Huskers Host No. 12 Sooners at Hawks Field

 

No. 12 Oklahoma (18-2, 1-0 Big 12) at Nebraska (11-9, 1-2 Big 12)

Friday, March 26 - 6:35 p.m. Saturday, March 27 - 2:05 p.m. Sunday, March 28 - 1:05 p.m.

Media Info Live Radio: Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com (affiliate list on page five of game notes) Live Video: HuskersNside (Friday and Saturday only) Live Stats:  Huskers.com Probable Starting Pitchers Friday  NU-Casey Hauptman, Jr., RHP (1-2, 2.48 ERA)  OU- Zach Neal, Jr., RHP (2-0, 6.56 ERA) Saturday  NU-Michael Mariot, Jr., RHP (2-2, 4.50 ERA)  OU- Bobby Shore, Jr., RHP (3-0, 2.19 ERA) Sunday NU-Tom Lemke, Fr., RHP (3-1, 4.50 ERA)  OU- TBA

This Weekend: The Nebraska baseball team continues its homestand this weekend, as the Huskers play host to No. 12 Oklahoma at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. Friday's game is the first night game of the season at Hawks Field and slated for a 6:35 p.m. start, with afternoon games set for both Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and Sunday (1:05 p.m.).
Tickets: Single-game tickets for this weekend are available by visiting the Hawks Field Ticket Office 90 minutes before first pitch. Tickets are $10 (reserved and Home Run Terrace) and $7 (GA) with youth and senior citizens GA seats at $5. All UNL students receive free admission with a valid N-card.
Radio: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action on the entire Husker Sports Network, including flagship stations KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington and on the Internet at Huskers.com.
Video: Friday and Saturday's game will be carried on HuskersNside, as a minimum of 29 games this season will be on Huskers.com or HuskersNside. For more information, visit Huskers.com. There is no video of Sunday's finale.
Promotions: Friday is Berm Zone Night as students will be able to pick up their 2010 Berm Zone shirts and will be eligible for a Sony laptop. Saturday features members of the Junior Home Run Club taking the field with the Huskers.
Weekend Preview: Nebraska comes into the weekend riding a two-game win streak following a pair of victories over Northern Colorado (15-5, 15-2). The Huskers used a pair of big innings, scoring seven runs in the eighth inning in Tuesday's win before coming back with 10 runs in the third inning - its highest single-inning total in two years - on Wednesday. The Huskers have won 10 straight at Hawks Field dating back to last year, have hit well as of late, batting .329 over its last 12 games, including five games against UCLA and Texas - teams ranked first and third nationally in ERA - in that stretch.
The Sooners are 18-2 on the season, but have not played since a 7-6 win over Baylor on March 19, as the final two games of their series with the Bears was postponed by weather. OU had been red hot before running into the cold weather, winning 13 of its last 14 contests with only a loss to unbeaten UCLA on March 14. Oklahoma is off to its best start since 1985.

3 THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
3rd: Rank of Nebraska's schedule strength to date by Boyd's World as of Wednesday morning. The rest of the top five are Cal State Fullerton, Utah, Rice and Seattle. 10 of Nebraska's first 23 games are against ranked teams.

9: Consecutive multi-RBI games for Adam Bailey dating back to March 13. Bailey is hitting .538 (21-for-39) with five homers and 20 RBIs in that stretch and brings a 11-game hit streak into Friday's game with Oklahoma.

16: Nebraska has been tied or ahead in the eighth inning of 16 of 20 contests.

Scouting Oklahoma
One of the biggest surprises of the 2010 season has been the play of the Oklahoma Sooners heading into Big 12 action. OU is 18-2 and had won 13 of its last 14 games heading into Friday's game. OU opened the season with a four-game sweep at San Diego State and has rode that momentum into the start of Big 12 action. OU won its Big 12 opener against Baylor last Friday, 7-6, but saw the final two games of the series canceled because of snow. 

The Sooners, who returned just four starters from a team that won 43 games and reached the final of its regional, are fourth in the league with a .328 team average and top the Big 12 with 27 homers heading into the weekend.  Garrett Buechele and Cameron Seitzer lead a power packed Sooner offense and are both in the top 15 of the Big 12 in hitting. Buechele is hitting .403 with five homers and 22 RBIs, as he also leads OU in runs scored with 21. Seitzer is hitting .397 with five homers and 20 RBIs, as six OU regulars are hitting over .310 on the season.

