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Baseball

Huskers Visit Jays Tuesday, Host Mavs Wednesday

Tuesday, April 14 (7:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP King (3-0) vs. LHP Albrecht (1-2)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Wednesday, April 15 (6:35 p.m.)
Probable Starters: TBA vs. TBA
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Lincoln - Coming off a series victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the No. 23 Nebraska baseball team (26-11, 5-4 Big Ten) is scheduled to play the Creighton Bluejays (20-9, 5-1 Big East) and Omaha Mavericks (16-16, 9-6 Summit) during the midweek before hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes next weekend at Hawks Field.

The Huskers and Bluejays are set to meet at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday night at TD Ameritrade Park for the second game of a three-game season series between the two teams. The game will be shown nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

The Huskers won the first meeting of the year between the two teams, 5-1, on March 31 at Hawks Field and Tuesday night will be a rematch on the mound between Nebraska’s Garett King and Creighton’s Jeff Albrecht. King allowed two hits over 8.0 innings in the win two weeks ago, while Albrecht took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits and two walks over 1.2 innings.

The Huskers have struggled on the road this season, as they are 9-9 away from Hawks Field, including a 5-6 record in true road games. On the other side, the Jays have been great at home with an 11-3 mark at TD Ameritrade Park. The Jays enter Tuesday winners of nine straight at home, tied for their longest streak at TD Ameritrade Park.

After making the short trip to Omaha on Tuesday, the Huskers will be back at home on Wednesday night for a 6:35 p.m. showdown against the Mavericks. As of now, neither team has announced a starter.

The Huskers are 17-2 at Hawks Field this season and will look to sweep the season series from the Mavs after earning a 3-2 extra-innings road win on April 1 at Werner Park. Freshman Scott Schreiber untied the game in the top of the 10th with a solo home run and Josh Roeder closed the game with a perfect inning of relief.

On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln - and live on Huskers.com, the Official Husker App or the TuneIn Radio App.

TV Coverage
Tuesday’s game will be carried on the CBS Sports Network.

Web Streams
Wednesday’s game will be carried on BTN Plus and the BTN2Go app (subscription required).

King of the Hill
Freshman Garett King has stabilized Nebraska’s midweek starter this year, as the Anaheim Hills, Calif., native has started NU’s first five Tuesday games and will make his sixth start of the season on Tuesday night at Creighton.

King has a 2.48 ERA on the year in eight appearances and holds a 3.4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 6-3 right hander has gone at least 5.0 innings in each of this four starts, including a career-long 8.0 innings against Creighton at Hawks Field on March 31.

Three or Less
In 27 of Nebraska’s 37 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less.

The Huskers are 24-3 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, but are 2-8 on the year when teams score four or more runs.

Early Leads
After scoring just 38 first-inning runs last season in 62 games, the Huskers have gotten their starting pitchers leads early and often in 2015.

Through 37 games, the Huskers are outscoring the opposition 36-15 in the first inning of games this season.

Last season the Huskers outscored their opponents 123-95 in the first three innings of games, while this year NU holds a commanding 81-28 advantage.

Confidence in the Pen
During Darin Erstad’s tenure at Nebraska, the Husker bullpen has done its job when it has a lead.

Led by pitching coach Ted Silva, the Huskers are 98-12 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 102-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 111-4 record.

Year  Lead after 6     After 7      After 8

2012              31-5         29-3          31-2

2013              20-3         25-2          28-1

2014              28-3         27-1          31-1

2015              19-1         21-0          21-0

Not Nice to Steal
Senior catcher Tanner Lubach enters Tuesday with 37 career runners caught stealing, which ranks third all-time at Nebraska. He is one caught stealing away from moving into a tie for second place.

Cory Burleson (2009-12) holds the school record with 46 runners caught stealing, while current volunteer assistant Jeff Christy ranks second with 38 runners caught stealing in just two years behind the plate in 2005 and 2006.

Topping 100
On Sunday, April 12, senior Austin Darby collected his 100th career RBI to become the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs in their career. After producing 15 RBIs as a freshman, Darby topped the 30-RBI during both his sophomore and junior years with 33 and 36 RBIs, respectively. Through 37 games this season, Darby has 16 RBIs.

With a team-high 31 RBIs so far in 2015, Blake Headley (89 career RBIs) is also on pace to join the club this season.

Headley has improved his RBI total every year at Nebraska. After notching six as a freshman in 2012, he produced 25 in 2013, topped that number with 27 in 2014 and has already set a single-season high with 31 through 37 games this season.

Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs.

Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 career RBIs.

Tanner Tearing It Up

Tanner Lubach didn’t get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start the season. Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.

In his 27 games since, Lubach is hitting .372 (35-for-94) with six doubles, one triple, three home runs and 12 multi-hit performances. Against Kansas State last Tuesday, he went 5-for-5 and was a home run short of the cycle with three singles, a double and a triple.

On the year, Lubach is fifth on the team with a .290 average and is third on the team in RBIs with 18.

Most importantly, Lubach has struck out 11 times over his past 27 games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.

Close the Door
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU’s bullpen.

During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.

With 11 saves in 11 chances this season, Roeder enters Tuesday ranked second in NU history with 29 career saves and needs three more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen’s school record of 31 saves.

Roeder also has a shot at the single-season saves record of 16, also held by Jensen (2005). Jensen holds the top-two single season marks at 16 and 13, while Roeder’s 12 saves last season rank third.

