No. 6 Huskers Host Ragin? Cajuns

Nebraska (34-8-1)
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (22-23)
Friday - 6:35 p.m.
Saturday - 12:05 p.m. & 6:35 p.m.

Media Info
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com 
Live Stats: Huskers.com                                 
Live Video: HuskersNside (Friday and game two on Saturday).

Friday 
NU-Johnny Dorn, Sr., RHP (5-1, 2.60 ERA) 
ULL-Hunter Moody, Sr., LHP (7-2, 3.21 ERA)

Saturday (G-1) 
NU-Thad Weber, Sr., RHP (8-2, 3.75 ERA)
ULL- Michael Cook, Fr., RHP (5-3. 4.66 ERA)

Saturday (G-2) 
NU-Aaron Pribanic, Jr., RHP (3-2, 4.29 ERA)
ULL- TBA

On Tap: The Husker baseball team continue its eight-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series against Louisiana-Lafayette at Hawks Field. Friday’s series opener is slated for 6:35 p.m. with as day-night doubleheader on Saturday. Start times for that day are 12:05 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., and separate admission for both games is required. Tickets for all three games can purchased by calling the NU Ticket Office (800-8-BIGRED) or by visiting Huskers.com.

The Huskers (34-8-1) have won 10 of their last 12 games following a two-game sweep of Western Illinois (6-4, 6-1) this week. On Wednesday, Erik Bird tossed five shutout innings, while Tyler Farst and Jake Opitz drove in a pair of runs apiece, as Nebraska held WIU off the scoreboard until the top of the ninth.

Louisiana-Lafayette (22-23) has won its last two weekend series, but comes off a 5-3 loss at LSU on Tuesday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns reached the championship of the College Station regional a year ago, and were ranked in the top 20 in preseason polls, but ULL got out of the gate slowly with a 6-12 start before rebounding of late.

Saturday Ticket Info: Fans who had purchased tickets to Saturday’s originally scheduled game (No. 27 on season tickets) should use their ticket to Saturday’s 12:05 p.m. game while fans who had tickets to Sunday’s game (No. 28) should use those tickets for the 6:35 p.m. start.

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 and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington and on the Internet at Huskers.com. HuskersNside will video stream Friday’s series opener and Saturday’s nightcap.

3 Things to Watch this Weekend
1.  Mitch Abeita brings a team-high 11-game hitting streak into the weekend, as he is hitting .389 with nine RBIs in that stretch.
2.   Friday’s pitching matchup features the two winningest active pitchers in college baseball, as Nebraska’s Johnny Dorn (36 career wins) squares off with ULL’s Hunter Moody (29 career wins).
3. Tyler Farst became the fifth Husker to start at first base, following Craig Corriston’s arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday. Farst made the most of the start, driving in a pair of runs in NU’s 6-1 win over Western Illinois.

Leading Off
?-Nebraska’s 34 wins this season already equals the Huskers’ entire 2007 season total. Last year, NU was 25-18 overall after 43 games.
?-One of the traits the Huskers have shown is the ability to win close games, as the Huskers are 13-2 in games decided by two runs or less and 2-0-1 in extra-inning games.
?-The Huskers are 24-2-1 (.907) at Hawks Field this season, the fifth time in seven seasons that Nebraska has won at least 20 home games in a year.
?-The Huskers’ .802 winning percentage is on pace for the highest winning percentage in school history. NU has won 75 percent of its games only seven times, including three times this decade.
?-Nebraska is 12th in the latest RPI following the series sweep against Western Illinois. The Huskers are one of three Big 12 teams (Oklahoma State and Texas A&M) in the top-16 nationally.  As a league, the Big 12 is now third among all conferences nationally in RPI.
?-Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson enters the weekend series with Louisiana-Lafayette needing two wins to reach 250 wins in his coaching career. He would be just the third Husker baseball coach to win 250 games at Nebraska, joining John Sanders and Tony Sharpe.
?-One of the overlooked areas for the Huskers has been their defensive play. Nebraska has improved its fielding percentage every month and committed only 11 errors in 17 games this month. The Huskers now lead the Big 12 with a .972 fielding percentage and have committed one error or less in 17 of their last 20 games.
?-With a 34-8-1 record entering this weekend’s action, the Huskers are enjoying one of their best seasons since the program began in 1889. In fact, only four teams in school history have put up better record through the first 43 games than the 2008 Huskers.
?-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 rank second in the Big 12 with a 3.53 ERA and are in the top three in complete games (six, first), saves (15, first) and shutouts (four, second).
?-The Huskers have shown the knack for comebacks in 2008, overcoming deficits 16 times this spring, including a four-run deficit at No. 13 Texas on March 28. Under Mike Anderson, the Huskers have authored 94 come-from-behind wins.
?-Husker starting pitchers have gone at least five innings in 34 of the 43 starts this season and are a combined 24-6 on the year.
?-NU has won 114 of its last 115 games when taking a lead into the ninth inning and is 114-0-1 in that stretch dating back to the 2005 season. NU is 209-3-1 (.984) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.
?-NU is 17-0-1 this season when recording at least 10 hits and 27-0 when out-hitting an opponent.
?-Following the series win at Baylor, the Huskers have won 10 of their last 12 Big 12 series dating back to the 2007 season and are 6-1 in conference series in  2008.

