Huskers Travel to Houston for Rice Invitational

Nebraska Baseball Update
Season Record (5-0, 0-0 Big 12) ? National Rankings 27 (CB)/NR (BA)/NR (Sports Weekly)/32 (NCBWA)

Day Date Opponent Location Time
Fri. Feb. 25 vs. New Mexico (4-6) Houston, Texas (Reckling Park) 7:30 p.m. (or 30 minutes following Rice/Western Carolina)
Sat. Feb. 19 at 7/14/7 Rice (8-1) Houston, Texas (Reckling Park) 1 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 26 vs. Western Carolina (2-1) Houston, Texas (Reckling Park) Noon
Polls are listed in the following order: Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America/Sports Weekly

Pitching Probables
Fri. NU - Joba Chamberlain, So., RHP (0-0, 2.08 ERA) vs. UNM - Jason Fernandez, Sr., RHP (2-1, 5.50 ERA)
Sat. NU - Zach Kroenke, Jr, LHP (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. Rice - TBA
Sun. NU - Brian Duensing, Jr., LHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. WCU - TBA

Media Information
Radio: None
TV: None
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Internet Video Streaming: All three games this weekend will be video streamed live on HuskersNside, for more information or to subscribe for the 2005 season, visit Huskers.com.

Huskers Travel to Houston for Rice Invitational
Nebraska looks to continue its best start since 1997, as the Huskers travel to Houston, Texas, this weekend for the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational. The Huskers (5-0) relied on an outstanding pitching performance to sweep a five-game series from Hawaii-Hilo last weekend, but will face a more difficult task this weekend, taking on New Mexico (Fri.), No. 7 Rice (Sat.) and Western Carolina (Sun.). All three games will be shown on HuskersNside, the first of over 50 scheduled games to be shown by HuskersNside this season. In addition, live stats are available for all three contests on Huskers.com.

The Huskers, who climbed to 27th in the Collegiate Baseball poll released Monday, will be making their fifth appearance in the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational, going 1-2 the first three years before posting a pair of wins last season. Sophomore Joba Chamberlain (Lincoln) will take the hill in Friday’s opener against New Mexico (4-6) before left-handers Zach Kroenke (Omaha) and Brian Duensing (Omaha) square off against Rice and Western Carolina, respectively.

Weekend Tournament Schedule

Date Opponent Time
Feb. 25 Nebraska vs. New Mexico 1 p.m.
Feb. 25 Rice vs. Western Carolina 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 26 Nebraska vs. Rice 1 p.m.
Feb. 26 Western Carolina vs. New Mexico 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 27 Nebraska vs. Western Carolina Noon
Feb. 27 Rice vs. New Mexico 3:30 p.m.

Leading Off
?- Nebraska has shown a proficiency for larceny during the first weekend, stealing 18 bases in 19 attempts, including six by Alex Gordon (Lincoln, Neb.) and five by Joe Simokaitis (St. Louis, Mo.). The Huskers, who are tied with Missouri for the fewest games played in the league, are third with 18 stolen bases, while Gordon and Simokaitis rank third and fifth, respectively, in the Big 12.

?- Junior Brandon Buckman (Monument, Colo.) leads the Big 12 in hitting with a .500 average after the first weekend. Buckman had a four-hit game in his Husker debut on Thursday before following up with a three-hit game in Friday’s nightcap.

?- Right-hander Brett Jensen (Eagle Grove, Iowa) turned in an impressive weekend as NU’s closer, going 1-0 with a save in two appearances. Jensen retired all 10 hitters he faced, including five strikeouts.

?- The Huskers will be making their fifth appearance in the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational. Last season, NU posted its first winning record at the tournament, including a win over No. 14 North Carolina.

NU’s Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational History (5-7)
Date Record (Results)
2000 1-2 (L-Northwestern State, L-Rice, W-Arkansas St.)
2001 1-2 (L-Rice, W-Lamar; L, Georgia Tech)
2002 1-2 (W-New Mexico; L-Rice; L-Wake Forest)
2004 2-1 (W, Northwestern State; L-Rice; W-North Carolina)

? - Eight Nebraska relievers combined to go 3-0 with two saves and a 1.33 ERA last week, striking out 17 and walking two while not allowing any of the six inherited runners to score.

