Huskers Host Gophers for Final Big Ten Home Series

Nebraska (29-19, 9-9 Big Ten) vs. Minnesota (28-22, 10-8 Big Ten)
Friday - Kyle Kubat, Fr., LHP (3-0) vs. TJ Oakes, Jr., RHP (7-2)
Saturday - TBA RHP vs. DJ Snelten, So., LHP (4-3)
Sunday - TBA RHP vs. Austin Lubinsky, Sr., RHP (3-3)

This Week: After dropping three straight games on the road, the Nebraska baseball team (29-19, 9-9 Big Ten) returns home to Hawks Field to host the Minnesota Golden Gophers (28-22, 10-8 Big Ten) for a three-game Big Ten Conference series.

With just two weeks remaining in the conference season, it is a big series for both teams as the Huskers sit seventh in the conference standings, but are just one game back of the Gophers, who are tied for third in the league with Michigan State and Penn State. The top six teams in the league are invited to the conference tournament.

True freshman Kyle Kubat will look to pick up the Huskers' 30th win of the season in his second career conference start on Friday night when the two teams meet at 6:35 p.m. on NET. NU's hitters will have their hands full, as Minnesota is set to counter with junior TJ Oakes, who is 7-2 on the year with a 1.70 ERA.

Tickets: For the weekend series against Minnesota and for Tuesday's game with Wichita State, single-game tickets can be purchased at Huskers.com, by calling 1-800-8BIGRED or by visiting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office across the street from Memorial Stadium. Tickets can also be purchased on game day at the Hawks Field box office, which is located on the third-base side. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets prior to game day.

Television: Friday's game with Minnesota and Tuesday's game with Wichita State will both be shown across the state of Nebraska on NET and streamed live on BTN.com (subscription required).

On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen Greg Sharpe, Jeff Culhane and Lane Grindle call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM and 94.5 FM in Lincoln - and on the Internet at Huskers.com or the Official Husker App. A complete list of HSN affiliates can be found on page 9.

Scouting Minnesota
The Minnesota Golden Gophers enter this weekend's series tied for third place in the Big Ten Conference with a 10-8 league record.

After jumping out to a 6-3 record in conference play, the Gophers have gone 4-5 over their past three series, including  series losses to Michigan State and Penn State.

This weekend's series will be the Gophers' third Big Ten road series of the year and they are 1-5 on the road in conference play, with the lone win coming on April 21, at Michigan State.

Overall on the year, Minnesota has played just 11 of its 50 games away from Minneapolis and is 2-6 in true road games.

The Gophers' strength is their pitching staff, as they have a Big Ten-leading team ERA of 2.91 and hold opposing hitters to a .245 average. They have also struck out a conference-high 346 batters, including a league-high 107 strikeouts looking.

2011 third-team All-Big Ten selection TJ Oakes leads the staff with a 7-2 record and a 1.70 ERA. The junior is the son of Minnesota Pitching Coach Todd Oakes and has one complete game shutout on the season. Oakes has given up just 21 runs (16 earned) on 70 hits over 84.2 innings of work, while striking out 74 and walking just 13.

During Big Ten play, Oakes is 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA over 44.1 innings. He has given up 13 runs (9 earned) on 37 hits in six starts, while striking out 47 on walking five.

The Huskers are scheduled to face lefty DJ Snelten on Saturday, who is 4-3 on the year with a 2.48 ERA. During Big Ten play, Snelten holds a 2.93 ERA and a 2-2 record in six starts. He has thrown 43.0 innings and has given up 17 runs (14 earned) on 34 hits, while walking 15 and striking out 27.

The Gophers will give the ball to righty Austin Lubinsky on Sunday, who the Huskers beat earlier this season. At the Dairy Queen Classic, Lubinsky went just 3.0 innings, giving up seven runs (6 earned) on 10 hits. On the year, Lubinsky is 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA over 68.1 innings. He has given up 29 runs (27 earned) on 81 hits and 13 walks, while striking out 44.

The Gophers hit .264 as a team, with five players hitting .300 or better, including a team-high .353 average from Jake Bergren. The freshman outfielder has been even better during conference play with a .379 batting average.

Minnesota ranks 10th in the Big Ten in runs scored on the year with 210, while the Huskers are No. 1 in the league with 343 runs scored.

Four players are tied for the team lead in home runs with two each, while Dan Olinger leads the team both doubles (11) and RBI's (28). Olinger is also tied for the team lead in RBI's during Big Ten play with Matt Halloran, as each have driven in 10 runs.

Without a lot of power, the Gophers will bunt to move runners, evident by their 43 sacrifices on the season, which ranks second in the conference to Iowa's 54 sacrifice bunts. The Gophers also ranks third in the Big Ten with 21 sacrifice flies, trailing Ohio State's 28 and Purdue's 22.