On the mound, OU is led its bullpen, as All-Big 12 closer Ryan Duke had a league-high seven saves and a 1.08 ERA, while Jeremy Erben was 5-0 with a 0.39 ERA, leading all conference pitchers in both wins and ERA.
Series History: The Sooners hold a 139-97-2 lead in the all-time series, as Oklahoma took 2-of-3 in Lincoln last season, as the Huskers had won three of the previous four series dating back to 2005. While the home team has won the series in each of the last two years, the previous five seasons featured series wins by the visiting squad. Mike Anderson is 13-8-1 all-time against Oklahoma. The Huskers are 6-5-1 all-time against OU at Hawks Field since the ballpark opened in 2002.

Midweek Recap
Tuesday (Nebraska 15, Northern Colorado 5):  Chase Adams allowed one run over a career-high 4.1 innings of relief, as Nebraska fell behind early before knocking off Northern Colorado, 15-5, Tuesday afternoon at Hawks Field. The junior college transfer from Mineola, Texas, stemmed the tide for Nebraska, as the Huskers trailed before storming back in the late innings, Adams scattered five hits and fanned three Bears for his first  win. While Adams kept the Bears in check, Nebraska's bats started to warm up, as the Huskers scored 13 runs in their final three at-bats. Trailing 4-2, the Huskers (10-9) regained the lead for good in the sixth with four runs off a pair of UNC relievers. Two hit batters and a walk by Ben Packard loaded the bases for DJ Befonte, who proceeded to triple to the gap in right center to give NU a 5-4 lead. Kale Kiser than gave NU a two-run cushion with a sacrifice fly to score Belfonte, who went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.  On the day, the Huskers pounded out 17 hits, including three by Adam Bailey, who went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Cody Asche, Bryan Peters and Patric Tolentino all enjoyed multi-hit days, with Peters scoring three times and driving in a pair of runs. Tyler Farst and Josh Scheffert also homered in the win.

Wednesday (NU 15, Northern Colorado 2):  Adam Bailey's grand slam highlighted a 10-run third inning, as Nebraska powered its way past Northern Colorado, 15-2, on Wednesday.Bailey went 2-for-4 and drove in four RBIs, as the senior right fielder now has nine straight multi-RBI efforts. He had both of his hits in the inning, as the Huskers sent 16 hitters to the plate in turning a 1-0 game into a laugher. Josh Scheffert homered and drove in three runs, while Tyler Farst had two hits and two RBIs in the first three innings to help the Huskers run their home win streak to 10 games dating back to last season. Kale Kiser scored four times as part of a 2-for-3 afternoon, while Bryan Peters continued to swing the bat well with three hits and scored twice, as the Huskers pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of a Northern Colorado team that walked six and hit five Huskers in the first three innings. Mike Nesseth was outstanding in a predetermined outing, as he tossed three no-hit innings for the win. The junior right-hander didn't allow a ball out of the infield in his three innings of work and struck out four in facing one batter over the minimum.

