Huskers Take on Southeast Missouri St.

Southeast Missouri State (27-17) at
Nebraska (20-24)

Friday, May 7 - 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, May 8 - 2:05 p.m.
Sunday, May 9 - 12:05 p.m.

Media Info
Radio: Husker Sports Network and on Huskers.com with Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle

Video: All three games on HuskersNside (subscription required)

Television: None
Live Stats:  Huskers.com

Nebraska Probable Starting Pitchers
Fri.-Michael Mariot, Jr., RHP (4-5, 5.38 ERA)
Sat.-Tom Lemke, Fr., RHP (5-5, 4.53 ERA)
Sun.-Tyler Niederklein, Fr., RHP (3-1, 2.81 ERA)

Southeast Missouri State Probable Starting Pitchers
Fri. - Kyle Gumieny, Sr., RHP (7-1, 5.89 ERA)
Sat.- Logan Mahon, Jr., LHP (2-2, 6.24 ERA)
- or - Nick Thomas, Jr., RHP (6-0, 4.11 ERA)
Sun.- Jordan Underwood, Jr., LHP (4-4, 4.65 ERA)

This Weekend:

Nebraska steps out of conference action for a weekend, as the Huskers welcome Southeast Missouri State to Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The three-game series commences Friday evening with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Weekend games are scheduled for Saturday at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday at 12:05 p.m. Sunday's start time is because of the Redhawks' 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: Friday: Staff Appreciate Night - Faculty and staff get free admission to Friday's game and students can enter a drawing for a 40" flat screen TV. Sunday: Hometown Husker Day (Lincoln) and Mother's Day:  The first 100 Mom's in attendance will receive a carnation. In addition, the Junior Husker Home Run Club has events on both Saturday and Sunday. Contact the NU Baseball Office at 402-472-2269 for registration and additional information.

Preview: The Huskers return to the diamond following a break for final exams. Nebraska snapped a four-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over Texas A&M on Sunday. In that game, freshman Tom Lemke tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season, blanking the Aggies on five hits. Cade Thompson had two hits, including a solo homer in the second inning for all of the scoring.  Thompson hit .400 in Nebraska's four games last weekend. Another Husker who is taking advantage of extended playing time is catcher Cory Burleson, who went 4-for-6 in two starts against Texas A&M last weeekend and is hitting .350 with a .500 on-base percentage since March 30.

Southeast Missouri State comes to town with a 27-17 record following a 16-12 win over NAIA Mid-Continent University on Wednesday. The Redhawks are in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 10-6 record, percentage points ahead of Murray State entering this weekend's action. The Redhawks have been a strong offensive club, ranking in the top 10 nationally with a .358 team batting average and have belted 69 homers in 44 contests.

3 Things to Watch This Weekend
2: Seniors who will participate in graduation ceremonies on Saturday. DJ Belfonte and Tyler Farst will be among six current or former Huskers graduating this weekend. The others include Shane Komine, Brandon Buckman, Mitch Abeita and Erik Bird.

2: Tom Lemke's national rank in shutouts this season. Only Pepperdine left-hander Matt Bywater - who has three - has thrown more shutouts than Lemke in 2010.

222: DJ Belfonte's next hit will be No. 223 of his career, tying Curtis Ledbetter for 13th place on NU's career list. He is nine hits away from 10th place (Daniel Bruce, 231) on Nebraska's career chart.

Scouting Southeast Missouri State
The Redhawks have been the surprise of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2010, posting a 27-17 record and leading the OVC with a 10-6 record. Under the direction of 16th-year coach Mark Hogan, the Redhawks were picked seventh in the league's preseason poll, but are on track for the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002.

Southeast Missouri State has one of the country's top offensive attacks, ranking in the top five nationally with a .358 batting average. SEMO has six hitters batting over .350, including a pair of players above the .400 mark. Third baseman Casey Jones is hitting .431 with 10 homers and 58 RBIs. Catcher Jim Klocke has put together a strong 2010 campaign, hitting .385 with nine homers and 56 RBIs and outfielder Louis Haseltine leads the Redhawks with 16 homers while hitting .364 with 52 RBIs.

On the mound, senior right-hander Kyle Gumieny leads the Redhawks with a 7-1 record in 15 appearances, while Nick Thomas is 6-0 with a 4.11 ERA in 15 outings. Freshman Shae Simmons has been the Redhawks' closer, going 3-1 with five saves and a 1.65 ERA in 21 games

Series History: This weekend's series is the first-ever matchup between the two teams. NU has not faced a team from the Ohio Valley Conference since a 13-10 victory over Eastern Illinois in the 2008 NCAA Lincoln Regional.

