Huskers Head West to Face No. 14 UCLA

Nebraska at UCLA Friday (DH) - 4 and 8 p.m (Central) Saturday - 4 p.m.

Media Info Live Radio: Selected Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com (affiliate list on page five of game notes) Live Stats:   Huskers.com Live Video:  None Television:  None Probable Starting Pitchers Fri- 1. NU-Sean Yost, So., RHP (1-0, 4.66 ERA) UCLA-Gerrit Cole, So., RHP (2-0, 3.27 ERA) Fri-2.   NU-Michael Mariot, So., RHP (0-1, 7.20 ERA)] UCLA-Trevor Bauer, So., RHP (1-0, 3.38 ERA) Sun.  NU- Tom Lemke, Fr., RHP (2-0, 0.84 ERA)            UCLA-Rob Rasmussen, Jr., LHP (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

This Week: The Nebraska baseball program gets its toughest test of the season, as the Huskers head to Los Angeles for a three-game series with No. 14 UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The three-game series has been shifted because of impending weather, as the teams will play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 4 p.m. (central) with the finale now scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. If Saturday’s game is postponed, the series will conclude on Sunday at 11 a.m. This is the Huskers’ second trip to California in three weekends, as they opened the season with Fresno State last month.

On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action this weekend on selected Husker Sports Network stations - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. 

Weekend Preview: The Huskers put together a solid weekend, going 2-1 at the Rice Invitational to improve their mark to 3-4 on the season. The Huskers put up 29 runs in three games, including a 21-run outburst against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 26, and hit .321 as a team on the weekend. Senior center fielder DJ Belfonte continues to swing a hot stick, leading NU with a .478 average while also driving in a team-best seven runs. Belfonte has a 10-game hit streak dating back to the end of the 2009 season, doubling the longest hit streak of his four-year career.  Nebraska has also been strong defensively in the early going, posting a .981 fielding percentage through two weeks, despite not having a chance to practice outdoors because of weather. That is third in the Big 12 entering this weekend’s games. More importantly, the Huskers received strong starting pitching in Houston, as Sean Yost, Michael Mariot and Tom Lemke went 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA, striking out 11 and walking only four over 16.2 innings of work.

UCLA comes into the week on a roll, going 6-0 the first two weeks of the season, including victories over Long Beach State, Vanderbilt and USC last week. The Huskers will face one of the best weekend rotations in the country in UCLA’s Garrit Cole, Trevor Bauer and Rob Rasmussen, as UCLA has allowed just 14 runs in its six victories.

Scouting UCLA
The Bruins are off to their best start since their 1997 College World Series season with a 6-0 start heading into the weekend and are ranked as high as 14th in the country in this week’s polls. Under Coach John Savage (147-150 in six years at UCLA), the Bruins went 27-29 last year, snapping a streak of three straight NCAA Regional appearances. The Bruins were picked to finish second in the Pac-10 this spring and return 17 letterwinners from last season.

UCLA has had an explosive offense with six regulars hitting over .400 entering this week’s action. Catcher Steve Rodriguez is hitting .350, while leading the Bruins with homers (four) and ranking second on the squad with eight RBIs. Niko Gallego is the only regular under .350 but is hitting .333 with a pair of homers and a team-high nine RBIs.

UCLA’s strength is its pitching staff with two of the nation’s top sophomores in Garrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Both were on Team USA over the summer, while Cole, a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2008, was named the No. 1 prospect on the team last summer. Bauer was a freshman All-American a year ago, going 9-3 with a 2.99 ERA in 20 appearances and is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA this year after earning preseason All-America honors. Cole, a preseason All-American, is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA, fanning 17 over 11.0 innings. The Bruins have been stout in the bullpen as well, allowing one earned run in six contests.

Series History: The two teams have met only twice before, both in tournament action, with UCLA getting the upper hand both times. The Bruins downed the Huskers, 12-9, at the Dairy Queen Classic at the Metrodome in 1997 and posted a 4-2 victory over NU at PETCO Park in San Diego in 2004. In the 2004 contest, Major Leaguer Casey Janssen took a shutout into the ninth before Curtis Ledbetter’s two-run pinch-hit single accounted for all of Nebraska’s offense.

Nebraska is just 14-27 all-time against Pac-10 Conference teams with just six of those games coming inside the state of Nebraska (four regular-season games vs. Cal and two vs. Arizona State in the 2005 MCWS). NU  has not hosted a Pac-10 team since WWII.

