Huskers Face Sun Devils in CWS Opener

Nebraska Baseball
2005 Record (56-13, 19-8 Big 12 ? Regular Season and Tournament Champions)
National Rankings: 3 (CB) ? 2 (BA) ? 4 (Sports Weekly) ? 4 (NCBWA)

Opening Weekend CWS Schedule (complete schedule on page 3)
Game Day Date Matchup TV Time
Game 2 Fri. June 17 Nebraska (56-13) vs. Arizona State (39-23) ESPN2  6 p.m.
Game 5/6 Sun. June 19 Nebraska vs. Florida/Tennessee ESPN/ESPN2 1 p.m./6 p.m.

Husker Pitching Probables
Game 1 Joba Chamberlain, So., RHP (9-2, 2.74 ERA)
Game 2 Johnny Dorn, Fr., RHP (12-1, 1.98 ERA)
Game 3  Zach Kroenke, Jr., LHP (7-2, 2.61 ERA) 

Media Information
Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (Jim Rose & Randy Lee) 
For Fans at Rosenblatt:  Both radio broadcasts, as well as the Westwood one national feed

TV:  ESPN and ESPN2 (depending on game schedule - see page 3 for complete television schedule)
Live Stats:  NCAAsports.com

Thursday Practice/Press Conference Schedule
Open practice: Nebraska will practice at Rosenblatt Stadium on Thursday, June 16, at 11 am.
Press Conference: Coaches of all eight CWS teams will be available for a pre-series press conference on Thursday, June 16 at 2 p.m. at the Hall of Fame Room. Coordinates (http://www.ncaasports.com/broadcast)

Huskers Head to College World Series for Third Time
For the third time in five years, the Nebraska baseball team makes the 57.25 mile trek from Hawks Field to Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium for the 59th annual College World Series. Nebraska became the first team to clinch its spot in the eight-team field, sweeping No. 13 Miami in a two-game Super Regional (3-1, 6-3) in front of sellout crowds at Hawks Field, including a school-record crowd of 8,711 on Saturday afternoon. 
Nebraska will play in Friday’s second game when it takes on eighth-ranked Arizona State at 6 p.m. (central) on ESPN2. The Huskers will hope to enjoy a similar home-field advantage in Omaha, as over 20,000 Husker fans are expected to make Rosenblatt Stadium a “Sea of Red.”
The Huskers, the No. 3 national seed, come to Omaha with a 56-13 record, topping all teams nationally in wins and riding a 10-game winning streak. Nebraska’s 56 wins easily topped the old mark of 51 set in 2001 and is the Huskers’ third 50-win season since 2001. Nebraska has won 15 of its last 16 games since May 17, including a 1-0 victory over fellow CWS participant Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament title game on May 29.

Nation’s Longest Winning Streaks
No. Team Games
1  Southwest Missouri State  11*
2.  Nebraska  10
*-season complete

Awaiting the Huskers in Omaha will be a battle-tested Arizona State (39-23) team that will be making its 19th CWS appearance.  The Sun Devils, which finished tied for third in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 15-9 mark, defeated Cal State Fullerton twice to punch their ticket to Omaha.

Friday’s first contest will feature the other two teams in Nebraska’s bracket, the No. 7 national seed Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers. That game is set for 1 p.m.  The winners of both games would meet Sunday at 6 p.m. while the losers will meet in an elimination game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

While Nebraska’s three appearances are the fewest of the four teams in its side of bracket, the Huskers’ 2002 trip is the most recent of the four teams on its side of the bracket. Tennessee was in the CWS in 2001 while the Volunteers and Sun Devils make their first trip since 1998.

Leading Off
?-Nebraska is one of only six programs nationally to reach the College World Series in three of the past five seasons, joining Cal State Fullerton, Miami, South Carolina, Stanford and Texas. The Big 12 is the only league in the nation with more than one team in that group.
?-The Huskers are looking to break their four-game winless streak at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium. All four games were close, with three one-run losses (Cal State Fullerton and Tulane in 2001; Clemson in 2002) and a two-run loss to South Carolina, on a two-run homer in the ninth. NU’s two losses in 2002 were the only two games of the entire series decided in a team’s last at-bat.
?-The Big 12, which ranked second in many of the psuedo RPI conference rankings, placed a league-best  three teams in Omaha (Nebraska, Baylor and Texas) for the first time in league history.
?-Nebraska is the only team to play at Rosenblatt Stadium in 2005, losing a pair of games to Creighton. In NU’s other CWS appearances, the Huskers defeated Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium. The second 2005 matchup drew a crowd of 20,011 - the largest single-game regular-season crowd in college baseball this season.
?- Nebraska has five players who have played in College World series games in Omaha, shortstop Joe Simokaitis, center fielder Daniel Bruce and pitchers Jeremy Becker, Brian Duensing and Phil Shirek. Becker and Timm, who was on NU’s 2001 CWS roster, have been on the squad for all three postseason trips to Omaha.
?-Nebraska had three players picked in the first five rounds of last week’s draft - the first time that the Husker program has had three top-five round picks in a single season.
?-With the 1-0 win over Baylor on May 29, the Huskers pulled off a Big 12 double, winning the regular-season and tournament titles in the same season for the second time in school history (also 2001). Texas is the only other team to record the feat, winning both titles in 2002, the year it won a national title.
?-The Huskers are 33-4 at Hawks Field this season and 110-23 (.827) since the ballpark opened in 2002. The 33 wins broke the previous single-season home mark for wins of 29 set four times (1980, 1988, 2002 and 2003).
?-The Huskers’ No. 2 ranking in Baseball America this week is its highest in any national poll since the 2001 season - a year the Huskers were ranked first for two weeks in Baseball America.
?-With the 2005 regular-season co-championship, Nebraska becomes the only Big 12 school to win three regular-season titles. The Huskers won outright Big 12 crowns in 2001 and 2003. The only other Big 12 schools to win multiple conference regular-season crowns are Texas A&M (1998 and 1999), Baylor (2000 and 2005) and Texas (2002 and 2004).
?-The Huskers have now won six league titles in school history (1929, 1948, 1950, 2001, 2003 and 2005). Mike Anderson and Tony Sharpe are the only coaches in school history to lead NU to more than one regular-season title.
?-Nebraska’s starting pitchers are a combined 39-4 this season and have won their last 14 decisions dating back to May 14.
?-NU has 19 come-from-behind wins this season, including overcoming a four-run deficit against No. 17 Missouri on May 8.
?-Eight of Nebraska’s 13 losses this season have been by one run, as the Huskers are 11-8 in one-run games this year.
?-NU’s 56 wins entering the College World Series broke the single-season record of 51 wins set in 2001 - NU’s first College World Series appearance. All three 50-win seasons have come in the last six seasons.

