Huskers Open March at Frisco ClassicHuskers Open March at Frisco Classic
Baseball

Huskers Open March at Frisco Classic

Frisco College Baseball Classic
March 1-3, 2019
Dr. Pepper Ballpark • Frisco, Texas

Friday, March 1 • 7 p.m. (CT)
#3 Texas Tech (Away) vs. Nebraska (Home)
Video Stream: FloLive TV
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Waldron (1-0) vs. TBA

Saturday, March 2 • Noon (CT)
Nebraska (Away) vs. Sam Houston State (Home)
Video Stream: FloLive TV
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Nate Fisher (1-1) vs. Nick Mikolajchak (0-0)

Sunday, March 3 • 11 a.m. (CT)
Nebraska (Away) vs. #12 Mississippi State (Home)
Video Stream: FloLive TV
Radio: Husker Sports Network
TBA vs. TBA

The Nebraska baseball team heads to Frisco, Texas this weekend for the Frisco College Baseball Classic at Dr. Pepper Ballpark.

The Huskers face No. 3 Texas Tech, Sam Houston State and No. 12 Mississippi State at the three-day event touted as the “Best Outside of Omaha.” NU battles the Red Raiders, a 2018 College World Series qualifier, on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). The Huskers square off with the Bearkats, the defending Southland regular-season champions, on Saturday at noon (CT). Nebraska’s weekend concludes with its matchup against the Bulldogs, a 2018 CWS qualifier, on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT).

The other games during the Frisco Classic feature Sam Houston State against Mississippi State (Friday at 3 p.m.), Mississippi State against Texas Tech (Saturday at 6 p.m.) and Sam Houston State against Texas Tech (Sunday at 3 p.m.).

Last Time Out
The Huskers were swept by No. 7 Oregon State at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Surprise, Ariz., last weekend. The final scores of the four-game series were 8-2, 5-3, 17-1 and 8-3. 

Next Up
Due to a schedule change, the Huskers’ home opener has been postponed. Nebraska returns to action at Baylor in Waco, Texas, March 8-10.

How to Listen/Watch the Huskers

• Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action this weekend on the Learfield/IMG Husker Sports Network. Every game this season can be heard on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.

• The games on Friday and Sunday will be carried on TuneIn.com and the TuneIn App on the Husker IMG Sports Network channel. Saturday’s game won’t be on TuneIn.

• Fans in Lincoln can listen on 1400 AM and fans in Omaha can listen on 590 AM.

• All six games of the Frisco Classic will be streamed live online on FloLive TV. Plans for the streaming service start at $12.50 a month and can be canceled at any time. On Friday, David Saltzman (play-by-play) and Mike Bacsik (analyst) will call the action. On Saturday and Sunday, Chris Mycoskie (play-by-play) and Mike Bacsik (analyst) will call the action.

Scouting the Texas Tech Red Raiders

• Nebraska leads the all-time series against Texas Tech, 31-21, dating back to the first meeting between the schools in 1990. The teams last met in March 2011. NU holds a 3-2 edge at neutral sites.

• No. 3 Texas Tech is 6-1 this season after winning its midweek game over New Mexico State, 7-0, on Tuesday. The Red Raiders dropped their season opener against Oregon, but enter the Frisco Classic on a six-game winning streak.

• Last season, Texas Tech went 45-20 on its way to a spot in the College World Series, where the Red Raiders went 1-2. TTU finished third in the Big 12 with a 15-9 record in conference play.

• Head Coach Tim Tadlock is 245-133 in his seventh season overall at Texas Tech. He is assisted by Matt Gardner, J-Bob Thomas and Eric Gutierrez.

• Players to Watch

  •     » Dylan Neuse (Sophomore INF/OF): Leads the team in batting average (.407), triples (2) and RBIs (13)
  •     » Josh Jung (Junior INF): First-team Preseason All-American batting .333 with three doubles and six RBIs
  •     » Gabe Holt (Sophomore INF/OF): Preseason All-American hitting .333 with one double and one RBI

Scouting the Sam Houston State Bearkats

• Sam Houston State leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 5-1, dating back to the first meeting in 1978. The two teams last met in February 2011. This weekend will be the first meeting at a neutral site, as each of the first six meetings took place at SHSU.

• Sam Houston State is 5-2 this season after a loss to No. 22 Texas on Tuesday. The Bearkats face No. 18 TCU on Wednesday before the Frisco Classic. SHSU swept Louisiana last weekend at home.

• Last season, Sam Houston State went 39-20 and won the Southland regular-season conference title with a 24-6 record.

• Head Coach Matt Deggs is 161-95 in his fifth season overall at Sam Houston State. He is assisted by Jay Sirianni, Lance Harvell and Lance Miles.

