No. 15 Huskers Head to No. 13 Texas

This Week: The No. 15 Nebraska baseball team hits the road this weekend for a three-game series against No. 13 Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The series begins with a Friday afternoon tilt, set for 3:05 p.m. On Saturday, the two teams will meet in a regionally televised game on FSN, set for 6 p.m. The series wraps up on Sunday with a first-pitch time slated for 1 p.m.

On the Radio and Internet: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call the action on the Husker Sports Network, including KLIN 1400 in Lincoln, KRVN 880 AM in Lexington and KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and on the Internet at Huskers.com. In addition, Friday and Sunday’s games will be video-streamed on Texassports.com. There is no HuskersNside broadcast this weekend.

Weekend Time Changes: The start times for the first two games of the Nebraska-Texas series have been changed. Because of the Texas-Stanford men’s basketball tournament game, Friday’s first pitch is now set for 3:05 p.m. On Saturday, the game was moved to 6:05 p.m. and will be televised on FSN throughout the Big 12 region (FSN Midwest, FSN Southwest and FSN Rocky Mountain).

Last Time Out: Erik Bird scattered four hits over five innings for his first career win, as No. 15 Nebraska completed a sweep of Northern Colorado with a 9-4 victory on Wednesday. Bird (1-1) was strong in his third straight start, matching his career long with five innings, as he struck out three to collect his first win in 47 career appearances. The junior right-hander from Omaha allowed single runs in the first two frames, but got stronger as the game progressed, holding Northern Colorado scoreless over his final three innings. Offensivly, six players drove in at least one run, including two from Jake Opitz, who also drew three walks. DJ Belfonte and Ben Kline led the Huskers with a pair of hits as Nebraska (19-3-1) won for the 18th time in the last 20 contests. The Huskers broke the game open with a five-run third, turning a 2-2 tie into a five-run cushion.

Scouting Texas
Augie Garrido (495-237-1 in 12 seasons at UT) and the Longhorns are 17-6 overall and ranked in the top 15 of all three major national polls. Texas returned 18 players including five starters from a team that won the Big 12 regular-season crown a year ago. Texas is 4-2 in conference action, taking 2-of-3 from both Kansas and Texas Tech, and has not played since a 5-4 win over Oral Roberts on Monday.

Texas is among the Big 12’s offensive leaders, hitting .326 as a team and averaging nine runs a game. A pair of newcomers have powered the Texas offense early on, as freshman Cameron Rupp leads UT with a .406 average while junior college transfer Brandon Belt is hitting .357 and tops the Longhorns in both homers (four) and RBIs. In addition to those two, UT has survived a slow start from Kyle Russell, who is hitting .228 with a homer and seven RBIs after earning Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors in 2007.

On the mound, depth has been the key for the Longhorns, who have had 13 pitchers with at least one win through 23 games. Brandon Workman leads UT with a 3-1 record and 39 strikeouts over 26.1 innings, while Austin Wood has a 2-1 record in six starts. 

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 24-21, although Texas won three of four meetings in 2007. The Longhorns took 2-of-3 in Lincoln and won a matchup in the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City. In Austin, the Huskers are 7-5 since 2000, winning three of the four series between the squads.

