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Texas A&M (23-16, 7-10-1) |
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Media Info Video: Huskers.com (Friday); HuskersNside (Sunday, subscription required) Television: Friday's game will be televised statewide on NET-1 with Kevin Kugler and Adrian Fiala Live Stats: Huskers.com Probable Starting Pitchers Saturday Sunday |
This Weekend: Nebraska begins the homestretch of the 2010 season this weekend, as the Huskers welcome Texas A&M to Hawks Field. Friday's series opener is a 6:35 p.m. first pitch with games on Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and Sunday (11:05 a.m.). Sunday's game is an early start to accommodate the Aggies' travel plans.
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.
Promotions/Events: Saturday: Hometown Husker Day (Omaha); May baskets to the first 115 children under 12; Junior Home Run Club sings during seventh-inning stretch. Sunday: Hometown Husker Day (Columbus).
Preview: Nebraska returns home to build some momentum, as this weekend's series with Texas A&M begins a stetch of nine home games in NU's final 13 contests. Nebraska is 12-5 at Hawks Field this spring and has won over 75 percent of its games since moving into the ballpark in 2002. The Huskers and Kansas are the only two Big 12 teams which have played more road games than home contests entering this weekend's action.
While the Huskers begin the weekend in ninth place in the Big 12 race with a 6-12 league mark, the Huskers are just 1.5 games behind eighth-place Texas A&M and play the Aggies and seventh-place Missouri in their two Big 12 series. A weekend series win, which would be NU's first in Big 12 play this year, could pull the Huskers to within one-half game of the Aggies with six league games remaining. Nebraska wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 5-2 loss at Iowa, where the Hawkeyes scored three times in the seventh and took advantage of a season-high four errors by the Huskers. The Huskers have held each of their last three opponents to five runs or less, but managed just nine runs in the stretch.
Like the Huskers, Texas A&M has struggled of late, losing eight of its last 11 coming into this weekend's series. After losing the final two games of its series with Oklahoma, the Aggies rebounded with a 7-5 victory over Prairie View A&M Tuesday night. Texas A&M has not won a weekend series since taking 2-of-3 from Missouri in late March, a span of four weekend series.
3 Things to Watch
52: RBIs by senior outfielder Adam Bailey this year. His total not only leads the Big 12, but is the most by a Husker since the 2005 season (Alex Gordon, 66; Curtis Ledbetter, 55).
16: Innings in the 2008 series opener between the two teams, a game that Texas A&M won, 6-3. Two days later, Nebraska stopped Texas A&M's 16-game Big 12 win streak (longest in Big 12 history) with five runs in the ninth in a 9-8 victory. Texas can match that Big 12 record by winning the first two games of its series against Baylor this weekend. .400
Scouting Texas A&M
Under coach Rob Childress, the Aggies come to Lincoln with a 23-16-1 record following a 7-5 victory over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night. Childress served as Nebraska's pitching coach from 1998 to 2003, and was associate head coach in his final three years at Nebraska. The Aggies have been tough at home, going 20-9 at Olsen Field, but are just 3-7-1 away from home this season. The Aggies won four of their first five Big 12 contests, but are just 3-9-1 since then and fell out of the national rankings.
The Aggies' strength is their pitching staff that is third in the Big 12 with 3.73 ERA and averages a Big 12-best 9.89 strikeouts per nine innings. Junior right-hander Barrett Loux has anchored the staff with a 6-2 record and a 2.20 ERA, as he ranks fourth in the conference in ERA and tops all Big 12 pitchers with 88 strikeouts over 61.1 innings of work. Freshman Michael Wacha has been solid, going 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 16 contests. TAMU also has one of the best relievers in the Big 12 in sophomore John Stilson, who is 6-1 with six saves and a 1.15 ERA. He has 72 strikeouts over 47 innings and returned to action on Tuesday with a scoreless inning against Prairie View A&M.
