Nesseth, Bailey Headline Husker Baseball Returnees

Lincoln -- The Nebraska baseball team received good news late Monday night, as right-handed pitcher Mike Nesseth and outfielder Adam Bailey did not sign contracts with professional teams during the signing period.

Nesseth, a 15th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels, and Bailey, a 38th-round pick of the New York Yankees, were the only two non-senior Huskers selected in last June’s MLB Draft and had the option to sign a professional contract or return to Nebraska for the 2010 season.

In addition to Bailey and Nesseth, the Huskers will welcome three other freshmen who bypassed the professional ranks after being drafted, right-handed pitchers Thomas Lemke (10th round, Texas), Kurt Giller (21st round, Toronto) and Ryan Hander (38th round, Los Angeles Dodgers).

Nesseth has compiled a 9-5 record during his two seasons as a Husker, striking out 126 hitters over 102.1 career innings.  In 2009, he compiled a 5-4 record with two saves in 20 appearances. He led the Huskers in strikeouts (73) over 64.2 innings, while holding opponents to a .250 batting average. He went at least six innings in six of his eight starts, including a complete-game performance against Cal State Northridge and a 12-strikeout effort against Sam Houston State. He had five performances with at least seven strikeouts as a sophomore, including eight strikeouts against NCAA Regional qualifier Baylor.

Bailey turned in a solid season in his first year as a Husker after attending South Mountain Community College, hitting .325 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs. He paced the Huskers in homers, RBIs, doubles (15) and slugging percentage (.598), while ranking second in runs scored (35). The Scottsdale, Ariz., native led the Huskers with 11 multiple-RBI efforts, including eight games with at least three RBIs, and totaled 17 multi-hit games on the campaign.