Huskers Host No. 5 UCLA at Hawks Field

Date    Date    Opponent    Radio    Internet    Time
Friday     March 4    vs. No. 8/5/5/6 UCLA (6-2)    Husker Sports Network    Huskers.com    1:35 p.m.    Saturday  March 5    vs. No. 8/5/5/6 UCLA (6-2)    Husker Sports Network    Huskers.com    2:05 p.m.
Sunday     March 6    vs. No. 8/5/5/6 UCLA (6-2)    Husker Sports Network    Huskers.com    1:05 p.m.

Media Info
Live Radio:     Selected Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com (affiliate list on page five of today's notes)
Live Stats:     Huskers.com
Live Video:     Huskers.com (HuskersNSide with paid subscription)
Television:     None

Probable Starting Pitchers
Day    Nebraska    UCLA
Friday     Jon Keller, Fr., RHP (1-0, 0.00)    Gerrit Cole, Jr., RHP (1-1, 1.88)
Saturday   Matt Freeman, Sr., RHP (2-0, 0.00)    Trevor Bauer, Jr., RHP (1-1, 2.51)
Sunday     TBA    Adam Plutko, Fr., RHP (2-0, 0.69)   
*Polls are listed in order: Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, ESPN/USA Today Coaches/NCBWA

This Week: Nebraska faces one of its toughest tests of the season this week as the Huskers welcome No. 5 UCLA to Hawks Field for a three-game set. The series will kick off Friday afternoon at 1:35 p.m., before afternoon tilts on Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and Sunday (1:05 p.m.). The weekend marks the first time Nebraska has hosted a Pac-10 opponent since 1941 when California visited Lincoln.

On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action this weekend on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. A complete list of Husker Sports Network affiliates can be found on page 5.

On Huskers NSide: Every game this weekend will be streamed live on Huskers NSide. Fans can watch all the action with a paid subscription by signing up at Huskers.com.

Preview: The Huskers picked up a 13-1 home-opening victory Wednesday afternoon against Nebraska-Kearney and will attempt to build on that momentum this weekend when UCLA makes it first ever trip to Lincoln. The Bruins made a trek to the Midwest last summer as they made a run to the 2010 College World Series final, falling to South Carolina in the last games at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Nebraska will be matching up its hot bats against one of the best pitching rotations in college baseball. The Huskers rank third in the Big 12 with a .340 team batting average, led by Kash Kalkowski (.500; 8-of-16) and Kale Kiser (.429; 15-of-35). Nebraska is averaging 8.2 runs per game, including a 13-run output Wednesday against Nebraska-Kearney in very cold temperatures. Kiser, NU’s leadoff hitter, ranks seventh in the Big 12 with a .545 on-base percentage. The junior from Plano, Texas, along with Bryan Peters and Kurt Farmer, have each reached safely in all nine games this season.

The Huskers will throw freshman right hander Jon Keller and senior right hander Matt Freeman in the first two games of the series, while Sunday’s starter has not been announced. Keller is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, while Freeman is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA after picking up NU’s most recent wins over Northern Colorado (Feb. 26) and Nebraska-Kearney (March 2).

Weekend Rotation
Friday vs. UCLA: #23 - Jon Keller • Fr. • RHP • 6-5 • 231 • Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Xavier)
Freshman right-hander Jon Keller faces the toughest task of his young career by taking on No. 5 UCLA this Friday • Has been one of the brightest spots of the young season after winning his first career start by throwing six shutout innings in the 8-1 win over Air Force • Struck out six Falcons while giving up three hits and walking two • Did not allow any AFU runners to advance past second base • Second outing last weekend against Northern Colorado was not as strong, as he struggled with control and walked five in 2.1 innings • Did not allow any runs or hits against the Bears as he was relieved by Matt Freeman and NU went on to a 3-0 win • One of three freshmen pitchers taken in the 2010 MLB Draft, Keller was selected in the 11th round by the Seattle Mariners • Showed strong signs in October’s Red-White Series, as he started the finale and threw 5.0 innings, giving up four hits and two runs • Is friends with sophomore shortstop Chad Christensen, also of Cedar Rapids, Iowa • Produced a 12-6 record and ERA just above 1.50 over his last two prep seasons • As a senior, was named captain of the first-team all-state squad and earned the Iowa Sports Connection’s Player-of-the-Year award after going 6-2 with a 1.75 ERA • Struck out 93 hitters in 56 innings in his final season after fanning 78 over 59.2 as a junior • Was a first-team all-metro and all-conference selection as a junior, going 6-4 with a 1.41 ERA • Turned in his best performance in the state playoffs fanning 10 over 6.1 innings of two-hit ball while also collecting three hits and scoring a pair of runs.