Leading Off
?-The Huskers are 18-1-1 in their last 20 games heading into this weekend’s action, including three weekend series sweeps in that span.
?-The Huskers’ 5-0-1 start in Big 12 play is their best since the league began in 1997. The previous best start was 5-1 on four occasions, most recently in 2005.
?-Craig Corriston’s walk-off homer on March 22 was the first by a Husker since Jesse Boyer accomplished the feat against Missouri in 2005
?-The 14-game win streak Nebraska put together earlier this month tied for the fourth-longest win streak in school history and the longest since a 15-game win streak in 2000.The streak fell two games shy of the Big 12 record of 16 set by Kansas State (2006) and Texas Tech (2002).
?-The Huskers’ 19-3-1 start is NU’s second-best start this decade, as only the 2005 team’s record through 23 games is better than the Huskers’ current start. The only other team to get out of the gate quicker was the 1983 squaud which won its first 26 games.
?-Husker starting pitchers are 12-0 since Thad Weber’s loss in the 2008 season opener on Feb. 22. Weber has bounced back since then, going 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last four outings.
?-Jake Mort’s error in the series finale against Oklahoma on March 23 was his first error at third base since May 8, 2006, a span of 51 games. Mort’s career .968 fielding percentage is the best ever by a Husker third baseman.
?-Craig Corriston’s walk-off homer against Oklahoma was the first by a Husker since 2005. The Huskers have had five walk-off homers since 2000.
?-Since allowing 17 runs to Stanford in the season opener, Nebraska pitchers have combined for a 2.06 ERA, as the Huskers have allowed more than five runs just twice in their last 22 games. The Huskers enter the week tied for first in the Big 12 with a 2.68 ERA.
?-Despite losing six pitchers selected in the 2007 MLB Draft and return only five pitchers from last year’s staff, the Huskers lead the Big 12 and rank in the top-10 nationally with a 2.68 ERA entering this weekend’s series at Texas. Nebraska has only had four years in school history with a team ERA under 3.00 and only once since the aluminum bat was introduced in 1974.
?-With the series win over Oklahoma, the Huskers have won seven of their last eight Big 12 series dating back to last season. The only series NU dropped in that span was to Texas.
?-Nebraska had won 99 straight games when taking a lead into the ninth inning dating back to the 2005 campaign before Sunday’s tie with Oklahoma. NU is 196-3-1 (.983) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.
?-The Huskers went an amazing 77 innings without trailing in a game before the streak was snapped at Kansas State in the series finale on March 16. NU did not trail during the first series against Northern Colorado.
?-The Huskers have not been afraid to put pressure on opponents, as they are second in the Big 12 with 43 stolen bases in 23 games. NU’s stolen bases total is more than halfway to last year’s entire season total of 63. Last year, NU had just 26 stolen base attempts in its first 23 contests.
?-The Huskers have shown the knack for comebacks early in the season, overcoming deficits seven times this spring, including Wednesday against Northern Colorado. Since the start of the 2005 campaign, the Huskers have registered 56 come-from-behind wins.
?-The Huskers have not been afraid to play young players this year, as 10 freshmen have seen playing time this season and six (Ben Kline, Dan Johnston, Tyler Rank, David Stewart, Andy Cotton and Casey Hauptman) have made at least one start.
?-Ben Kline became the fourth true freshman to start a season opener under Coach Mike Anderson and just the eighth freshman to start on opening day since 1999.
?-Aaron Pribanic is the first Husker pitcher in at least the last decade to throw complete games in his first two starts and the first to throw consecutive complete games since Aaron Marsden in 2003. With his complete-game against UC Riverside on March 2, Pribanic became the first Husker to toss a complete game in his first start since Marsden in 2002.
?-DJ Belfonte’s diving catch against UC Riverside on Feb. 29 has received plenty of national recognition over the past week. It was chosen as the No. 10 play of the week on SportsCenter the following Sunday.
?-Belfonte ended drought on March 10, belting his first career homer in 332 at-bats. Jake Mort now has the longest streak without a round tripper, as he has not homered in 376 career plate appearances entering this weekend’s series at Texas.
?-Mitch Abeita’s pinch-hit homer against UC Riverside on March 1 snapped several homer droughts. It was the first homer by a Husker pinch hitter in 97 at-bats dating back to May 13, 2005, and the first-ever pinch-hit homer by a Husker in Hawks Field. In fact, Nebraska has had only three pinch-hit homers this decade, spanning 433 at-bats entering the Texas series.
?-Nebraska’s comeback at Kansas State on March 16 snapped a couple of streaks for the Big Red. Prior to that game, the Huskers had lost their last 35 games when trailing entering the ninth inning. In addition, NU went winless in three extra-inning contests in 2007. 

Huskers Climb in National Polls
The Huskers continued to move up in the national polls on March 24, jumping to 15th in Collegiate Baseball and 19th in Baseball America. The Huskers were 22nd in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball the previous week, its first appearance in the national rankings in 2008.

Sullivan Earns Big 12 Honor
Outfielder Nick Sullivan was honored by the Big 12 on March 24, as he was named the league’s Player of the Week. Sullivan hit .444 (8-for-18) with a homer and nine RBIs in helping the Huskers go 3-1-1 on the week. Sullivan had four multi-RBI games and three multi-hit games on the week, helping the Huskers split a series with Arkansas and go 2-0-1 in a Big 12 series with Oklahoma. He is the third Husker in as many weeks to be honored by the Big 12, joining pitcher Johnny Dorn (March 10) and first baseman Craig Corriston (March 17).

Doing the Little Things on Offense
While the Huskers don’t overwhelm teams with their offensive power, the Huskers make up for it in other areas. NU ranks in the top 25 nationally in stolen bases (43, 25th) and sacrifice flies (18, fourth) while striking  out a league-best 112 times (4.86 per game).

Corriston Collects Big 12 Award
Craig Corriston became the second player to be honored by the Big 12 in 2008, as he was chosen as the Big 12 Player of the Week on March 17. He guided the Huskers to a 5-0 week, hitting .579 (11-for-19) with six runs scored, four doubles and four RBI.  Corriston also stole a pair of bases and recorded three multi-hit contests, including his first career four-hit game on March 15.