Husker 50-Win Seasons
No. Year Wins Reg. Season wins Final Record
1. 2005 56 46 --
 2000 51 42 51-17
3. 2001 50 41 50-16

?-The Huskers’ pitching has been a strength throughout the 2005 season, as Nebraska leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally in ERA.

National ERA Team Leaders (as of June 13)
No. Team Team ERA
1. Long Beach State 2.53
2. Nebraska 2.61
3. Virginia 2.74

?-Nebraska has held 53 of its 69 opponents to four runs or less and its 2.61 ERA is on pace to break the school record of 2.64 set in 1965. Since the aluminum bat was introduced into college baseball in 1974, NU has never posted an ERA below 3.00. The Huskers could also break the Big 12 record for lowest ERA in a season, which is 2.66 by Texas in 2004.

Single-Season Team ERA Totals
No. Team ERA Year
--  2.61 2005
1. 2.64 1965
2. 2.69 1969
3. 2.73 1966

?-The Huskers have gotten off to quick starts, scoring at least one run in the first inning in 33 of 69 games and outscoring their opponents 55-18 in the first inning of games this season.
?-NU has scored at least one run in 459 of the last 460 games dating back to the 1998 season. In 2004, the Huskers were the only Big 12 team not shut out, and NU currently has a string of 128 games with at least one run.  
?-Nebraska’s Big 12 baseball title marks the seventh conference crown by a Husker team this season. NU won Big 12 titles in volleyball, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and women’s outdoor track and field, while the Husker rifle team also won the Great America Rifle Conference title.
?-Alex Gordon’s selection as Big 12 Player of the Year marked only the second time a player has won two Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Awards (Baylor’s Jason Jennings in 1998 and 1999).
?-After having just one multi-homer game in 2004, Nebraska has eight this season, including four by first baseman/catcher Curtis Ledbetter and two by All-American third baseman Alex Gordon.
?-Nebraska has had three players honored as Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Week this season (Brian Duensing, Alex Gordon and Joba Chamberlain).

NU Puts Together Memorable 2005 Season
From being ranked 50th in one preseason magazine, Nebraska has enjoyed a steady climb to a consensus top-five ranking in the national polls entering this week’s College World Series. The following is a list of highlights of the 2005 season:
? Feb. 17 - Nebraska overcomes an early 3-0 deficit in the season opener at Hawaii-Hilo - the first of its 19  come-from-behind wins in 2005.
? Feb. 25 - Joba Chamberlain strikes out 15 New Mexico Lobos in a 12-0 victory to earn national player-of-the-week honors.
? Feb. 27 - Alex Gordon’s eighth-inning three-run homer breaks a 3-all tie, as Nebraska defeated Rice for the first time ever at Reckling Park and the first time since the 2001 season.
? March 12 - Gordon goes 6-for-6 in a doubleheader against South Dakota State, breaking out of an early-season slump where he hit .270 in his first 10 games.
? March 13 - NU hits a school and Big 12 record five homers in the fourth inning in a victory over SDSU.
? March 29 - Johnny Dorn takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning, highlighting a 10-2 victory over in-state rival Creighton.
? April 8 - Andy Gerch scores on Randy Boone’s wild pitch in the bottom of the 16th, as NU topples No. 1 Texas, 4-3, in front of a sellout crowd of 8,485 and an ESPN2 national audience.
? April 16 - Johnny Dorn fires 4.1 innings of shutout relief, capping NU’s 6-4 win over Texas A&M, completing the Huskers’ first-ever series win over Texas A&M in College Station.
? April 23 - Back-to-back homers by Alex Gordon and Curtis Ledbetter propel NU to a 4-3 win over No. 8 Baylor, completing a series win over the Big 12 leaders.
? April 27 - Nebraska’s bullpen combines for 5.1 innings of no-hit relief to preserve a 4-2 win over Wichita State, snapping NU’s eight-game losing streak in Wichita dating back to 1986.
? May 8 - Jesse Boyer’s 11th inning walk-off homer gives NU a hard-fought series win over Missouri. The homer was Boyer’s first homer in 276 career at-bats.
? May 9 - Nebraska is ranked third by Collegiate Baseball, its highest national ranking in any poll since the 2001 season.
? May 10 - A crowd of 20,011 - the largest single-game total in college baseball this season - is on hand to watch the rubber match of the season series between Nebraska and Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium.
? May 21 - Joe Simokaitis becomes the Big 12’s all-time assist leader, passing Will Bolt’s school mark of 639 assists.
? May 22 - Zach Kroenke’s complete-game 3-1 win, coupled with Missouri’s win over Baylor, gives NU a share of its third Big 12 title in five seasons.
? May 29 - Brian Duensing and Brett Jensen combine on a three-hit shutout of No. 9 Baylor, 1-0, to sweep the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, as NU fought back through the loser’s bracket to win five games in four days.
? June 5 - Zach Kroenke fans a career-high 12 Creighton hitters in a 10-2 win to give the Huskers their fourth regional title in six seasons.
? June 7 - Alex Gordon was the No. 2 overall pick by Kansas City - the first Husker player selected in the first round since 1995.
? June 11 - Nebraska uses homers from Alex Gordon, Joe Simokaitis and Ryan Bohanan to sweep Miami in the Lincoln Super Regional to earn a berth in the College World Series.

