Jake Mort Season 2007

Honors & Awards

• ? 2008 First-Team Academic All-Big 12
• ? 2007 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
• ? Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Fall 2006; Fall 2007; Spring 2008; Fall 2008)

2009 Outlook: The veteran of the Husker lineup, senior Jake Mort has appeared in a team-high 139 games during his Husker career ? Provides consistency at the top of the lineup and gives the Huskers one of the best defensive third basemen in the Big 12 ? Started in the Husker infield the past three seasons and has an impressive .963 career fielding percentage while playing both third base and shortstop ? Fundamentally solid player who excels at moving runners over and providing competitive at-bats ? Has worked hard to become more of an offensive force in his final year ? Ranks fifth in school history, as he’s been hit by 27 pitches over the last three years ? Enters the spring as the incumbent at third base, but is being pushed by freshman Cody Asche for playing time.

2008: Mort returned to his natural third base spot full-time, hitting .262 with a homer, 14 RBIs and 48 runs scored while starting 57 contests ? Hit in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, pacing the Huskers with 11 sacrifices, 15 doubles and was hit by 15 pitches while ranking second in runs scored and third in stolen bases (11) ? Finished fourth on the team with 14 multi-hit efforts ? Was stellar defensively, as his .964 fielding percentage matched the best performance at the position ? Went 1-for-8 with a double at the NCAA Lincoln Regional ? Was one of NU’s top performers at the Big 12 Tournament, hitting .417 with four runs scored, including three hits in NU’s victory over Kansas State on May 23 ? Hit .235 with 21 runs scored in 26 Big 12 starts ? Belted his first career homer in 500 plate appearances against MU’s Aaron Crow on May 16 ? Was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored twice against Creighton on May 13 ? Went 5-for-17 with four runs scored and two RBIs against No. 9 Texas A&M, going 2-for-7 with three runs scored in the opener before tying his career best with three hits while adding two RBIs in the finale  ? Went 4-for-9 with four walks and three runs scored in the series win at Baylor ? Was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple at Baylor in the twinbill opener on April 26 before having a pair of hits and scoring twice in the nightcap ? Went 3-for-9 with an RBI and scored three times in the two games against Creighton ? Was 4-for-12 against Kansas with a double and two runs scored, highlighted by a 2-for-4 performance in the series clincher on April 19 ? Started NU’s rally in a 2-0 win at Texas on March 29 with a sixth-inning RBI double and scored the game-winning run in the victory ? Hit .333 with four runs scored in the series win over Oklahoma, matching his career best with three hits in the series opener on March 21 ? His error in the finale against Oklahoma was his first at third base since May 8, 2006, a span of 51 games ? Put together a solid series against Arkansas, going 3-for-7 with a walk and a stolen base, including a two-hit game on March 18 ? Went 3-for-12 in the series sweep at Kansas State, matching his career best with three hits and scoring twice against the Wildcats on March 15 ? Hit .400 (4-for-10) with three walks and two stolen bases in a four-game sweep of Northern Colorado ? Was 2-for-3 with a double and a triple against UC Riverside on March 2.