• Players to Watch

  •     » Gavin Johnson (Junior C): Leads the team in batting average (.409) and also has three doubles
  •     » Colton Cowser (Freshman OF): Hitting .357 with three doubles, eight RBIs and one home run
  •     » Clayton Harp (Senior OF): Batting .344 with a team-high 11 hits and 10 RBIs

Scouting the Mississippi State Bulldogs

• Mississippi State leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 2-0, with both games taking place at the 1999 NCAA Columbus Regional. The Bulldogs took the first game, 18-14, and then eliminated the Huskers with a 13-7 win.

• Mississippi State is 7-1 this season following its 17-4 win over Jackson State on Tuesday. The Bulldogs face Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday at home before heading to the Frisco Classic. MSU’s lone loss was a 1-0 extra-inning defeat against Southern Miss on Feb. 22.

• Last season, Mississippi State went 39-29 on its way to qualifying for the College World Series, where the Bulldogs went 2-2. MSU went 15-15 in the SEC to finish fifth in the West Division.

• Head Coach Chris Lemonis is 148-92-2 in his fifth year overall. Lemonis is in his first year at MSU. He is assisted by Scott Foxhall, Jake Gautreau and Kyle Cheesebrough.

• Players to Watch

  •     » Jordan Westburg (Sophomore INF): Team-high .360 batting average with 10 runs scored, two doubles and one triple
  •     » Tanner Allen (Sophomore INF/OF): Hitting .357 with a team-high four doubles and 17 RBIs
  •     » Jake Mangum (Senior OF): Preseason All-American hitting .310 with three doubles and five RBIs

Schedule Changes for Omaha, Baylor Games

• The Nebraska Athletic Department on Monday announced baseball schedule changes for the Omaha game and Baylor series due to projected weather in Lincoln, Neb.

• The March 5 game against Omaha has been postponed. The two teams will look for a date later in the season to make up the game.

• The three-game series between Nebraska and Baylor (March 8-10) has been moved to Waco, Texas. The athletic department will issue refunds to the ticket holder on record for all tickets purchased through the Ticket Office to the Baylor games. Due to an out of state venue change, the refund is a departure from Nebraska’s standard policy of allowing season ticket holders to utilize unused tickets from postponed or canceled games for general admission to any other game during the season.

Palensky Powers Husker Offense

• Sophomore Aaron Palensky, a junior college transfer, enters the weekend on a a team-best eight-game hitting streak as the only Husker to get at least one hit in every game this season.

• Palensky leads the team in batting average (.333) and shares the team high in hits (11), runs scored (7) and doubles (2).

• Palensky has started all eight games in outfield and has hit in the cleanup spot for every game this season.

Newcomers Stepping In

• Nebraska’s nationally ranked recruiting class has showed its potential through two weeks. Of the 18 Huskers who have registered at-bats, six of them are newcomers. In addition, three newcomers have made pitching appearances.

• D1 Baseball ranked NU’s class 16th nationally and the best among all Big Ten teams, six spots ahead of second-best Illinois.

• Baseball America tabbed the group among its top-35 recruiting classes. After announcing its top 25, Baseball America released its “Next 10” in alphabetical order. Nebraska was one of two Big Ten teams on the list, along with No. 24 Illinois.

• Rawlings/Perfect Game ranked Nebraska’s recruiting class 37th nationally and third in the Big Ten, behind No. 32 Purdue and No. 36 Indiana.

• The Huskers welcome 15 newcomers to the roster this season, including 11 freshmen, as the entire recruiting class made it to campus.

• Two newcomers - Spencer Schwellenbach and Bo Blessie - were drafted in June 2018, but chose to come to Nebraska to play college baseball. Schwellenbach was selected in the 34th round by the Cleveland Indians, while Blessie was drafted in the 36th round by the Washington Nationals.

• Four newcomers - Aaron Palenksy (Southeast CC), Trey Kissack (UNC Greensboro/Southeast CC), Ty Roseberry (Nebraska-Kearney) and Gareth Stroh (Purdue/Coffeyville CC) – bring previous college baseball experience to NU’s roster. Stroh and Kissack will sit out this season.

On the Road Again to Start the Season

• With the postponement of Nebraska’s home opener, the Huskers are scheduled to play their first 14 consecutive games away from Lincoln to start the year. NU will play in Texas for each of the next two weekends, starting in Frisco before heading to Waco to face Baylor.

• The last time Nebraska played its first 14 games away from home was 2001.

• With the schedule changes, Nebraska’s home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 against North Dakota State.

Consecutive Games Away from Lincoln to Start the Season Since 2012

  • 2012: 10 games
  • 2013: 7 games
  • 2014: 10 games
  • 2015: 13 games
  • 2016: 9 games
  • 2017: 9 games
  • 2018: 11 games
  • 2019: 14 games

Pitching Staff Aims for Healthy Comeback

• Four Husker pitchers who spent most of 2018 sidelined with injuries have returned to action for each of the first two weekends.