Offensively, the Aggies have struggled at times, ranking 10th in the league with a .291 team batting average. Senior shortstop Brodie Green has been one of the Aggies' top performers, hitting .374-7-32 and leads Texas A&M in all three triple crown categories while leading the Big 12 with six triples and adding 13 stolen bases. Caleb Shofner is hitting .341 with six homers and 31 RBIs, while Joe Patterson is hitting .320 with three homers, 21 RBIs and a team-best 10 doubles. Defensively, Texas A&M is last in the conference with a .955 fielding percentage and has turned a league-low 26 double plays.
Series History: The Aggies lead the all-time series, 22-21, since the series began in 1989, as the teams met once before the start of Big 12 action. The Huskers are 13-5 all-time against the Aggies in Lincoln, including a 9-3 mark in Hawks Field since the ballpark opened in 2002.
Last Time Out
Tuesday (Iowa 5, Nebraska 2): Mike McQuillan's two-run seventh-inning single broke a two-all tie, as Iowa scored three times to top Nebraska, 5-2, on Tuesday. McQuillan, who went 2-for-4 on the night, came up with the game's big hit, a two-run bases-loaded single off of reliever Jordan Roualdes, as Iowa took the lead for good in the seventh. Ryan Durant, who also had two hits, extended the Hawkeye lead with an RBI single, as Iowa had three of its nine hits in the inning. The Huskers threatened in the ninth against Iowa closer Kevin Lee and got the tying run to the plate with one out, but Lee retired the last two hitters he faced for his eighth save of the season. Adam Bailey and DJ Belfonte had two hits apiece for Nebraska, which managed just seven hits on the night. Bailey and Peters combined for the two RBIs, as Nebraska lost to Iowa for the first time since 2007. Nebraska wasted a solid pitching performance by committing a season-high four errors, including a pair of third-inning miscues that led directly to Iowa's first two runs.
Leading Off
- The Nebraska and Texas A&M baseball staffs are very familiar to one another. Along with Childress, assistant coach Justin Seely played at Nebraska in 2001 and 2002, and served as a volunteer assistant for two years (2006-07). In addition, former NU graduate assistant trainer Josh Cohen (2004-05) serves as A&M's athletic trainer for baseball.
- Adam Bailey's 15 homers in 2010 are the most by a Husker since 2005, when Alex Gordon hit 19 en route to National Player-of-the-Year honors. He is also four homers away from 10th place on Nebraska's single-season lists. With 27 homers in two seasons, Bailey is tied for third among players who spent less than three seasons at Nebraska.
- With 52 RBIs this season, Adam Bailey is the first Husker to record back-to-back seasons with at least 50 RBIs since Alex Gordon and Curtis Ledbetter accomplished the feat during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. His RBI total is now the highest by any Husker in the last five seasons.
- Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson is now one win shy of becoming the third coach in school history to win 300 games at Nebraska. Anderson is 299-165-2 in his eight seasons at NU.
- A trio of Husker players are among the national leaders released on Tuesday. Adam Bailey tops the list, as he ranks in the top-50 nationally six categories, including homers and RBIs. As a team, the Huskers rank in the top 50 in three categories, including fielding percentage.
- One year after Kansas' Tony Thompson became the Big 12's first triple crown winner, Adam Bailey is also making a strong push to repeat the feat in 2010. Bailey enters the week hitting .386 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs, leading the Big 12 in homers and in the top five in both RBIs and batting average.
- Kale Kiser is bidding to become the first Husker to finish the season with a .500 on-base percentage since 2005. Kiser, who is third in the Big 12 with a .494 on-base percentage, had reached safely in all 35 starts this season before an 0-for-2 effort at Iowa Tuesday night ended the string. Here is a list of the Huskers with on-base percentages of at least .500 since 2000.
- Last Saturday, freshman Tyler Niederklein became the first Husker freshman to win his inaugural Big 12 start since the 2005 season. The Omaha native went a career long 5.2 innings against the Bears to become only the fourth true freshman over the last decade to accomplish the feat.