Start with Boldt
Since moving Ryan Boldt back to the leadoff spot, the Huskers are 13-5 on the season. Boldt hit third in 15 of NU’s first 19 games and the Huskers were 9-6. Last season with Boldt in the leadoff spot the Huskers were 22-7.

A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season, Boldt leads the Huskers with a .338 batting average, while also leading the team in runs (34) and hits (45).

Keep Them on Base
The Husker bullpen has inherited 57 runners this season and only nine have scored.

Junior Jeff Chesnut leads the way with 21 runners inherited, and only two has scored. Fellow junior Colton Howell has inherited 10 runners and none have scored.

Get the Hits
Last season the Huskers produced double-digit hits in 30 of their 62 games, including 14 of their 27 home games.

The Huskers were 25-5 when notching double-digit hits last season.

Through 37 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 14 times and are a perfect 14-0 in those games.

The Huskers are 18-2 this year when out-hitting their opponent. The only losses came against LSU and Cal State Fullerton.

Last season, Nebraska was 32-3 when they out hit their opponent, with losses coming against Oregon State, as well as both of NU’s losses to Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA Tournament.

200 and Counting
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska’s 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby become the program’s 23rd member on Saturday, April 4 at Maryland with a one-out single in the seventh inning. Darby enters Tuesday ranked 21st in school history with 204 career hits.

Darby is the fourth Husker to join the club over the past three seasons, as Chad Christensen ended his career with 247 hits in 2013. Prior to Christensen, Jake Opitz was the last Husker to join the club in 2008.

Matt Hopper holds the school record with 338 career hits and is one of just two players in school history to have topped 300 hits.

NU 200-Career Hit Club

 

1.   338    Matt Hopper      2000-03

2.   305    Jeff Leise          2000-03

3.   281    Will Bolt            1999-02

4.   261    Darin Erstad      1993-95

5.   251    Michael Pritchard 2011-14

6.   250    Paul Meyers      1984-86

7.   249    Joe Simokaitis  2002-05

8.   248    Jed Dalton        1992-95

9.   247    Chad Christensen 2010-13

10. 246    Darin Petersen   1992-95

11. 242    Mark Kister        1985-87

12. 240    Alex Gordon      2003-05

13. 238    DJ Belfonte       2007-10

14. 234    Todd Sears       1995-97

15. 231    Daniel Bruce      2002-05

16. 229    Ken Ramos       1987-89

17. 227    Jake Opitz         2005-08

18. 223    Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05

19. 222    John Cole         1999-01

20. 212    Pat Kelly           2012-14

21. 204    Austin Darby    2012-15

22. 203    Ken Harvey       1997-99

23. 201    Francis Collins   1995-97

Pound the Zone
The Huskers pitching staff has racked up 248 strikeouts this year, while issuing 91 walks, for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.73 to 1.

The Huskers walked in their first run of the season on Sunday in the top of the fourth inning against Minnesota, their 37th game of the season.

Miller’s Time
Sophomore Ben Miller has been a key cog in NU’s offense this season. A left-handed hitter from Clive, Iowa, Miller ranks second on the team with 26 RBIs in 36 starts this season, after producing 13 RBIs in 29 starts last season.

Husker Nation Packs the Park
During the first 19 home games of the 2015 season the Huskers posted an attendance mark of 80,668 (avg. 4,245). Last season over 25 dates the Huskers posted a home attendance of 81,044 (avg. 3,241).

Of the top-15 single game home crowds in the Big Ten this year, the Huskers represent the top 13 spots, and hold 14 of the 15 sports. Indiana is the only other team in the top 15, holding the No. 14 spot.

Top-15 Single Game Home Crowds in the Big Ten this Season

Rank    Date            Teams                                      Location   Attendance

1          March 31      Nebraska vs. Creighton              Lincoln, Neb.       7,319

2          March 14      Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb.       6,223

3          March 31      Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb.       6,062

4          March 28      Nebraska vs. Texas                   Lincoln, Neb.       5,852

5          March 29      Nebraska vs. Texas                   Lincoln, Neb.       5,793

6          April 11        Nebraska vs. Minnesota             Lincoln, Neb.       5,719

7          March 15      Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb.       4,798

8          April 10        Nebraska vs. Minnesota             Lincoln, Neb.       4,632

9          March 21      Nebraska vs. Michigan               Lincoln, Neb.       4,551

10        April 12        Nebraska vs. Minnesota             Lincoln, Neb.       4,153

11        March 10      Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb.       4,121

12        March 22      Nebraska vs. Michigan               Lincoln, Neb.       3,918

13        March 20      Nebraska vs. Michigan               Lincoln, Neb.       3,809

14        April 11        Indiana vs. Rutgers                    Bloomington, Ind. 3,328

15        March 27      Nebraska vs. Texas                   Lincoln, Neb.       3,221

Huskers and Creighton at TD Ameritrade Park
Since TD Ameritrade Park opened in 2011, the Huskers and Jay have met seven times at the home of the College World Series.

Nebraska holds a slight 4-3 advantage in games at TD Ameritrade Park, including a 2-1 victory on Tuesday, April 19 in the first ever baseball game at the facility.

All-time, the Huskers hold a 76-49-2 advantage over the Jays.

Young Guns
Through 37 games this season the Huskers have seen six freshmen pitchers take the mound. The six newcomers have combined for 80.1 innings of work over 37 appearances, including nine starts.

Over the past three seasons combined the Huskers had a total of nine freshmen see time on the mound, including three in 2012, two in 2013 and four in 2014.