Leading Off

• The Huskers have been tough on ranked teams at home in recent years, posting a 62-34 (.636) record since 1998, including an impressive 22-11 (.667) mark against top-10 teams. NU is 43-25 (632) against ranked foes since Hawks Field at Haymarket Park opened in 2002. NU was 2-4 at home against ranked opponents in 2009.
• Cody Asche and Adam Bailey both bring double-digit hit streaks into this weekend's series with Oklahoma, and both are among the longest active streaks in the league. Asche is currently on a career-best 12-game streak dating back to March 5, where he is hitting .400 with three homers and 15 RBIs, while Bailey is hitting .531 with five homers and 23 RBIs in his 11-game hit streak dating back to March 6. Bailey, whose personal best at NU is a 13-game hit streak, has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 contests.
• The Huskers have been proficient in two-out situations this season, recording 62 two-out RBIs this year. In fact, 69 of Nebraska's 151 runs (45.6 percent) have been scored with two outs through the first 20 contests. NU has scored at least one two-out run in 17 of 20 contests.
• Nebraska's 10-run outburst in the third inning against Northern Colorado on Wednesday marked the fourth time under Mike Anderson that the Huskers have reached double-digits in an inning since 2003.
• Five of Nebraska's nine losses this season have been on the opponent's last at-bat, including four walk-off losses (two at Fresno State, one at UCLA, one at Texas). Nebraska has been tied or led in the eighth inning in 16 of its 20 contests.
• Nebraska's defense has been exceptional in the first month of the season. The Huskers are third in the Big 12 in fielding percentage after entering the week in the top-10 nationally. With a .976 fielding percentage entering the Oklahoma series, NU is ahead of its school record pace of .975 in 2004 and 2005. The Huskers are 220-82-1 (.728) when committing one or fewer errors under Mike Anderson.
• Nebraska has pitched well since the series opener at No. 14 UCLA on March 5, posting a 3.60 ERA over its last 12 contests. NU has held opponents to five runs or less in nine of the 12 contests.
• Nebraska has increased its power in recent games, belting 17 homers in its last 10 contests after hitting four homers in its first 10 games. Adam Bailey leads the Big 12 with four homers, while DJ Belfonte, Cody Asche and Josh Scheffert have three apiece.
• Nebraska has gotten off to fast starts, scoring first in 16 of its 20 games in 2010. NU has scored in the first inning in more than half of its games this season (11 of 20). Nebraska has won nearly 75 percent of its games (205-69) in Mike Anderson's eight seasons at Nebraska when scoring first.
• With Oklahoma's series with Baylor postponed by snow last weekend, Nebraska now has the longest streak of not cancelling a Big 12 game because of weather, as the Huskers have played every conference game since March of 2001 - an impressive feat for the Northernmost school in the league.
• Michael Mariot's one-hit shutout against Houston Baptist on March 13 was the first by a Nebraska pitcher since Zach Kroenke tossed a one-hitter at Kansas State on April 2, 2004. It also marked only the fifth time since 1999 that a Husker hurler tossed a one-hit, complete-game shutout.
• Nebraska's 21 runs against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 26 marked only the second time the Huskers have scored 20 or more runs under Head Coach Mike Anderson and the first since scoring 22 runs against Kent State in 2004. NU's top five single-game offensive outputs since 2003 are listed below.
• Nebraska has lost three games when taking a lead into the ninth inning this season after losing only four times between 2003 and 2009 in that situation. The Huskers are 250-7-1 (.971) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.
• With his ninth-inning homer against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 26, Chad Christensen became the first Husker freshman to homer in his collegiate debut since Brian Kent accomplished the feat against Chicago State on March 16, 1999. Christensen was just the fourth NU player since 1999 to homer in his Husker debut.
• Freshman Tom Lemke became just the fourth Husker freshman to earn a start during the opening week of the season since 1999, and the first to collect a win in that stretch.Here is how Lemke's line against Fresno State compared to the other three freshman hurlers.
• Kyle Bubak's five-hit day against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 26, marked just the sixth time a player has had at least five hits in a game under Mike Anderson, and the first since Jeff Tezak went 5-for-5 at Alabama in 2007.
• One area of focus in the offseason was adding strength, and a quick look at the rosters over the last two seasons show a dramatic improvement. Under strength coaches Mike Arthur and Brandon Rigoni, the 18 returnees from last year have gained a total of 203 pounds, an average of 11.2 pounds per player. Of the 18 players, 11 are at least 10 pounds heavier than their playing weight during the 2009 campaign. As a team, the Huskers gained a total of 328 pounds during the team's off-season strength program in the fall.
• The Huskers are 100-1 (.990) under Mike Anderson when reaching double figures in runs, including 72-0 since the start of the 2005 season. Nebraska is 6-0 this season when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.
• NU has 117 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003. The Huskers already have three come-from-behind wins this season, including overcoming a three-run deficit against Northern Colorado on March 23.
• -The Huskers are 64-6 dating back to 2008 when they out-hit an opponent and have won nearly 90 percent of their games since 2003 when out-hitting an opponent. NU is 10-0 when outhitting opponents in 2010.
• -Adam Bailey's 12 homers is the most by any returning Husker player since Alex Gordon in 2005. Gordon belted 18 homers en route to Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors in 2004.
• Senior outfielder DJ Belfonte ranks second on Nebraska's career hit-by-pitch list with 50 after getting plunked against Northern Colorado on March 24. He is just of a handful of players in Big 12 history to get hit by at least 50 pitches. Belfonte has been hit a team-high seven times this season.

Bailey Swings a Hot Stick
After leading the Huskers in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage in 2009, Adam Bailey has gotten off to another blistering start in 2010. The Scottsdale, Ariz., product is hitting .449 with seven homers and 29 RBIs. Bailey, who was drafted in the 38th round by the New York Yankees last season, is in the Big 12 top-10 in eight offensive categories, including league highs in homers, RBIs, hits (40) and total bases (68).

He has been on a monster tear in the past three weeks, hitting .531 (26-for-49) since celebrating his 22nd birthday with a three-hit day on March 6. He has 10 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI efforts in his last 11 contests, including nine consecutive games of driving in at least two runs heading into Friday's game with Oklahoma.