Saturday vs. UCLA - #11 - Matt Freeman • Sr. • RHP • 6-1 • 184 • Omaha, Neb. (Elkhorn)
Matt Freeman will make his second start in a four days when he takes the mound Saturday afternoon against UCLA • Has a 0.00 ERA after not allowing a run in three appearances and 9.2 innings this season • Started and threw the first three innings Wednesday against Nebraska-Kearney, striking out three and giving up two hits • Pitched his best game last Saturday in Huntsville, guiding NU to a 3-0 shutout of Northern Colorado • Set career highs in innings (5.1) and strikeouts (7) against the Bears while holding UNC scoreless • Saw limited action in 2010 following shoulder surgery • Had a strong 2010 summer playing for San Luis Obispo in the California Collegiate League with three NU teammates (Cory Burleson, Chad Christensen and Sean Yost) • Produced a 4-2 record with a 4.26 ERA for the Blues, while ranking third in appearances (17) • Struck out 34 hitters and walked only five in 31.2 innings • Made two appearances in October’s Red-White Series, striking out four and giving up three hits in 3.0 innings • Made 14 appearances in 2009, posting no decisions, a save and a 6.10 ERA • Allowed 11 hits and fanned 20 over 20.2 innings, as he held foes to a .153 batting average • Was one of three true freshmen who saw significant action for the Huskers in 2008, as NU won 48 games an hosted an NCAA Regional  • Worked out of the bullpen in long and middle relief, posting a 4.66 ERA in nine contests • Pitched at least an inning in all nine appearances and allowed earned runs in two outings • Began his college career by not allowing a run in his first five appearances • Was one of the top pitching prospects in Nebraska playing at Elkhorn High School • Named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska and Louisville Slugger Player of the Year as a senior • Tabbed as the honorary captain of the World-Herald’s All-Nebraska team after compiling a 5-1 record, three saves and a 0.76 ERA as a senior to lead Elkhorn High School to a 27-5 record and a Class A state title • Hails from the same high school as former Major League pitcher Jason Christiansen.

Scouting UCLA
The Bruins head to Lincoln with a 6-2 record and a No. 5 national ranking in the Baseball America and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. UCLA is coming off a 5-2 win at San Diego State on Tuesday night to rebound from a home series loss to San Jose State over the weekend, marking the Bruins’ only setbacks of the season. Head Coach John Savage is in his seventh year at UCLA and is nearing the 300-career win mark as he is 286-253-1 in 10 years in the collegiate ranks. He previously spent three seasons at UC Irvine before heading north to Los Angeles in 2005, where he has led the Bruins to a 198-169 mark during his tenure, highlighted by a College World Series appearance and national runner-up finish in 2010.

UCLA has possibly the nation’s best pitching duo in right handers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Cole, who will start Friday’s game, was 11-4 with a 3.37 ERA in 2010 and is 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA this season. He ranks in a tie for fourth on the school’s career strikeout chart with 274. Bauer was 12-3 with a 3.02 ERA last year and is 1-1 with a 2.51 in 2011. He is only one spot behind Cole on the school’s all-time strikeout list with 273. Along with Sunday starter, freshman Adam Plutko (2-0, 0.69), the Bruins posted shutouts in three of their first four games of the season and hold a team ERA of 1.62.

Outfielder Beau Amaral has picked up where he left off from a strong freshmen season and is hitting a team-best .385 with four stolen bases. Amaral hit .354 in 2010 to become the first-ever UCLA freshman to lead the team in batting average. Cody Keefer is hitting .360 this spring, followed by Jeff Gelalich (.333) and Chris Giovinazzo (.300) to give the Bruins three hitters who are batting at least .300.

Series History: UCLA leads the all-time series, 5-0, as it swept Nebraska last year in Los Angeles. Prior to that, the Bruins won a pair of battles in tournament action in 1997 (in Minneapolis) and 2004 (in San Diego). In the 2004 contest, Major Leaguer Casey Janssen took a shutout into the ninth before Curtis Ledbetter’s two-run pinch-hit single accounted for all of Nebraska’s offense.