Last Time Out
Sunday (Nebraska 1, Texas A&M 0): Tom Lemke tossed a five-hit shutout, while Cade Thompson's second-inning homer provided Nebraska with all the offense it needed, as the Huskers took the finale against Texas A&M, 1-0. Lemke (5-5) tossed his second shutout of the season, scattering five hits and striking out a career-high nine Aggies for his fifth win. The freshman, who has allowed two runs or less in five of his 11 starts this season, is the first Husker pitcher to throw a pair of complete-game shutouts since Aaron Marsden and Jamie Rodrigue both accomplished the feat in 2002.  While Lemke silenced the Aggie bats, Thompson had two of the Huskers' four hits, including a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the second off of Texas A&M starter Clayton Ehlert for the game's lone run. Thompson sent a 1-0 offering into the terrace in right for his third homer of the year.

Saturday (Texas A&M 10, Nebraska 5): Despite a season-high three hits from Cory Burleson, the Nebraska baseball team dropped a 10-5 decision to Texas A&M on Saturday. Burleson posted his first three-hit day of the season, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, but Texas A&M overcame an early 1-0 deficit with five runs in the fourth and answered every time the Huskers tried to slice into the lead in the later innings. Matt Juengel went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs for the visitors, while Joe Patterson and Kevin Gonzalez belted back-to-back homers in the fourth off of Nebraska starter Tyler Niederklein to give the Aggies the lead for good.

Friday (Texas A&M 6, Nebraska 1): Michael Mariot established a career high with nine strikeouts, but Texas A&M's Barret Loux allowed one run over seven innings, as the Aggies took the opener, 6-1. Mariot pitched well in a losing effort, allowing four earned runs over seven innings, as his nine strikeouts topped his previous best of eight set at UL-Lafayette as a sophomore. Mariot, who has pitched into the seventh in his last nine starts, was done in by a pair of passed balls in the middle innings, as Texas A&M pushed across five runs in the third and fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead. The runs were more than enough for Loux (7-2), who fanned nine and scattered seven hits over seven frames for the victory. DJ Belfonte provided most of the Husker offense on Friday, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single as he collected his 20th multi-hit game of the season.

Leading Off
*-With his victory on Sunday against Texas A&M, Husker Head Coach Mike Anderson collected his 300th career victory at Nebraska. He is now 300-168-2 in eight years at Nebraska.

*-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.

A trio of Husker players are among the national leaders released on Tuesday. Adam Bailey tops the list, as he ranks in the top-100 nationally in seven categories, including homers and RBIs. As a team, the Huskers rank in the top 50 in both fielding percentage and hit by pitches.

NCAA Individual Leaders (as of April 25)
Category                             Player                    Rank         Actual
Hits                                      Adam Bailey          90              68.0
Home Runs Per Game         Adam Bailey          37              0.34
Home Runs                          Adam Bailey          23              15.0
Runs Batted In Per Game    Adam Bailey          91              1.18
Runs Batted In                     Adam Bailey          70              52.0
Slugging Percentage           Adam Bailey          72              0.706
Total Bases                          Adam Bailey          26              127.0
Hit By Pitch Per Game        Bryan Peters          16              0.46
Hit By Pitch Per Game        D.J. Belfonte          76              0.32
Hit by Pitch                         Bryan Peters          26              17.0
Hit by Pitch                         D.J. Belfonte          54              14.0

NCAA Team Leaders (as of April 25)
Category                        Rank                        Actual
Hit by Pitch                    18                            73.0
Fielding Percentage      41                            0.972

*-Huskers have been hit by 73 pitches this season to rank second in the Big 12. The total already ranks ninth 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.  Bryan Peters has been hit by 17 pitches this season, which is the most of any freshman in the nation. He is fourth on NU's all-time freshman list behind Daniel Bruce (28, 2002), Corey Miller (24, 1996) and DJ Belfonte (18, 2007).

*-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 .378 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs, leading the Big 12 in homers and in the top 10 in both RBIs and batting average.

*-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 with Southeast Missouri State in 14th place on NU's career hit list with 222. With his first hit this weekend, he can tie Curtis Ledbetter for 13th place on NU's all-time list.

*-Belfonte is also one triple shy of cracking Nebraska's top-10 list in that category and would move into 10th place on NU's career appearance list if he plays in all three games this weekend. Belfonte 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.

*-Freshman right-hander Tom Lemke joined an exclusive club on Sunday, as he tossed his second shutout of the season. He is just the fourth freshman in school history to throw at least two shutouts in a season and just one of only 10 pitchers all time at Nebraska to accomplish the feat. He is tied for second nationally in shutouts this season.