? - Nebraska has scored at least one run in 394 of the last 395 games dating back to the 1998 season. In 2004, the Huskers were the only Big 12 team not shut out.

?-Alex Gordon has started the past 85 games dating back to his freshman season and has not missed an inning of action since last March 19.

?- Alex Gordon will look to become the first position player and only the second player in Big 12 history to repeat as conference player of the year. Baylor’s Jason Jennings is the only other player to win multiple Big 12 Player-of-the-Year awards (1998-99).

?-Nebraska is only one of 11 teams nationally - and one of only two schools in the Big 12 - to have team ERAs under 4.00 in each of the last three seasons.

Quick Look at This Weekend’s Field
New Mexico - The Lobos enter this weekend’s tournament with a 4-6 record after dropping 2-of-3 to Texas State last weekend. Under long-time coach Rich Alday (435-428-3 in 16th seasons at UNM), the Lobos have five hitters batting over .300, while Daniel Stovall and Chris Carlson, a transfer from Kansas State, are tied for the team lead with 14 RBIs.

Right-hander Jason Fernandez will take the hill in Friday’s opener, as he is 2-1 with a 5.50 ERA in a team-high 18 innings of work. The senior’s ERA is the lowest on the weekend rotation and he pitched a team-high 18 innings in his three starts. Fernandez did not pitch against Nebraska in any of the three games the Lobos played vs. NU in 2004. Nebraska leads the all-time series, 15-7, sweeping the three meetings last season.

Rice - After losing a trio of first-round picks from their weekend rotation, the Owls are flying high with a 7-1 record and a five-game winning streak after beating Houston in extra innings on Tuesday. Rice’s only loss has come to Baylor, which is also ranked in the top 10 nationally. Freshman Danny Lehmann has been Rice’s top producer early on, hitting .364 with three homers and 11 RBIs, as he is one of only two Owls hitting above .300 for Coach Wayne Graham (590-239 in 14 seasons at Rice). Traditionally, pitching has been the forte of the Owls, and junior college transfer Josh Geer has been the Owls’ ace early on, going 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in three starts. Freshman Joe Savery has also been solid, going 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in 14.1 innings of work. Rice leads the all-time series 14-9 and has won the past three meetings, including a 4-2 win over NU last season in Houston.

Western Carolina - Western Carolina comes to the Rice Invitational with a 2-1 record after taking 2-of-3 from Wright State last weekend. The Catamounts, who finished the 2004 with a 28-31 record, feature one of the nation’s top home run hitters in Jared Greenwood, who hit .338 with 21 homers and 63 RBI in 2004. Right-hander Caleb McConnell is WCU’s top returning pitcher after going 2-2 with a 4.28 ERA in 12 starts last season. Todd Raleigh (151-140) is in his sixth season at the helm of the Catamount program. Sunday’s matchup will be the first meeting between the two programs.

Week in Review:
Nebraska 12, Hawaii-Hilo 4 - Dustin Timm fired 5.1 innings of solid relief, while Brandon Fusilier’s three-run, fourth-inning homer NU to a 12-4 victory over Hawaii-Hilo. Timm (1-0) held the Vulcans to only one run in 5.1 innings to earn up the victory.  The fifth-year senior allowed only one run before retiring 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. Fusilier, who missed all of the 2004 season, was the catalyst for NU’s 10-hit attack, going 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, three walks and three runs scored. Junior college transfer Brandon Buckman went 4-for-5 with an RBI in his Husker debut while Joe Simokaitis went 2-for-5 with a key two-run single and also scored twice.

Nebraska 2, Hawaii-Hilo 1 - Andy Gerch’s sixth-inning safety squeeze broke a 1-1 deadlock, as NU won the first game of a twinbill, 2-1 With runners on the corners and no outs, Gerch laid down a perfectly placed bunt, scoring Curtis Ledbetter, who opened the inning with a double, from third for the go-ahead run. The Huskers relied on an outstanding pitching performance from relievers Jeremy Becker and Brett Jensen, who combined not to allow a base runner in 2.2 innings of relief.  Jensen earned the win, pitching the final 2.1 innings, striking out four. Ledbetter had two hits for NU, as his RBI single in the first accounted for Nebraska’s other run.