Nebraska is just 14-30 all-time against Pac-10 Conference teams with just six of those games coming inside the state of Nebraska (four regular-season games vs. Cal and two vs. Arizona State in the 2005 CWS). NU has not hosted a Pac-10 team since 1941, when California traveled to Lincoln.

2010 Recaps: (No. 14 UCLA 13, Nebraska 1): Gerrit Cole allowed two hits over seven innings, while Justin Uribe and Steve Rodriguez drove in three runs apiece, leading No. 14 UCLA to a 13-1 victory over Nebraska in the opening game of a twinbill  the twinbill March 5, 2010 at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Cole was dominant, fanning nine without a walk to improve to 3-0 on the season. The right-hander allowed an infield single to Boomer Collins in the third inning and a solo homer to Adam Bailey one inning later to account for all of Nebraska’s offense on the day.

Cole retired the final 12 Huskers he faced, as he needed just 90 pitches through seven frames. While Cole was sterling, the Bruins totaled 17 hits on the day, including three each from Uribe, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, and Tyler Rahmatulla, who scored three times, as the Bruins put up crooked numbers in three of the first four innings to take a 12-1 lead.

UCLA struck early with four runs in the first against starter Sean Yost, highlighted by a two-run single by Cody Keefer, an RBI single by Niko Gallego and a run-scoring fielder’s choice. The Bruins chased Yost with two more runs in the second, getting an RBI single from Rahmatulla and a Uribe double off of reliever Kurt Giller.

Yost (1-1) lasted just 1.1 innings allowing five runs on five hits to take the loss.

(No. 14 UCLA 5, Nebraska 3): Khiry Cooper tied a career high with three hits, including an RBI, but Nebraska’s comeback fell short in a 5-3 loss to conclude the doubleheader.

Nebraska trailed 5-1 in the eighth before scoring twice against a stout UCLA bullpen to make it a two-run game.  NU loaded the bases on an error, a Josh Scheffert single and a hit batter, before Bruin closer Dan Klein came in to face Kale Kiser. The Husker second baseman sent the first pitch he saw to center for an RBI single to make it a 5-2 game.

Cooper then hit a smash up the middle that hit Klein in the leg and rolled away for an RBI infield single. Belfonte tried to keep the rally alive, but his hard-hit grounder was stopped by a diving Justin Uribe, who flipped to Klein to nip the Husker leadoff hitter at first to end the threat.

That would be the Huskers’ last gasp, as Klein set Nebraska in order in the ninth for his second save, completing the Bruins’ doubleheader sweep.

Cooper, who went 3-for-4, and Kiser, who had two hits and an RBI, accounted for half of the Huskers’ 10 hits in the bottom two spots in the lineup.

Trevor Bauer was strong for the Bruins (8-0), scattering six hits over 6.2 innings while fanning 10 Huskers for the win, as he took a shutout into the seventh.

(No. 14 UCLA 5, Nebraska 4): Tyler Rahmatulla’s ninth-inning sacrifice fly broke a 4-all deadlock, as No. 14 UCLA completed a three-game sweep of Nebraska with a 5-4 victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium on March 6, 2010.

Rahmatulla’s fly ball to center plated Dean Espy with the winning run, spoiling a strong relief effort from Casey Hauptman and foiling Nebraska’s opportunity after the Huskers rallied from a three-run deficit to tie the score one inning earlier.

Hauptman (0-2) pitched far better than the fate he received, as he went 6.1 innings to single-handedly keep Nebraska in the game. The right-hander fanned four and kept UCLA off the scoreboard until the Bruins plated an unearned run in the ninth to win it. It marked the Huskers’ fourth last-at bat loss of the season.

Espy, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, opened the ninth with a single off of Hauptman before Steve Rodriguez’ bunt was misplayed by reliever Jordan Roualdes, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Beau Amaral moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice before Blair Dunlap was intentionally walked to load the bases. Mike Nesseth came in to face Rahmatulla, who lofted the first pitch he saw to center, allowing a sliding Espy to beat DJ Belfonte’s throw home for the game winner.

Dan Klein earned the victory after blowing the save in the eighth inning, as Nebraska scored three times against the stout UCLA bullpen, which had not allowed an earned run in its first eight contests.

Down 4-1, Nebraska loaded the bases with singles by Kale Kiser and pinch hitter Patric Tolentino before reliever Erik Goeddel hit Kyle Bubak to load the bases with no outs. After a pair of strikeouts, Boomer Collins came through with an RBI single before Adam Bailey, who went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs, tied the game with a two-run single off the glove of first baseman Justin Uribe.

