Huskers Host Air Force for Home OpenerHuskers Host Air Force for Home Opener
Baseball

Huskers Host Air Force for Home Opener

Air Force (9-5) at Nebraska (6-7)
March 19-20, 2019
Hawks Field at Haymarket Park • Lincoln, Neb.

Tuesday, March 19 • 3:05 p.m. (CT)
Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Reece Eddins (0-2) vs. Zach Argo (1-0)

Wednesday, March 20 • 1:35 p.m. (CT)
Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network
TBA vs. TBA

After a weekend off, the Nebraska baseball team (6-7) is set to play its long-awaited home opener this week at Hawks Field when Air Force (9-5) visits Lincoln for two games. 

Tuesday’s game is set for 3:05 p.m. (CT), which was adjusted from the original start time due to projected weather. Wednesday’s game is still slated for 1:35 p.m.

The first 500 fans into Tuesday’s game will receive a $1 voucher for a hot dog and the first 500 fans into Wednesday’s game will receive a $1 voucher for a slice of Valentino’s pizza.

Single-game tickets are now available at Huskers.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-8-BIGRED. In addition, fans can still purchase a Diamond Deal package, which allows the ticket holder to build their own nine-game package for $90.

Nebraska enters the week with the No. 34 spot in the RPI, which was released by the NCAA for the first time this season on Monday. In addition, NU has the No. 13 strength of schedule, according to WarrenNolan.com. 

Last Time Out
The Huskers won 2-of-3 at No. 21 Baylor, March 8-10, before last weekend’s series against New Mexico State was canceled due to field conditions. Nebraska opened the series with a 12-4 triumph on Friday before the Huskers held the Bears to one hit in NU’s 2-0 win on Saturday. On Sunday, Baylor salvaged a 10-3 victory over the Big Red. 

Next Up
The Huskers open Big Ten play this weekend when they host Michigan State for a three-game series at Hawks Field. The games are set for Friday at 6:35 p.m. (CT), Saturday at 2:05 p.m. (CT) and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. (CT).

How to Listen/Watch the Huskers

• Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Nick Handley call the action this week 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.

• Neither Air Force game will be carried on TuneIn.com or the TuneIn App on the Husker Sports Network channel.

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

• Both games will be streamed live on BTN Plus, with a paid subscription required to watch.

Scouting the Air Force Falcons

• Nebraska leads the all-time series against Air Force, 4-0. The two teams first met on April 16, 1957, when the Huskers won a 4-2 decision. The last meeting came on Feb. 19, 2011 in San Marcos, Texas, when NU won by an 8-1 margin.

• The two teams have never met in Lincoln, as NU holds a 3-0 edge at Air Force and a 1-0 advantage at a neutral site.

• This season, Air Force is 9-5 overall and enters the week on a three-game winning streak.

• Head Coach Mike Kazlausky is 181-265 in his ninth season overall. He is assisted by C.J. Gillman, Ryan Forrest and Jimmy Roesinger.

• Players to Watch

  • No. 23 Ashton Easley (Junior OF): Team-high .358 batting average with 19 hits, 13 runs scored and six RBIs
  • No. 5 Nic Ready (Senior INF): Hitting .352 with 10 RBIs and a team-best eight doubles
  • No. 4 Colby Brown (Senior INF): Batting .289 with 13 hits and six RBIs

Huskers to Play Latest Home Opener Since 1978

• Due to weather and field conditions, each of Nebraska’s first eight scheduled home games have either been canceled, postponed or moved to a new location.

• As a result, Nebraska will play its latest home opener since 1978 when the Huskers first played a home game that season on March 28. The 1978 squad played 17 games away from Lincoln before its home opener.

• The Omaha game, originally scheduled as the home opener for March 5, was postponed. The North Dakota State game, scheduled for March 13, was also postponed. The teams are looking for a date later in the season to make up those games.

• The Baylor series, March 8-10, was moved from Lincoln to Waco, Texas due to cold weather and snowy conditions.

• The New Mexico State series, originally slated for March 15-17, was canceled due to field conditions.

• Since 1978, Nebraska’s latest home opener was on March 17, 2004. Since 1978, the most number of games played before the home opener was 14 in 2001. This season, NU has played 13 games before its home opener.

Waldron Racking Up Strikeouts

• Senior right-hander Matt Waldron, who has made two starts and four appearances overall, leads the team with 26 strikeouts this season.

• Waldron has allowed only two walks, and his 13.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks first in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation.

• Waldron leads the Husker pitching staff in ERA (2.25), while sharing the team high in innings pitched (20.0) and wins (2).

Breakout at Baylor

• Nebraska put together two of its best performances of the season last weekend in the series win over No. 21 Baylor. It marked the first time NU won a road series against a ranked opponent since May 7-9, 2016 at No. 24 Michigan State.

