitching: Nebraska is fifth in the Big 12 with a team ERA of 3.69 through Tuesday’s games. NU hurlers have allowed four runs or less four times in its first seven games and are holding opponents to a .248 average. Junior Matt Foust ranks seventh in the Big 12 with a 2.25 ERA while sophomore left-hander Drew Bowman is 19th with a 3.00 ERA. Closer Erik Bird has accounted for three of NU’s four saves, as the Huskers are third among Big 12 teams in that category despite playing the fewest games of any big 12 team.

Opitz Earns Big 12 Award
Second baseman Jake Opitz was named Big 12 Player of the Week Monday for his performance at the Rice Invitational over the weekend. It is the first weekly honor for Opitz, a junior from Littleton, Colo.

Opitz hit .600 (6-for-10) with five runs scored, one RBI and a pair of doubles in helping the Huskers to a 2-1 week, highlighted by a win over nationally-ranked Florida Atlantic. Optiz, who also drew three weeks, finished the weekend with a .692 on-base percentage.  Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, he went 3-for-4, scored three times and went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks against sixth-ranked Rice on Saturday.

Welcome Back Brown
After missing the opening weekend of the season, senior Andrew Brown made a smashing 2007 debut over the weekend. The senior from Carrollton, Texas, belted a two-run homer in his first at-bat of the season, sparking a 9-1 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The only senior among NU’s position players, Brown finished the weekend with a .455 average, four RBIs and four runs scored, helping the Huskers average over seven runs per game.

In his last 19 games dating back to last season, Brown is hitting .370 with six homers and 15 RBIs.

Edlefsen, Weber Provide Dual Threats
If the first two weeks of the season are any indication, the Huskers will rely on the two-way talents of Thad Weber and Steve Edlefsen during 2007.

Weber, a junior college All-American at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC, has been one of the Huskers’ top hitters so far, batting .389 with six RBIs. He started NU’s first four games at first base and can also DH for the Huskers. Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 23, he went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while also coming out of the bullpen, fanning three Islanders over two shutout frames in his first mound appearance of the year.

Edlefsen, who can play nearly every position on the diamond, shined out of the bullpen last weekend, tossing 3.1 innings of one-hit relief. Against Florida Atlantic, Edlefsen went a career long 2.1 innings to help preserve a one-run lead. He then moved to left field for the final two outs of the game. Edlefsen, who had not pitched since high school prior to this season, has a 2.25 ERA in three appearances.

Bird Cages Opponents
One Husker pitcher in a new role this season is sophomore closer Erik Bird. The right-hander from Omaha worked as NU’s set-up man for All-Big 12 closer Brett Jensen in 2006, but has seamlessly moved into the closer’s role this spring.

Bird is 3-for-3 in save situations, as he preserved NU’s 8-7 win over No. 27 Florida Atlantic on Feb. 25. He is second in the Big 12 with three saves and is one of only two Big 12 closers to record saves in every appearance this season.

In the season opener, Bird got NU out of a ninth-inning bases-loaded jam, entering a 2-0 count then proceeded to strikeout the batter he faced on four pitches. Against UTA the following day, he entered with runners on the corners and NU clinging to a one-run lead. He retired the next two hitters and pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save in as many days.

Gerch Hits Stride
After struggling to find his stroke to begin the season, outfielder Andy Gerch has been on a tear over the Huskers’ last four contests. Since a 5-for-5 effort against Illinois State on Feb. 18, Gerch is hitting .529 with three RBIs in his last four contests. His five-hit day topped his previous best of four against Missouri in the 2005 Big 12 Tournament.

Going back to last season, Gerch had recorded 10 consecutive base hits on Sunday before his failed sacrifice bunt against Florida Atlantic on his fourth at-bat ended the string.

Corriston, Tezak Make Immediate Impact
Two other junior college transfers have added to the Huskers’ lineup early - Craig Corriston and Jeff Tezak. The pair platoon with Jake Mort at third and have also shared time at the DH spot.

Corriston, who has hit safely in five of his six starts, is batting .318 with a team-high seven RBIs. He drove in three runs against New Mexico in the season opener on Feb. 16 and went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs in Sunday’s win against Florida Atlantic.

Tezak, who transferred in from Palomar (Calif.) JC, is a switch-hitter who provides balance in NU’s lineup. He is batting .357 in five games, including a pair of two-hit contests. Against No. 6 Rice, Tezak went 2-for-5 against the Owls.

Three Huskers Rank Among Top Draft Prospects
Three Huskers are ranked among the top 100 draft-eligible players in college for June’s Major League Baseball Draft. The list is headed by junior left-hander Tony Watson, who is rated No. 28, while shortstop Ryan Wehrle (No. 38) and right-hander Charlie Shirek (No. 62) aslo crack the list. Of the three players, only Tony Watson - a 23rd round pick out of high school - was drafted before attending NU.
 
Two Huskers Earn Preseason Recognition
A pair of Nebraska baseball players have been honored during the preseason, as Tony Watson and Ryan Wehrle have been named preseason All-Americans by various organizations.

Watson, a first-team selection by the NCBWA, was also tabbed by Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com in their preseason predictions.  He compiled an impressive 10-2 mark with a 2.78 ERA in 17 appearances in 2006, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in ERA (third), wins (fourth), opponent batting average (.236, fifth) and innings pitched (100.1) in his first full season as a starter.