Nebraska 5, Hawaii-Hilo 1 - Brian Duensing fired six shutout innings in his first appearance in nearly two years, as Nebraska completed a sweep of Hawaii-Hilo with a 5-1 victory. Less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, Duensing scattered four hits and struck out three for his first win since March of 2003. The junior left-hander allowed two singles in the first and then didn’t allow another hit until the sixth, as the Huskers staked him a 5-0 run lead and cruised to the win. First baseman Brandon Buckman paced the eight-hit attack in the nightcap, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while the Huskers stole nine bases, including three by Alex Gordon and two by Joe Simokaitis.

Nebraska 5, Hawaii-Hilo 1 - Brian Duensing fired six shutout innings in his first appearance in nearly two years, as Nebraska completed a sweep of Hawaii-Hilo with a 5-1 victory. Less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, Duensing scattered four hits and struck out three for his first win since March of 2003. The junior left-hander allowed two singles in the first and then didn’t allow another hit until the sixth, as the Huskers staked him a 5-0 run lead and cruised to the win. First baseman Brandon Buckman paced the eight-hit attack in the nightcap, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while the Huskers stole nine bases, including three by Alex Gordon and two by Joe Simokaitis.

Nebraska 6, Hawaii-Hilo 3 - Alex Gordon went 3-for-5 and delivered the go-ahead RBI, as Nebraska rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Hawaii-Hilo, 6-3.  Gordon broke a 2-all deadlock with his seventh-inning single that highlighted Nebraska’s four-run inning. Trailing 2-1, the Huskers took the lead for good by scoring four runs on five hits in the seventh. In addition to Gordon, Simokaitis went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Nimmo went 2-for-3, as Nebraska (4-0) will look for the series sweep Sunday afternoon. Redshirt freshman Tony Watson (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with 3.1 innings of solid relief, allowing one run on two hits, while Brett Jensen pitched a perfect ninth for his first save.

Nebraska 8, Hawaii-Hilo 1 - Brandon Fusilier and Trey Adams each knocked in a pair of runs and Phil Shirek threw 5.0 innings of one-run ball to lead Nebraska to an 8-1 victory over Hawaii-Hilo. Leading 2-1, Nebraska (5-0) broke open the game with a six-run sixth inning, highlighted by Adams’ RBI triple and run-scoring singles by Jeff Christy, Bryce Nimmo and Joe Simokaitis. Nimmo finished the day going 3-for-5 with a run and RBI from his leadoff position, while Ledbetter went 2-for-3 with two runs. Shirek went the first five innings, allowing one unearned run for the win, while relievers Jon Klausing and Luke Wertz combined to throw four shutout innings.

Quick Look at the Huskers
Nebraska brings back the majority of its offensive attack from 2004, with five everyday starters back in the fold this spring along with left fielder Brandon Fusilier (.289-6-41), who missed all of 2004 with a shoulder injury. Third baseman Alex Gordon is the catalyst of the NU attack, hitting .365 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs en route to first-team All-America honors. Gordon is one of three returning all-conference players in the Husker infield, as he is joined by first baseman Curtis Ledbetter (297-8-56) and shortstop Joe Simokaitis (.279-1-33). Freshmen Ryan Wehrle and Jake Opitz are battling for the starting second base position, as both players earned first-team all-state honors last season. Another newcomer who could figure prominently into NU’s plans is junior college first baseman Brandon Buckman, who hit .460 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs at Garden City CC.

In addition to Fusilier, the Huskers also return starting outfielders Jesse Boyer (.302-0-20, 14 SB) and Daniel Bruce (.243-8-33), who manned the corner outfield positions last spring. Junior College All-American Trey Adams, redshirt freshman Andy Gerch and true freshman Bryce Nimmo will also look for extensive playing time this spring.

