Huskers Begin Preparations for 2011 Season

Lincoln - The 2011 Nebraska baseball team officially began preparations for the upcoming season over the weekend, as the Huskers went through workouts Friday and Saturday at the Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska will practice over the next three weeks, as it prepares for the season opener Feb. 18 against Texas State in San Marcos, Texas.

The Huskers welcome back 20 letterwinners from last season, as Nebraska looks for a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.

"Their talent level is strong," ninth-year head coach Mike Anderson said. "In my mind, this staff and these kids rebounded by coming and saying 'Let's get this thing changed around.' This is a big shift-type year. We want to shift the momentum back to where it has been."

Some of Nebraska's best returning talent is in the form of honorable-mention All-Big 12 selections Cody Asche and Kale Kiser. The junior duo is joined by sophomore Josh Scheffert as three returnees who hit over .300 last season. Although Nebraska finished 27-27 overall, the Huskers rounded out the year by winning seven of their last 10 games. During that stretch, Asche, Kiser and Sheffert accounted for 45 percent of Nebraska's RBI total. Asche hit .311 on the season with 10 home runs, while Kiser produced a .345 average with a pair of homers.

The Husker lineup will also have the assistance of first-year volunteer hitting coach Darin Erstad, as the former Husker and 14-year Major League player was hired last summer.

"I've had a chance to watch him for the last six months and it's phenomenal," Anderson said. "One of the biggest assets that Darin brings is his ability to serve these kids. He's a teacher of this game. The kids recognize that and understand he cares about them as people. That's been fun to watch."

On the mound, Nebraska brings back a sufficient amount of experience, as the pitching staff returns 39 of 54 starts from 2010. The Huskers have three experienced right-handers who earned time in the weekend rotation in sophomores Tom Lemke and Tyler Niederklein and junior Sean Yost. Nebraska also welcomes back senior reliever Casey Hauptman, who ranked second with 23 appearances last season. In addition, NU's freshmen class includes three pitchers who were selected in the 2010 MLB Draft.

"The key to anything is having the arms," Anderson said. "I think what we've done is created some depth and roles. You look at our opportunity to finish games and we have a veteran and a rookie back there in Casey Hauptman and Brandon Pierce. I'm pretty excited about the way our staff will shape up."

Nebraska's 2011 schedule includes 16 games against 2010 NCAA Tournament teams, including national runner-up UCLA at Hawks Field from March 4-6. The Huskers will play a total of 32 home games.

Reserved seating for the home schedule can be purchased by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or by visiting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office (located directly west of Memorial Stadium) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Due to determining seat location, these reserved season tickets cannot be purchased on Huskers.com.). General admission season tickets are also on sale and can be purchased here on Huskers.com, by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or by visiting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office.