The Huskers were out-hit, 11-9, but were hurt by striking out a school-record 19 times against five UCLA pitchers, including 10 from left-hander Rob Rasmussen, who was in line for the win until Nebraska’s comeback.

Week Review
Wednesday (Nebraska 13, Nebraska-Kearney)
Nebraska (6-3) reached double digits for the fourth time this season and Josh Scheffert went 3-for-5 with a home run as the Huskers won their 33rd consecutive home opener with a 13-1 victory over Nebraska-Kearney (4-3) Wednesday afternoon.

Scheffert homered for the second time this season as part of a three-run fourth inning that helped NU open a 4-0 lead. The Huskers scored three runs in four of their eight at-bats, while Kurt Farmer started the scoring for the Big Red with an RBI single in the third inning to extend his hit streak to eight games. That scored Chad Christensen for the first run of the game, as Christensen finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

The Huskers pounded out 13 hits, marking the sixth time this season NU has had at least 11 hits in a game.

While opening the 10th season at Hawks Field, Nebraska put together its largest margin of victory in a home opener since 2002 when the Huskers opened the ballpark with a 23-1 win over the Lopers. Nebraska now turns its attention to the upcoming weekend as it hosts No. 5 UCLA, beginning Friday at 1:35 p.m. Head Coach Mike Anderson spoke about improvements his team needs to make heading into one of the toughest tests of the season.

Matt Freeman started on the mound for NU and threw three shutout innings while giving up two hits to move to 2-0 on the season. The Huskers used five pitchers on the day, with Tyler King, Zach Hirsch and Dylan Vogt also not giving up any runs. The Lopers scored their lone run on a Jason Trulin RBI single in the seventh inning.

Scheffert’s home run, which was hit against the wind, narrowly cleared the left field wall. It was the first round-tripper for the Lincoln native since the season opener Feb. 18, while also highlighting his first three-hit day of the season. Christensen’s three-hit game was his third of 2011, while Kash Kalkowski (2-for-3), and Cody Asche (2-for-4) also had multi-hit performances.

Christensen and Kalkowski each singled in the fourth to help NU build its early 4-0 lead, while Kalkowski’s RBI single in the fifth ended another three-run inning to give the Huskers a 7-0 advantage. Asche was the offensive leader in the late innings, as he had back-to-back doubles in the seventh and eighth and scored two of his three runs in those innings. Asche, who had 12 doubles all of last season, already has 10 in 2011.

Cory Burleson drove in a team-high three runs as part of a 1-for-2 day, including a seventh inning double that scored Asche and Scheffert. Bryan Peters, Khiry Cooper and Pat Hirschberg also tallied a hit in the win, with Hirschberg’s RBI single in the seventh marking his first career hit.

Nebraska has now begun its eight-game homestand that will run through March 15. The Huskers’ next six games will be against ranked teams. UCLA (5-2) is ranked as high as fifth (Baseball America, USA Today/ESPN Coaches), while Fresno State has climbed as high as 21st (Collegiate Baseball).

Leading Off
-This will be the first time UCLA has played in Lincoln. It is also the first time the Huskers have hosted a Pac-10 opponent in 70 years.

-Kash Kalkowski has seen a significant increase in playing time after holding one of hottest bats through the first two weeks of the season. The sophomore is hitting .500 (8-of-16) and has tied Bryan Peters for the team-RBI lead (10) despite having roughly half the amount of plate appearances as the regular NU starters. Kalkowski has started four games this year, including each of the last two. Each of his eight hits has come with runners on base to give him a .727 average in that situation.

-Cody Asche has had a knack for extra-base hits this season, as 10 of his 12 hits are doubles. He also leads the team with five multiple-hit games. If his double pace continues, Asche could reach Nebraska’s single-season top 10, as seven players are tied for sixth with 22 doubles.

-Bryan Peters, Kale Kiser and Kurt Farmer have paced the NU offense to a No. 3 conference ranking in on-base percentage (.411). The trio has each reached safely in every game this season. Included in that run is Farmer’s career-long, team-best eight-game hitting streak.

-Nebraska has thrived in the early to middle innings this season, scoring 62 percent of its runs in the second to fifth innings. The Huskers’ best inning has been the fifth, producing 18 of its 74 runs this season in that frame. The Huskers have had four 5+ run innings in the first nine games.

