Huskers Head to Oklahoma State

Nebraska (14-11, 2-4 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (15-7, 0-3 Big 12) Friday, April 2    - 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3 - 2 p.m. Sunday,  April 4    - 1 p.m.

Probable Starting Pitchers Friday    NU-Michael Mariot, Jr., RHP (2-3, 4.46 ERA)    OSU- Tyler Lyons, Sr., LHP (2-0, 3.41 ERA) Saturday NU-TBA OSU- Thomas Keeling, Jr., LHP (1-3, 6.00 ERA) Sunday NU-Tom Lemke, Fr., RHP (4-1, 3.33 ERA)    OSU- TBA

This Week: The Nebraska baseball team opens April on the road, as the Huskers travel to Oklahoma State for a three-game series with the Cowboys. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with afternoon games on both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). The Huskers (14-11) bring a three-game win streak into Friday’s opener following a pair of wins over North Dakota on Tuesday and Wednesday. Oklahoma State is 15-7 on the season, as it split a pair of games with Florida Gulf Coast earlier in the week.

Radio: All three games against Oklahoma State will be 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 Huskers.com.

Video: Live coverage for all three games will be on Okstate.com. There will be no HuskersNside video this weekend.

Weekend Preview: The Huskers head to Oklahoma State looking for their first Big 12 series win of the season following series losses to No. 2 Texas and No. 12 Oklahoma in the first two weekends of Big 12 action. Oklahoma State also looks to rebound in league play after getting swept at Kansas State last weekend in its Big 12 opener.

The Huskers have relief on a youth movement in the middle infield, as freshmen Bryan Peters and Chad Christensen have seen the majority of time at second base and shortstop, respectively. Peters is hitting .522 with eight runs scored and an on-base percentage of .633 over the last seven games, while Christensen is hitting at a .545 clip with two homers and five RBIs in his last three contests since moving into the lineup. The pair has helped the Huskers find more balance at the bottom of the order, while Adam Bailey continues to enjoy a monster senior season. The Husker right fielder is hitting .440 with nine homers and 35 RBIs, leading the league in all three triple crown categories, while also ranking in the top three in hits (first), total base runs (29, second) and slugging percentage (.771, third). One senior who has started to warm up is senior Tyler Farst, who is hitting .346 in his last seven games to raise his average to .250. He came up with the game-winning hit on Tuesday, as his ninth inning RBI single gave the Huskers an 11-10 win over North Dakota, a game in which the Huskers overcame a 10-0 deficit.

3 Things to Watch
13: Number of multi-hit games that senior right fielder Adam Bailey had in March for the Huskers. The senior also had 12- multi-RBI games in the month and hit .449-8-30 in 18 games.

1.00: Khris Tate’s ERA in his last six appearances dating back to March 5, including Wednesday’s victory over North Dakota. Tate is holding hitters to a .200 average in that stretch.

4: Number of starts that freshman Tom Lemke has allowed one or zero runs in his four starts. Lemke was Big 12 co-Pitcher of the Week last week as he tossed a three-hit shutout against No. 12 Oklahoma.

Scouting Oklahoma State
The Cowboys, coached by Frank Anderson, are 15-7 on the season and looking for their first conference win. OSU won 12 of its first 14 games, but has went just 3-5 since an 8-7 win over Wright State on March 19. The Cowboys were swept at Kansas State last weekend, including a series opener when they allowed seven runs in the bottom of the eighth after building an 11-7 lead.

Offensively, Oklahoma State is second in the Big 12 with a .340 team batting average and features seven regulars with at least a .322 batting average. OSU also has 70 doubles, which is 12 more than any other team in the league. Dane Phillips leads the Cowboys with a .404 average to rank fifth in the league and scored a team best 22 runs. OSU also features one of the league’s most prolific base stealers in second baseman Davis Duren, who is hitting .357 and leads the Big 12 with 18 stolen bases.

On the mound, the Cowboys have an experienced Friday night starter in Tyler Lyons, a 10th round draft pick of the Yankees last season. The senior left-hander is 2-0 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts, striking out 32 and walking just six over a team-high 37 innings. OSU also features another hard-throwing southpaw in Thomas Keeling, who is seventh in the Big 12 with 41 strikeouts in just 27 innings of work.

Series History: Oklahoma State holds a 113-74 lead in the all-time series, as the Huskers won the season series, 2-1 in Lincoln last March. Anderson played under current NU assistant Dave Bingham at Emporia State.