Nimmo Named to Senior Watch List
Nebraska center fielder Bryce Nimmo was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2008 Lowe’s Senior Class Award on March 10.  Presented annually to NCAA Division I student-athletes in eight sports, the award focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition.

A three-year starter at center field, Nimmo is hitting .364 with a homer, 14 RBIs and 20 runs scored in helping the Huskers to an 15-3 start.  In addition to his success on the diamond, he is a two-time academic All-Big 12 selection who carries a 3.51 GPA in finance. He has been named to the Big 12’s Commissioner’s Honor Roll in all seven semesters at Nebraska.
From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists in mid-April. The winner will be announced at the 2008 College World Series.

Dorn Picks Up Big 12 Honor
Johnny Dorn earned another Big 12 honor on March 10, as he was chosen as the Big 12’s Co-Pitcher of the Week. It is the third time the senior has received the conference’s weekly award.
Dorn allowed just one earned run over seven innings, as the Huskers defeated Northern Colorado, 12-2 on March 8. He fanned a career-high 13 Bears, including the first seven hitters he faced. His 13 strikeouts were the most by a Husker pitcher since Joba Chamberlain in 2005, and the second-highest total by a Husker pitcher since Hawks Field opened in 2002.

Dorn Named to Clemens Award List
Senior right-hander Johnny Dorn received another honor on March 6, as he was named to the Roger Clemens Award Watch List. Dorn is among the 78 players on the initial watch list, which will be paired down to 10 semifinalists in May. In all, nine Big 12 players were on the initial watch list.

Catch a Rising Star
Senior Mitch Abeita has gotten off to a hot start behind the plate for the Huskers. The senior from Dallas, Texas, is hitting .354 with six homers and 19 RBIs, ranking second in the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.517) and homers and seventh in walks (18) entering the weekend. In 2007, Abeita had only one homer and 20 RBIs while appearing in 46 games.

In the Nick of Things
One of the biggest surprises of 2008 has been the emergence of Nick Sullivan in the middle of the lineup. Sullivan was limited by a broken thumb and hit .192 in 30 games last year. This season, he leads the Huskers with a .380 average while chipping in 15 RBIs.
He has been on a tear of late, hitting .500 (12-for-24) with a homer and 10 RBIs in his last seven games dating back to March 16. Sullivan was the Big 12 Player of the Week on March 24, hitting .444 with nine RBIs to help the Huskers go 3-0-1 on the week.

Dorn Climbs Husker Win List
With his two wins in 2008, Johnny Dorn moved closer to matching Shane Komine’s school record for wins.  The right-hander from Grand Island also moved on to the Huskers’ top-five lists in both career strikeouts and innings pitched during the first half of 2008. Dorn has turned in quality starts in all five of his 2008 starts, going at least six innings while holding opponents to two runs or less each time.
Of Dorn’s 33 career wins, 10 have been in Big 12 series clinchers over the past three seasons. He has had 14 chances to win a conference series in his career, and has won 10 of them, including five as a freshman when he went 12-2 en route to All-America honors.

Chart Climbing
?-Johnny Dorn leads all active Division I pitchers in career wins with 33 following his victory over Northern Colorado on March 8. Dorn, who is one of only two pitchers in school history to record a pair of double-figure season win totals, had 33 career wins and is eight shy of two-time All-American Shane Komine’s school and Big 12 record of 41 wins.

Huskers Tabbed for Sixth in Big 12
The Nebraska baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 by a vote of the league coaches released on Feb. 20. The Huskers, coming off a season where they went 32-27 and reached the finals of the NCAA Tempe Regional, totaled 36 points in voting.
Texas was the choice of the league’s coaches, garnering 80 points in the preseason voting and eight of the 10 first-pace votes. Missouri (71) and Baylor (65) received the other two votes, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The rest of the order was Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Tech.

Making the Grade by Baseball America
As part of Baseball America’s preview, the publication graded the schools in the top eight conferences (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten, Big East, Big West and C-USA) in four areas - national impact, competitiveness, fans and facilities and academics - during the 64-team NCAA era.
Nebraska was one of 16 programs to receive an A from the publication and joined Texas as the only two Big 12 programs to receive an A. As a conference, the Big 12 tied the ACC for second place in that era.

Six Draftees on 2008 Husker Roster
Nebraska’s 2008 roster boasts a total of six Huskers who have been previously selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Four of the players were picked in last year’s draft, including Thad Weber, who was chosen in the 35th round, but elected to return for his senior year.