Behind the plate, junior college transfer Jeff Christy will see a majority of the action after hitting .390 with six homers and 45 RBIs at Barton County Community College. Ledbetter and freshman Mark Hightower will serve as Christy’s primary backups in the wake of Adam Moore’s season-ending injury.

Offensive Totals Back from 2004 Season

Category Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Numbers 230 319 63 6 36 224 46\
Pct. Back 59% 57% 56% 60% 69% 63% 72%

Pitching Coach Rob Childress brings back his most experienced staff in his eight-year tenure at Nebraska, as the six returnees feature fifth-year seniors Dustin Timm and Jeremy Becker, along with Phil Shirek and Brian Duensing, who have each been in the program for three years. Shirek (5-1, 3..07 ERA) and Timm joined junior Zach Kroenke, a second-team All-Big 12 selection, in the Huskers’ weekend rotation during conference play, giving Childress a stable foundation to build a staff around.

Kroenke (7-5, 3.03 ERA) headlines the Husker staff after allowing three runs or less in 11 of his 15 starts. Shirek tops all current Huskers in both wins (14) and starts. He went 5-1 with a 3.07 ERA, highlighted by nine innings of shutout baseball against No. 18 Oklahoma in his final regular-season start of 2004.

Timm (2-3, 3.89 ERA) made a remarkable recovery from Tommy John surgery, splitting time between the bullpen and the weekend rotation. Duensing was one of the league’s top pitchers before developing an elbow injury, went 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts in 2003 before missing nearly two full seasons with the injury.

The Husker bullpen features a pair of veterans in Becker and right-hander Brett Jensen. Becker (0-1, 5.06 ERA) has made 56 appearances as a Husker, including 22 last season. Jensen was used in a variety of roles out of the bullpen, going 1-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 20 outings.

A trio of other Huskers who missed the 2004 season because of injuries are anxiously awaiting the spring to make significant contributions. Tony Watson, a 23rd round draft pick out of high school who went 9-0 with a 0.10 ERA and 148 strikeouts, missed all of 2004 with a shoulder injury. Matt Foust, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas two seasons ago, returns after being sidelined with a shoulder injury, while sophomore Mike Harmelink is back after Tommy John surgery in December of 2004.

Three of the newcomers who will be expected to contribute early on are sophomore Joba Chamberlain, a transfer from Nebraska-Kearney, and freshmen Ryan Bohanan and Johnny Dorn, who were two of the top high school seniors in the Midwest last spring.

Pitching Totals Back from 2004

Category Wins Starts Saves Inn. BB SO
Numbers 16 34 4 296 99 193
Percentage Back 44% 58% 33% 56% 60% 50%

Gordon Piles Up Numbers, Honors
After a season where he earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Year and unanimous first-team All-America honors, third baseman Alex Gordon has already racked up a number of impressive honors heading into the 2005 season.

Gordon, who spent the summer of 2004 playing with Team USA, hit .365 with 18 homers and 75 RBIs in his sophomore campaign, a year where he ranked in the top four in the league in nine offensive categories. With Team USA, he hit .388 with four homers and 12 RBIs, while hitting .523 at the World University Games in Taiwan.

Gordon’s Preseason Honors

• Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year
• First-Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America)
• Big 12 Player of the Year (Collegiate  Baseball and Baseball America)
• Baseball America’s Top Junior in the Country
• Baseball America’s No. 1 College Prospect for the 2005 MLB Draft
• Wallace Award Watch List

The Lincoln native will look to become the fifth first-round pick in school history and the first since Darin Erstad and Alvie Shepherd in 1995. The following is a list of the previous No. 1 Husker draft picks.

Previous First-Round Husker Picks

Player No. Team Year

Steve Stanicek 11 San Francisco 1982

Bill McGuire 27 Seattle 1985

Darin Erstad 1 Anaheim 1995

Alvie Shepherd 21 Baltimore 1995

Happy Returns for Duensing and Fusilier
A pair of Huskers who missed the 2004 season turned in impressive first weeks in helping Nebraska to a quick start. Senior outfielder Brandon Fusilier started all five games, hitting .294 with a team-high six RBIs. The Coppell, Texas, native drove in three runs in Thursday’s season opener, including the only homer during the opening weekend. Duensing, who will make his second start of the year against Western Carolina on Sunday, turned in an impressive first outing, tossing six shutout innings of four-hit ball on Friday. The left-hander from Omaha struck out three in a 66-pitch effort in his first competitive action since having Tommy John surgery on March 15, 2004.