• In the series opener on Friday, March 8 in Waco, Nebraska raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, as Angelo Altavilla and Luke Roskam each homered. Altavilla homered twice in the game and compiled five RBIs. Roskam set a career high with four hits and tallied four RBIs. Nebraska won the game, 12-4.

• In the second game on Saturday, March 9, starting pitcher Nate Fisher threw 8.0 no-hit innings in NU’s 2-0 win. Fisher, Robbie Palkert and Colby Gomes combined to allow only one hit, which occurred with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

• It marked Nebraska’s first combined one-hit game since March 6, 2013 when six pitchers contributed to the one-hit effort against Northern Colorado.

Fisher Named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week

• Nate Fisher earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher-of-the-Week accolades on March 11 after his performance against No. 21 Baylor on Saturday, March 9.

• Fisher, making his fourth start of the season, threw a career-high 8.0 no-hit innings against the Bears. He recorded six strikeouts and only one walk to help NU knock off Baylor, 2-0. Fisher was perfect through 5.1 innings before allowing his lone walk of the game.

• Baylor didn’t record its first hit of the game until two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning after Fisher was taken out. Fisher shared the weekly honor with Indiana’s Pauly Milto.

Four Games Selected for Big Ten TV Slate

• The Big Ten Conference has released its 2019 baseball television schedule across Big Ten Network, the ESPN family of networks and Fox Sports 1, which features four Husker games.

  • » April 7 – Purdue (ESPNU)
  • » April 9 – Creighton (FS1)
  • » April 20 – Iowa (BTN)
  • » April 26 – Illinois (BTN)

Newcomers Making Their Mark

• Nebraska’s nationally ranked recruiting class has showed its potential through three weeks. One-third of the Huskers to register at-bats this season are newcomers (6-of-18). 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.

Closing Time

• One of Nebraska’s strengths under Head Coach Darin Erstad has been the bullpen. This season, freshman Colby Gomes has recorded both of Nebraska’s saves.

• 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: 190-20 (4-0 this season)
  • » After seven innings: 203-10 (6-0 this season)
  • » After eight innings: 215-6 (6-0 this season)

Huskers Working Through Rigorous Schedule

• Nebraska has the No. 13 strength of schedule in the nation, according to WarrenNolan.com after playing eight of its first 13 games against top-25 opponents. Five of those games were against 2018 College World Series teams.

• As a whole, Nebraska’s schedule features games against five NCAA Tournament qualifiers from last season, including two College World Series participants.

• Before cancellations, Nebraska was scheduled to play 2018 CWS qualifier Mississippi State (March 3) and 2018 NCAA Tournament team New Mexico State (March 15-17), which would’ve given NU a schedule with seven NCAA teams, three of which made the CWS last season.

• 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 and Purdue. NU won 2-of-3 against Baylor, March 8-10, in Waco, Texas. 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.

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.

Erstad Among Winningest Coaches in NU History

• Head Coach Darin Erstad (241-176-1) 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: 241 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

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.

Ledbetter Transitions to Coaching Role

• Head Coach Darin Erstad announced on Aug. 22 that Curtis Ledbetter will serve as the Nebraska’s volunteer assistant coach in 2019 after spending 10 years as the team’s director of operations.

• Ledbetter, a former all-conference performer at Nebraska, joined the Husker staff in May of 2008 after a stint in professional baseball. He was a member of NU’s 2005 College World Series team, which holds the school record for single-season wins (57).

• Ledbetter is the Huskers’ first-base coach and hitting coach, while also coaching NU’s catchers.

Hawks Field Celebrates 18th Year in 2019

• The 2019 campaign marks Nebraska’s 18th year playing home games at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The Huskers moved to Hawks Field in 2002 after playing at Buck Beltzer Stadium for 23 years from 1979 to 2001.

• Nebraska holds a 352-133-1 record at Hawks Field. NU has posted a winning record at home in each of the last 17 seasons.

• Nebraska has won 60 percent or more of its home games 14 times over the last 17 seasons.

• Since Head Coach Darin Erstad took over in 2012, the Huskers are 123-55 at Hawks Field. He has posted 20-win seasons at home in three of his first seven years at Nebraska, including 21-win seasons at home in 2015 and 2016.

• Nebraska has ranked in the top 30 nationally in average attendance in each of the past 17 years. Last season, the Huskers ranked 12th in the nation with an average of 4,203 fans per home game (over a span of 25 games).

• In 2017, the Huskers welcomed an average of 5,395 fans per home game, which ranked sixth in the nation. NU also ranked sixth nationally in 2016 when a school-record average of 5,423 fans attended home games for the Huskers.