Weekend Review
Friday (NU 21, TAMU-Corpus Christi 9): Nebraska enjoyed its best offensive effort in six seasons, as the Huskers opened tournament play with a 21-9 victory.  Kyle Bubak led Nebraska’s 19-hit attack with a career-high five hits, including a pair of doubles, and scored four times. His five hits and four runs scored were career bests, and his five-hit afternoon was the first by a Husker since Jeff Tezak in 2007. Tyler Farst matched his career best with five RBIs, including a three-run homer that broke open a two-run game in the top of the fourth inning. Cody Asche also drove in three runs, while freshman Chad Christensen added a pair of RBIs, including his first career homer, in his Husker debut, as Nebraska’s 21 runs were its highest single-game total since 2004. The Huskers received a solid performance from right-hander Sean Yost (1-0), who went six innings for his first win. Yost scattered seven hits and fanned five without a walk and settled down after a slow start, as he retired nine of 10 Islanders in one stretch.

Saturday (No. 9 Rice 4, NU 3): Anthony Rendon’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth broke a 3-all deadlock, as No. 9 Rice topped the Huskers, 4-3. Rendon’s game-winning hit scored Michael Fuda, who opened the inning with an infield single and moved to second on a balk. Tyler Duffey shut the door on NU’s comeback bid with two shutout innings for the win, while Casey Hauptman allowed one run in three innings of relief. The Huskers, who had just five hits, jumped to a 3-0 lead on a two-run single by Patric Tolentino in the first and an RBI single by DJ Belfonte one inning later.

Sunday (Nebraska 5, Elon 3): Tom Lemke allowed one run over 5.2 innings, while DJ Belfonte drove in two runs, as the Nebraska baseball team downed Elon, 5-3, Sunday afternoon at the Rice Invitational. Lemke (2-0) scattered four hits and took a shutout into the sixth, as Nebraska (3-4) picked up its third win in the last four games. The right-hander was efficient, facing one over the minimum over the first five innings and not allowing a runner to get into scoring position through five frames.  Four relievers preserved the win for Lemke, as the Phoenix (4-3) pushed across two runs in the top of the ninth and got the tying run on base on second, but Mike Nesseth fanned Mike Melillo to end the contest for the Big Red.  Belfonte drove in two runs on the afternoon, while Cory Burleson went 2-for-4 and scored twice to pace the Huskers’ 12-hit attack, as Nebraska pushed across runs in four of the first five frames to build a 4-0 cushion.

Leading Off
?-Nebraska has gotten off to quick starts in 2010, getting a lead on each of its first seven opponents, and has outscored foes, 5-0, in the first inning this season. Nebraska has won 75 percent of its games (198-66) in Mike Anderson’s eight seasons at Nebraska when scoring first.

?-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 is also only the fourth NU player since 1999 to homer in his Husker debut.

?-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.

?-Under Mike Anderson, the Huskers have gone 2-1 or better at the Rice Invitational in all five appearances, posting a 10-4 mark in that stretch. Prior to 2004, had won twice in a weekend in that tournament only one time between 1999 and 2002.

?-DJ Belfonte has been one of the Huskers’ most consistent offensive threats in 2010. He is tied for the team lead with four multi-hit games and has hit safely in all seven games this spring. He was only the third Husker this decade to open a season with four straight multi-hit games (Alex Gordon, 2004; Luke Gorsett, 2006) and brings a career best 10-game hit streak into Friday’s series opener at UCLA.  The 10-game hit streak is the longest of Belfonte’s career, and he is hitting a blistering .390 (23-for-59) in his last 15 contests dating back to the end of the 2009 season. Prior to his current seven-game hit streak, Belfonte’s longest career hit streak was five games. Belfonte has driven in a team-high seven runs this season after taking 17 games to drive in his first seven runs in 2009.

?-While it is still early in the season, Nebraska’s defense has been much improved in 2010. The Huskers are third in the Big 12 with a .981 fielding percentage, and have not made an error in four of their first seven games. That is well ahead of the school record of .975 set in 2004 and 2005. The defensive effort is more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has not been able to practice outside at home because of the extended winter throughout the Midwest. The good defense is an encouraging sign, as the Huskers are 215-77-1 (.735) when committing one or fewer errrors under Mike Anderson.

Fielding Percentages Since 2003
Year                  7 games               Year
2010                  .981                     
2009                  .970                      .970    
2008                  .956                      .971
2007                  .957                      .965
2006                  .973                      .974
2005                  .967                      .975 (school record)
2004                  .964                      .975 (school record)
2003                  .967                      .969    

?-Two of the Huskers’ three losses at Fresno State came after taking a lead into the ninth inning. It marked only the third and fourth times in 141 games dating back to 2005 that Nebraska had lost when heading into the ninth. The Huskers are 242-6-1 (.975) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.