He was named Big 12 Player of the Week on March 23, after hitting .562 (9-for-16) with two homers and eight RBIs in four games last week. Bailey went 7-for-11 with two homers, two doubles and six RBI in the three-game series at No. 2 Texas last week. On Wednesday, he had two hits in NU's 10-run third inning, including his first career grand slam.
Bailey has been solid against the toughest teams on the schedule, hitting .414 with three homers and nine RBIs in seven games against ranked teams. He is also the only player in the country to homer off UCLA's Gerrit Cole (32.2 innings) and Texas' Taylor Jungmann (36.1 innings) this season.

DJ Keeps Things Spinning at Top of the Lineup
DJ Belfonte gives Nebraska a solid threat at the top of the lineup. The senior is hitting .380 with three homers, 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored in the leadoff spot.  Belfonte, who was voted the best defensive outfielder by the league coaches  in Baseball America's preseason issue, is one of two Huskers (also shortstop Kyle Bubak) to start all 20 games for the Huskers in 2010.

He is second in the league with a pair of triples and third in stolen bases, swiping nine of 11 bases in 2009. Belfonte is bidding to become the first Husker since former Major Leaguer Ken Ramos to lead NU in stolen bases for three straight years. While he is known for his speed and defense, Belfonte showed his power earlier this month, belting two homers against South Dakota State on March 16, the first two-homer game of his career.

Kiser Takes Spotlight
After seeing limited time behind eventual MLD draftee Jeff Tezak last year, second baseman Kale Kiser has been a pleasant surprise in 2010. Kiser comes into the weekend hitting .417 with a team-high 23 runs scored in just 17 games. He has a team-high .561 on-base percentage, a total that would rank first in the Big 12, but he is three plate appearances shy of qualifying, and is second on the team in walks with 12.

Kiser moved up to the No. 2 spot in the Husker batting order on March 10, and has flourished in that spot, hitting .480 with 14 runs scored in his last nine contests to help the Huskers to a 7-2 mark in that time. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 contests for NU, seeing time at second base and designated hitter.  Kiser has also shown his toughness, playing through a split lip at Fresno State on Feb. 22 that required 16 stitches to sew up, but returned to the diamond in time for the next practice.

Like Mother, Like Son
Freshman Josh Scheffert continues a family tradition at Nebraska, as his mother played softball for the Huskers for two seasons (1979-80). Scheffert has gotten off to a fast start to his Husker baseball career, hitting .309 with three homers and 19 RBIs. The Lincoln Southeast product - the same school as former Natonal Player of the Year Alex Gordon - is second on the team in both homers and RBIs and leads the huskers with 12 walks. Scheffert's three homers is already the most by a Husker freshman since 2005 (Andy Gerch 4; Jake Opitz 3). He has six multi-RBI efforts, including a career-high four RBIs against South Dakota State on March 16. He enjoyed an outstanding debut at Fresno State on Feb. 21, by going 3-4 with three RBIs. Scheffert is the only Husker freshman in the last decade to have at least three hits or three RBIs in his first game as a Husker. Here are the other newcomers who had at least three hits or three RBIs in their Husker debut since 1999.

Asche Has Been Burning Up
One of the overlooked hitters in the Nebraska lineup is sophomore third baseman Cody Asche. The O'Fallon, Mo., native has been consistent for NU all season, hitting .351 with three homers and 18 RBIs. Asche is second on the team in doubles (six) and homers while his 18 RBIs rank fourth on the squad. He got off to a slow start, going hitless in his first 10 at-bats, but has been on a tear since then, hitting .406 since Feb. 21. He is riding a 12-game hit streak where he's hitting .400 with three homers and 15 RBIs. Asche hit .500 (6-for-12) with five RBIs in the weekend series at Texas, including four two-out RBIs. The sophomore is hitting .379 with 10 of his 19 RBIs in two-out situations this season.

Belfonte Named to Senior CLASS Watch List
Nebraska outfielder DJ Belfonte was honored on Feb. 17, as one of 30 seniors from around the country named to the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Watch List.  A three-year starter, Belfonte has appeared in 186 games in his career, helping the Huskers to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances. He ranks second on NU's career hit-by-pitch list with 50 and has led NU in stolen bases in each of the past two seasons. He is a career .282 hitter with seven homers, 98 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. He is also a strong performer in the classroom, carrying a 3.72 GPA in finance and has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll all seven semesters at NU. A two-time academic All-Big 12 performer, Belfonte plans to attend law school after his playing career.
Belfonte was one of three Big 12 student-athletes on the 30-member watch list, joining Oklahoma State's Tyler Lyons and Texas' Russell Moldenhauer.  The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and the winner will be announced at the 2010 College World Series in Omaha.