-Nebraska’s relief unit was the bright spot of the Bearkat Invitational last weekend. Senior relievers Casey Hauptman and Matt Freeman were each credited with a win as the duo combined to go 10 1/3 innings, while giving up only one run on seven hits. Freshman Brandon Pierce followed up Freeman’s effort against UNC in game two by going the final 1 1/3, striking out two Bears and not allowing any hits to earn his first career save.

-Hauptman has not walked a batter in 9.2 innings of work this season. He has 10 strikeouts on the year and has given up only one earned run.

-After playing its first eight games in the state of Texas, the Huskers have returned home for a full slate of games at Hawks Field. Nebraska is in a stretch of playing 15 of its next 16 games in Lincoln, only traveling to Manhattan for a non-conference contest at Kansas State on March 16. The Huskers are 209-66-1 all-time at Hawks Field. This is the 10th season at the ballpark, which is nationally-recognized as one of the best in collegiate baseball.

-Kale Kiser has adjusted very well to his new role as Nebraska’s leadoff hitter. The junior from Plano, Texas ranks eighth in the Big 12 in batting average (.429) , fifth in runs scored (11) and seventh in on-base percentage (.545). He began the season by finishing the opening weekend trip to San Marcos with a .571 batting average and .700 on-base percentage. He has drawn a team-high eighth walks in 2011.

-Freshman Jon Keller became just the fifth Husker freshman to earn a start on opening week since 1999, and the second to collect a win during that stretch after current NU pitcher Tom Lemke did so in 2010. Keller threw six shutout innings against Air Force on Feb. 19 to earn the win. Here is how Keller compared to the other four freshman hurlers.

Freshman Starting Pitchers on Opening Weekend
Name    Opponent    Dec.    Inn    H    R    ER    BB    K
Shane Komine    New Mexico St.    ND    3.2    7    5    3    3    3
Brent Potter    San Diego St.    ND    2.1    5    6    6    2    3
Johnny Dorn    Hawaii-Hilo    ND    4.2    4    2    0    0    4
Tom Lemke    Fresno State    W    5.0    6    0    0    2    6
Jon Keller    Air Force    W    6.0    3    0    0    2    6

-Kale Kiser’s five-hit day against Missouri State on Feb. 20 marked the seventh time a player has had at least five hits in a game under Mike Anderson. Kyle Bubak had most recently done so on Feb. 26, 2010 against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi. Before that, it had not happened since 2007.

5 or More Hits in a Game since 2003
No.    Player        Opponent    Date
6    Steve Edlefsen    Iowa    4/11/06
5    Kyle Bubak    TAMU-Corpus Christi    2/26/10
5    Andy Gerch    Illinois State    2/18/07
5    Curtis Ledbetter     Missouri    5/28/05
5    Jake Opitz     Iowa    4/11/06
5    Jeff Tezak    Alabama    3/10/07
5    Kale Kiser    Missouri State    2/20/11

-Nebraska’s 36 runs on 51 hits were the highest offensive totals the Huskers have put up on opening weekend since 2004 when NU  the Huskers totaled 53 runs at the Ultimate Dugout Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M. Since then, no NU team had more than 22 runs on opening weekend over the past six years. Additionally, despite the newly certified BBCOR bats, which have projected a downgrade in power in college baseball, the Huskers homered four times in San Marcos, marking the most round-trippers on opening weekend since 2006. Josh Scheffert’s solo shot in the Nebraska’s fourth at-bat of the season was the quickest home run in over a decade. The Husker bats did not produce any home runs last weekend in Huntsville, although had several long fly balls reach the warning track.

-Kash Kalkowski and Kale Kiser gave Nebraska grand slams in back-to-back wins over Washington and Missouri State on Feb. 19 and 20. It was the quickest back-to-back grand slams since April 18, 2000 when Dan Wright and Jeff Leise each did so in NU’s 19-6 win over Western Illinois at Buck Beltzer Stadium.

-NU’s leadoff man reached first in 20 of 36 innings on opening weekend, including a stretch of reaching safely in 17 of the last 27 innings in San Marcos. The Huskers saw that number dip last weekend in Huntsville the lead off man got on in 15 of 35 innings.

-The Huskers have now played February games in the state of Texas in seven of the past eight years. Nebraska is 22-10 in those opening-month contests.

-The Huskers bring back one of its most experienced teams in a while, as 20 letterwinners are back for the 2011 campaign. It is the second-highest number of returning letterwinners in the past 11 years.