Husker Frosh Make Good 1st Impression
Five Husker pitchers (Ryan Bohanan, Johnny Dorn, Matt Foust, Tony Watson and Luke Wertz) also enjoyed a strong opening weekend perfornance, going a combined 1-0 with a save and a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings of work. The group struck out 13 and walked only two and held Hawai-Hilo to a .204 average.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors
With a heated field and a warmer than expected winter in Lincoln, the Huskers have had the opportunity to get most of their work in at Hawks Field. Nebraska had 10 of its 22 preseason practices outside at Hawks Field - the highest total in recent memory.

Ledbetter Gets Defensive at First Base
One of the reasons for Nebraska’s school record .975 fielding percentage in 2004 was the performance of first baseman Curtis Ledbetter. A two-time All-Big 12 pick, Ledbetter committed one error in 473 chances, as his .998 fielding percentage was the best ever by a Husker with 400 total chances in a season. In addition to his defensive prowess, the senior from Lawrence hit .297 with eight homers and 56 RBIs, while leading the squad with 12 game-winning RBIs. Ledbetter showed off his catching skill, making two starts behind the plate in his first action at the position since junior college.

Simokaitis Climbs Career Assist List
Shortstop Joe Simokaitis is poised to become the school’s all-time assist leader. The senior from St. Louis, Mo., has paced the Huskers in assists in each of the last three two seasons, including a school-record 194 assists in 2003.

Career Assists
No. Mark Player Year
1. 639 Will Bolt 1999-02
2. 604 Darin Petersen 1992-95
3. 548 Bruce Wobken 1986-89
4. 487 Joe Simokaitis 2002-present
5. 450 Kurt Eubanks 1981-85

Moore to Miss Season with Knee Injury
Nebraska baseball coach Mike Anderson announced Feb. 6 that catcher Adam Moore will miss the entire 2005 baseball season after undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Moore, who suffered the injury during practice on Feb. 3, underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Feb. 5 in Lincoln.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Moore was a two-time Texas East Athletic Conference selection at Northeast Texas Community College, hitting .395 with 14 homers and 66 RBIs as a sophomore last spring.

Huskers Ranked Among Big 12’s Best
A trio of Husker baseball players were honored in Baseball America’s preseason issue. Third baseman Alex Gordon tops three categories (Best Pure Hitter, Best Strike Zone Discipline and Best Defensive Third Baseman), while Curtis Ledbetter (Best Defensive First Baseman) and Daniel Bruce (Best Outfield Arm) also garnered honors in voting by the league coaches. Ledbetter committed one error in 473 chances in his first season at first base, while Bruce has thrown out 13 runners from the outfield during his Husker career.

Big 12’s Best Tools

Categories Player

Best Pure Hitter Alex Gordon
Best Strike-Zone Discipline Alex Gordon
Best Defensive 1B Curtis Ledbetter
Best Defensive 3B Alex Gordon
Outfielder/Best Arm Daniel Bruce

Three Huskers Named to Baseball America’s Preseason All-Big 12 Squad
Three Husker baseball players were selected to Baseball America’s preseason All-Big 12 team. Third baseman Alex Gordon joined pitcher Zach Kroenke and first baseman Curtis Ledbetter, giving the Huskers three selections, as NU was tied with Baylor for second among Big 12 schools. Texas had six preseason All-Big 12 picks.

2005 Roster Features Nine Drafted Huskers
Nebraska’s 2005 roster boasts a total of nine Huskers who have been previously selected in the annual Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The list is led by fifth-year senior Dustin Timm, who was drafted in both 2000 (Kansas City, 41st) and 2004 (Milwaukee, 26th). Timm and pitcher Phil Shirek, a 44th-round pick by Cleveland, were selected in the 2004 draft, but elected to return for their senior seasons.