The Gophers and Huskers are relatively even on the base paths, with NU going 47-for-63 in steal attempts, while Minnesota is 46-for-66.

Minnesota has hit into just eight doubles plays this season, which is easily the lowest in the league. Penn State has the next fewest double plays with 23 twin killings.

Stock Up
Transfer Richard Stock has been a welcome addition to the Husker offense in 2012. The junior from Westlake Village, Calif., is second on the team with a .359 average, while leading the team in both doubles (15) and triples (3).

His 90 total bases rank second on the team to Chad Christensen's 96, while Stock is also slugging .539 and has  an on-base percentage of .393.

Stock came to the Huskers as a catcher, but has developed into the Huskers' primary first baseman, while also serving as Cory Burleson's backup at the plate.

During Big Ten play Stock has been even better at the plate, as he leads the Big Ten in batting average (.419), hits (31) and is tied for second in the league in doubles (7) .

Stock has produced three hits in a game eight times this year, including two games with four hits. The junior also has eight multi-RBI games on the season and is riding an 11-game hitting streak into Friday's game at Creighton.

A 45th-round pick out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers, Stock has found new life at Nebraska after playing his freshman season at USC and last season at Pierce College in Los Angeles.

I Wanna Be Like Mike
Sophomore Michael Pritchard enters Tuesday's game with an 25-game hitting streak, which is the forth longest streak by a Husker since 1958.

Pritchard needed a hit on Tuesday against Creighton to tie Derek Dukart for the third-longest hitting streak at NU since 1958 at 25 games. Pritchard not only got one hit, but went 4-for-4 on the night with one double.

The streak started in the Huskers' Big Ten opener against Illinois on March 23, when the Pritchard produced two hits.

He has notched at least a pair of hits 10 times during the streak, including three or more hits twice. The sophomore has scored at least one run in 17 games during the streak.

Francis Collins holds the NU school record with a 38-game hitting streak in 1996, while Ken Ramos is second with a 28-game streak in 1987.

No statistics on hitting streaks prior to the Huskers joining the Big Eight Conference in 1958 are available.

Counts Just a Bit More This Time
The Huskers and Gophers have already met once this year, with NU winning 10-3 over UM in a non-conference game at the Dairy Queen Classic on March 4 at the Metrodome. The Huskers out hit the Gophers 13-7 on the day.

K For Kubat
After starting three games at the beginning of the season, freshman Kyle Kubat had become a tough arm out of the bullpen for the Huskers during conference play, before starting his first conference game against Indiana on May 5.

Kubat shut down the Hoosiers with a career-high seven strikeouts, the most by a Husker in 2012, over a career-high 6.2 innings of work to improve to 3-0 on the year.

After giving up two runs on three hits in the first inning against IU, Kubat found his rhythm and gave up just one hit and didn't allow a runner past second base over the next 5.2 innings.

In four appearances during Big Ten play, Kubat has a 1.62 ERA over 16.2 innings of work and is holing opposing batters to a .207 batting average. The 6-1 lefty has allowed 17 hits and has given up five walks, while striking out 13. Only Brandon Pierce has move strikeouts during Big Ten play with 18, but he thrown 10.2 more innings.

Time to Win
With just six games left on the Big Ten schedule, the Nebraska baseball team is on the outside looking in at the Big Ten Tournament.

The Huskers are tied with Illinois for seventh in the Big Ten entering the weekend, but are only one-game back of Michigan State, Minnesota and Penn State, who are all tied for third. Ohio State is one-half game ahead of the Huskers in the standings with a 11-10 record.

The Huskers hold tie breakers over Illinois and Ohio State, while Indiana, who is second in the league with a 11-7 record, holds the tie breaker over the Huskers after taking 2-of-3 last weekend.

The Huskers finish the regular season week on the road at Michigan, who is 10th in the league with a 6-12 record. NU will play in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

6 is the Magic Number
Nebraska is 8-1 this during Big Ten play when scoring six or more runs and the Huskers are 7-1 when holding opponents to less than 6 runs.

NU is 1-8 when scoring less than six runs during conference play and is 2-8 when opponents score six or more runs.

Get on Top
Scoring the game's first runs has been important for the Huskers during Big Ten play.

In the first 18 games of the Big Ten schedule, the Huskers are 6-2 when taking the first lead of a game. When the opposition scores first, the Huskers are 3-7.

Give it to the Bullpen
The depth and talent of Nebraska's bullpen has been one of its biggest strengths this season.

During Big Ten play, the Huskers are 8-0 when leading after the sixth inning, 7-0 when leading after the seventh and 8-0 when leading after the eighth inning.

Overall, NU is 25-4 when leading through six innings, 24-3 when leading through seven and 25-2 when leading after eight innings.

