Huskers Look to Bounce Back at K-State

Nebraska (15-14) at No. 20 Kansas State (21-5, 4-2 Big 12) Friday, April 9 - 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10 - 2 p.m. Sunday, April 11 - 1p.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 Sunday) Live Stats:  Huskers.com Probable Starting Pitchers Friday NU-Michael Mariot, Jr., RHP (2-4, 5.16 ERA) KSU-Justin Lindsey, So., RHP (2-0, 2.66 ERA) Saturday        NU-Khris Tate, Jr., RHP (2-0, 2.87 ERA) KSU-Kyle Hunter, So., LHP (5-0, 2.89 ERA) Sunday NU-Tom Lemke, Fr., RHP (4-2, 5.02 ERA) KSU-Ryan Daniel, Sr., RHP (5-1, 4.25 ERA)

This Week: The Nebraska baseball team looks to snap a two-game losing streak, as the Huskers head to Manhattan, Kan., for a three-game series with No. 20 Kansas State. Friday's first pitch between the Huskers and Wildcats is slated for 6:30 p.m. with afternoon tilts set for both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). The Huskers suffered their first mid-week loss of the season, falling to Creighton, 13-5, on Tuesday evening, while Kansas State has not played since dropping 2-of-3 at Texas Tech last weekend.

Radio: All three games this weekend will be carried 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 Sunday's games will be available on HuskersNside, as the site will take the simulcast of the K-State broadcasts.

Weekend Preview: The Huskers will look for their first Big 12 series victory of the year, as Nebraska heads to Kansas State this weekend. The Huskers enter the weekend tied for eighth place in the Big 12 standings with a 3-6 mark, including series losses against nationally ranked Texas and Oklahoma.

Nebraska has been solid offensively, ranking fifth in the Big 12 with a .311 batting average while ranking second in the conference with 34 homers. The Huskers feature one of the Big 12's top sluggers in senior right fielder Adam Bailey, who is among the Big 12 leaders in all three triple crown categories, hitting .424 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs. Bailey ranks first or second in the league in batting average (second), homers (first), RBIs (second), hits (53, first), runs (34, fifth), total bases (93, first) and slugging percentage (.744 fourth). He is one of three Huskers in the top-15 in the league in batting average, joining center fielder DJ Belfonte (.389, 10th) and Kale Kiser (.380, 13th). In fact, the Huskers and Kansas State are the only teams with three hitters among the league's top 15 in batting average.
Kansas State has been one of the league's biggest surprises, coming into the weekend with a 21-5 record and enjoying a No. 20 national ranking. KSU leads the Big 12 with a .336 team batting average and also has three hitters Nick Martini (.402), Adam Muenster (.396) and Carter Jurica (.388) in the top 15 in the Big 12 in hitting.

3 Things to Watch
5: Number of homers by freshman Chad Christensen, which is the most by a freshman since Alex Gordon hit seven in 2003. Christensen is third in the Big 12 among freshmen in homers, a fact made more impressive considering he has had just 46 at-bats.
10/2nd: 10 hit by pitches for senior DJ Belfonte makes him only the second player in school history to get by 10 pitches in four straight seasons, joining Daniel Bruce (2002-05).
.533: On-base percentage for sophomore Kale Kiser. He is one of only five players in the Big 12 with on-base percentages of .500 or better.

Scouting Kansas State
Under seventh-year coach Brad Hill, Kansas State comes off its first NCAA Regional appearance in school history and enters the week with a 21-5 mark, including 4-2 in Big 12 action. KSU had been red hot, winning 15 of 16 games before dropping 2-of-3 at Texas Tech last weekend.

The Wildcats feature an offense that leads the Big 12 in both hitting (.336) and stolen bases (60) while ranking ninth in the league with just 14 homers. Sophomore Nick Martini paces the Wildcat attack, ranking fifth in the league with a .402 batting average while driving in 30 runs. Junior Carter Jurica has been the Wildcats top performer, hitting .388 with four homers, 36 RBIs, 33 runs scored and 12 stolen bases, ranking in the top 10 in hitting, RBIs, runs scored and stolen bases. In all, seven Wildcat starters are hitting at least .330 on the year.

On the mound, KSU lost Big 12 pitcher of the Year A.J. Morris  as well as left-hander Lance Hoge, as the pair combined for 20 of the Wildcats' 43 wins last season. Justin Lindsey (2-0, 2.66 ERA) moves into the Friday spot for the first time this season, while left-hander Kyle Hunter (5-0, 2.89 ERA) throws on Saturday.  At the back of the bullpen is James Allen, who is 4-0 with three saves and a 1.93 ERA in nine games. KSU is allowing hitters to hit .282 on the season, but has walks an average of 2.45 hitters per nine innings.

