Eight Husker Baseball Players Earn Degrees

Lincoln - Eight members of the Husker baseball program, including senior pitcher Casey Hauptman, earned their undergraduate degrees Saturday morning during spring commencement ceremonies in Lincoln.

Hauptman, a two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection and 2011 First-Team Academic All-District pick, is 6-2 with a 1.33 ERA this season, the second-best mark in the Big 12 Conference. The Omaha, Neb., native is one of two Huskers in the program to graduate this Saturday, joined by former NU shortstop and current student manager Joe Simokaitis. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Simokaitis was a four-year starter for the Huskers and a member of two College World Series teams. A 2005 All-Big 12 honoree, Simokaitis was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He played five years in the organization and reached AAA ball before returning to Nebraska last fall to complete his undergraduate degree.

Simokaitis is one of three drafted Huskers in the graduating group, joined by Luke Gorsett and Luke Wertz. Gorsett, who hit .348 with 15 homers in 2006, was a first-team All-Big 12 outfielder, while Wertz ended a strong career in 2007 by going 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in four starts and 16 appearances.

Also joining the spring 2011 graduating class are recent Husker starters and junior college transfers Kyle Bubak and Cade Thompson, who both finished their eligibility last season. Bubak started in NU's middle infield for two years and posted a .975 field percentage. Thompson started at several positions and hit .315 with three home runs as a senior.

Former Husker relief pitchers Erik Anderson and Eric Rose round out the class. Anderson was 1-0 in 22 career appearances, while Rose led NU with 25 appearances in 2009.

Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 95 percent, while leading the nation in the number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (279) and NCAA Top Eight Award winners (16) across all sports. A total of 63 Nebraska student-athletes earned degrees Saturday morning.

Nebraska Baseball Spring 2011 Graduates
Erik Anderson - Political Science - Prairie Village, Kan.
Kyle Bubak - Business Administration - Layton, Utah
Luke Gorsett - Communication Studies - Denver, Colo.
Casey Hauptman - Business Administration - Omaha, Neb.
Eric Rose - Psychology - Billings, Mont.
Joe Simokaitis - Communication Studies - St. Louis, Mo.
Cade Thompson - Business Administration - Eatonville, Wash.
Luke Wertz - Business Administration - Parker, Colo.