Put it in Play
Nebraska's Richard Stock and Kash Kalkowski has been two of the Huskers' most aggressive hitters at the plate this year with 11 combined walks in 316 combined at bats.

Kalkowski's four walks are tied for the lowest on the team in his 149 at bats, while Stock has just seven walks in 167 at bats.

Even more impressive, Kalkowski has just 12 strikeouts on the year and Stock has just 14.

Of the Husker regulars, Michael Pritchard leads the team with only nine strikeouts in 173 at bats, or one strikeout every 19.2 at bats.

Senior Class
Four Husker seniors will be honored on Sunday for their contributions to the Nebraska baseball program. Entering Friday, the group has been part of 111 wins at Nebraska and has played in 332 games.

#13 Cory Burleson - Catcher
Midland, Texas, native Cory Burleson has started 113 games entering Friday's game with Minnesota and has played in 140 games since coming to Nebraska in 2009.

A four-year letterwinner, Burleson also excelled in the classroom where he was a two-time academic all-conference selection and recently graduated with his degree in finance.

Named to the Kleberg Bank College Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this season, Burleson has been one of the top catchers in the country, as he has thrown out 18 runners in 32 attempts.

#14 Kale Kiser - Outfielder
Kale Kiser came to Nebraska as an infield and transitioned to the outfield following his sophomore season.

A switch hitter from Plano, Texas, Kiser  has had an on-base percentage of over .400 his past three seasons, including a .467 percentage as a sophomore in 2010.

Playing both left and right field this year, Kiser has seen his power numbers go up with five home runs entering Friday's game with Minnesota, which nearly matches the six combined home runs he hit over his first three seasons at NU.

Kiser has driven in a career-high 30 runs this year and leads the Huskers in both walks (30) and HBP's (13).

#50 Dexter Spitsnogle - Pitcher
Dexter Spitsnogle played three seasons at Doane College in Crete, Neb., before transferring to Nebraska.

Spitsnogle has seen action in five games this year, including a pair of starts. He has great control on the mound, proven by his 4-to-1 strikeout/walk ratio.

Spitsnogle recently graduated with his degree in mechanical engineering.

#40 Sam Stucky - Catcher
Following two years at Johnson County Community College, Sam Stucky transferred to Nebraska for the 2011 season. Stucky played in four games as a junior and picked up his first hit and RBI as a Husker on March 23, 2011, against Northern Colorado.

Stucky drew eight starts early this season at catcher before suffering an injury that only allows him to hit.

In 12 games played this year, Stucky has scored seven runs, produced one double and has an on-base percentage of .314.

What a Difference a Year Makes
After struggling through a sophomore season that saw him hit .220 with four doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI's in 43 games, Josh Scheffert went back to the drawing board this summer and worked on his swing.

The Lincoln native's hard work has paid off so far in 2012, as he has been named Big Ten Player of the Week twice.

The junior is third on the team with a .353 average, while tying for the team high in home runs with eight. He is second on the team in both doubles (10) and RBI's (37).

His biggest improvement has come in his strikeout total. Last season Scheffert struck out 41 times in 150 at bats over 43 games, while this year he has just 20 strikeouts in 139 at bats over 40 games.

Scheffert has also been solid in the field at both corners of the diamond. He has just four errors on the season in 185 chances.

It's Not Nice to Steal
Catcher Cory Burleson has been one of the most important cogs of the Husker defense this season with 18 runners caught stealing, which tops his season total of 14 from 2011.

The senior backstop has slowed down the opposition's running game, as team's have stolen just 14 bases in 32 attempts (.438) this season, with two of the 12 steals coming from Illinois on a double steal.

During Big Ten play, Burleson has thrown out eight runners in 15 attempts.

Through May 7, Northwestern's Geoff Rowan (27) and Indiana's Kyle Schwarber (24) are the only catchers in the Big Ten with more runners thrown out than Burleson, but Schwarber has the second most steals allowed in the league with 37 and Rowan is third with 35.

Nine catchers in the Big Ten have allowed 20 or more steals on the year, including six who have allowed 25 or more. Illinois' Kelly Norris-Jones has allowed a league-high 45 stolen bases.

Burleson has worked hard in the offseason to improve his game after allowing 26 steals in 40 attempts a year ago.

Packing the Park
Through May 6, the Huskers rank 12th in the country in average home attendance with 3,605 fans per game and 15th in overall attendance with 90,134 fans through the gates at Hawks Field.

No other Big Ten team ranks in the top 45 of either category.

Against Purdue, the Huskers had their two largest crowds of the season with 6,257 fans on Saturday, April 20 and 6,014 fans on Sunday, April 21.

For the weekend against the Boilermakers, 16,979 fans piled into Hawks Field.