Wehrle, a third-team selection by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball, anchors a Husker infield that returns three starters. In 2006, he became the first Husker shortstop in 21 seasons to earn first-team all-conference honors, hitting a team-best .367 with eight homers and 49 RBIs. Wehrle led NU in average and ranked second on the squad in RBIs, while also going a perfect 14-for-14 on the base paths. A two-year starter, Wehrle also enjoyed a strong performance in the field, posting a .949 fielding percentage while starting 57 contests.

Watson, Wehrle Lauded by Baseball America
Two Huskers were honored in Baseball America’s preseason issue. Shortstop Ryan Wehrle and left-hander Tony Watson were both tabbed as first-team selections, with Watson being chosen as the Big 12’s Pitcher of the Year.

Huskers Picked Third in the Big 12
The Nebraska baseball team was picked to finish third in the preseason vote of the Big 12 coaches. The Huskers, who finished 42-17 and reached NCAA Regional play for the seventh time in eight seasons in 2006, totaled 64 points in the voting of the league’s 10 coaches. NU tied for third in the Big 12 last season with a 17-10 league mark and reached the title game of the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City.

NU finished behind defending Big 12 champion Texas and Oklahoma State in the tabulation. The Longhorns totaled 79 points and seven of the 10 first-place votes. Oklahoma State totaled 70 points and two first-place votes, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Texas A&M received the other first-place vote. Following Nebraska in the poll was Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State.

Single-Game Tickets Now on Sale
Single-game general admission tickets for Husker baseball home games are now on sale.  General Admission tickets for all regular-season home games this season are $7 for adults and $5 for youth in high school or younger or for senior citizens ages 60 or older. General admission tickets are free for children ages six and younger along with UNL students (with a valid student ID).

The 2007 schedule includes Big 12 home series against Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor and Kansas State along with non-conference contests against Nebraska-Kearney, Wayne State, Western Illinois, Northern Colorado, Iowa, North Dakota State and Coastal Carolina.  NU opens its home schedule against Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday, March 6, at 1:35 p.m.

Two Husker Games Set for National TV
The Nebraska baseball team will make at least two national television appearances this spring, as the Big 12 released its 2007 baseball broadcast schedule earlier this month.   The Huskers will face Oklahoma on Saturday, April 14, at 3 p.m. on FSN before taking on defending Big 12 champion Texas in a match-up of the league’s last two regular-season champions on Saturday, April 21.

NU’s game against the Longhorns will mark FSN’s first game broadcast from Hawks Field at Haymarket Park since the park opened in 2002. The national telecast also means a later start time, as the game, originally slated for 2:05 p.m., now has a first pitch time of 3 p.m.

Seven Draftees on 2007 Husker Roster
Nebraska’s 2007 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 led by pitcher Tony Watson, who was drafted in the 23rd round out of high school and in the 17th round by Baltimore last summer.

Join the Home Run Club in Oklahoma
Make your plans now to join the Husker Home Run Club in Norman, Okla., on April 14-15. The two-day trip includes selected meals, hotel room and tickets to Nebraska’s games against the Sooners on Saturday and Sunday. For more information and prices, contact Ed Bolejack at (402) 476-4990 or Erich Helge at (402) 643-5403 or visit Huskerhomerunclub.com.

Baseball 101 is a Big Hit
During the first week of baseball practice, the Nebraska baseball team hosted Baseball 101, a one-day clinic put on by the Husker coaches and players to raise money for City Impact. The event had nearly 100 participants and raised over $3,000 for children in Lincoln’s Urban neighborhoods.

Swing for a Cure Reaches Goal
The Huskers wrapped up fall drills by raising money for former Husker Jed Morris to aide him in his fight against acute lymphocytic leukemia.
The Husker coaches and players raised money for Morris’ medical bills, culminating with a full day of batting practice for fans at Hawks Field. The event raised more than $11,000. Morris, who played baseball at NU in 2001 and 2002, hopes to return to professional baseball this summer.

Hightower Named to Inaugural Husker 24
Mark Hightower was honored earlier this month as a member of the inaugural Husker 24, an award that recognizes students for displaying the association’s core values of leadership, service, integrity and spirit.

He is among 24 University of Nebraska juniors to receive the honor. He was chosen from a group of 65 nominees who were nominated by a faculty or staff member. The inaugural group was recognized at a banquet earlier this month and will be awarded a Nebraska Ring at the annual Nebraska Ring Ceremony in April. Hightower is a two-year letterwinner on the Husker baseball team. A former walk-on, he played in 18 games in 2005, helping the Huskers to their third College World Series appearance.

He was among six Husker student-athletes selected for the honor, including Sarah Pavan (volleyball), Meghan Hungerford (soccer), Imke Reimers (women’s tennis), Stephen T?trault (men’s gymnastics) and Issar Yazhbin (track and field).

15 Huskers Named to Big 12 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. Juniors Matt Foust, Bryce Nimmo and Luke Wertz and sophomore Nick Sullivan all make their team-high fifth appearance on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.  They were among the 270 athletes across all sports to earn spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for their outstanding academic performance during the 2006 fall semester. The Big 12 Honor Roll honors student-athletes who achieved a 3.0 or higher grade-point average.

Up Next: Huskers Return Home for UNK
Weather permitting, the Huskers will open up the home portion of their 2007 schedule on Tuesday afternoon, as they take on the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. and will be carried on Huskers.com and selected Husker Sports Network Stations. It is a quick homestand, as the Huskers travel to Alabama for a three-game series next weekend.