Huskers Begin Busy Week with South Dakota State, Kansas State

Date       Date      Opponent                    Radio                   Internet                   Time

Tuesday, March 15 vs. South Dakota State (3-8) - Husker Sports Network - Huskers.com - 1:35 p.m.     
Wednesday, March 16 at Kansas State (11-4) - Husker Sports Network - Huskers.com - 6:30 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:  Click Here 

Live Video: Huskers.com on Tuesday (with paid subscription); KStateSports.com on Wednesday (with paid subscription)

Television: None

Probable Starting Pitchers
Day              Nebraska                                   South Dakota State/Kansas State
Tuesday       Tyler Niederklein, So., RHP (0-1, 6.52)     Kolton Emery, Fr., RHP (1-0, 1.80)    

Wednesday   Dylan Vogt, So., RHP (1-0, 3.55)            Justin Lindsey, Jr., RHP (2-1, 4.09)

This Week: Nebraska is back on the field after a day off as it hosts South Dakota State and takes a bus trip to Kansas State to kick off the week's action. The Huskers host the Jackrabbits on Tuesday at 1:35 p.m., before traveling to Manhattan for a Wednesday evening match-up at 6:30 p.m. Nebraska will meet the Wildcats in the annual three-game Big 12 series next month at Hawks Field, but Wednesday's contest will be ruled as a non-conference game, marking the first time NU and KSU have met in a non-league game since 1910.

On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe, Lane Grindle and Jeff Culhane call all of the action this week on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM (Tuesday) and 105.3 WOW FM (Wednesday) in Lincoln - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. A complete list of Husker Sports Network affiliates can be found on page 5.

On Huskers NSide: Tuesday's game against South Dakota State will be streamed live on Huskers NSide. Fans can watch the action with a paid subscription by signing up at Huskers.com. Wednesday's game at Kansas State will be streamed live on KStateSports.com and can also be viewed with a paid subscription.

Preview: The Huskers embark on a stretch of 11 games in 13 days beginning with midweek action against South Dakota State and Kansas State. The Big Red hosts seven more non-conference games this month before opening the Big 12 season April 1 against Oklahoma State.

Nebraska is 9-6 after salvaging the third game of the series against No. 20 Fresno State on Sunday. Khiry Cooper paced the Husker offense by going 6-for-11 (.545) over the weekend, including a four-hit day in Friday's 8-5 setback. Following a tough 1-0 shutout Saturday, Cody Asche delivered his first home run of the season in the finale, a three-run shot to right field that led NU to a 5-4 victory.

Kash Kalkowski continued his team-best hitting streak, which has now reached 11 games. The Grand Island, Neb., native leads NU with a .385 batting average, while also ranking second with 12 RBIs. Kalkowski is hitting .406 over the last nine games with four multiple-hit performances.

3 Things to Watch This Week
1. Kash Kalkowski enters the week on an 11-game hit streak. Nebraska's longest streak of the 2010 season was 12 games by Cody Asche.

2. Khiry Cooper is coming off a 6-for-11 (.545) weekend against Fresno State. The series raised his season batting average 94 points (.214 to .308).

3. Catchers Cory Burleson and Patric Tolentino have thrown out 55 percent (11-of-20) of would-be base stealers.

Pitching Rotation
Tuesday vs. South Dakota St: #21 - Tyler Niederklein • So. • RHP • 6-2 • 210 • Omaha, Neb. (Millard West)
Tyler Niederklein will make his 11th career start and third of the season this Tuesday against South Dakota State • Has not seen game action since March 5 vs. UCLA when he threw 0.2 innings, walking a pair but not giving up any runs or hits • Was dealt the loss in the season opener by allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings at Texas State • Started the weekend finale at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas and tossed four innings, giving up four runs on seven hits in an eventual 10-9 NU loss • Played for Fayetteville in the Coastal Plains League over the summer • Tied for a team-high nine starts for the SwampDogs, going 3-5 with a 6.08 ERA • Was 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 2010 • His freshman season was highlighted by a win at Baylor, throwing a career-long 5.2 innings and allowing only one earned run in a 6-2 Nebraska victory • Became the first Husker freshman to win his first Big 12 start since Johnny Dorn in 2005 • Went five innings in the season finale against Texas Tech, allowing four runs on five hits in a no-decision • Went 9-3 in his two varsity seasons at Millard West High School, helping the Wildcats to a pair of state tournament showings • Named first-team all-state by the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star as a senior, going 5-2 with a 2.35 ERA, as he fanned 53 over 51 innings while also hitting .304 with 24 runs scored • Became the first Millard West product to join the Huskers since Daniel Bruce (2002-05) • Is one of five Omaha natives on the NU pitching staff in 2011 • Has not declared a major, but carries a 3.158 GPA.