Series History: The Huskers lead the all-time series, 160-102, despite getting swept in the season series last season in Lincoln, snapping Nebraska's six-year streak of winning the regular-season series. The Huskers have traditionally played well in Manhattan, winning eight of the last nine meetings in Manhattan dating back to 2004, including a series sweep in 2008. In all, NU has won 17 of the last 23 match-ups dating back to 2003.

Tuesday Recap
Tuesday (Creighton 13, Nebraska 5): Nebraska spotted Creighton a 7-0 lead before mounting a comeback, but lost 13-5 Tuesday evening.  The Bluejays set the tone early, as back-to-back homers from Elliot Soto and Alex Staehely off of Nebraska starter Chase Adams to open the game helped Creighton jump out to a quick 3-0 advantage. Soto had four hits on the night and helped CU build a 7-0 lead, only to see the Huskers push across five runs in the third, including a two-run double from freshman Chad Christensen, to make it a two-run game. That would be as close as NU would get, as the Bluejays scored a pair of runs in the fourth and added four more in the ninth.  Chase Adams (2-1) suffered his first loss of his college career, allowing six runs on five hits over 1.1 innings, snapping a string of 13 straight decisions beginning three years ago in junior college. Christensen, Cade Thompson and Kale Kiser had two hits apiece for the Huskers, as Nebraska totaled 11 hits in the loss.
 
Leading Off
*-Kansas State Head Coach Brad Hill played baseball for NU assistant coach Dave Bingham at Emporia State from 1981-84, while KSU Assistant Coach Andy Sawyers both played (1997-98) and coached (2003-07) at Nebraska.

*-Kansas State's Matt Giller is the older brother of Husker freshman pitcher Kurt Giller, as this weekend's matchup in Manhattan would have marked the first time the brothers had squared off in their college careers. Matt is hitting .342 with 17 RBIs in 26 contes, while Kurt, who had made eight appearances in the Husker bullpen this season, had his season ended Wednesday, as an MRI showed a benign cyst on his right humerus. The cyst had caused an impending fracture in the humerus as well as ligament damage, which will require season-ending surgery.

*-Nebraska has improved its offensive numbers this season, as it enters the Kansas State series with a .311 team batting average. It is NU's highest batting average after 29 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).

*-The top two teams in the league in terms of hit-by-pitches will square off this weekend. Kansas State leads the league with 66 HBP, including 19 by Daniel Dellasega, while Nebraska is second with 55 HBPs on the year, including 10 by DJ Belfonte and nine by Bryan Peters. Both pitching staffs have been good at not hitting hitters, as KSU (23, 4th) and NU (25, 5th) are both in the upper half of the league in that category.

*-One year after Kansas' Tony Thompson became the Big 12's first triple crown winner, Adam Bailey is making a strong push to repeat the feat in 2010. Bailey enters the weekend hitting .424 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs, ranking in the top two in all three categories.

*-After not hitting 50 homers in each of the past two seasons, Nebraska has regained its power surge in 2010. The Huskers are second in the Big 12 with 34 homers (Oklahoma leads with 37) and feature two of the Big 12's top 10 home run hitters in Adam Bailey (10, first) and Cody Asche (6, sixth). Nebraska is on pace to hit 65 homers in the regular season (54 games), which would be its highest total since belting 70 in 2006.

*-Chad Christensen is third among all Big 12 freshmen in homers with five, trailing only the Baylor duo of Max Muncy (eight) and Logan Vick (six), and his five round trippers are the most by a Husker rookie since Alex Gordon in 2005.

*-Nebraska has gotten off to fast starts, scoring first in 20 of its 29 games this season. NU has scored in the first inning in more than half of its games this season (15 of 29), including four runs in Sunday's series finale at Oklahoma State. NU has out-scored its opposition, 29-10 in the first innings of games this year and has won nearly 75 percent of games over the last eight seasons when scoring first.

*-The Huskers have been proficient in two-out situations this season, recording 82 two-out RBIs. In fact, 88 of Nebraska's 210 runs (42 percent) have been scored with two outs through the first 29 contests, and NU has scored at least one two-out run in 24 contests. Bailey has a team-best 16 two-out RBIs, while Cody Asche (14) and Tyler Farst (10) also have at least 10 two-out RBIs this season.