Two Starters to Miss Remainder of  2008
Although the season is just a month old, the Huskers have been hurt by injuries in 2008. Two starters from Nebraska’s opening day lineup (Jeff Tezak and Clay Cuno) have suffered season-ending injuries. Both players will apply for medical hardships.
Tezak underwent left knee surgery on March 6 for an injury suffered earlier in the year. He appeared in seven contests at designated hitter, belting a homer against UC Riverside. Last year, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors at designated hitter, hitting .335 with three homers and 37 RBIs in 56 contests.

Cuno, who opened the season as Nebraska’s left fielder, underwent shoulder surgery last week and will be lost for the remainder of the year. He appeared in three games, going hitless in five at-bats. Last season, Cuno hit .381 with 12 homers, 13 doubles and 51 RBIs at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College en route to being named the Jayhawk Conference Freshman of the Year.

Huskers Feature Players from 12 States
The 34 members of the 2008 roster hail from 12 states from coast to coast. There are a total of 12 players from Nebraska on the roster, including six from the Omaha metro area and two from Lincoln.

The Coaching Staff
Nebraska shuffled its coaching staff in the offseason, adding pitching coach Eric Newman, while shifting Dave Bingham over to handle the Huskers’ defensive efforts. The three full-time coaches on the Nebraska staff have combined for over 1,100 wins.
Dave Bingham - Serves as the Huskers’ defensive coordinator, overseeing team defense and working with the Husker infielders.
Eric Newman - Begins his first season as Nebraska’s pitching coach after serving as the head coach at Dallas Baptist the past three seasons. Newman, who compiled a 95-72 record at DBU, is a California native who pitched collegiately at both Fresno State and Texas Tech.
Nate Thompson - Begins his first season as Nebraska’s volunteer coach and works primarily with the infielders and assists with the hitters. Thompson comes to NU after serving as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State in 2007. He played for Coach Newman at Dallas Baptist and was a student assistant at the school in 2006.

Husker Baseball: Giving Back
The Husker baseball program has been active in the community during the 2007-08 academic year. Starting with the Paint-a-Thon in August, the Nebraska baseball team has done over 425 hours in community service projects this year.
?-During the Christmas break, players and coaches combined for over 250 hours of community service projects, working with various groups in their hometowns. Some of the projects included working with local law enforcement in translating languages,  cleaning community centers and raising money for Food Banks.
?-On Jan. 25, 2008, the Nebraska baseball program hosted Baseball 101, a day of activities to help fans learn more about the sport. The one-day clinic had over 100 participants and raised over $10,000 for a literacy center in Lincoln.
?-Earlier this month, several Husker players spoke at elementary schools as part of Dr. Seuss week, spending part of two days reading to elementary students.

Husker Baseball on Television
The Husker baseball program will make at least nine appearances on television during the 2008 season. The broadcast schedule featured five games produced by Nebraska Educational Television (NET and NET-HD) as well as nationally televised games as part of the Big 12’s television package. Nebraska’s first TV appearance of the year will be on Saturday, March 29, as the Huskers head to Austin, Texas, for a contest against the Longhorns.

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 2008 schedule includes Big 12 home series against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas A&M, as well as non-conference series against Louisiana-Lafayette, UC Riverside and Northern Colorado. Other single-games on the schedule include matchups with NCAA qualifiers Creighton and Wichita State, as well as contests against Nebraska-Kearney and Western Illinois.

Husker Home Run Club Bus Trips
Make your plans now to join the Husker Home Run Club for a pair of bus trips during the season.

The first bus trip takes place on April 12-13, for a trek to Oklahoma State, with the second one on May 17-18 for the Huskers’ regular-season finale at Missouri. Both packages include roundtrip transportation, selected meals, a hotel room and tickets to both of Nebraska’s games that weekend.

For more information and prices, contact Ed Bolejack at (402) 476-4990 or Erich Helge at (402) 643-5403 or visit Huskerhomerunclub.com.

Husker-Creighton Tickets on Sale
Tickets for both of the Nebraska-Creighton games at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium are now on sale. Reserve seating prices the games on April 1 and May 13 are $14, $12 and $10 and tickets can be purchased over the phone at Ticketmaster in Lincoln at 475-1212, in Omaha at (402) 422-1212 or on the Internet at ticketmaster.com. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the Nebraska Ticket Office.

All Tied Up
Nebraska’s series finale against Oklahoma ended in an 8-8 tie after 10 innings because of the Sooners’ travel arrangements. It marked the fourth tie in a conference game since the Big 12 began in 1997, and the first tie by a Husker team since a 6-6 tie with Creighton in 1996.