?-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.

?-The Huskers have been proficient in two-out situations this season, recording 24 two-out RBIs through seven games. In fact, 30 of Nebraska’s 49 runs (61 percent) have been scored with two outs through the first seven contests.

?-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.

?-Freshman Josh Scheffert enjoyed quite a debut against Fresno State on Feb. 21. He went 3-4 with three RBIs. He 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.

?-The Huskers bring back one of its most experienced teams in a while, as 18 letterwinners are back for the 2010 campaign. It is the second-highest number of returning letterwinners since Mike Anderson took over in 2003 and only the third time this decade NU has had at least 18 letterwinners. The biggest amount of experience is on the pitching side, where Nebraska returns at least 75 percent of its wins, starts, innings and strikeouts in 2010, a far cry compared to a year ago.

?-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 95-1 (.969) under Mike Anderson when reaching double figures in runs, including 67-0 since the start of the 2005 season.

?-NU has 115 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003.

?-The Huskers are 57-6 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.

?-Adam Bailey’s 12 homers is the most by any Husker returning 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 46. He is just the second Husker to be hit by 40 pitches in a career, joining Daniel Bruce, who was hit 67 times in his playing career from 2002 to 2005.

Schedule Changes
The Nebraska baseball program announced Tuesday that start times for six games this month have been changed. These changes are different than the times printed on publications, including game tickets and schedule posters and cards. Five of the changes involve the start times of home games being pushed back to alleviate class conflicts, while the change for the Texas game was made because of a cancellation of Nebraska’s flight leaving Austin. Nebraska’s game against the Longhorns will still be televised by Fox College Sports.

March Baseball Changes
Date:              Opponent                     Old Time                  New Time
March 10       Nebraska-Kearney       1:05 p.m.                  1:35 p.m.
March 12       Houston Baptist           1:05 p.m.                  1:35 p.m.
March 16       South Dakota State     PPD. from 3/2          1:35 p.m.*
March 21       at Texas                        1:05 p.m.                  Noon
March 23       Northern Colorado       1:05 p.m.                  4:05 p.m.
March 24       Northern Colorado       1:05 p.m.                  1:35 p.m.
March 31       North Dakota               1:05 p.m.                  1:35 p.m.

Nebraska - the Land of Opportunities
The Huskers have taken advantage of the non-conference schedule to see a number of players. In all, 14 of the 15 position players on the travel roster have made at least one start through the first seven games of 2010, while 13 players have driven in at least one run.

Bailey Swings a Hot Stick
After leading the Huskers in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage in 2009, Adam Bailey has gotten his senior season off to a blazing start. He is 10th in the Big 12 in hitting at .419 and 10th in runs scored (eight). Bailey has four multi-hit games through two weeks and brings a six-game hit streak into Friday’s opener with UCLA. In 2009, he hit .325 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs, ranking second on the team in hitting and first in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage before he was selected by the New York Yankees in the 38th round.

Huskers to Be Tested Again in 2010
A total of 31 contests against NCAA Tournament teams and 26 home games at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park highlight the 2010 Nebraska baseball schedule.

The 2010 schedule includes match ups with College World Series runner-up Texas and Super Regional qualifiers Rice along with home games against Texas A&M, Wichita State, Oklahoma and Creighton. 

Nine of the Huskers’ first 10 games are against teams which either made the NCAA Tournament or are ranked at game time and that does not include a Big 12 slate which had eight teams make the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

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, 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 to 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 the upcoming season. Nebraska’s eight draft selections ranks fourth in the Big 12.

Huskers Tabbed for Eighth in Big 12
The Nebraska baseball team was picked eighth in the Big 12’s preseason coaches poll released on Feb. 16. Nebraska returns four starters and five of its top six pitchers from last year’s team that finished 25-28-1 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.

Texas has been named the preseason favorite to win the 2010 Big 12 regular-season crown. The Longhorns are ranked No. 1 in all four of the major preseason polls (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association).

UT (81 points) received nine of the possible 10 first-place votes while Kansas earned the remaining first-place tally and 69 points to come in second. Texas A&M and Oklahoma were third and fourth, respectively, followed by Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas State. Missouri and Nebraska were tied for eighth place, and Texas Tech filled the final spot.

Huskers Boast Experienced Coaching Staff
One of the strengths is an experienced coaching staff. All three full-time coaches have served as head coaches at the Division I level and combine for more than 1,200 career wins. Anderson, who is in his eighth season, has 273 wins entering this weekend’s series with UCLA. Dave Bingham won 837 games in stints between Kansas and Emporia State, while Eric Newman won 95 wins in a three-year stint at Dallas Baptist.