The Class of 2005
NU’s eight seniors have enjoyed one of the most successful runs in school history. The group has helped NU to a 236-91 record (.721) over the past five seasons with three CWS appearances (2001-02, 2005), three Big 12 regular-season titles (2001, 2003 and 2005), two Big 12 Tournament titles (2001 and 2005) and four NCAA regional appearances (2001-03 and 2005). Members of the Huskers’ 2005 senior class include Jeremy Becker, Jesse Boyer, Daniel Bruce, Brandon Fusilier, Curtis Ledbetter, Phil Shirek, Joe Simokaitis  and Dustin Timm.

Husker All-American Trio
Three Husker baseball players have been cited by various publications for their All-America teams. Third baseman Alex Gordon has been a unanimous first-team selection by all four organizations that have selected their respective 2005 teams. It is the sixth time in seven years that Nebraska has had more than one All-American.

2005 All-Americans
Player Publication (Team)
Alex Gordon Collegiate Baseball (1st); Sports Weekly 
 (1st); College Baseball Foundation (1st);    NCBWA (1st)
Joba Chamberlain Collegiate Baseball (3rd)
Johnny Dorn Collegiate Baseball (3rd); NCBWA (3rd)

Road Warriors
One of the main reasons for the Huskers’ success in 2005 has been their play on the road. The Huskers were 15-5 during the regular season after going 34-31 on the road during the previous three seasons. According to Warren Nolan’s RPI site (www.warrennolan.com), Nebraska’s road record ranked among the nation’s best entering the postseason.

Best Road Records
No. School  Road Record
1. Oregon State 15-4
2. Tulane  16-5
3. Nebraska  15-5*
*-Records as of 5/22; NU’s road record is listed as 15-4 on the site, but NU’s loss to Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium on April 5 is considered a road contest.

Road Records from 1999 to 2005
Year Road Record
1999 10-7
2000 16-11
2001 18-8
2002 12-12
2003 12-8
2004 10-11
2005 15-5

Gordon’s Award Watch
Nebraska two-time All-American third baseman Alex Gordon is a finalist for three national player-of-the-year awards (Howser, Wallace and Golden Spikes Award) that will be presented in the coming weeks. Here is a quick lowdown on all three awards, including the other finalists and the presentation dates.

Xanthus Dick Howser Trophy
Sponsors: St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) and Xanthus Higher Education
Other Finalists: Lance Broadway, TCU, Cesar Carrillo, Miami, and Shane Robinson, Florida State’
Presented: Friday, June 17th (11 a.m. live on CSTV) in Omaha
2004 Winner: Jered Weaver, Long Beach State

Brooks Wallace Award
Sponsor:  College Baseball Foundation
Other Finalists: Lance Broadway, TCU, Luke Hochevar, Tennessee
Presented: Thursday, June 30th at 7 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas (tape-delay broadcast on Fox Sports  Southwest, on Monday, July 4th at 8 p.m.)
2004 Winner: Kurt Suzuki, Cal State Fullerton

Golden Spikes Award
Sponsor:  USA Baseball and  Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA),
Other Finalists: Ryan Braun, Miami; Jeff Clement, USC, Trevor Crowe, Arizona; Luke Hochevar, Tennessee
Presented: TBA
2004 Winner: Jered Weaver, Long Beach State

Huskers in the 2005 MLB Draft
The Nebraska baseball program continued its historic season last week, as six players were selected in the 2005 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Five of the players were selected on the opening day, including No. 2 overall pick Alex Gordon (Kansas City), the first Husker selected in the opening round since Darin Erstad (No. 1) and Alvie Shepherd (No. 21) were both selected in the first round of the 1995 draft. Pitchers Brian Duensing (3rd, Minnesota) and Zach Kroenke (5th, New York) gave NU three picks in the opening five rounds for the first time in school history.

Huskers in the 2005 MLB Draft
Category No. Organization Pick
Alex Gordon 1st Kansas City 2
Brian Duensing 3rd Minnesota 83
Zach Kroenke 5th New York (AL) 169
Joe Simokaitis 10th Chicago (NL) 310
Curtis Ledbetter 18th Seattle  533
Brett Jensen 23rd Washington 684