Wednesday vs. Kansas State - #26 - Dylan Vogt • So. • RHP • 6-2 • 193 • Omaha, Neb. (Millard South)
Dylan Vogt (pronounced VOTE) has made five appearances this season but will make his first career start this Wednesday night in Manhattan • Holds a 3.55 ERA and a 1-0 record this season in five appearances • Had his best career showing March 5 against No. 5 UCLA, no-hitting the Bruins threw the final five innings of a 2-1 extra inning win • Allowed a run on four hits in 3.2 innings in the series opener against Fresno State last weekend • Earned three appearances as a true freshman and is looking for a more prominent role on the NU pitching staff in 2011 • Started and earned a win in the Red-White Series, as he pitched the White team to a Game 1 victory by throwing 4.0 innings and giving up two runs and two hits • Was teammates with Kurt Farmer for Lake Erie in the Great Lakes League last summer • Led the Monarchs in saves (8) as he made 13 appearances and finished 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA • Tossed a scoreless inning of relief at Creighton on May 18, 2010 as part of NU's 21-5 victory over the Bluejays • Struck out three over two innings of work against North Dakota on March 31, 2010 • Made his Husker debut against Northern Colorado on March 24, 2010, allowing one run on three hits over two innings • Has a good baseball background, as he was coached by former Husker Mike Sillman and comes from the same Millard South program as NU senior Casey Hauptman and Major Leaguer Brian Duensing • Named first-team Super State by the Lincoln Journal Star (utility) and second-team All-Nebraska by the Omaha World-Herald (infielder) as a senior at Millard South, going 6-3 with a 1.97 ERA on the mound, while also hitting .368 with 16 RBIs as the team's starting shortstop.

Scouting South Dakota State
South Dakota State is nearing the end of a 18-game road trip to begin the season. The Jackrabbits are 3-8 after being swept by Creighton in Omaha over the weekend, a week after taking 2-of-3 at Tennessee-Martin and splitting a series at Austin Peay.

SDSU is the defending Summit League champion after finishing 39-21 with a 17-10 conference record last season. The Jackrabbits are aiming for another league title as they return eight starters in their third season under head coach Ritchie Price. The Kansas graduate is 65-21 in his first two years of collegiate coaching.

SDSU returns nearly its entire lineup this spring, including Billy Stitz, Joel Blake and Eric Cain, who all hit over .385 in 2010. Cain led the team with 83 RBIs, while Jesse Sawyer, who hit .359, totaled a team-best 19 home runs. Joel Blake has held one of the hottest bats early in 2011 by hitting .366 with four RBIs.

The Jackrabbits are expected to start freshman Kolton Emery against the Huskers. The right hander is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two appearances. He earned a complete-game win in the 8-2 victory at Austin Peay on March 9, giving up two runs on four hits.

Series History: Nebraska has won 16 of the 18 meetings between the two programs, including a 12-6 victory in Lincoln last season. The Huskers have won all eight match-ups since the Jackrabbits moved to the Division I level.

Scouting Kansas State
Kansas State was picked to finish fifth by the leagues' coaches in the preseason poll after a 37-22 campaign in 2010 while taking third in the conference with a 14-12 mark. The Wildcats return six position from that team, including outfielder Nick Martini, the 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Eighth-year head coach Brad Hill has taken K-State to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, the program's first appearances in school history. Hill is 659-263-3 in 17 years of collegiate coaching and has the Wildcats off to an 11-4 start in 2011.

Martini is bidding for another All-Big 12 season as he leads KSU with a .415 batting average and is second on the team with 11 RBIs. Five Wildcats are hitting at least .300.

Kansas State is one of the most aggressive teams in the league, stealing 38 bases in 44 attempts. Infielder Jake Brown leads the team by swiping all eight of his attempts, while Jared King, Tanner Witt and Jason King all have six stolen bases.

The Huskers will see right hander Justin Lindsey on Wednesday night. The junior is 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA in three starts this season. He has held opponents to a .179 batting average while striking out four and walking eight. Lindsey will be taking another crack at NU after starting last year's Friday night series opener when the Huskers scored four runs in four innings en route to a 5-3 win.

Series History: The Huskers lead the all-time series, 161-104, despite dropping the last two series' against the Wildcats. Prior to 2009, NU had won six straight regular-season series. The Huskers have traditionally played well in Manhattan, winning nine of the last 12 meetings at Tointon Family Stadium dating back to 2004, including a series sweep in 2008. In all, NU has won 18 of the last 26 match-ups dating back to 2003.

Leading Off
    -Tuesday will be Nebraska's eighth game of the month. The Huskers are 4-3 at Hawks Field this season and have a total of 32 home games on the schedule, the third-most since NU moved to the ballpark in 2002. The game with South Dakota State will also begin a stretch of six games in six days for the Huskers.

    Nebraska is 212-69-1 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.

    -Wednesday will mark the first time Nebraska and Kansas State have met in a non-league baseball game since 1910 when NU was in the Missouri Valley Conference and KSU was a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Wildcats joined the MVC in 1913 and the schools have played annually as league foes of the MVC, Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12 since 1923.

    -Nebraska's pitching staff is enjoying some of its best success in recent years. The Huskers are holding opponents to a .247 batting average with a 3.45 ERA. Both numbers would be the best NU has seen since the 2006 season (.247; 3.40).