Drafted Huskers

Player Round Team Year

Jeff Christy 49th Los Angeles 2002

Brandon Fusilier 45th Seattle 2001

Brett Jensen 45th Baltimore 2003

Curtis Ledbetter 39th Cleveland 2000

Adam Moore 28th Los Angeles 2003

Jake Opitz 39th Seattle 2004

Phil Shirek 44th Cleveland 2004

Dustin Timm 41st Kansas City 2000

Dustin Timm 26th Milwaukee 2004

Tony Watson 23rd Florida 2003

Huskers Feature Players from 10 States
Of the 41 members of the 2005 squad, 19 are from the state of Nebraska, including nine from the Omaha metro area and four from Lincoln.

In all, a total of 10 states are represented on the 2004 roster, including seven from Colorado, three from Kansas, Iowa and Texas.

Huskers by State
States No. of Players

Nebraska 19
Colorado 7
Texas 3
Kansas 3
Iowa 3
North Dakota 2
Missouri 1
Minnesota 1
South Dakota 1
Wyoming 1

Huskers Honored for Academic Work
A total of 16 current or former Huskers were honored on Feb. 12, as they were named to the 2004 Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll.

The list is highlighted by senior pitcher Jeremy Becker, who makes his ninth appearance on the conference honor roll. The fifth-year senior from Scottsbluff will graduate in May with a degree in agricultural engineering and has posted a grade-point average above 3.0 every semester of his college career. Daniel Bruce joins Becker as seniors who have been on the Big 12 honor roll every semester of their collegiate career, as he makes his seventh consecutive appearance. Bruce, a first-team academic all-district selection last season, carries a 3.866 cumulative GPA in English. Eight Husker newcomers also posted GPAs above 3.0 during their first semester in the Husker program.

The Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who earned a 3.0 grade-point average or higher during the previous semester. Overall, Nebraska had 257 student-athletes named to the fall honor roll, including 28 who produced perfect 4.0 GPAs during the fall semester.

2004 Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll
Player Yr. Major
Becker, Jeremy Sr. Agricultural Engineering
Bruce, Daniel Sr. English
Buckman, Brandon Jr. Civil Engineering
Christy, Jeff Jr. Business Administration
Duensing, Brian Jr. English
Foust, Matt Fr. Undeclared
Hoffart, Darren Sr. Finance
Klapperich, Casey Fr. Undeclared
Manrique, Deric Fr. Undeclared
Nimmo, Bryce Fr. Management
Schwab, Drew Fr. Undeclared
Sillman, Mike Sr. Business Administration
Smith, Al So. Undeclared
Sullivan, Nick Fr. Undeclared
Timm, Dustin Sr. Communication Studies
Wertz, Luke Fr. Broadcasting

Husker Baseball Show is On the Air
This spring, get a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Nebraska baseball program on the Husker Baseball Show. With in-depth interviews, highlights and features, the show gives Husker fans a chance to follow the Big Red in its bid for a third straight College World Series appearance this spring. The show, presented by the Midwest Ford Dealers, began on March 27 and runs for 10 straight weeks on the following stations. The show is also available on Huskers.com.

2005 Husker Baseball Show
Station Coverage Area Day Time
WOWT Omaha Sunday 10:35 p.m.
KOLN/KGIN Lincoln/Grand Island Sunday 10:35 p.m.
KSTF Scottsbluff Tuesday 7 p.m.
KNOP/KIIT North Platte Tuesday 5 p.m.
Lakes TV Northwest Iowa TBA TBA
Cable One Sioux City, Iowa Wednesday 9 p.m.

The Husker Baseball Show will be replayed on various cable systems throughout Nebraska, including Cox Digital Cable in Omaha and Time Warner Digital Cable in Lincoln, and is also available on-line on HuskersNside.

Up Next: Huskers Travel to Round Rock
Nebraska concludes its early-season road trip next weekend, as the Huskers visit Round Rock, Texas, for the Maxwell College Classic. NU will face a challenging field, which includes Rice, Texas State and nationally ranked USC.