No. 9 Huskers Host Jayhawks

Nebraska (26-6-1, 11-3-1 Big 12) vs. Kansas (24-16, 4-8 Big 12)

Media Info
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com                                 
Television: Sunday’s Nebraska Educational Television (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112); CBS College Sports (Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Ch. 152 on Dish and Ch. 305 on Time Warner Cable)
Live Video: HuskersNside (Friday and Saturday); Huskers.com (Sunday)

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday 
NU-Johnny Dorn, Sr., RHP (4-1, 1.98 ERA)  
KU-Nick Czyz, Jr., LHP (2-3, 6.16 ERA)

Saturday 
NU-Thad Weber, Sr., RHP (6-2, 3.93 ERA) 
KU-Andres Esquibel, Sr., RHP (3-2, 3.49 ERA)

Sunday 
NU-Aaron Pribanic, Jr., RHP (3-1, 3.42 ERA) 
KU-T.J. Walz, Fr., RHP (2-0, 4.15 ERA) 

On Tap: The Nebraska baseball team continues its homestand this weekend, as the ninth-ranked Huskers welcome Kansas to Hawks Field for a three-game series. Friday’s first pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. with afternoon games on both Saturday (3:35 p.m.) and Sunday (1:05 p.m.).

Nebraska (26-6-1) comes off another strong performance, blanking fifth-ranked Wichita State, 3-0, Tuesday night. Erik Bird and Zach Herr combined on a four-hit shutout - NU’s fourth shutout of the year - while Mitch Abeita and Nick Sullivan had RBI singles in the first to give NU all the offense it needed. The Huskers got strong efforts from Bird, who went a career-high 6.2 innings with four strikeouts for his second win, and Herr, who picked up his second save with 2.1 innings of one-hit relief.

Kansas (24-16) brings a five-game win streak into town following a 7-6 come-from-behind win over Missouri State on Tuesday. The Jayhawks began the streak with a three-game sweep of Texas Tech last weekend, putting themselves in position to make a bid for a Big 12 Tournament berth.

Tickets: General Admission tickets - priced at $7 and $5 - are available for all three games at Huskers.com or by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours. Hawks Field Ticket windows open 90 minutes before first pitch and UNL Students with a valid N-Card will be admitted free of charge.

With the spring football game on Saturday, fans who want to attend both events are encouraged to buy GA baseball seats in advance, as fans who have purchased GA seats can show them to get free admission into the parking lots around Haymarket Park. All parking at Haymarket Park on Saturday will be on a first-come first-served basis. 

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, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington and on the Internet at Huskers.com.

3 THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
1.  Johnny Dorn has allowed two runs or less in seven of his eight starts in 2008. His 1.98 ERA is on pace to be the lowest by a Husker starting pitcher since 1977 (Kirk Eymann, 1.85)
2.   Husker pitchers have struck out least 10 batters 11 times this season
3. Nebraska has averaged 5,881 fans per game in its four home games this April, and this weekend’s series vs. Kansas could threaten NU’s top-five weekend totals in school history.