Scouting Louisiana-Lafayette
Under Coach Tony Robichaux (514-324 at ULL), the Ragin’ Cajuns have been a consistent NCAA Tournament team for the past decade. Last season, ULL went 45-18 and reached the championship game of the College Station Regional before losing consecutive games to the Aggies. In 2008, ULL has faced a challenging schedule, taking on nationally ranked Rice, Southern Miss, Oral Roberts and Tulane outside of the Sun Belt Conference.  Louisiana-Lafayette got off to a slow start, winning just six of its first 18 games, but has climbed back near the .500 mark entering this weekend.
Offensively, Scott Hawkins is the catalyst of the ULL offense, leading the team in nearly every major category, including average (.309), homers (10), RBIs (31) and walks (21). The Ragin’ Cajuns have been effective on the basepaths, stealing 69 bases, as Josh Logan (17) and Matt Goulas (14) are both in double figures.
On the mound, ULL features one of the country’s top left-handers in senior Hunter Moody, who is 7-2 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts. Michael Cook has five wins in 11 appearances, while Justin Robichaux is 1-0 with eight saves in 16 outings. 
The teams have met four times prior to this weekend with both teams winning two games apiece. NU won the inaugural meeting in 2001 in Lafayette before ULL took 2-of-3 from the Huskers at Hawks Field in 2003.

Last Time Out
Erik Bird tossed five shutout innings for his third win of the year, while Tyler Farst and Jake Opitz drove in two runs apiece to help the Huskers to a 6-1 win over Western Illinois.  Bird (3-1) scattered three hits to earn his third straight decision, as the Huskers held WIU scoreless until the ninth. 

While Bird and the pitching staff kept WIU’s offense in check, Farst came through with the game’s big hit, a two-run bases-loaded double in the bottom of the third off of Leatherneck starter Frank Zenisek. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases for

Farst, who lined a double into the corner in left to give NU a 2-0 lead.

Farst, making his first start of the year at first base, went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs while Jake Opitz homered for the second straight game and drove in a pair of runs for the Huskers.

Corriston Undergoes Knee Surgery
Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson announced on April 30 that that senior first baseman Craig Corriston underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

An MRI examination earlier this week showed a tear of the medial meniscus in his right knee, and although the procedure is not anticipated to be season ending, the Husker coaching and medical staff is optimistic that Corriston will have a speedy recovery.

Corriston is the third Husker regular sidelined because of injuries, as Jeff Tezak had knee surgery in early March while Clay Cuno underwent shoulder surgery in March. Both of those players’ injuries were season ending and both will apply for medical hardships.

Abeita Named to Bench Watch List
Senior catcher Mitch Abeita earned recognition for his efforts on Wednesday, as he was added to the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top catcher, and Abeita was one of nine players added to the initial watch list for their performances in 2008.

On the season, Abeita is hitting a team-best .360 - good for sixth in the Big 12 - with seven homers and 33 RBIs, while ranking among Big 12 leaders in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks.

Dorn Dominates in 2008
Senior right-hander Johnny Dorn has been one of the nation’s most consistent performers, going 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA this season. The senior from Grand Island has held eight of his 10 opponents to two runs or less, and ranks among the Big 12 leaders in ERA (2.60, fifth), strikeouts (73, second), opponent batting average (.198, fourth) and innings (69.1, sixth). He has reached double figures in strikeouts on three occasions, including a career-high 13 strikeouts against Northern Colorado on March 8.

While his numbers have been consistently impressive, Dorn’s efforts are even better than his already gaudy numbers. In the five games where he either lost or got a no-decision, he has a 1.98 ERA over 36.1 innings of work, striking out 31 and walking only eight in that span.

Dorn, whose 36 wins lead all active pitchers, is firmly entrenched on NU’s career lists in several categories. He is in the top three in strikeouts, wins, starts and innings pitched and could move into second on NU’s career strikeout list before the end of the 2008 season.  He is one of only two pitchers in school history to record a pair of double-figure win seasons and is just six wins shy of matching two-time All-American Shane Komine’s school and Big 12 record of 41 wins.

Weber Grills Opponents
After spending his first year at Nebraska splitting time between the mound and designated hitter, senior Thad Weber has been one of the Big 12’s biggest  surprises on the hill in 2008.

The right-hander from Friend, Neb. (pop. 1,140) is 8-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 10 starts this year. He is among the Big 12 leaders in wins (eight, second), strikeouts (58, ninth) and innings pitched (62.1, ninth) while going an impressive 6-1 in conference play. All six of his wins in Big 12 action have won series for the Big Red, and Weber’s efforts have been a main reason for the Huskers’ success in Big 12 play. He has two complete games to his credit, a two-hit shutout at No. 13 Texas on March 30, and a four hitter at Baylor on April 26, clinching Nebraska’s first-ever series win in Waco.

