Huskers Visit No. 22 Alabama in Big 12 Tuneup

The Nebraska baseball team makes its final trip before the start of Big 12 Conference action this weekend, as the Huskers visit Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a three-game series with nationally ranked Alabama. The series commences Friday evening with a 6:30 p.m. start with an afternoon game on Saturday (4 p.m.) and the finale set for 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Every game this weekend will be available on the Husker Sports Network (depending on the Husker men’s basketball team at the Big 12 Tournament) with Jim Rose and Randy Lee calling all of the action. All three games will be broadcast for free on Huskers.com. Live stats will also be available, but there will be no video streaming of the weekend games. Fans who listen to Sunday’s game are reminded that Daylight Savings Time is Saturday night and remember to set watches ahead one hour so that your don’t miss the opening pitch.

The Huskers are 6-4 on the season after going 1-2 at the Stetson Invitational over the weekend. The trip, originally scheduled between Thursday and Sunday, was pushed back a day because of the winter storm in the Midwest and delayed another day in Florida because of rain. The Huskers dropped their first two games on Sunday, but bounced back with a 6-2 win over Stetson to begin the week.
Nebraska was scheduled to open at home last Tuesday against Nebraska-Kearney, but Mother Nature refused to cooperate, forcing postponement of that game as well. No makeup date has been announced for the NU-UNK contest.

The Huskers did catch a break on Wednesday, as they were able to work outside at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park for the first time since fall drills ended on Oct. 13. Prior to that workout, all 29 of the Huskers’ practices in Lincoln have been indoors, the longest stretch without going outdoors for practice in recent memory. That has helped play a part in the Huskers’ slow start this spring.

The Huskers have split their two games against nationally ranked teams this season and are currently in the middle of a stretch where they play six of eight games against 2006 NCAA Tournament teams - all away from Hawks Field.

The Huskers will face their most challenging opponent to date, as the Crimson Tide is 12-4 after an 8-6 loss to Tennessee Tech on Wednesday. Alabama, which is nationally ranked in three of the four major polls, saw its six-game win streak snapped at nationally ranked Southern Miss on Tuesday - Alabama’s first road game of the year - before losing at home Wednesday night. Alabama has six starters hitting over .300 and a pitching staff with an combined 2.94 ERA.

Leading Off
?-The Huskers are 11-9 all-time against SEC competition with only the Alabama series in 2006 taking place in Lincoln. NU has won eight straight regular-season games against SEC teams dating back to 1991, but is 0-4 in NCAA Tournament matchups in that same span.
?-Because of Tuesday’s postponement with UNK, Nebraska will open the 2007 season with 13 straight games on the road.  It is NU’s longest season-opening road trip since the 2001 season began with 14 straight games away from home and the second-longest stretch on the road to open a year since World War II.
?-Following this weekend’s series at Alabama, the Huskers will have logged 7,318 miles over the past month, including the program’s first visits to both Florida and Alabama.
?-The Huskers’ 1-2 finish at the Stetson Invite snapped a streak of five straight pre-conference tournaments with a .500 or better mark over the last two years.
?-Getting off to fast starts is not uncommon for the Huskers, who have scored at least one run in the first inning in eight of their 10 games this season. NU is outscoring opponents 14-7 in the first inning of games this season.
?-Junior center fielder Bryce Nimmo is doubtful for this weekend’s Alabama series after suffering a concussion and a shoulder sprain in a collision with DJ Belfonte against Notre Dame on March 4.
?-The Husker offense and pitching staff will receive some additional help this weekend with the return of Thad Weber to the lineup. Weber, who missed the Stetson Tournament because of personal issues, has a team-high .389 batting average and five RBIs in five games, while also tossing two shutout innings in his only appearance on the mound this year.
?-The Huskers’ loss to Notre Dame snapped NU’s 14-game win streak against Big East opponents that dated back to the 1995 season.
?-Nebraska has scored at least one run in each of its last 200 games dating back to the start of the 2004 campaign. The streak is the longest in the Big 12, while NU has scored in 531 of the last 532 games dating back to 1998.
?-Junior second baseman Jake Opitz equaled his entire 2006 home run total in Sunday’s tournament twinbill, belting three-run homers in each contest. Opitz, who entered Sunday’s games with five career homers in 118 career games, is hitting .417 during his current seven-game hit streak
?-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.

Weekend Review
The Huskers suffered their first losing weekend of the season, going 1-2 at the Stetson Invitational.