Scouting Nebraska’s Half of the Bracket
Nebraska is paired with Arizona State, Florida and Tennessee in its half of the eight-team bracket. The format is similar to the Big 12 Tournament, in that is a double-elimination format until one team advances to the best-of-three CWS Championship series.
Arizona State Sun Devils (39-23): Arizona State advanced to Omaha by defeating No. 6-seed Cal State Fullerton two games to one in Fullerton. After starting the season 6-9, Head Coach Pat Murphy’s squad rebounded by going 33-14 over the last 47 games. The Sun Devils are led offensively by Travis Buck, who was selected as the 36th overall pick in this month’s MLB draft by Oakland. Heading into the College World Series, Buck is batting .384 with 23 doubles, 5 HRs, 40 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Buck and first baseman Jeff Larish (fifth round, Tigers) both earned first team All-Pac 10 honors for their efforts. Larish is batting .316 with 20 HRs and 63 RBIs. From a pitching standpoint, the Sun Devils are led by senior RHP Jason Urquidez (10-4, 3.59 ERA) and junior LHP Erik Averill (10-4, 3.59 ERA). Both were named to the honorable-mention All-Pac 10 team. Arizona State last appeared in the CWS in 1998, advancing to the championship game before losing to Southern Cal. The Sun Devils own the all-time series record with the Huskers, 3-1. The teams have not met since a 14-2 ASU win in 1996.
Florida Gators (45-20): No. 7-seed Florida advanced to Omaha by sweeping Florida State in the Gainesville Super Regional. After hitting a disappointing stretch at the end of April where they lost seven of nine games, head coach Pat McMahon’s squad rebounded to finish the year on a 13-3 run. The Gators are led offensively by SEC Player of the Year Matt LaPorta and senior outfielder Jeff Corsaletti, who was selected in the sixth round by the Red Sox earlier this month in the MLB Draft. La Porta, who is a sophomore first baseman, has slugged 24 HRs, driving in 73 RBIs and batting .335, while Corsaletti is hitting .371 with 10 HRs and 51 RBIs. LaPorta was joined on the All-SEC first-team by sophomore second baseman Adam Davis. From a pitching standpoint, the Gators are led by junior RHP Alan Horne (9-2, 4.15 ERA), an 11th round pick by the Yankees, and senior RHP Tommy Boss (8-4, 4.17 ERA). Florida last appeared in the CWS in 1998, finishing 0-2 in the series. The Huskers and Gators have never met before in baseball.
Tennessee Volunteers (46-19): Tennessee advanced to Omaha by sweeping No.2 national seed Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Super Regional. After opening the year 1-2 in three games against Big 12 competition at the Minute Maid Classic, head coach Rod Delmonico’s team rebounded to finish second in the SEC. The Volunteers are led offensively by two first-team All-SEC selections in junior third baseman Chase Headley and junior outfielder Eli Iorg. Iorg, the 38th-overall pick by the Astros in this month’s MLB Draft, is batting .385 with 15 HRs, 71 RBIs and 27 stolen bases, while Headley, a second-round pick by the Padres, is hitting .391 with 13 HRs and 63 RBIs. Catcher J.P. Arencibia, who is hitting .328 with 13 HRs and 69 RBIs, was selected as the SEC Freshman-of-the-Year. From a pitching standpoint, the Volunteers are led by Golden Spikes, Wallace and Clemens awards finalist Luke Hochevar (15-2, 2.09 ERA). The junior right-handed pitcher, who was selected with the 40th-overall pick by the Dodgers, was named SEC Pitcher of the Year. Tennessee last appeared in the CWS in 2001, advancing from the loser’s bracket to the semifinal game before losing to eventual champion Miami. The Huskers and Volunteers have never met before in baseball.

Super Regional Recaps
Super Regional Game 1 (Nebraska 3, Miami 1):
Joba Chamberlain allowed one run over eight innings, as he outdueled Miami’s Cesar Carrillo in a 3-1 victory in the Super Regional opener. Not even a two hour and 21-minute rain delay could stop Chamberlain, who scattered seven hits and struck out 13 Hurricanes to improve to 9-2 on the year. The Huskers overcame an early 1-0 deficit, tying the score in the fourth before Daniel Bruce’s solo homer one inning later would give NU the margin they needed. Joe Simokaitis made it 3-1 in the eighth, scoring Jeff Christy with an RBI single, as Christy had two hits and also threw out two Hurricane runners.
Super Regional Game 2 (Nebraska 6, Miami 3):
Nebraska blasted three home runs and used stifling pitching and defense to power past Miami, 6-3, and qualify for a berth in the College World Series. The Huskers, who extended their winning streak to 10 games, used homers by Alex Gordon, Joe Simokaitis and Ryan Bohanan, while Johnny Dorn and two relievers held Miami to three runs. Dorn earned his 12th straight win, allowing one run in 6.1 innings, while Jensen closed out the win with a perfect 1.2 innings for his 15th save. Bohanan also delivered a two-run double in addition to his first career homer in the eighth.

Two Earn Freshman All-America Honors
A pair of Husker baseball pitchers were honored June 8, with selections on Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-America team. Johnny Dorn and Tony Watson were among the standout performers named by the publication.
Dorn, a first-team All-Big 12 selection, enters the College World Series with a 12-1 record and 1.98 ERA, ranking among the national freshman leaders in both categories. The right-hander from Grand Island, Neb., has won his last 12 decisions and leads the Big 12 in wins and is second in ERA. Watson, one of only four relievers selected to the team, has compiled a 6-1 record and a 2.89 ERA in 21 appearances. The left-hander from Grimes, Iowa, earned his first career save in the NCAA Regional on June 4 against Creighton.

vs. the NCAA Field
Nebraska is 20-8 against teams in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, and is 4-3 against teams that reached the College World Series. NU played five Super Regional qualifiers, going a combined 8-4 against Miami (2-0), Rice (2-0), USC (0-1), Texas (1-2) and Baylor (3-1).

Husker Pitchers Earn Passing Grade
Despite having five pitchers drafted in 2004 - the highest total of Husker pitchers taken in the draft in more than 20 years - Nebraska’s pitching staff has excelled during the 2005 season.
Nebraska pitchers currently...
? Lead the Big 12 and are second nationally with a 2.61 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a league-low .225 batting average. Nebraska has only posted a sub-3.00 ERA three times in school history (1965, 1966 and 1969) - and none since the introduction of the aluminum bat.
? Have held 43 of 69 foes to three runs or less
? Lead the Big 12 with a school-record 22 saves (by  eight different pitchers) and have allowed just 32 of 120 (26 percent) inherited runners to score.
? Issued a league-low 2.64 walks/nine innings, while ranking second with 7.63 strikeouts/nine innings.

Huskers Show Consistency in Big 12 Race
Nebraska has been the Big 12’s most consistent program since the start of the 2000 season. The Huskers have finished either first or second in the Big 12 in five of the last six seasons. Here is a list of top-two finishes by league schools over the last six years.

Top-Two Big 12 Finishes (2000-05)
School No. Years
Nebraska 5 2000-03, 2005
Texas 3 2002-04
Baylor 2 2000, 2005
Texas Tech 2 2001-02
Oklahoma 1 2004
Texas A&M 1 2003

Its all about Winning...Series
After going 2-7 in Big 12 series last spring, the Huskers have enjoyed a 180-degree turnaround in 2005. Nebraska went 8-1 in its nine 2005 league series, matching the best performance since the Big 12 was formed (also in 2003). In fact, the only series NU dropped in 2005 was to No. 1 Texas in early April, and the Huskers then reeled off six straight series wins to close the regular season.

