Husker Baseball Wraps Up Fall Drills

Lincoln ? Solid pitching and strong defense were the order of the day, as the Nebraska baseball team concluded fall drills with a scrimmage against Nebraska-Kearney Friday afternoon at Hawks Field.

The Huskers committed just one error in the 14-inning practice on Friday and got strong performances by Johnny Dorn and Mike Nesseth, who combined to allow one run over the final seven innings of an 8-5 victory over the Lopers.

"We have worked hard on defense in the fall, and it was nice to show that today," Anderson said.

Nesseth, a redshirt freshman who fanned five and allowed one hit over the final three innings to collect the save, was one of several freshman who saw time on the mound against the Lopers. Matt Freeman and Mike Mariot also threw well at times on Friday.

"I was real pleased with Michael’s (Nesseth) effort," Anderson said. "The important thing for us on a day like this was to give some of our freshman pitchers some experience. We need some of them step up if we want to be successful this year."

While the freshman gained their first collegiate experience, veterans Johnny Dorn and Erik Bird also threw well. Dorn earned the win by striking out six over four scoreless innings, while Bird allowed just one run and fanned two over his four-inning stint.

Senior outfielder Bryce Nimmo provided the game’s biggest hit, a three-run homer off Ryan Sheldon, to wrap up a strong final week of action. Nimmo, who scored two runs and drove in three on Friday, finished the final week of the fall by hitting .384 (5-for-13) with a homer, two doubles and seven RBIs.

"He’s done a great job in the fall of improving from last season and also being one of our leaders," Anderson said.

Other offensive standouts included second baseman Jake Optiz, who went 3-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored and sophomore outfielder DJ Belfonte, who went 2-for-5 with a pair of walks and two runs scored.

The scrimmage, which wrapped five weeks of fall practice, also gave many of the Husker newcomers an opportunity to experience game-like conditions.

"The biggest thing for us was getting on the field and having the experience of playing," Anderson said. "We put kids in the roles we expected them to have during the year. At one point, we had four freshmen in the infield. It’s a good experience for them to play by getting this one under our belt in the fall.

The Huskers will begin their off-season lifting and training program and won’t practice together until Feb. 1, for the first official day of spring drills.