Home Sweet Hawks
The Nebraska baseball program is celebrating its 11th year at Hawks Field in 2012. The Huskers are 246-87-1 (.738) since opening the park on March 5, 2002 with a 23-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney.

Nebraska plays a total of 30 games at Hawks Field in 2012, and is 17-9 at Hawks Field this season.

The Huskers were scheduled to play 31 home games in 2012, but their game with CSU Bakersfield on Sunday, April 29, was cancelled due to rain.

Helping the Pitching Staff
Through 48 games the Huskers have turned 44 double plays. NU is on pace to turn just over 50 double plays this season after only converting 35 a year ago.

Rich Reward

Texarkana CC transfer Rich Sanguinetti had been a key cog in the Husker offense this season. Hitting out of the two-hole in 40 of his 44 starts, Sanguinetti is hitting .305 on the year with a team-high 12 sacrifice bunts and is third on the team with 36 RBI's.

Vogt of Confidence
Dylan Vogt has been the Huskers' go to man out of the bullpen with a 1.71 ERA in 21 appearances.

The junior righty has worked 40.2 innings and struck out 26, while holding opponents to a .238 batting average.

Prior to his appearances against Indiana on May 6 when he gave up two runs in 3.1 innings of work, Vogt had pitched 14.0 straight shutout innings over six appearances.

Learning Curve
Freshman Pat Kelly has made a quick transition to college pitching, as the Red Wing, Minn., is fifth on the team with a .322 batting average and is one over four Huskers with a  slugging percentage over .500 at .530.

Kelly is even better with a teammate on base, hitting .361 on the season.

His biggest hit of the season came on Sunday, April 8, against Iowa, as he blasted a triple to the center field wall that scored two Huskers to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kelly then scored the winning run on a walk-off single by Kale Kiser.

Kelly has hit throughout the Husker lineup and has produced 12 extra-base hits, including five doubles, two triples and five home runs.

He has driven in 24 runs and scored another 21.

Setting the Pace
Sophomore leadoff-hitter Michael Pritchard has been one of the Huskers' most lethal weapons this season with a Big Ten-leading .393 batting average. Michigan State's Jordan Keur is second in the conference with a .378 average.

Pritchard leads the Huskers with a .453 on-base percentage, which is 25 points higher than Kale Kiser's .428 on-bast percentage.

Tough With Two
The Huskers have come up with clutch hits all season with two outs, as 112 of the team's 312 RBI's have come with two outs. In 55 games a year ago the Huskers' totaled 91 two-out RBI's.

Leading the way is Chad Christensen, who  has driven in 24 of his team-leading 44 RBI's with two outs. Last season Christensen played in all 55 games and totaled just four two-out RBI's.

Juniors Richard Stock (17), Kash Kalkowski (15), Josh Scheffert (14) and Rich Sanguinetti (10) also each have double-digit two-out RBI's, to give the Huskers five players with 10 or more two-out RBI's.

All-American Cody Asche led the team with 16 two-out RBI's, while only three players had 10 or more on the year, including Asche, Kalkowski (14) and Bryan Peters (12).

Chicks Dig It
After hitting 30 home runs in 55 games last season, led by Cody Asche's 12 home runs, the Huskers have already surpassed last year's total with 39 home runs in 48 games this season.

In the Big Ten, Indiana is the only other program with more than 30 home runs with 33, while four other schools have more than 20.

Kashing In
After battling through an early season groin injury, Kash Kalkowski has steadily returned to form for the Huskers.

Following his 13th game of the year against South Dakota State on March 13, Kalkowski was hitting .256 on the year with one home run, which came in the season opener against Gonzaga, and eight RBI's.

Since the game against the Jackrabbits, Kalkowski has played in 27 games and has raised his average to .325, while also hitting three home runs and driving in 24 runs.

What a Fourth
The Huskers strongest inning this season has been the fourth, where they've outscored opponents 70-16. The Huskers didn't give up a run in the fourth inning until Illinois plated one run against the Huskers in the team's 25th game of the season on Saturday, March 24.

Looking at just the first eight innings of a game, Nebraska has outscored their opponents this season in every inning but the first (19-36) and the seventh (22-29).

In the first three innings of the game the Huskers trail the opposition 98-102, but they have destroyed opponent pitching the second time through the order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings with a 153-64 advantage.

In the seventh and eighth innings the Huskers keep up the pressure and hold a 66-48 advantage, including a 44-19 advantage in the eighth inning.

Hot Sticks
Under the direction of Head Coach Darin Erstad and Associate Head Coach Will Bolt, the Nebraska offense has seen great improvement across the board from a year ago.

During conference play the Huskers are hitting .304 as a team, with six players hitting .300 or better, including a team-leading .419 average from Richard Stock.

In 2011, the Huskers hit .236 during conference play and just two players hit over .300, including Cody Asche (.351) and Michael Pritchard (.340).