Leading Off
?-The Huskers are an impressive 18-1-1 at Hawks Field this season, and 7-0-1 in their last eight home games dating back to March 19.
?-With a 26-6-1 record entering this weekend’s series with Kansas, the Huskers are enjoying one of their best seasons since the program began in 1889.
?-Nebraska’s psuedo RPI is 12th nationally and the best of any Big 12 team heading into this weekend’s action. NU has played 18 of its last 20 games against teams with RPIs of 75 or better.
?-The Huskers current .803 winning percentage is threatening the mark for the highest winning percentage in school history. NU has won 75 percent of its games only seven times in school history, with three of them coming this decade.
?-Tuesday’s shutout against Wichita State marked the Huskers’ fourth shutout of the year, doubling the entire 2007 total.
? Zach Herr’s save on Tuesday was the 10th save for Husker pitching this season, as the Huskers have now saved at least 10 games in each of the last eight seasons. Prior to the 2001 season, NU had reached double figures in saves two times since 1961.
?-Nebraska’s 11-3-1 start after the first five weeks of conference action is one of the program’s best-ever Big 12 starts. It is the fourth time that the Huskers have won 11 of their first 15 contests.
?-Despite losing six pitchers selected in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft and returning only five pitchers who threw at least an inning from last year’s staff, the Huskers lead the Big 12 and rank ninth nationally with a 3.35 ERA.
?-Husker starting pitchers have pitched at least five innings in 27 of the past 33 starts this season and are a combined 18-4 on the year.
?-Junior Dan Jennings has been nearly flawless over the last month, as he is 3-0 with three saves and a 0.33 ERA since March 18. He has struck out 27 over 27 innings of work and has allowed only six singles in that stretch. He enters the week not allowing a run in his last 25.1 innings of work dating back to the second inning of his win over Arkansas on March 18. The streak is quickly approaching some of the longest scoreless streaks in school history.
?-The Huskers have shown the knack for comebacks in 2008, overcoming deficits 10 times this spring, including a four-run deficit at No. 13 Texas on March 28. Under Mike Anderson, the Huskers have authored 88 come-from-behind wins.
?-Nebraska had won 99 straight games when taking a lead into the ninth inning dating back to the 2005 campaign before tying Oklahoma on March 23.  NU is 202-3-1 (.983) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.
?-The Huskers had won seven straight Big 12 series dating back to last year prior to dropping 2-of-3 at Oklahoma State last weekend.
?-Nebraska is 14-0-1 this season when recording at least 10 hits and 22-0 this season when out-hitting an opponent.
?-Last Friday’s 1-0 loss at No. 21 Oklahoma State marked the first time that Nebraska had lost a game 1-0 since March 11, 1995, against Baylor, and was the first-ever 1-0 game at Oklahoma State’s Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, which opened in 1981.
?-The 14-game win streak Nebraska put together earlier this season 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 have not been afraid to play young players this year, as 10 freshmen have seen playing time this season and seven (Ben Kline, Dan Johnston, Tyler Rank, David Stewart, Andy Cotton. Brett Sowers and Casey Hauptman) have made at least one start.
?-Four former Huskers began the 2008 season on Major League Rosters. The group includes Darin Erstad (Houston Astros), Dan Johnson (Oakland Athletics), Alex Gordon (Kansas City Royals) and Joba Chamberlain (New York Yankees). Twenty six Huskers have reached the Major Leagues, including Gordon and Chamberlain in 2007.
?-If it seemed like the Huskers won a lot in March, they did. NU’s .886 winning percentage represented the second-best month in school history, trailing only a perfect 22-0 month in March of 1983. Nebraska’s 19 wins in March tied for the ninth-most victories by a Husker team in an month in school history.
?-Craig Corriston’s walk-off homer against Oklahoma on March 21 was the first by a Husker since 2005. The Huskers have had five walk-off homers since 2000.

Scouting Kansas
Head Coach Ritch Price (197-158-1 in six seasons at Kansas) has the Jayhawks at 24-16 and on a five-game win streak heading into this weekend’s series. The Jayhawks are 4-8 in the league, but have already completed play against the four Texas schools.
Offensively, Ryne Price has been the Jayhawks’ top performer, hitting .336 with nine homers and a conference-best 53 RBIs. His nine homers rank third in the Big 12. He is one of three starters hitting over .300 on the year, joining John Allman (.348-3-33) and Nick Faunce (.308-1-8). KU features a balanced attack with seven of their regulars hitting above .275 while three players have driven in at least 30 runs.
On the mound, KU has struggled at times, ranking ninth in the conference in ERA after losing a pair of weekend starters from a year ago to season-ending injuries. Andres Esquibel is 3-2 with a 3.49 ERA after tossing a one-hitter against Texas Tech last weekend. Closer Paul Smythe is third in the Big 12 with six saves on the season.
Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series 137-99-1 in a series that dates back to 1892. NU’s series with the Jayhawks is the longest among any conference opponent. Nebraska won 2-of-3 meetings in Lawrence last year and has won the regular-season series in each of the last eight years, dating back to 1999. In addition, the two teams have met twice in the Big 12 Tournament, splitting those two matchups, most recently in the 2006 title game, a 9-7 KU win.

A Marked Improvement
When looking at the Huskers’ difference in record between 2007 and 2008, one can look to improved production on the mound and in the field.
On the mound, NU has shaved nearly a run off of its team ERA and is holding opponents to  nearly 20 points below their 2007 batting average at this point in the year. In the field, NU has turned more double plays and is fielding at a higher percentage than a year ago.

Traffic Pattern Changes in 2008
Due to the closing of the Harris Overpass in Downtown Lincoln this spring, a detour is now in effect for fans coming to the ballpark from the south on Sun Valley Boulevard.
?-Instead of using O Street, take Rosa Parks Way and turn right onto Homestead Expressway. Turn right onto Highway 6 before turning left onto Sun Valley Boulevard. From Sun Valley Boulevard, turn right onto Line Drive.
?-All access roads from the north are still accessable, and fans also also encouraged to park in the Haymarket District in Lincoln and take the pedestrian walkway to the center field entrance.