Big 12 Series Records
No.  Year Weekend Series Marks
1 Nebraska 8-1
2. Texas 7-2
3. Baylor/Missouri 6-3

Gordon Makes Bid for College Baseball’s Best
Alex Gordon has lived up to the expectations of being considered the top player in college baseball entering the 2005 season.
The junior third baseman from Lincoln enters the College World Series leading the league in half of the 12 categories the Big 12 tracks, including runs scored, walks, total bases, doubles, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while ranking among the top eight in all 12 categories.
A finalist for every major national player-of-the-year award, Gordon was the No. 2 pick in the 2005 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 7. Gordon started the season hitting just .270 in Nebraska’s first 10 games, but has hit over .400 since and is second in the league with a .380 average.

Gordon’s 2005 Honors
? USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Watch Finalist
? Xanthus Howser Award Finalist
? Wallace Award Finalist
? NCBWA District VII Player of the Year
? Sports Weekly and Collegiate Baseball First-team
 All-American
? College Baseball Foundation First-Team
 All-American
? Big 12 Player of the Year & First-Team All-Big 12
? Baseball America National Midseason
 Player of the Year
? Collegiate Baseball Natl. Player of the Week (3/21)
? NCBWA National Player of the Week (3/21)
? Big 12 Player of the Week (3/21 & 3/28)
? Collegiate Baseball Preseason Natl. Player of the Year
? First-Team preseason All-American (Collegiate
 Baseball, NCBWA and Baseball America)
?  Preseason 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

Gordon in the Big 12 (stats as of June 15)
Category No. Big 12 Rank
Walks 61 1st
On-Base Pct. .527 1st
Slugging Pct. .740 1st
Doubles 22 1st
Total Bases 179 1st
Runs 77 1st
Batting Avg. .380 2nd
Hits 92 2nd
Homers 19 2nd
RBIs 64 4th
Stolen Bases 23 7th
Triples 4 8th

A career .356 hitter, Gordon already ranks in the top-10 on Husker career lists in seven categories: doubles (53, third), total bases (445, fourth), homers (44, fourth), RBIs (187, fifth), walks (137, seventh), hits (239, ninth) and hit-by-pitches (35, second). Here is how Gordon’s career stats compare to Darin Erstad, who was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1995 MLB draft.

Comparing Gordon to Erstad
Year G AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SLG
Erstad 175 .356 733 188 261 46 8 41 182 .608
Gordon 190 .356 669 186 238 53 11 44 187 .665

Husker First-Round 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
Alex Gordon 2 Kansas City 2005

Random Bits of Gordon Trivia
? He has made 168 consecutive starts at third base dating back to the 2003 season.
? He has been in the field for  717.2 of 718.2 innings (99.9 percent) in Big 12 conference games during his career. The only time he has been on the bench in conference play came on April 5, 2003, against Kansas when he sat the final inning of a 13-0 win.
? Was the 2005 Husker Power Lifter of the Year Award for his accomplishments in the weight room. The following is his freshman and most recent numbers during performance testing.

Gordon’s Weightroom Improvement
Category Freshman Yr. Junior Yr.
Weight  196 pounds  216 pounds
Vertical Leap  30.5 inches  37.0 inches
Agility Run  4.72 second  4.29 seconds*
*-school record

Huskers’ Homegrown Rotation
Pitching Coach Rob Childress has built Nebraska’s pitching staff into one of the Big 12’s best on an annual basis, and 2005 is no exception. The Huskers are second nationally in ERA (2.61) and are holding opponents to a league-low .225 average.
Of Nebraska’s top five starters, four are in-state products, including the entire weekend quartet of Joba Chamberlain (Lincoln), Zach Kroenke (Omaha), Brian Duensing (Omaha) and Johnny Dorn (Grand Island), who are a combined 36-5.

Finding Relief out of the Pen
NU’s bullpen has been superb in 2005, posting a 17-9 record with a 2.22 ERA in 218.1 innings of work. NU has a single-season record 22 saves, including 15 by Brett Jensen. The Huskers had a streak of 37.2 innings without allowing an earned run from April 23 until May 10 and the 2.22 ERA is the lowest in recent memory.

Charting the Husker Bullpen (2000-present)
Year ERA W-L IP H  R ER BB SO B/Avg
2005 2.22 17-9 219.2 172 70 54 74 182 .216
2004 3.70 11-11 201.2 206 97 83 63 161 .269
2003 3.94 14-7 205.1 207 117 90 73 180 .266
2002 4.26 12-13 228.0 232 129 108 69 172 .263
2001 3.21 20-8 232.2 223 122 83 99 189 .250
2000* 3.34 18-7 218.1 204 99 81 71 164  .247
*-Nebraska’s pitching staff led nation with 3.14 ERA

The Story on Joba
Sophomore Joba Chamberlain’s college career has been a whirlwind experience. The right-hander began his collegiate career at Division II Nebraska-Kearney, where he went 3-6 with a 5.23 ERA as a freshman, before transferring to NU last summer.
The 6-3, 225-pounder has been one of the Big 12’s top performers in 2005, going 9-2 this season with a 2.74 ERA, fanning 126 in 111.1 innings of work. He ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in ERA (seventh),  strikeouts/nine innings (10.56, second), strikeouts  (second) and innings pitched (fourth).
Chamberlain had his best outing of the season in a 3-1 victory over Miami in the Super Regional, outdueling UM ace Cesar Carrillo to hand the Hurricanes’ first-round pick his third career loss. Chamberlain fanned 13 without a walk over eight innings, allowing only one run. He earned national acclaim in February, when he struck out 15 and allowed two hits over seven shutout innings to earn Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and National Co-Player-of-the-Week honors from Collegiate Baseball. His 15 strikeouts were the most by a Husker pitcher since Shane Komine in 2000 and two shy of the Huskers’ single-game record.
Chamberlain has been at his best against NU’s toughest opponents, going 3-1 with a 1.90 ERA in six starts against ranked teams. In those games, he has 52 strikeouts in 42.2 innings and is holding opponents to a .201 average.