Midweek Recap
Tuesday (Nebraska 11, North Dakota 10):  Tyler Farst’s ninth-inning RBI single plated Adam Bailey with the go-ahead run, as Nebraska overcame a 10-run deficit for an 11-10 win over North Dakota in the series opener Tuesday night. Farst sent a 3-1 pitch from Kris Kwak to center for his second hit of the game, scoring Bailey from second and touching off a celebration, as Nebraska overcame its largest deficit since also overcoming a 10-run deficit in a 14-13 victory against Iowa State in 2000.  Bailey, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, provided a key moment earlier in the inning, as he battled through a 13-pitch at-bat before tying the game with an RBI double to score pinch-runner Khiry Cooper. The heroics made a winner of reliever Chase Adams, who went a career-long 5.2 innings for the win. Adams overcame a shaky start to hold North Dakota off the board for the final five innings, allowing Nebraska to manufacture a comeback. Adams fanned four in his longest relief effort of the season and didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position over the final four innings.  The Huskers belted four homers on the night, including a two-run shot by pinch hitter Cade Thompson and an eighth-inning grand slam from Cody Asche to pull the Huskers within 10-9. Chad Christensen also homered and drove in two runs, as NU totaled 13 hits on the night.

Wednesday (Nebraska 10, North Dakota 4):  DJ Belfonte homered and drove in three runs to lead Nebraska to a 10-4 victory over North Dakota.  Belfonte went 3-for-4 on the day with a two-run homer to spark a 14-hit attack by the Huskers. Bryan Peters and Cory Burleson also added a pair of hits and two RBIs apiece, as the bottom of the Husker lineup provided a spark to help Nebraska to its third straight win. Nebraska jumped on North Dakota starter Zac Salfer for five runs in the first inning, using clutch two-out hitting and taking advantage of a key Fighting Sioux miscue. With two out and a runner on first, shortstop Kris Kwak misplayed a grounder to keep the inning alive before singles by Cody Asche and Chad Christensen gave NU a two-run lead. After a walk to Cade Thompson, Peters lined a two-run single to right center before Burleson made it 5-0 with a run-scoring single to center.  That would be all the Huskers needed on the day, as right-hander Khris Tate and four relievers saw action on the date. Tate went a predetermined three innings for his first win, fanning three and allowing two hits to improve to 1-0 on the season.

Leading Off
•-The 10-run deficit Nebraska overcame on Tuesday against North Dakota equaled the largest deficit the Huskers have overcome in a game since 2000. That season, NU also overcame a 10-0 deficit in the second inning in a 14-13 victory over Iowa State at Buck Beltzer Stadium. Prior to Tuesday, the largest deficit NU had overcome under Mike Anderson was seven runs against Northern Colorado last season.

•-Nebraska has gotten off to fast starts, scoring first in 19 of its 25 games this season. NU has scored in the first inning in more than half of its games this season (14 of 25), including five runs on Wednesday against North Dakota. NU has outscored its opposition, 25-7 in the first innings of games this year and has won nearly 75 percent of games over the last eight seasons when scoring first.
•-Nebraska has improved its offensive numbers this season, as it enters the Oklahoma State series with a .311 batting average and is second in the Big 12 with 29 homers. It is NU’s highest batting average after 25 games since the 2006 campaign and a fact made more impressive considering the Huskers have played six games against the top-two teams in the country in ERA (UCLA and Texas).

Nebraska Totals after 25 Games
Year    Avg.    HR    RBIs
2006    .321    31    154
2007    .277    18    139
2008    .297    15    160
2009    .295    26    175
2010    .311    29    174

•-One year after Kansas’ Tony Thompson became the Big 12’s first triple crown winner, Adam Bailey is making a strong bid to repeat the feat in 2010. Bailey enters the Oklahoma State series hitting .440 with nine homers and 35 RBIs, leading the league in all three categories, as well as total bases and hits. Bailey was hitting .337 with nine homers and 33 RBIs through NU’s first 25 games a year ago.

Bailey’s Triple Crown Chase
Category    No.    Runner-up     No.
Average    .440    Aaron Senne, Missouri    .427
Homers    9    Aaron Senne, Missouri    8
RBIs    35    Carter Junica, Kansas State    33

•-The Huskers have been proficient in two-out situations this season, recording 75 two-out RBIs.  In fact, 81 of Nebraska’s 185 runs (43.7 percent) have been scored with two outs through the first 25 contests. NU has scored at least one two-out run in 21 of 25 contests. Bailey has a team-best 13 RBIs, while Cody Asche (11) and Tyler Farst also have at least 10 two-out RBIs.

•-Five of Nebraska’s 11 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 19 of its 25 contests.

•-The Huskers are 103-1 (.990) under Mike Anderson when reaching double figures in runs, including 75-0 since the start of the 2005 season. Nebraska is 9-0 this season when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.

