Huskers Open Baseball Practice Saturday

Lincoln ? The Nebraska baseball team begins preparations in earnest for the upcoming season on Saturday, as the Huskers begin spring practice inside the Hawks Championship Center. Saturday’s workout will be the first of 17 practices leading into the season opener at Fresno State on Feb. 19. The Huskers will begin practice at 8 a.m. Saturday and will practice six days a week before leaving for Fresno.

“This group is hungry and motivated to begin practice,” Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson, who begins his eighth season at Nebraska said. “We saw it in the fall and it has continued through the offseason in conditioning and in the weight room. They have put in the effort to be ready for the upcoming season and we are excited to see how that translates to the field for practice.”

The Huskers welcome back 19 letterwinners, including eight position players who made at least 20 starts a year ago. The offensive returnees are led by All-Big 12 first baseman Tyler Farst, who hit .333 with three homers and 36 RBIs last season, and outfielder Adam Bailey, who batted .325 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs. Bailey, a 38th round draft pick of the New York Yankees, topped the Huskers in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage (.598) in 2008. Other returnees who made at least 20 starts last year include infielders Kyle Bubak and Cody Asche, catcher Cory Burleson and outfielders DJ Belfonte, Boomer Collins and Khiry Cooper.

On the mound, the Huskers welcome back nine pitchers, including five of the six hurlers who threw at last 50 innings last season. The returnees are paced by junior right-hander Mike Nesseth, who went 5-4 with two saves and struck out 73 over 64.2 innings last season. A 15th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, he returned for his junior season. Other veterans include Casey Hauptman, Sean Yost, Michael Mariot and Jordan Roualdes. Yost earned all-star honors in the Northwoods League over the summer, while Mariot was ranked by Baseball America as one of the top prospects in the M.I.N.K. League this summer.

Another reason for optimism is a recruiting class that features several players who could make an early impact. The incoming class was ranked 13th nationally by Collegiate Baseball ? the highest Nebraska’s incoming class has ever been rated. Some of the newcomers who could push for significant roles on the pitching staff this spring include Tom Lemke, Kurt Giller, Ryan Hughes, Chase Adams and Khris Tate. On the position player side, junior college transfer Patric Tolentino along with freshmen Josh Scheffert, Bryan Peters and Chad Christensen could earn significant playing time.