- Nebraska hitters have been hit by 72 pitches this season to rank second in the Big 12. The total already ranks 10th on NU's single-season list. NU is the only Big 12 team with three players hit by at least 10 pitches this season (DJ Belfonte, Bryan Peters and Kale Kiser), while Belfonte and Peters rank in the top five in the league in that category.
- Senior center fielder DJ Belfonte continues to climb Nebraska's career hits list. He is one of only 19 players in school history to record 200 hits and enters this weekend's series at Texas A&M in 15th place on NU's career hit list with 219. With three hits this weekend, he can tie All-American John Cole for 14th place on NU's all-time list. Belfonte is also one triple shy of cracking Nebraska's top-10 list in that category and will move into a tie for 12th place in games played when he takes the field on Friday night. He is enjoying his best season as a Husker, ranking fifth in the Big 12 in hits (63) and seventh in batting average (.382) this season, while his 32 RBIs rank third on the team. Of the 19 players who have reached the 200 career hit mark at Nebraska, 15 have come since Mike Anderson joined the Nebraska staff prior to the 1995 campaign.
- After not hitting 50 homers in each of the past three seasons, Nebraska has regained its power surge in 2010. The Huskers are fourth in the league in homers with 45 and feature a trio of hitters with at least six homers, including Big 12 leader Adam Bailey. Nebraska is currently on pace to hit 60 homers in the regular season (54 games), which would be its highest total since belting 70 in 2006.
- Nebraska is now tied for third in the Big 12 with three shutouts, trailing only Texas (seven) and Kansas (four). Freshmen have earned the wins in two of three Husker shutouts this season, including Tyler Niederklein against Wichita State on April 13.
- Shortstop Chad Christensen is fourth among all Big 12 freshmen in homers with six, which is the most by a Husker freshman since Alex Gordon had seven in 2003. Christensen's homer total is also the most by a Husker shortstop since Ryan Wehrle hit eight en route to earning third-team All-America honors in 2006. Prior to Christensen's homer on March 28 against Oklahoma, it had been nearly three years since a Nebraska shortstop homered in a game.
- Nebraska has improved its offensive numbers this season, as it enters the Texas A&M series with a .298 team batting average. It is NU's highest batting average after 41 games since 2006 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 has played a difficult schedule in 2010, playing 13 games against ranked teams, including six against current top-10 clubs UCLA and Texas. Nebraska's 13 games against ranked teams is second among all Big 12 teams, as only Texas Tech has played more contests against ranked foes.
- Nebraska's shutout of Wichita State on April 13 marked the third consecutive time that the Shockers had been shutout in Lincoln dating back to 2004. NU has outscored WSU 28-0 in that span.
- The Huskers have been proficient in two-out situations this season, recording 110 two-out RBIs. In fact, 118 of Nebraska's 273 runs (43 percent) this spring have been scored with two outs, and NU has scored at least one two-out run in 32 contests. Adam Bailey has a team-best 24 two-out RBIs this year, while Cody Asche (18), DJ Belfonte (12), and Tyler Farst (11) have at least 10 two-out RBIs this season. Bailey had only 17 two-out RBIs last year, which tied for the team lead in that category.
- The Huskers are 105-1 (.990) under Mike Anderson when reaching double figures in runs, including 77-0 since the start of the 2005 season. Nebraska is 11-0 this season when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.
- Nebraska has gotten off to fast starts, scoring first in 26 of its 40 games this season and has outscored foes 31-16 in the opening inning of games this season. Nebraska has won nearly 75 percent of its games over the last eight years when it scores first.
- Nebraska has usually won when it has pitched well, going 15-6 when holding opponents to five runs or less. Under pitching coach Eric Newman, the Huskers are 34-2 when holding opponents to two runs or less.
- The 10-run deficit Nebraska overcame on March 30, 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 the North Dakota comeback, the largest deficit NU had overcome under Mike Anderson was seven runs vs. Northern Colorado in 2009.