Joba’s 10-K Days
No. Opponent  Date
15 New Mexico Feb. 25
13 Miami June 10
12 Seton Hall March 18
10 Texas April 8
10 Baylor April 22

Jensen Shines at Closing Time
Another pleasant surprise this spring has been the emergence of junior Brett Jensen as the Huskers’ closer. The 6-foot-7, 195-pounder has converted 15 of his 16 save opportunities, as he is second in the Big 12 in that category. He broke Thom Ott’s single-season saves record in the Big 12 Tournament title game and matched Ott’s career record in the Super Regional clinching win over Miami.

Johnny Be Good
Freshman right-hander Johnny Dorn has quickly adapted to the Big 12. The Grand Island, Neb., native earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, while ranking first in the league in wins (12) and second in ERA (1.98). heading into this week’s College World Series. Dorn has been dominant in recent weeks, going 8-0 with a 1.47 ERA since April 17, including victories in each of his three postseason starts. Dorn lost his first decision on March 5 against Texas State before reeling off 12 decisions. He has won all three of his postseason starts, holding No. 13 Miami to one run on five hits in 6.2 innings in the Huskers’ Super Regional clinching win on Saturday. Dorn tossed a complete-game five hitter against Texas Tech on May 27 at the Big 12 Tournament and went 6.2 innings to defeat Creighton in the NCAA Regional on June 4.
Against Creighton on March 29, he pitched 7.2 innings of no-hit ball in NU’s 10-2 win over the Bluejays. He fanned a career-high 10 CU hitters, the highest total by a Husker freshman in six seasons. Against Texas A&M on April 17, Dorn tossed 4.1 innings of shutout ball, earning not only his first league win, but clinching NU’s first series win in College Station. He came out of the bullpen to go seven shutout innings - the longest relief outing by a Husker since 2001 - scattering three hits and fanning seven in a 4-3 NU win against Baylor on April 23.  Dorn was at his best at Texas Tech on May 14, holding the Red Raiders scoreless over eight innings while establishing his career high with 11 strikeouts in a 6-1 Husker win.
 
NCAA Freshman Leaders in Wins
No. Name, Team IP Record Pct. 
1.  Johnny Dorn, Nebraska 100.0 12-1 .923
2. Barry Enright, Pepperdine  97.3 10-1 .909
  Mickey Storey, Fla. Atlantic 95.3 10-1 .909
  John Ely, Miami (Ohio) 103.3 10-2 .833
  Donovan Hand, Jacksonville St. 83.0 10-3 .769
  Cory Riordan, Fordham 87.3 10-4 .714
  Wrandal Taylor, Prairie View 100.7 10-4 .714

NCAA Freshman Leaders in ERA
No. Name, Team App IP R ER ERA
1 Mickey Storey, Fla. Atlantic 23 95.3 25 18 1.70
2 Johnny Dorn, Nebraska 19 100.0 29 22 1.98
3 Kenn Kasparek, Texas 14 66.7 18 15 2.03

Kroenke is Huskers’ Complete Game Ace
While Nebraska’s 1-2 punch of Joba Chamberlain and Johnny Dorn have anchored the top of the Huskers’ rotation, junior left-hander Zach Kroenke has been one of the Big 12’s best pitchers down the stretch. He is 2-0 with a save and a 1.30 ERA in his last five appearances, tossing two complete games and striking out 31 in 27.2 innings. Kroenke, a fifth-round pick of the New York Yankees,  has also shined in NCAA Tournament play, going 2-0 with two complete games and a 1.50 ERA in two career NCAA Tournament starts. He went the distance in the regional title game against Creighton on June 5 and fanned a career-high 13 Bluejays in a 10-2 win.

Freshmen Shines in Postseason Run
Two of Nebraska’s best hitters during the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament have been freshmen Andy Gerch and Ryan Bohanan. Gerch leads the Huskers with a .472 average (17-for-36) and has a team-high 13 RBIs in 11 postseason contests. He has driven in 13 runs in his last seven games, including a career-best six RBIs against No. 17 Missouri on May 28.
Bohanan, who had just nine at-bats until early May, has been on a tear since moving into the DH role on a full-time basis. He is hitting .364 (12-for-33) with a homer, nine RBIs and three doubles in his last 11 games. Bohanan homered and drove in a career-high three runs in the Super Regional clinching win over Miami on June 11.

Simokaitis Steady at Shortstop
The Huskers have one of the Big 12’s best defensive players in shortstop Joe Simokaitis. The senior from St. Louis has been a four-year starter for Nebraska and holds the school and Big 12 assist mark with 684.
A 10th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs, he has enjoyed his best defensive season of his career, committing just eight errors in 287 chances (.972). In fact, a quarter of his error total came in his first three chances of the season, as he went nearly two months without an error from March 12 to May 8 (159 chances). The error against Missouri was also his first error in conference play since May 1, 2004, a span of 30 league games and 138 chances vs. Big 12 foes. Simokaitis has also been one of the Huskers’ hottest hitters, batting .392 (20-for-51) with 12 runs scored during a current 12-game hit streak.

Career Assists
No. Mark Player Year
1. 684 Joe Simokaitis 2002-present
2. 639 Will Bolt 1999-02
3. 604 Darin Petersen 1992-95

Simokaitis Makes Sacrifices
Joe Simokaitis has made it a habit of turning sacrifices into an art form. The senior has 43 sacrifices during his career, a total which ranks sixth on the NCAA’s all-time list. He is second on the squad with 11 sacrifices this season and is three behind Creighton’s Vince Pietro for fifth on the NCAA all-time list.