• Junior right-hander Chad Luensmann has made two starts after missing the entire 2018 campaign following Tommy John surgery last winter. During his first two years at Nebraska in 2016 and 2017, Luensmann compiled 21 saves in 55 appearances.

• Senior righty Reece Eddins returned to the mound during the second half of the 2018 season after suffering an injury in 2017. Eddins made eight appearances in his limited time last season after missing from March 28, 2017 to April 1, 2018. He has thrown 6.2 innings this season and recorded a career-high five strikeouts in his last outing.

• Sophomore left-hander Connor Curry underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2017 and missed the entire 2018 season. Curry has made two relief appearances this season for a total of 4.2 innings.

• Junior righty Robbie Palkert received a medical hardship after suffering a season-ending arm injury during the opening weekend of the 2018 season that required Tommy John surgery. Palkert has thrown 2.1 innings of relief in two appearances this season.

Closing Time

• One of Nebraska’s strengths under Head Coach Darin Erstad has been the bullpen. Nebraska earned 16 saves in 2018, marking the eighth consecutive season the Huskers have recorded double-digit saves.

• Nebraska has had a pitcher earn 10 or more saves in each of the last five seasons after no Husker pitcher reached the 10-save milestone during the previous seven seasons (2007-13).

Nebraska’s Record with the Lead Since 2012

  • » After six innings: 188-20 (2-0 this season)
  • » After seven innings: 200-10 (3-0 this season)
  • » After eight innings: 212-6 (3-0 this season)

Fall Ball Includes Exhibition Scrimmages

• The Huskers took advantage of the new rule which allows NCAA Division I teams to play two fall exhibitions that don’t count against the 56-game spring schedule.

• Nebraska hosted Wichita State on Sept. 22 and Kansas on Oct. 6 with both games played at Hawks Field. The scrimmages were open to the public and free to attend. Score wasn’t kept for either contest.

Huskers Eye Bounce Back Season in 2019

• Nebraska has qualified for three of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2014, 2016, 2017) and looks to get back to the postseason in 2019 after missing the national and conference tournaments in 2018.

• Nebraska, who enters its eighth season as a member of the Big Ten, finished in the top two of the regular-season standings in four of its first six seasons in the conference before finishing 10th in 2018. NU won the regular-season crown in 2017 after finishing second in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

• The 2018 season was the first time NU missed the eight-team conference tournament since joining the Big Ten before the 2012 campaign. Nebraska took runner-up honors at the Big Ten Tournament in 2013 and 2014.

Three CWS Teams Highlight Tough Schedule

• Nebraska is currently in a seven-game stretch where they have six games against 2018 College World Series teams (Oregon State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State).

• In addition, NU is in a 10-game span where the Huskers have nine games against top-15 opponents (No. 7 Oregon State, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 12 Mississippi State and No. 15 Baylor).

• Nebraska’s schedule features games against seven NCAA Tournament qualifiers from last season, including three College World Series participants. In addition, the Huskers face each of the top four teams from last year’s Big Ten standings.

• Nebraska visits reigning Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion Minnesota (March 29-31), a team which advanced to Super Regionals before falling to eventual national champion Oregon State.

• The other 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers on Nebraska’s schedule are Baylor, New Mexico State and Purdue. The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten regular-season standings and took runner-up honors at the conference tournament.

• Michigan and Illinois, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten last season each visit Hawks Field this season.

• Nebraska’s penultimate regular-season series is against Arizona State (May 10-12) at Hawks Field. The series history between the Huskers and Sun Devils includes NU’s first win in a College World Series game in 2005.

• The Big Ten teams not included in Nebraska’s 2019 regular-season schedule are Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State and Rutgers.

• The conference tournament returns to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, May 22-26, after previously hosting the event in 2014, 2016 and 2018. The Big Ten Tournament will return to TD Ameritrade Park from 2020 to 2022.

Erstad Among Winningest Coaches in NU History

• Head Coach Darin Erstad (238-174-1) became the fourth-winningest head coach in program history last season after reaching the 200-win milestone in 2017.

Most Wins by a Head Coach in Nebraska Baseball History

  1. John Sanders: 767 wins (1978-97; 20 seasons)
  2. Tony Sharpe: 399 wins (1947-77; 31 seasons)
  3. Mike Anderson: 337 wins (2003-11; 9 seasons)
  4. Darin Erstad: 238 wins (2012-present; 7 seasons)
  5. Dave Van Horn: 214 wins (1998-2002; 5 seasons)

• Erstad, the 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year, holds a conference record of 96-68-1 as the head coach at Nebraska. He is four Big Ten wins away from his 100th career conference win.

Nebraska Coaches with More Than 100 Conference Wins