- Seven of Nebraska's 21 losses 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 lost three games when taking a lead into the ninth inning this season after losing only four times in the previous seven seasons. The Huskers are 255-7-1 (.971) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.
- Cody Asche's two grand slams this year mark the first time since 2003 that any Husker has had more than one grand slam in a season. In fact, before hitting three grand slams over the past two weeks, the Huskers had not had multiple grand slams as a team since belting three during the 2004 season.
- DJ Belfonte ranks second on Nebraska's career hit-by-pitch list with 57, as he was hit by a pitch for the first time in nine games on April 25 at Baylor. He is one of just 10 players in conference history to get hit by at least 50 pitches.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- NU has 120 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003. The Huskers already have six come-from-behind wins this season, including overcoming a 10-run deficit against North Dakota on March 30 and a three-run deficit against Northern Colorado on March 23.
- The Huskers are 71-8 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 15-2 when out-hitting opponents. The Huskers are 19-6 with reaching double figures in hits, but winless in 16 games with nine hits or less.
Bailey Swings a Hot Stick
After leading the Huskers in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage in 2009, Adam Bailey has put together a strong senior season. The Scottsdale, Ariz., product is hitting .388 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs entering this weekend's action. The senior ranks 15th nationally in homers, 21st in total bases and 38th in RBIs in the latest NCAA rankings released Tuesday.
Bailey, who was drafted in the 38th round by the New York Yankees last season, leads the Big 12 in four categories, homers, RBIs, hits (66), and totals bases (125) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.735) and sixth in hitting and runs scored. It should not be surprising that Bailey has been a solid run producer, as he is a .414 hitter (46-for-111) with runners in scoring position during his Nebraska career. He originally began his carer as a pitcher at Arizona State in 2007.
Bailey also tops the Huskers with 21 multi-hit games and 18 games with at least two RBIs. The 18 multi-RBI games are the most by a Husker since Alex Gordon in 2004. He is one of only four Huskers in the last eight years to have at least 20 multi-hit and 15 multi-RBI efforts in a season.
Bailey has been at his best against the toughest teams on the Huskers' schedule. He is hitting .365 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 13 games against ranked teams this season. Bailey torched No. 20 Kansas State, hitting .364 with three homers and six RBIs in the weekend series, including his second career multi-homer game on April 9, as he drove in four runs in NU's 5-3 win. 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 RBIs in the three-game series at No. 2 Texas.
DJ Keeps Churning Out Hits
DJ Belfonte gives Nebraska a solid threat at the top of the lineup. The senior is hitting .382 with five homers and 32 RBIs in the leadoff spot. He ranks among the Big 12 leaders in four categories including: hits (fifth, 63); triples (second, three); total bases (eighth, 92); and batting average (seventh).
Belfonte, who was voted the best defensive outfielder by the league coaches in Baseball America's preseason issue, is one of two Huskers (also Adam Bailey) to start all 41 games 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 season, belting two homers against South Dakota State on March 16, the first two-homer game of his career. His five homers this year already eclipses his career total prior to this season. He matched his career best with four RBIs against Wichita State April 13.
Belfonte is hitting .458 (11-for-24) with five runs scored during a six-game hit streak and had a strong performance at Baylor last weekend, hitting a team-high .455 with three runs scored and an on-base percentage of .571.
Kiser is Second to None
After seeing limited time behind eventual MLB draftee Jeff Tezak as a freshman last year, second baseman Kale Kiser has been a pleasant surprise in 2010.
Kiser, a native of Plano, Texas, comes into the weekend hitting .366 with 42 runs scored, ranking third in the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.500), seventh in runs scored and 13th in batting average. He also leads NU with 22 walks and is second with five stolen bases.
After Nebraska started the year with a 3-7 mark, Kiser was bumped to second in the order and has greatly helped the top of the lineup, hitting .370 after NU's hitters had a combined .228 average through the first 10 contests. This season, he has reached safely in 36 of his 38 appearances, with the only exceptions when he came off the bench at Fresno State on Feb. 20 and an 0-for-2 effort at Iowa on April 27.