What’s Back - Offense
Category    At-Bats     Runs    Hits    HR    RBIs    SB
Total back from 2010    1,018    195    296    24    173    18
Percentage    54%    52%    52%    40%    50%   46%

Compared with 2010
Category    At-Bats     Runs    Hits    HR    RBIs    SB
Total back from 2010    1,163    223    327    28    187    32
Percentage    62%    64%    62%    58%    61%   63%

What’s Back - Pitching
Category    Wins    Starts    IP    K
Total back from 2010    20    39    308.0    231
Percentage    74%    72%    66%    65%

Compared with 2010
Category    Wins    Starts    IP    K
Total back from 2009    20    44    365.1    274
Percentage    80%    81%    76%    76%

•-Eight Huskers, including six true freshmen, saw their first collegiate playing time in Nebraska’s trip to the Texas State Tournament on opening weekend. Among the group was Jon Keller, a right hander from Cedar Rapids, who guided NU to its first win of the season, an 8-1 win over Air Force on Saturday. Right hand reliever Brandon Pierce was impressive in the game as well, shutting down the AFU bats in the ninth inning as he faced the minimum and struck out a pair.

Freshmen Who Played on Opening Weekend
Freshman    Pos.
Tanner Krietemeier    OF
Michael Pritchard    OF
Pat Hirschberg*    OF
Nick Miller        INF
Jon Keller        RHP
Brandon Pierce    RHP
Tyler King        LHP
Zach Hirsch*    RHP
*-Redshirt freshman

•-Nebraska was 24-4 when leading after six innings last year, but just 2-19 when trailing after six.
-NU has 125 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003. The Huskers had 10 come-from-behind wins last season, including overcoming a 10-run deficit against North Dakota on March 30 and a four-run deficit against Southeast Missouri State on May 8. NU overcome a 7-2 deficit to defeat Northern Colorado on Feb. 27.
-The Huskers are 81-10 dating back to 2008 when they out-hit an opponent and have won 90 percent of their games since 2003 when out-hitting an opponent. Last season, NU was 25-4 when out-hitting opponents. The Huskers are also 29-9 when reaching double-figures in hits, but just 3-21- when held to nine hits or less.

Eight Draftees on 2011 Roster
For the second straight year, Nebraska’s 2011 roster boasts a total of eight Huskers who have been previously selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Nebraska’s eight draft selections ranks in a third-place tie in the Big 12.

Drafted Huskers
Player    Round    Team        Year
Khiry Cooper    5th     Los Angeles-AL    2008
Kash Kalkowski    48th     Tampa Bay    2008
Tom Lemke    10th     Texas        2009
Ryan Hander    39th     Los Angeles-NL    2009
Sean Yost    24th    Boston        2010
Brandon Pierce    26th    Pittsburgh    2010
Logan Ehlers    8th    Toronto        2010
Jon Keller    11th    Seattle        2010

Drafted Players by Big 12 School
No.    School    Player
1.    Texas    16
2.    Oklahoma State    12
3.    Baylor    8
    Nebraska    8
    Kansas State    8
    Texas A&M    8
7.    Kansas    7
8.    Oklahoma    5
9.    Texas Tech    4
10.    Missouri    3

Huskers Boast Experienced Coaching Staff
One of the strengths is an experienced coaching staff. All three full-time coaches have served as head coaches at the Division I level and combine for nearly 1,250 career wins.

Anderson, who is in his eighth season, has 307 wins entering the 2011 season. Dave Bingham won 837 games in stints between Kansas and Emporia State, while Eric Newman won 95 wins in a three-year stint at Dallas Baptist.

Huskers From Around the Nation
The 2011 Huskers come from 12 states across the nation. Nebraska natives comprised nearly one-third of the opening-day 35-man roster, while the Huskers also have six Texas natives.

State    Players
Nebraska    11
Texas    6
Colorado    5
Missouri    3
Illinois, Iowa    2
Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Arizona    1
Kansas, Oklahoma

Join the Husker Home Run Club at Oklahoma
The Husker Home Run Club is sponsoring a bus trip to Norman, Okla., to support the baseball team against Big 12-preseason favorite Oklahoma on Friday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23.

For more information and to download a registration form for the bus trip, please log on to huskerhomerunclub.com or contact Ed Bolejack at 402-617-5913.

Next Up
The Huskers remain at home to host in-state foe Doane on Tuesday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Nebraska then welcomes Fresno State over the weekend for a three-game series.