*-Senior DJ Belfonte continues to climb Nebraska's career hits list. He became just the 19th player in school history to record 200 career hits last Sunday at Oklahoma State and moved into a tie with Francis Collins for 18th place on Tuesday night. With two hits, he ties former All-Americans Ken Harvey and Steve Stanicek for 16th on NU's all-time list.  Of the 19 players who have reached 200 hits at Nebraska, 15 have come since Mike Anderson joined the Nebraska staff prior to the 1995 campaign.

Belfonte is enjoying his best season as a Husker, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in hits (45) and eighth in batting average (.388) this season, while his 25 RBIs already match his entire 2009 total.

*-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 against Northern Colorado last season.

*-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.

*-Cody Asche's two grand slams marked 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.

*-Nebraska has played a difficult schedule the first half of the season, playing 10 games against ranked teams, including current top-10 clubs UCLA and Texas. Nebraska's 10 games against ranked teams is second among all Big 12 teams, as only Texas Tech has played more contests against ranked foes.

*-Five of Nebraska's 14 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 lost three games this season 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.

*-DJ Belfonte ranks second on Nebraska's career hit-by-pitch list with 53 after getting plunked against Creighton on April 5. He is just a handful of players in Big 12 history to get hit by at least 50 pitches.

*-Kale Kiser has shown great patience at the plate, ranking seventh in the Big 12 with 19 walks in 26 contests, including five games with at least two walks. As a freshman, he drew just six walks in 26 games.

*-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 119 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003. The Huskers already have five come-from-behind wins this season, including overcoming 10-run deficit against North Dakota on March 30 and a three-run deficit against Northern Colorado on March 23.

*-The Huskers are 68-8 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 14-2 when out-hitting opponents. The Huskers are 15-5 with reaching double figures in hits, but winless in nine 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 .424 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs entering this weekend's series at Kansas State.

Bailey, who was drafted in the 38th round by the New York Yankees last season, leads the Big 12 in three categories, homers, hits (53) and totals bases (93) while ranking in the top five in RBIs (second), batting average (second), runs (34, fifth) and slugging percentage (744, fourth).

He has been on a monster tear in the past month, hitting .459 (39-for-85) with eight homers and 31 RBIs since celebrating his 22nd birthday with a three-hit day on March 6. He has 14 multi-hit and 13 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 RBIs 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 .388 with five homers, 26 RBIs and 25 runs scored in the leadoff spot. He is sixth in the league with a pair of triples and seventh in stolen bases, swiping 10 of 12 bases while also ranking eighth in batting average.

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 29 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 five homers this year already eclipses his career total prior to this season. Belfonte comes off a strong performance at Oklahoma State last weekend, hitting. 500 (7-for-14) with a pair of three-hit efforts. 

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 comes into the weekend hitting .380 with 32 runs scored, leading the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.533) and ranking among the Big 12's best in runs (ninth), walks (19, ninth) and hitting (13th).

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 12-7 record since that start. He has reached safely in 25 of his 26 appearances, with the only exception when he came off the bench at Fresno State on Feb. 20. 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 .321 with six homers and 31 RBIs, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in homers and 11th in RBIs.

He got off to a slow start, going hitless in his first 10 at-bats, but has been on a tear since then, hitting .350 since Feb. 21. He had a career-long 12-game hit streak and hit .500 (6-for-12) with five RBIs at Texas. Asche had a monster offensive week for the Big Red last week, belting three homers and driving in 13 runs in five games. He belted his first career grand slam in 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 over the last two weeks, 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 .308 with 14 runs scored in 23 appearances. He has also been hit by nine pitches to rank second on the team in that category. After a slow start, Peters has hit well of late, hitting .390 with nine runs scored and three stolen bases over his last 10 contests.

Christensen, who moved into the lineup on March 28 following Kyle Bubak's back injury, has been on a tear, hitting .483 with three homers and nine RBIs over his last seven contests. He has hit safely in all seven games, including six multi-hit games. 

Casey of All Trades
Junior right-hander Casey Hauptman has filled nearly every role on the Husker staff in 2010. While he is only 1-3, he ranks 12th in the conference in ERA and and sixth in innings pitched. 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 2.13 ERA in seven outings, fanning 20 over 25.33 innings and has converted both of his save opportunities, including a three-inning stint against Oklahoma State on April 4. Hauptman is now NU's most experienced pitcher, making 41 appearances and striking out 94 over 125.2 career innings.

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 4-2 with a 5.02 ERA in six starts. 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 shut out 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
A fourth-year starter, Belfonte has appeared in 195 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 53 and has led NU in stolen bases in each of the past two seasons. He is a career .288 hitter with nine homers, 105 RBIs and 43 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 and the winner will be announced at the 2010 College World Series in Omaha.

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.