•-DJ Belfonte reached a pair of milestones against North Dakota Wednesday, as he drove in his 100th run and also scored his 150th career run. Belfonte is 38 runs scored shy of 10th place on Nebraska’s career top-10 list. He is also now seven hits shy of 200 for his career.

•-Kale Kiser saw his seven-game hit streak snapped in Tuesday’s win, going 0-for-3 with three walks. Kiser is eighth in the Big 12 in walks with 17 and has drawn at least two walks in four games this season. Last year, he had just six walks all season.

•-Nebraska’s 10-run outburst in the third inning against Northern Colorado on March 24, marked the fourth time under Mike Anderson that the Huskers have reached double-digits in an inning since 2003.

•-Nebraska has pitched well since the series opener at No. 14 UCLA on March 5, posting a 4.01 ERA over its last 15 contests. The Huskers are third in the league in complete games (three) and second in shutouts (two)

•-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  252-7-1 (.971) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.

•-Chad Christensen’s four homers is the most by a Husker freshman since Andy Gerch hit four in 2005. Christensen is averaging a homer every seven at-bats.

•-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.

•-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.

•-Senior outfielder DJ Belfonte ranks second on Nebraska’s career hit-by-pitch list with 51 after getting plunked against Northern Colorado on March 24. He is just a handful of players in Big 12 history to get hit by at least 50 pitches. Belfonte has been hit a team-high eight times this season.

•-NU has 118 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003. The Huskers already have four come-from-behind wins this season, including a 10-run deficit against North Dakota on March 30 and a three-run deficit against Northern Colorado on March 23.

•-The Huskers are 67-7 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. This season, NU is 13-1 when out-hitting opponents in 2010. The Huskers are 14-3 with reaching double figures in hits, but winless in eight games with nine hits or less.

•-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.

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 .440 with nine homers and 35 RBIs. Bailey, who was drafted in the 38th round by the New York Yankees last season, leads the Big 12 in five categories, average, RBIs, homers, total bases (84) and hits (48), while ranking in the top three in both runs (29, second) and slugging percentage (.771, third)

He has been on a monster tear in the past three weeks, hitting .493 (34-for-69) with seven homers and 29 RBIs since celebrating his 22nd birthday with a three-hit day on March 6. He has 13 multi-hit and 12 multi-RBI efforts, including a stretch of nine straight multi-RBI games. 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. Against Northern Colorado on March 24, 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 .366 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 10 games against ranked teams.

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 .374 with four homers, 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored in the leadoff spot. He is fourth in the league with a pair of triples and sixth in stolen bases, swiping nine of 11 bases while also ranking 15th in batting average.

Belfonte, who was voted the best defensive outfielder by the league coaches  in Baseball America’s preseason issue, is one of three Huskers (also Adam Bailey) to start all 25 games for the Huskers in 2010. 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. His four homers this year matches his career total for the first three years of his career.

Kiser is Second to None
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 .397 with 26 runs scored, ranking eighth in the league in both hitting and walks (17) and topping the conference with a .551 on-base percentage.

After Nebraska started the year with a 3-7 mark, Kiser was bumped to second in the order and has played a key role in helping NU to a 11-4 record in its last 15 contests. Kiser has hit safely in 11 of his last 14 games, and has reached safely in 21 of his 22 appearances this year. 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.

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 .316 with four homers and 23 RBIs, ranking second on the team in homers, RBIs and doubles (seven).

He got off to a slow start, going hitless in his first 10 at-bats, but has been on a tear since then, hitting .353 since Feb. 21. He had a career-long 12-game hit streak and hit .500 (6-for-12) with five RBIs at Texas. Earlier this week, he belted his first grand slam in Nebraska’s 11-10 win over North Dakota.

Lemke Sparkles In Debut Campaign
Freshman right-hander Tom Lemke has emerged as one of the Big 12’s top pitching rookies this season. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.33 ERA in six starts, ranking 13th in the Big 12 in earned-run average and eighth in opponent batting average (.229).  He has allowed one run or less in four of his six outings and picked up wins over three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Fresno State, Elon, Oklahoma).

He was named Big 12 co-pitcher of the week on March 29, following his three-hit shutout of No. 12 Oklahoma. Lemke fanned a career-high eight hitters en route to holding the Sooners to their lowest hit total of the year. It also marked the first time OU had been shutout in the regular season since 2007. Lemke, a 10th round pick of the Texas Rangers in last June’s MLB Draft, showed his poise early on, becoming just the fourth Husker freshman to start during the opening weekend of the season. He also became the first Husker freshman in that time to earn the victory, tossing five shutout innings at Fresno State.

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 fourth-year starter, Belfonte has appeared in 191 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 51 and has led NU in stolen bases in each of the past two seasons. He is a career .284 hitter with eight homers, 102 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.