Husker Baseball Summer UpdateHusker Baseball Summer Update
Baseball

Husker Baseball Summer Update

Lincoln ? From the Cape Cod League to Alaska, Husker players are spending the off-season in some of the nation’s top summer leagues.

 

The group is led by outfielder DJ Belfonte, who is spending the summer playing for Harwich in the Cape Cod League. Belfonte has been one of the leaders for the Mariners in 2008, hitting .266 with eight runs scored in 17 contests. He is among team leaders in walks (11, second), hits (17, second), stolen bases (6, second) and doubles (four, third) for a Harwich team that is 10-10 despite losing several players to injuries.

 

A pair of Huskers have also played significant roles in the Coastal Plains League. Sophomores Ben Kline and Matt Freeman are spending the summer with the Wilmington (N.C.) Sharks. Kline has started at shortstop for much of the summer, hitting .244 with a homer and 14 RBIs, while also posting a .956 fielding percentage in 24 contests. Freeman, who worked exclusively out of the bullpen for the Huskers last spring, has moved into the Wilmington rotation, going 2-1 in five starts, striking out 20 over 26.1 innings of work.

 

In 2007, the Havasu Heat won the NBC World Series title, and this year look to be among the nation’s top teams again this summer, posting a 28-1 record. Cody Neer has played a major role in the Heat’s scorching start, hitting .337 with 18 RBIs, 24 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 24 contests.

 

Another pitcher who is being converted into a starter is sophomore Mike Nesseth, who made a team-high 27 appearances last spring. The right-hander has been snake-bit in the starting rotation for Duluth in the Northwoods League, going 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA in five starts, but has allowed just 16 hits in 26.2 innings while averaging a strikeout per inning. He is joined on the Huskies’ staff by junior Erik Anderson, who is 1-0 with a 4.67 ERA in 12 appearances, fanning 21 and walking only five over 17.1 innings of work.

 

Check back over the summer, as Huskers.com updates the progress of the other Huskers playing summer ball across the country.