Kiser, who can see time at either second base or designated hitter, 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 Mans the Hot Corner
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 .296 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. Asche has enjoyed a pair of double-digit hit streaks this season, including a 12-game hit streak from March 5-24. He hit .500 (6-for-12) with five RBIs at No. 2 Texas and enjoyed a monster week earlier this season with three homers and 13 RBIs - including a pair of grand slams - in a five-game span.
He belted his first career grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning of Nebraska's 11-10 win over North Dakota on March 30 and followed up four days later with another grand slam at Oklahoma State on April 3, matching his career high with five RBIs in NU's 9-2 win.
Infield Youth Movement
Nebraska has relied on a pair of freshmen middle infielders recently, as Bryan Peters and Chad Christensen have become the Huskers' primary double play duo. Peters, who was slowed by an orbital bone fracture suffered before practice began, has taken over the starting second baseman job and is hitting .277 with 18 runs scored in 34 appearances. He has also been hit by 15 pitches to rank third in the Big 12 in that category. After a slow start, Peters has hit well of late, hitting .333 over his last 19 contests.
Christensen, who moved into the lineup on March 28 following Kyle Bubak's back injury, has been on a tear, has started the last 18 games at shortstop and is hitting .333 with six homers and 15 RBIs. He enjoyed a 10-game hit streak from March 28 until April 11, recording eight multi-hit games in that stretch.
With the return of Josh Scheffert to the lineup, the Huskers have used an infield comprised of freshmen and sophomores over the last four contests.
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 enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, hitting .275 with three homers and 21 RBIs. He broke a bone in his left hand on a pitch on March 28 that was expected to be season ending, but Scheffert returned after missing 10 contests. He has started NU's last six games, including a 2-for-4 night at Crieghton in his first start since March 27.
The Lincoln Southeast product - the same school as former National Player of the Year Alex Gordon - was second on the team in both homers and RBIs and led NU in walks at the time of the injury. He has six multi-RBI efforts, including a career-high four RBIs against South Dakota State on March 16.
Casey of All Trades
Junior right-hander Casey Hauptman has filled nearly every role on the Husker staff in 2010. While he is only 1-4, he leads Nebraska in strikeouts (44) and is second in innings pitched (56.1). After beginning the season in long relief, he moved into the starter's role for three weekends before taking over the closer's spot following Mike Nesseth's season-ending injury.
Out of the bullpen, Hauptman has a 3.90 ERA in 13 outings, fanning 25 over 32.1 innings. He is 3-for-3 in save opportunities, pitching the final 1.2 innings at No. 20 Kansas State on April 9. In fact, all three of his saves have been at least 1.2 innings of work. In the wake of Mike Nesseth's injury, Hauptman is now NU's most experienced pitcher, making 48 appearances and striking out 101 over 137.2 career innings.
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. A total of 15 newcomers have seen playing time this year, especially 10 of the 16 pitchers who have thrown this season.
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.
Ticket Update
Because of the weather-related postponements this season, two previous game tickets can be used for general admission tickets to any remaining regular-season game at Hawks Field. Those tickets are the following:
- South Dakota State (Game 1 on season-ticket sheets)
- Houston Baptist (Game 3)
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. 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 .982 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.
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.
: DJ Belfonte's average this season with runners in scoring position. The number is well above his .302 mark during the first three years of his career. Saturday: Hometown Husker Day (Omaha); May baskets to the first 115 children under 12; Junior Home Run Club sings during seventh-inning stretch. Sunday: Hometown Husker Day (Columbus). 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. Nebraska begins the homestretch of the 2010 season this weekend, as the Huskers welcome Texas A&M to Hawks Field. Friday's series opener is a 6:35 p.m. first pitch with games on Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and Sunday (11:05 a.m.). Sunday's game is an early start to accommodate the Aggies' travel plans.