NCAA Sacrifice Bunt Chart
No.  Player, Team  Years  Sacrifices
1. Rob Macrory, Auburn 1994-97 58
2. Jose Trujillo, Miami 1986-89 53
3. Damon Katz, Pepperdine 1997-00  49
4. Jack Jones, Cal State Fullerton 1994-96 47
5. Vince Pietro, Creighton 1997-00 46
6. Joe Simokaitis, Nebraska 2002-present 43

Huskers Dominate All-Big 12 Teams
Big 12 regular-season co-champion Nebraska baseball team captured a near sweep of the major conference awards, while placing 11 players on the All-Big 12 teams released on the opening day of the Big 12 Tournament at Bricktown Ballpark. The Huskers won the league’s Player of the Year (Alex Gordon), Freshman Pitcher of the Year (Johnny Dorn), Newcomer Pitcher of the Year (Joba Chamberlain) and Coach of the Year (Mike Anderson) honors, while claiming four first-team All-Big 12 awards, four second-team All-Big 12 honors and three honorable-mention all-conference accolades.
The list was headlined by third baseman Alex Gordon, who was selected as the Big 12’s Player of the Year for the second straight season. Starting pitchers Johnny Dorn and Joba Chamberlain join Gordon as Big 12 award winners, taking the freshman pitcher-of-the-year and newcomer pitcher-of-the-year awards, respectively. Head Coach Mike Anderson rounded out the award winners, as he was selected as the league’s coach of the year for the second time in three seasons. Senior first baseman Curtis Ledbetter was the fourth  Husker named first-team All-Big 12.
In addition to the four first-team honorees, the Huskers also placed four more players on the second team including shortstop Joe Simokaitis, outfielder Daniel Bruce and pitchers Zach Kroenke and Brett Jensen. The Huskers added a trio of honorable-mention selections with Brian Duensing, Ryan Wehrle and Dustin Timm also collecting conference honors.

Back Home in Omaha
For four members of Nebraska’s 25-man CWS roster, the trip to the College World Series is a homecoming. In fact, all four players have played prominent roles in leading NU to its third CWS appearance in five years. Pitchers Brian Duensing and Zach Kroenke are in NU’s four-man rotation, while Daniel Bruce and Ryan Wehrle are the Huskers’ primary starters in center field and shortstop, respectively.

It’s All Academic to Bruce
Daniel Bruce was honored earlier this month, as  he was chosen for the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American team.  A four-year starter for the third-ranked Huskers, Bruce carries a 3.86 GPA in English and is a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection. A two-time academic all-district selection, this is first academic All-America certificate. On June 6, he added another honor, as he was chosen as the Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarship winner.

Bruce Named Nebraska Male
Student-Athlete of the Year
Senior outfielder Daniel Bruce enjoyed one of the finest days of his four-year career on April 18. Not only did he go 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in the series-clinching win at Texas A&M, but he was honored later in the day as the University of Nebraska Male Student-Athlete of the Year. It marks just the second time that a Husker baseball player has been chosen for the prestigious honor (Jeff Leise, 2003). An English major with a 3.86 GPA, Bruce is hitting a career-best .312 with 45 runs scored this season.

Five Huskers Named Academic All-Big 12
Five University of Nebraska baseball players were honored on May 21 as they were selected to the academic All-Big 12 team. The group, which includes four first-team honorees, is led by outfielder Daniel Bruce, who makes his third appearance as a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection. Bruce, who carries a 3.86 GPA in English, is one of four repeat selections for the Huskers. Relievers Jeremy Becker (agricultural engineering) and Dustin Timm (communication studies) both repeated as first-team honorees, while Phil Shirek (biological sciences) was a second-team selection for the second straight year. Junior Brian Duensing (English education) rounds out Husker honorees as he makes his first appearance on the squad. The Huskers have had 21 academic All-Big 12 selections in three years under Coach Mike Anderson, including 15 first-team selections.

First-Team
Name Yr. Major
Jeremy Becker Sr. Agricultural Engineering
Daniel Bruce Sr. English
Brian Duensing Jr. English Education
Dustin Timm Sr. Communication Studies

Second Team
Name  Yr. Major
Phil Shirek Sr. Biological Sciences

Homers Come in Bunches for Ledbetter
Throughout his Husker career, first baseman Curtis Ledbetter has shown the propensity to homer in bunches. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder has six career multi-homer games, including four this season. The trend began in his Husker debut in 2003 when he hit two homers against Texas State. He is third in the league with 90 hits, fourth in the Big 12 with 13 homers and also ranks in the league’s top-10 in doubles (18, sixth), RBIs (54, eighth) and total bases (149, fourth). He has shown versatility, playing left field, catcher and first base throughout his three seasons at Nebraska.

Ledbetter’s Multi-Homer Games
No. Opponent  Date
2 vs. Texas State 2/14/03
2 vs. Kansas State 3/21/03
2  vs. New Mexico  2/25/05
2 vs. South Dakota State 3/15/05
2 vs. Iowa 4/6/05
2 at Texas A&M 4/15/05

Bruce Leads Husker Hit-by-Pitch Parade
Senior outfielder Daniel Bruce continues to climb the NCAA record book. When he was hit by a pitch in Saturday’s series finale at OU on April 30, it marked the 65th time in his career he had been hit, a mark that ranks fifth in NCAA history.  Bruce, who set Nebraska’s single-season record with 28 HBP in 2002, has rebounded after a disappointing 2004 season, hitting .313 with 20 doubles this season to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors.
NCAA All-Time Hit-by-Pitch Leaders
No. Name, School (Years) HBP
1. Tony Hurtado, San Francisco (1997-00) 92
2. Gabe Somarriba, Florida Atlantic (1999-02) 81
3. Jeff Ontiveros, Texas (1999-02) 74
4. Clay Schwartz, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1994-97) 68
5. Daniel Bruce, Nebraska (2002-present) 65

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, Kan., hit .297 with eight homers and 56 RBIs, while leading the squad with 12 game-winning RBIs. 
This season, Ledbetter has been a major offensive force, hitting .325 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs, ranking in the league’s top-10 in hits, homers, doubles and total bases. He was the Big 12 Tournament MVP, hitting .417 with five RBIs, including seven consecutive hits over a three-game span. Two weeks ago, he hit .500 in the NCAA Regional, going 6-for-12 with two doubles Ledbetter was the Big 12’s co-Player of the Week on May 16, going 8-for-15 with a homer and six RBIs. In addition to playing first base, Ledbetter has also seen time at catcher, a position he has not played since his freshman year at Garden City Community College. He is second in school history with 1,182 putouts.