*-After not hitting 50 homers in each of the past three seasons, Nebraska has regained its power surge in 2010. The Huskers have 47 homers as a team and feature a trio of hitters with at least six homers, including Big 12 leader Adam Bailey.

*-Kale Kiser has been one of the Big 12's top run producers this season. He is ninth in the league in on-base percentage (.467) and is second on the team with 43 runs scored. He had reached safely in each of his first 35 starts this season.

*-On April 24, 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 is now tied for second in the Big 12 with four shutouts, trailing only Texas (seven). Freshmen have earned the wins in three of four Husker shutouts this season, including Tom Lemke (No. 12 Oklahoma and Texas A&M) and Tyler Niederklein (Wichita State). In Big 12 action, Lemke's two shutouts are more than any other team's total except for Texas.

*-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 44 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 113 two-out RBIs. In fact, 122 of Nebraska's 280 runs (43.6 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 (13), and Tyler Farst (11) all 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 28 of its 44 games this season and has outscored foes 32-16 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 16-6 when holding opponents to five runs or less. Under pitching coach Eric Newman, the Huskers are 35-2 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 256-7-1 (.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 last month, 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. 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 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 just 1-18 when held to 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 .378 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs entering this weekend's action. The senior ranks 23rd in homers and 26th nationally in total bases in the latest NCAA stats released on May 4.  Bailey, who was drafted in the 38th round by the New York Yankees last season, leads the Big 12 in homers and total bases (127), while ranking in the top five in slugging percentage (.706, second), RBIs (third), hits (68, fifth) and runs scored (43, 10th)

It should not be surprising that Bailey has been a solid run producer, as he is a .411 hitter (46-for-112) 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 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. 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 .373 with six homers and 34 RBIs in the leadoff spot. He ranks among the Big 12 leaders in four categories including: hits (eighth, 66); triples (third, three); and batting average (10th).

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 44 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. Against Texas A&M on May 1, he became the first Husker since 2003 to lead off the game with a homer

Belfonte saw his eight-game hit streak snapped on Sunday, but is still hitting at a .389 clip in that stretch. Two weeks ago at Baylor, he batted a team-high .455 with three runs scored and an on-base percentage of .571.

Belfonte Also Excels in the Classroom
Belfonte was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Distict VII team on May 7. In addition to being a four-year starter in the outfield, he has a 3.72 GPA in finance and is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection. He was also a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District pick as a sophomore in 2008.

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 .341 with 42 runs scored, ranking ninth in the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.467) and 11th in runs scored.  He also leads NU with 23 walks and is third with five stolen bases.

After Nebraska started th

e 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 .292 with seven homers and 38 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 .268 with 19 runs scored and six stolen bases in 37 appearances. He has also been hit by 17 pitches to rank third in the Big 12 in that category.

Christensen, who moved into the lineup on March 28 following Kyle Bubak's back injury, has been solid both offensively and defensively. He is hitting .296 with six homers and 15 RBIs, while also fielding at a .963 clip.  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 last month, the Huskers have used an infield comprised of freshmen and sophomores for most of the last two weeks.

Like Mother, Like Son
Freshman Josh Scheffert continues a family tradition at Nebraska, as his mother (Candice [Hoffman] Scheffert) played softball for the Huskers for two seasons (1979-80).  Scheffert has enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, hitting .262 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. Has has struggled to find his form since the injury with, hitting .125 to drop his average below the .300 mark.  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 is second on the pitching staff in innings (59.1) and strikeouts (45). 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 3.82 ERA in 14 outings, fanning 26 over 35.1 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. The 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.

Tickets for May 18th Game vs. Creighton on Sale
Tickets for Nebraska's final regular-season game at historic Rosenblatt Stadium are now on sale. Tickets, which are priced from $9-$15, can be purchased from Ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster's 800 Number (800-745-3000) or visiting Ticketmaster outlets in the state (Russ's Grocery Stores, the UNL Student Union and Younkers in Lincoln; Baker's stores in Omaha, Rosenblatt Stadium and at Morrison Stadium on the Creighton campus).

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.

Battling the Injury Bug
The Huskers have been hit by the injury bug recently, losing a quartet of contributors for significant time. Offensively, both Josh Scheffert (left hand) and Kyle Bubak (back) missed 10 games apiece because of injuries and both returned to action against Wichita State on April 13.  On the mound, NU also lost a pair of major contributors in Mike Nesseth and Kurt Giller. Nesseth, a 15th-round draft pick last spring, was 1-2 with a 6.43 ERA, but was pitching well at the time of his injury, posting a 1.80 ERA in his previous seven outings. Giller, a 21st round draft pick, had made eight appearances, fanning 11 over 13.2 innings and earned a save against Fresno State.