Sunday (Iowa 12, Nebraska 8): Ryan Wehrle and Jake Opitz drove in three runs apiece, but Nebraska could not hold an 8-0 lead in falling to Iowa. The Huskers scored once in the first and four times in the third, including a three-run homer by Opitz in building  an 8-0 lead in the fifth. Wehrle had two hits and drove in three runs, freshman DJ Belfonte was 2-for-3 and scored three times and Jeff Lanning also belted his first career homer.  Tony Watson allowed two runs on three hits over six innings, but did not factor in the decision.

Sunday (Notre Dame 16, NU 5): A pair of big innings did the Huskers in, as they fell to Notre Dame in Sunday’s second game. The Irish scored five in the first to chase starter Drew Bowman and then used a seven-run sixth to break open a 6-5 game. Jake Opitz continued his team by hitting his second homer of the day and driving in four runs, while Nick Sullivan enjoyed a 3-for-4 afternoon in the setback.

Monday (NU 6, Stetson 2):  Johnny Dorn allowed two runs over eight-plus innings, while Andrew Brown’s two-run single sparked a five-run outburst, as the Huskers posted a 6-2 victory over Stetson.  Dorn, who moved into fourth place on NU’s career wins chart, scattered five hits and fanned four in picking up his second straight win.  The Huskers were held to five hits, but took advantage of their opportunities, getting four of the hits in the fifth, including a two-run single by Brown and an RBI single by Jake Opitz. Craig Corriston also drove in two runs in the victory.

Scouting this Alabama
The Crimson Tide enter the weekend series with Nebraska sporting a 12-4 record and a No. 22 national ranking. Alabama returns five everyday starters and six pitchers from a squad that went 44-21, won a share of the SEC regular-season title and hosted a Super Regional last season. Alabama Head Coach Jim Wells (534-247 in 13 years at UA) and the Crimson Tide raced to a 12-2 start and were riding a six-game win streak until it was snapped by Southern Miss on Tuesday. Alabama then dropped an 8-6 decision to Tennessee Tech on Wednesday to come into the weekend with a two-game losing streak.

Despite the recent setbacks, Alabama is a very  potent offensive team, boasting a .323 team average and averaging nearly eight runs per came. Center fielder Emeel Salem is the table setter for the Alabama lineup, as the 2006 All-American is hitting .381 with team-highs in both runs in runs scored (20) and stolen bases (12). Outfielder Kent Matthes has provided the power for Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide in all three triple crown categories by hitting .387 with five homers and 23 RBIs.

On the mound, Alabama has been stout, posting a team ERA of under 3.00. Miers Quigley (2-0, 1.48 ERA) and Casey Kebodeaux (2-1, 1.42 ERA) give the Crimson Tide a pair of starters with ERAs under 1.50, while closer Josh Copeland has three saves this season.  In addition to those two, sophomore right-hander Tommy Hunter, a Team USA member last summer, is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA

Last Year vs. Alabama
Friday (NU 2, Alabama 1 in 11 inn.) ? Brandon Buckman’s 11th-inning single drove in Bryce Nimmo with the winning run, as the Huskers pulled out a 2-1 victory in front of an opening-day record crowd of 6,291 at Hawks Field. Buckman laced an 0-1 pitch from Alabama closer David Robertson into left to score Nimmo, who coaxed a leadoff walk from second with the winning run. Brett Jensen earned the win with 3.1 innings of one-hit, shutout ball as the Husker bullpen allowed just two hits over the final five innings. Both starting pitchers threw gems, but weren’t involved in the decision. Alabama’s Wade LeBlanc allowed one run on five hits over eight frames, while Tony Watson allowed one run on six hits over six-plus innings.

Saturday (Nebraska 5, Alabama 1) ? Johnny Dorn fired a complete game four-hitter, while Bryce Nimmo and Andrew Brown drove in two runs apiece, leading the Huskers to a 5-1 win. Dorn fanned eight and allowed one unearned run, needing only 107 pitches in the complete-game gem. Nimmo went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs, breaking a 1-all tie with his sixth-inning homer. Brown made it a 4-1 game later in the inning with a two-run single, while Luke Gorsett also added a homer in the win.

Sunday (Nebraska 6, Alabama 2): Ryan Wehrle drove in three runs, including a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to break a 2-2 tie, as the Huskers completed the sweep with a 6-2 victory. The Huskers, who where held hitless until the seventh, plated their first two runs on Wehrle’s two-run double in the seventh before taking the lead for good one inning later. Bryce Nimmo paced NU with a 2-for-4 effort and scored twice. Brett Jensen (3-0) was the beneficiary of the Huskers’ eighth-inning outburst, as he tossed two innings of one-hit relief for his second win of the weekend.