It’s Been a Long, Long Time
When Nebraska clinched its series win at Texas Tech on May 14, it ended one of the longest dry spells in program history. It marked the first time that NU won every conference road series in Big 12 play and more remarkably, the first time that Nebraska won every league road series since 1938, a span of 67 years.

Six Husker Baseball Players Receive Degrees
Four current Husker baseball players and two recent standouts were among the 60 University of Nebraska student-athletes who participated in graduation ceremonies on May 8. Jeremy Becker (agricultural engineering), Jesse Boyer (communication studies),  Curtis Ledbetter (news-editorial) and Dustin Timm (communication studies) joined former players Justin Cowan (1999-2000) and John Grose (2002-04) in receiving their degrees.  Two of the graduates played major roles in Nebraska’s series win over No. 17 Missouri, as Timm pitched 4.0 innings of standout relief to earn the victory on May 7. One day later,  Boyer provided Husker fans with the most dramatic moment of the year with his walk-off homer - the first round tripper in 276 at-bats for the senior outfielder.

Huskers Look for Extra Television Time
Over the last six seasons, NU’s two longest games have one thing in common - a television audience. The April 8, 16-inning contest against No. 1 Texas was the Huskers’ longest game in six seasons, taking four hours and 17 minutes on an ESPN2 national telecast.  Nebraska’s Big 12 Tournament semifinal against Baylor was the Huskers’ longest television broadcast, going 14 innings in May of 2004.

Longest Husker Games Since 2000
Opponent Date Innings Television
vs. Texas April 8, 2005 16 ESPN2
vs. Baylor May 22, 2003 14 Fox Sports Net
vs. New Mexico Feb. 15, 2002 13 None

Husker Baseball on TV
Husker fans had ample opportunities to see Husker baseball in 2005, as 18 games were televised on a state-wide or national basis. NU is 14-6 on TV during the 2005 season, including a current 11-game winning streak.
Husker Baseball on Television in 2005
Date Opponent Network First Pitch
April 5 at Creighton   NET L, 3-4
April 6 Iowa   NET/CSTV W, 6-1
April 8 Texas  ESPN2 W, 4-3 (16)
April 9 Texas  ESPN L, 4-11
April 10 Texas  ESPN L, 5-6 (8)
April 16 at Texas A&M  Fox Sports Net L, 4-5 (10)
April 23 Baylor  NET/CSTV* L, 1-4
April 27 at Wichita State ESPNU W, 4-2
April 28 at Oklahoma  ESPN L, 1-5
April 29 at Oklahoma ESPNU W, 8-1
April 30 at Oklahoma ESPNU W, 7-1
May 7 Missouri  NET/CSTV W, 7-5
May 21 Kansas State  NET/CSTV W, 10-6
May 28 Missouri Fox Sports Net W, 5-4
May 29 Baylor Fox Sports Net W, 1-0
June 3 Illinois-Chicago NET W, 8-6
June 4 Creighton NET W, 10-8
June 5 Creighton NET W, 10-2
June 10 Miami ESPN W, 3-1
June 11  Miami ESPN W, 6-3
*- Live on NETV, Tape Delayed on CSTV
Huskers Draw 20,011 for Game with Creighton
Nebraska’s game against Creighton on May 10th at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium drew the second-largest crowd in college baseball this season, trailing only the Minute Maid Classic mark of 21,995 set on Feb. 12. It was the largest single-game crowd this season, surpassing the 14,398 that saw the Georgia-Georgia Tech matchup on April 27, and the 10th-largest regular-season crowd in NCAA history.

2005 College Baseball’s Largest Crowds
Attend.  Event/Teams Location  Date
21,995 Minute Maid Classic     Houston, Texas Feb. 12
20,011 Creighton-Nebraska Omaha, Neb. May 10
14,398 Georgia-Georgia Tech Turner Field April 27

The crowd not only broke the series record of 18,578 set in 2002, but also outdrew four Major League games that night as well.

MLB Games Outdrawn by NU-Creighton on May 10
Road  Home Attendence
Chicago  at Tampa Bay 9,389
Houston  at Florida 11,687
San Diego  at Cincinnati 15,262
Philadelphia  at Milwaukee 12,082 

 

Huskers Set Single-Season Attendance Mark
For the fifth time in six seasons, Nebraska set a single-season attendance mark, averaging 4,770 fans per game in 2005. Seven of the top-10 single-game attendance marks came in 2005, including a school-record crowd of 8,711 against Miami on June 11.

Average Attendance (1998-2005)
Year Average  Natl. Rank
1999 953  37th
2000 1,148  32nd
2001 2,681  11th
2002  4,110  6th
2003 4,299  6th
2004 3,700 10th
2005 4,983

Top-10 Crowds at Hawks Field
No.  Att. Opponent Date
1. 8,711 vs. Miami (Super Regional) 6/11/05
2. 8,662 vs. Creighton (Regional) 6/4/05
3. 8,569 vs. Richmond (Super Regional) 6/9/02
4. 8,485 vs. Texas 4/8/05
5. 8,481 vs. Richmond (Super Regional) 6/8/02
6. 8,474 vs. Richmond (Super Regional) 6/7/02
7. 8,308 vs. Miami (Super Regional) 6/10/05
8. 8,304 vs. Creighton (Regional) 6/5/05
9. 8,163 vs. Texas 4/9/05
10. 7.669 vs. Illinois-Chicago (Regional) 6/3/05
Huskers Feature Players from 10 States
Of the 40 members of the 2005 squad, 18 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.

Huskers by State
States  No. of Players
Nebraska  18
Colorado 7
Texas, Kansas, Iowa 3
North Dakota 2
Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming 1