On the year, he has allowed two runs or less six times and has 58 strikeouts, compared to only 19 walks. He fanned a career-high 11 hitters against Texas Tech on April 5, one of three outings with at least seven strikeouts in 2008.

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 half run off of its team ERA and is holding opponents to  nearly 15 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 significantly higher percentage than a year ago.

Ringing Up the Ks
Nebraska’s pitching staff has been proficient in striking out hitters in 2008. The Huskers rank second in the Big 12 with 8.36 strikeouts per nine innings, a total that ranks among the top-25 programs nationally.

The Huskers have totaled double figures in strikeouts 15 times this season, including a season-high 14 strikeouts against Kansas on April 19. NU’s strikeout per game total is on pace to be the most in school history, as no Husker pitching staff has ever averaged more than eight strikeouts per game.

Taking it From the Top
One recent change in Nebraska’s lineup has been moving Bryce Nimmo up to the leadoff spot five games ago. NU responded with 13 runs in the series finale at No. 21 Oklahoma State and has won eight of its last  10 contests since the move. Nimmo is hitting .327 with 12 runs scored in that stretch for the Huskers, who have averaged 7.5 runs per game since the move.

It is no surprise that Nebraska has been successful with Nimmo at the top of the lineup. In his career, the Huskers are 62-15 with Nimmo leading off.

The Two Jakes
Nebraska’s infield duo of Jake Opitz and Jake Mort have been key anchors in the Husker lineup this season.
Mort, who has been exceptional defensively at third base, has been the table setter in the NU offense. He leads the Huskers in both sacrifices (10) and hit-by-pitches (11) while going a perfect 8-for-8 on the basepaths. He is hitting  .350 with 13 runs scored over his last 11 contests. 

Opitz has provided offensive punch in the lineup, hitting .321 with six homers and 39 RBIs. He paces the Huskers in both multi-hit (15) and multi-RBI (10) efforts and has homered in three of his last four contests. Opitz is second on the team in homers and leads NU in RBIs for the second straight season. He has two or more RBIs in five of his last nine games, including a season-high four RBIs in the twinbill nightcap at Baylor on April 26.

Catching Up with Abeita
Senior Mitch Abeita has been one of the Big 12’s best at the position in 2008.  The senior from Dallas, Texas, is hitting .360 with seven homers and 33 RBIs, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in on-base percentage (.515, first), slugging percentage (.584, 10th), walks (35, third) and batting average (sixth) entering this weekend’s series with Baylor.

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. Last season, Sullivan was limited by a broken thumb and hit .192 in 30 games.

In 2008, Sullivan has been fully healthy and the results have shown on the field, as he is hitting .327 with three homers and 30 RBIs. He is among the team leaders with 10 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI contests, while not committing an error in 38 contests.

Earlier this month, Sullivan single-handedly powered NU to a sweep of Texas Tech, hitting .412 with three homers and eight RBIs, including a career-high five RBIs in the series finale on April 6. His five RBIs were the most by a Husker in over a year and topped his previous best of three RBIs. Earlier this season, he earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors, hitting .444 with nine RBIs to help the Huskers go 3-0-1 on the week, as he posted four straight multi-hit games.

Kline Steps in at Shortstop
In 2002, Joe Simokaitis earned the starting nod at shortstop, beginning one of the best careers at the postion in school history. This spring, Ben Kline has earned an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Simokaitis, who has already advanced to Triple A with the Chicago Cubs organization. A closer look at the two freshman years shows some similaities besides both players hitting ninth and being known for their defensive skills.

Kline, a two-time all-state performer at Omaha Central, has nearly driven in as many runs as Simokaitis did during his entire 2002 campaign, while fielding at a better clip than Simokaitis did as a freshman.

Three Huskers Collect Big 12 Honors
A trio of Nebraska baseball players have been honored by the Big 12 Conference for their success during the 2008 season. Nick Sullivan was NU’s most recent honoree, as he was selected on March 24, after hitting .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.

Sullivan followed the footsteps of Craig Corriston, who was selected for the honor on March 17. That week, he helped NU to a 5-0 record, hitting .579 (11-for-19) with six runs scored, four doubles and four RBIs.

Dorn is the only Husker pitcher to receive weekly recognition in 2008, as he was lauded for his performance against Northern Colorado on March 10. Dorn picked up the honor after fanning 13 and allowing one earned run over seven innings in a win over Northern Colorado on March 8.

Dorn’s 13 strikeouts that day, which included the first seven hitters he faced, 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.

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 .344 with a homer, 15 RBIs and 30 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. He was not chosen as one of the 10 finalists for the award that was announced last week.

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.

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).

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. On April 20, they were one of four finalists - and the University’s only men’s program - for the annual Life Skills Award.
?-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