Recruiting Class Ranked 13th Nationally
Nebraska's class of newcomers was recognized nationally, as Collegiate Baseball rated the class No. 13 nationally in its rankings.  The rating is the highest ever for Nebraska in the publication's 27-year history of ranking recruiting classes.
Nebraska's recruiting class features four players who had been drafted previously before coming to Nebraska, including pitchers Ryan Hughes (16th round in 2008), Tom Lemke (10th round in 2009), Kurt Giller (21st round in 2009) and Ryan Hander (38th round in 2009). Lemke was one of just 11 high school seniors selected in the top 10 rounds who did not sign over the summer.

Eight Draftees on 2010 Roster
Nebraska's 2010 roster boasts a total of eight Huskers who have been previously selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Five of the players were picked in last year's draft, including Mike Nesseth (15th) and Adam Bailey (38th) who both elected to return for this season. Nebraska's eight draft selections ranks fourth in the Big 12.

Huskers From Around the Nation
The 2010 Huskers come from 14 states across the nation. Nebraska natives comprise a quarter of the 36-man opening-day roster with nine spots, while the Huskers also have seven Texans on the 2010 roster.

Three Huskers Honored by Baseball America
A trio of Husker players were recognized by Baseball America in its college preview issue.
Outfielder Adam Bailey was the only Husker player on the publication's preseason All-Big 12 team, as he hit .325 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs a year ago. Bailey led the Huskers in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage (.598) in 2009.
DJ Belfonte was recognized as the best defensive outfielder in the Big 12 in Baseball America's preseason issue. Belfonte, who has played both center and right field in his Husker career, has a .981 career fielding percentage and has thrown out seven runners from the outfield during his career.
Tom Lemke was the fifth-rated freshman in the Big 12 by Baseball America after a dominant high school career. He went 25-9 with a 2.01 ERA in his career at Northwest Christian High School, striking out 333 over 193.2 career innings. He is also No. 32 nationally among all freshman by the publication.

Nesseth Ranked Among Top Prospects
Sophomore right-hander Mike Nesseth is rated by Baseball America as one of the top college 100 prospects for the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He is rated as the No. 92 college prospect by the publication. Nesseth, who went 5-4 with a pair of saves last season, is also the ninth-rated draft prospect in the Big 12 for this June's draft by the publication.
After a slow start, Nesseth has turned the corner, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last seven appearances dating back to March 5, including 3.1 innings of no-hit relief at No. 2 Texas on March 21 and three perfect innings in a start against Northern Colorado on March 24.

Success in the Classroom
NU enjoyed a strong performance in the classroom by posting a team GPA of 3.112 during the fall semester. The team GPA was the highest ever while tracking the program's GPA over the last 20 years and the second straight fall above a 3.0 GPA.  A total of 23 Huskers were named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the fall semester.

Single-Game Tickets on Sale
Single-game general admission tickets for Husker baseball home games are now available. Single-game reserved tickets are $10 with general admission prices set at $7 (adults) and $5 (youth/seniors). In addition,GA tickets are free for children ages six and younger along with UNL students (with a valid student ID). Single-game tickets are now available for the new Husker Home Run Terrace in right field. The 125-seat section features counter height tables and is located next to the visitors bullpen in right field.

Join the Husker Home Run Club at Oklahoma St.
The Husker Home Run Club is sponsoring a bus trip to Stillwater, Okla., to support the baseball team against Oklahoma State on Saturday, April 3, and Sunday, April 4.  The trip includes game tickets for both days, selected meals and accommodations in Stillwater.
The deadline for registration is March 24.  For more information and to download a registration form for the bus trip, please log on to huskerhomerunclub.com or contact Ed Bolejack at 402-617-5913.

Husker Baseball on Television
The Nebraska Athletic Department and NET Television announced on Feb. 19 that seven Nebraska baseball games will be televised statewide on the network this spring. All seven contests will be carried across Nebraska on NET-1 and in high definition on NET-HD.
The 2010 telecast schedule begins on Tuesday, April 6, as the Huskers host Creighton in the first of three matchups between the programs this season. First pitch from Hawks Field is set for 6:35 p.m. Five of the NET contests will air in April, including home games against Wichita State (April 13), Kansas (April 18), and Texas A&M (April 30), along with the Huskers' first game against Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium (April 20). The May schedule includes a pair of games, including the Huskers' final regular-season game against Creighton in historic Rosenblatt Stadium on May 18, and the middle game of Nebraska's series against Texas Tech (May 22).
A total of eight Husker baseball games will be televised in 2010, as Nebraska's game at Texas on March 21 will be carried nationally on Fox College Sports.