2007: Mort provided a steady glove in the infield, seeing action at third before moving to shortstop for the final weeks of the season ? Hit .207 with 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored in 33 games, committing only three errors and none in his first 18 appearances ? Had three multi-hit games - all coming against NCAA Tournament teams (Coastal Carolina, Creighton and Baylor) ? Started at shortstop throughout the NCAA  Tempe Regional, going 2-for-17 with RBIs against Monmouth and No. 14 UC Riverside ? Had one hit in 11 at-bats at the Big 12 Championship ? Provided one of the biggest hits of the 2007 season with a two-run double against Kansas in the regular-season finale, breaking a 1-1 deadlock in a game the Huskers won 4-2 ? Was 3-for-11 with three RBIs in the series win over the Jayhawks ? Made his first career start at shortstop against Creighton on May 15, going 2-for-3 with a sacrifice ? Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the series finale against Baylor on May 13 ? Started both games at third base against No. 18 Coastal Carolina, hitting .375 (3-for-8) with a pair of walks, including his first multi-hit game of the year on May 5 ? Made a game-saving play against Creighton on April 3, as he dove to his left to make the stop before firing to first for the out, preserving NU’s 12-10 win at Rosenblatt Stadium, but suffered a shoulder injury on the play and missed 13 contests ? Doubled and drove in a run in a start against Northern Colorado on March 27 ? Started the final two games at Texas Tech, going 2-for-6 with four runs scored ? Enjoyed one of his best games of the year against the Red Raiders on March 16, going 1-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored ? Went 2-for-5 in a pair of appearances at the Stetson Invitational, sparking NU’s five-run rally against Stetson with a base hit on March 5.

2006: Mort seized the starting spot at third base, hitting .265 with 24 RBIs in 49 contests as he was the only freshman in the everyday lineup ? Found a number of ways to make contributions, ranking third on the team in sacrifice hits (six) and hit-by-pitches (10) and fourth with nine stolen bases ? Took advantage of his opportunities to drive in runs, hitting .347 with runners in scoring position, an average which was third on the team ? Totaled 10 multi-hit games, including a season-high three hits in a win over Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium on May 16 ? Excelled defensively at the hot corner, as his .964 fielding percentage was the best by a Husker at the position in school history ? Finished the year by committing one error in his last 21 contests ? Started NU’s NCAA opener against Manhattan on June 2, going 0-for-3 with a walk ? Went hitless in six at-bats during the Big 12 Tournament, while drawing two walks and was hit by a pitch ? Hit .274 with 14 RBIs in 24 Big 12 contests at third base ? Enjoyed his best weekend of the year at No. 5 Texas, hitting .444 (4-for-9) with six RBIs, as he matched his then-season high with two hits and two RBIs in the opener before setting a career best with four RBIs in the finale ? Was 2-for-7 with four runs scored in a sweep of Texas Tech, but walked four times, was hit by pitch and stole three bases against the Red Raiders ? Turned in a strong weekend in a sweep of Texas A&M, hitting .500 (5-for-10) with two RBIs and two multi-hit games ? Hit .417 (5-for-12) in the Huskers’ series win at Missouri, including a pair of multi-hit games ? Sparked Nebraska’s offense in the series finale against Alabama, going 1-for-1 with two runs scored, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in NU’s 6-2 win on March 12 ? Went 4-for-8 in two starts at the Rice Invitational, including a pair of two-hit efforts ? Sparked a win over St. John’s on Feb. 26, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.

2005: Redshirted

Nebraska City High School: Mort concluded a stellar career at Nebraska City High School under Coach Tom Bales ? Was a four-time all-state selection, earning first-team honors as a junior and senior from the Lincoln Journal Star ? Wrapped up his career holding seven all-time records at NCHS, including batting average (.419), hits (119), runs (96), doubles (26), triples (seven), stolen bases (50) and saves (seven) ? Also compiled a 12-8 record with a 2.82 ERA, fanning 95 in 101.2 innings during his prep career ? Hit .414 with 10 doubles and 17 stolen bases as a senior ? Earned first-team all-state awards as an infielder in 2003, batting .448 with five homers, 30 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, while also going 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA and a state-best four saves ? Totaled 10 letters in high school, as he also played basketball and football ? Garnered all-state honors on the hardwood in his final two seasons at Nebraska City, where he was chosen as the school’s athlete of the year in 2004 ? Named to the National Honor Society and was a member of the honor roll all four years.

Personal: Born on Dec. 6, 1985, in Nebraska City, Neb. ? Parents are Russell and Loree Mort ? Has two sisters (Jessica and Rebecca) ? Is a Spanish major with a 3.04 GPA and is on track to graduate this May ? Father (Russell) played basketball at Peru State College.