Abeita is Cleaning Up at Catcher
Senior Mitch Abeita has been one of the Big 12’s best at the position in 2008.  The senior from Dallas, Texas, is hitting .343 with six homers and 26 RBIs, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in on-base percentage (.493, third), homers (10th) and batting average (15th) entering this weekend’s series against Kansas. He has also shown a good eye at the plate, drawing a team-high 23 walks and striking out 15 times while hitting in the  cleanup spot in the order.
Last season, Abeita had only one homer and 20 RBIs while appearing in 46 games before breaking his fibula in the Big 12 Championship.

Swinging Sullivan
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 .354 average and a team-best 27 RBIs.  He has been on a tear of late, hitting .397 (27-for-68) with three homers and 26 RBIs in his last 24 contests. 
Two weeks ago against Texas Tech, Sullivan single-handedly powered NU to a sweep, hitting .412 with three homers and eight RBIs, including a career-high five RBIs in the series finale on April 6. Against No. 21 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Sullivan drove in three runs and scored a career-high four times in the Huskers’ win in Stillwater.  He 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.

Weather Fouls Up Husker Schedule
The only thing that has slowed down the Huskers in recent weeks is mother nature, as a pair of midweek road games have been affected by weather. Nebraska’s game that was canceled at Iowa on Tuesday, April 8, will not be made up, marking the second road game NU has lost to inclement weather in 2008.
The NU-Creighton game scheduled for April 1, will now be played on Wednesday, April 23, at Rosenblatt Stadium. The game will be carried by WOWT’s 6.20 (CoxChannel 120) and MyTV (Ch. 110 on Time Warner Cable and Ch. 17 on DirecTV) and fans who had originally purchased tickets for the April 1 contest should hold on to those tickets, as they will be good for the rescheduled date.

Louisiana-Lafayette Series Update
Nebraska Baseball Coach Mike Anderson announced changes to the final two games of the Nebraska-Louisiana-Lafayette series.
The games on Saturday, May 3, will now be a day-night doubleheader with start times set for 12:05 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., respectively. Fans will need separate admission to both games, as Hawks Field will be cleared between the two contests. Due to the schedule change, fans may also use their Game 28 ticket for GA seating for any regular season game, based on seating availability.

 Sullivan Earns Big 12 Honor
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.

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 RBIs.  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 .320 with a homer, 15 RBIs and 28 runs scored. 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.

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.
He allowed just one earned run over seven innings in a 12-2 win on March 8. Dorn fanned a career-high 13 Bears, including the first seven hitters he faced, as his  13 strikeouts were the most by a Husker pitcher since Joba Chamberlain in 2005, and the second-highest total by a Husker pitcher in Hawks Field history.

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.

Dorn Climbs Husker Win List
With his three wins in 2008, Johnny Dorn moved closer to matching Shane Komine’s school record for wins.  The right-hander from Grand Island has moved into the the top three spots on nearly every major Husker career chart during the 2008 season. On the year, Dorn is 4-1 and has held seven of his eight opponents to two runs or less. Dorn has beaten every Big 12 team during his Husker career, joining two-time All-American Shane Komine as the only two  Husker pitchers to accomplish the feat.

Dorn leads all active Division I pitchers in career wins with 35 following his victory over Texas Tech on April 4. Dorn, who is one of only two pitchers in school history to record a pair of double-figure win seasons, is just six wins shy of matching two-time All-American Shane Komine’s school and Big 12 record of 41 wins.

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 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
The Huskers have battled the injury bug in 2008. Two starters from NU’s opening day lineup (Jeff Tezak and Clay Cuno) have suffered season-ending injuries, joining three other players (Eric Rose, Drew Gray and Joe Broekmeier) who have not played in 2008 because of injuries. 

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.

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.

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. Thompson coaches first base.

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.

Husker Home Run Club Bus Trip to Missouri
Make your plans now to join the Husker Home Run Club for the second of two bus trips during the 2008 season. The next bus trip is on  May 17-18 for the Huskers’ regular-season finale at nationally ranked Missouri. The 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.

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 remaining Big 12 series aganist Kansas and Texas A&M, as well as non-conference games against Louisiana-Lafayette, Creighton and Western Illinois.

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 23 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.

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.
?-Last month, several Husker players spoke at elementary schools as part of Dr. Seuss week, spending part of two days reading to elementary students.

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.

16 Huskers Named to Big 12 Honor Roll
A total of 16 current or former Husker baseball players were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The group is led by Bryce Nimmo and Nick Sullivan, both of whom made their seventh consecutive appearances on the honor roll.
As a team, the Huskers recorded a 2.95 team GPA during the fall semester, their best performance in Mike Anderson’s six years as head coach at NU.