    Leading the way is senior right hander Casey Hauptman, who ranks first in the Big 12 with a 0.46 ERA. The Omaha, Neb., native is 2-1  in seven appearances. He has struck out 19 batters and walked only one, which was an intentional pass against UCLA on March 6. Opponents are hitting just .159 on Hauptman, the second-best total in the league behind Texas' Taylor Jungmann (.151).

    In the last 13 games, Nebraska relievers have held the opponent to one run or less 11 times.

    -Nebraska holds its highest Big 12 ranking in team fielding as the Huskers have posted a .973 fielding percentage through the first 15 games the season. The Huskers have committed only one error in the past three games.   

    If Nebraska maintains its strong defense, it would be NU's highest fielding percentage since 2006 (.974).

    -If the early season numbers are any indication, the future of Nebraska's offense is in good hands. Through 15 games, Husker sophomores Kash Kalkowski, Chad Christensen, Bryan Peters, Kurt Farmer and Josh Scheffert have combined for a .318 batting average, hit 52 percent of NU's RBIs (42 of 81) and knocked out six of the team's eight home runs.

    -Kash Kalkowski is currently ranked seventh in the Big 12 with a .385 batting average (15-for-39). The sophomore is currently on an 11-game hit streak and tied for second on the team with 12 RBIs, whiel sharing the team home run lead with Josh Scheffert (2).

    Kalkowski has started the last nine games and has been at his best in clutch situations, hitting .538 (7-of-13) with runners in scoring position. He had the game-tying home run in Nebraska's 2-1 win over UCLA on March 5.

    -Four of Nebraska's last six victories have been in come-from-behind fashion. The Huskers have 128 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.

    -The NU pitching staff went toe-to-toe with possibly the nation's best staff March 4-6 when it met UCLA, which boasts 2010 All-Americans Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. The Huskers were up to the task, posting a 1.32 ERA and .164 batting average against the 2010 national runner-up.

    Nebraska relievers gave up only two runs in the series, as Dylan Vogt and Casey Hauptman earned wins in games two and three. Vogt may have been most impressive, as he no hit the Bruins in his five-inning appearance in game two.

    -Following its series win over then-No. 5 UCLA, Nebraska cracked Collegiate Baseball's national rankings at No. 29 the week of March 7. It marked the first time the Huskers had been ranked since June of 2008 when NU finished the season 41-15-1 and hosted an NCAA Regional.

    -The Huskers had back-to-back walk-off wins over UCLA. Bryan Peters' game-winning hits gave Nebraska its first back-to-back walk-off victories since 2003 when Matt Hopper and Brandon Fusilier did so against Missouri. Peters' walk-off homer was the first by a Husker since Craig Corriston gave NU a 4-2 victory over Oklahoma on March 21, 2008.

-The Huskers are 83-10 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 30-9 when reaching double-figures in hits, but just 5-21 when held to nine hits or less.

    -Nebraska and UCLA played a total of 34 innings in the three-game series March 4-6. It marked the first time in school history Nebraska has ever played three straight extra inning affairs.

    -Nebraska has thrived in the early to middle innings this season, scoring 60 percent of its runs in the second to fifth innings. The Huskers' best inning has been the fifth, producing 19 of its 91 runs this season in that frame. The Huskers have had five 5+ run innings in the first 15 games.

-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.

    -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.

    -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.

Huskers Announce 2011 Television Schedule
The Nebraska Athletic Department and Nebraska Educational Television have announced that five Husker home baseball games will be carried live on NET this spring. Two of those contests will be simulcast nationally on CBS College Sports, while NET and CBS College Sports will also televise the April 19 matchup at Creighton, the first game at the new TD Ameritrade Park.

The television schedule begins Saturday, April 2, as the Huskers host the Big 12 home opener against Oklahoma State at Hawks Field at 2:05 p.m. It is the first of five home games on the schedule, as NU's contests with Creighton (Tuesday, April 5, 6:35 p.m.), Baylor (Saturday, April 30, 2:05 p.m.), Texas (Friday, May 6, 6:35 p.m.) and Missouri (Saturday, May 21, 3:05 p.m.) will also be carried live. Both televised games against Creighton and the regular-season finale against Missouri will be simulcast nationally on CBS College Sports.

2011 Nebraska Baseball Television Schedule
Sat., April 2 - Oklahoma State at Nebraska - 2:05 p.m. (NET)
Tues., April 5 - Creighton at Nebraska - 6:35 p.m. (NET/CBS CS)
Tues., April 19 - Nebraska at Creighton - 6:30 p.m. (NET/CBS CS)
Sat., April 30 - Baylor at Nebraska - 2:05 p.m. (NET)
Fri., May 6 - Texas at Nebraska - 6:35 p.m. (NET)
Sat., May 21 - Missouri at Nebraska - 3:05 p.m. (NET/CBS CS)

Next Up
The Huskers welcome North Dakota for a four-game series this weekend (March 18-20) at Hawks Field. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday.