Opitz Taken by Chicago Cubs in 12th Round

Lincoln ? Nebraska senior second baseman Jake Opitz became third Husker selected in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft, as he was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round (No. 371 overall) Friday morning.

Opitz, who was the second Husker chosen Friday morning, improved his status 27 rounds after originally beind drafted in the 39th round by the Seattle Mariners coming out of high school in 2004. He joins NU pitchers Aaron Pribanic (third round, Seattle) and Dan Jennings (ninth round, Florida) as Husker chosen in the first 12 rounds of the 2008 MLB Draft.

Opitz was a four-year starter at second base for the Huskers, helping Nebraska to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2005 College World Series. Opitz finished his career on NU’s top-10 list in games played (225, seventh) and assists (569, fourth).

Opitz put together his best season as a senior, hitting .339 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs. He collected first-team All-Big 12 honors after leading the Huskers in all three triple crown categories, as well as runs scored (51), multi-hit (22) and multi-RBI (16) games. He became the first Husker second baseman to earn first-team all-conference honors since 1972. Opitz closed his career on a 14-game hitting streak, hitting .421 with five homers and 11 RBIs, as he earned Big 12 and NCAA Regional all-tournament team accolades.

                                   Opitz, Jake
Year       Avg   GP-GS     AB    R    H   2B   3B   HR  RBI   BB   SO   SB-ATT
2005....  .256   52-33    129   19   33    6    0    3   14   17   24    3-5
2006....  .293   59-58    205   27   60    9    3    2   27   25   33    8-15
2007....  .278   56-56    205   32   57   10    3    5   48   26   42    2-3
2008....  .339   58-58    227   51   77   15    2   11   50   37   26   13-15
TOTAL...  .296  225-205   766  129  227   40    8   21  139  105  125   26-38