Huskers Host NCAA Regional This Weekend

Nebraska Baseball
2005 Record (51-13, 19-8 Big 12 ? Regular Season and Tournament Champions)
National Rankings: 4 (CB) ? 3 (BA) ? 4 (Sports Weekly) ? 4 (NCBWA)

Regional Schedule
Game Day Date Matchup Time
Game 1 Fri. June 3 Nebraska (51-13) vs. Illinois-Chicago (38-19-1) 1:05 p.m.
Game 2 Fri. June 3 North Carolina State (40-17) vs. Creighton (46-15) 7:05 p.m.
Game 3 Sat. June 4 Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 1:05 p.m.
Game 4 Sat. June 4 Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 7:05 p.m.
Game 5 Sun. June 5 Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 1:05 p.m.
Game 6 Sun. June 5 Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 6:05 p.m.
Game 7 Mon. June 6 Rematch of Game 6 (if necessary) 1:05 p.m.

Tickets
All-Session: Club (sold out); Reserved (sold out); General Admission ($56 for adults; $35 for youths)
Single-Game: General Admission ($10) - if available, will be sold 90 minutes before each session at Hawks Field

Husker Pitching Probables
Game 1 Joba Chamberlain, So., RHP (8-2, 2.56 ERA)
Game 2 Johnny Dorn, Fr., RHP (10-1, 1.86 ERA)
Game 3 Zach Kroenke, Jr., LHP (6-2, 2.68 ERA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (Jim Rose & Randy Lee)
Live Stats: Huskers.com & NCAAsports.com
TV: TBA

Thursday Practice/Press Conference Schedule
Each team will practice at Hawks Field on Thursday, with each coach addressing the media following practice:
Nebraska (10-11:15 a.m.); N.C. State (11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.); Creighton (1-2:15 p.m.); UIC (2:30-3:45 p.m.)

Huskers Host NCAA Regional This Weekend

The Big 12 champion Nebraska baseball team will make its ninth NCAA Regional appearance this week, as the Huskers were selected as the No. 3 national seed for the NCAA Tournament beginning Friday at Hawks Field in Lincoln. It marks the highest national seed in program history and the second time the Huskers have ever received a national seed (also 2001).

Nebraska, which has been in a regional in six of the past seven seasons and hosted in four of the past five years, will face Horizon League champion Illinois-Chicago (38-19-1) in Friday’s first game set for 1:05 p.m. It marks the third time that Nebraska has opened against a Horizon League school (also Butler in 2000 and UW-Milwaukee in 2002). North Carolina State (40-17) will take on Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Creighton (46-15) in the day’s second contest, slated for 7:05 p.m. The regional runs all weekend with two games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and a potential "if necessary" title game Monday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Over 6,500 all-session tickets were sold entering Wednesday evening, and general admission all-session tickets ($56 for adults; $35 for youths) are going fast. Tickets can be purchased on Huskers.com or at the Nebraska Ticket Office.

Nebraska, which shared the Big 12 regular-season title with Baylor before beating the Bears, 1-0, in Sunday’s Big 12 Tournament title game, comes into the regional with a 51-13 record. Nebraska’s 51 wins lead the nation and matches the school’s single-season record set in 2001. It marks only the third time that the Huskers have reached 50 wins - all since the 2000 season.

The Big 12 received five bids, as regular-season co-champion Baylor received the No. 4 national seed. Other Big 12 teams in postseason action this week include Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The Longhorns are the top seed in their regional, while the Tigers and Sooners are both on the road.

Leading Off
?-With Sunday’s 1-0 win over Baylor, 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 28-4 at Hawks Field this season and 105-23 (.820) since the ballpark opened in 2002. The Huskers are one win away from tying a single-season record of 29 home wins (1980, 1988, 2002 and 2003).

?-The Huskers’ No. 3 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 51 wins entering the NCAA regional ties NU’s single-season record set in 2000 and is one of only three 50-win seasons in school history. 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 51 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 (entering NCAA Tournament)
No. Team Team ERA
1. Long Beach St. 2.44
2. Nebraska 2.51
3. Virginia 2.73
4. Texas 2.80
5. Oral Roberts 2.86

?-Nebraska has held 50 of its 64 opponents to four runs or less and its 2.51 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
-- 2.51 2005
1. 2.64 1965
2. 2.69 1969
3. 2.73 1966
4. 3.07 1984
    3.07 1961

?-The Huskers have gotten off to quick starts, scoring at least one run in the first inning in 31 of 63 games and outscoring their opponents 50-16 in the first inning of games this season.

?-NU has 17 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.

?-Nebraska’s starting pitchers are a combined 34-4 this season and had won their first 19 decisions before Zach Kroenke’s loss to No. 1 Texas on April 9.

?-NU has scored at least one run in 451 of the last 452 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 123 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).

?-Nebraska is averaging a school-record 4,426 fans per game during the regular season, including an average of 6,295 fans for its 15 Big 12 home games.

NU Puts Together Memorable 2005 Season
From being ranked 50th in one preseason magazine, Nebraska has enjoyed a steady climb to consensus top-five ranking in the national polls. The following is a list of highlights of the 2005 regular season:

? Feb. 17 - Nebraska overcomes an early 3-0 deficit in the season opener at Hawaii-Hilo - the first of its 18 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 selllout 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 20 - Nebraska’s 5-4 win, coupled with losses by Missouri and Texas guarantees that Nebraska will finish either first or second in the league for the fifth time in six seasons.

? 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.

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 231-91 record (.717) over the past five seasons with two CWS appearances (2001-02), three Big 12 regular-season titles (2001, 2003 and 2005), two Big 12 Tornament titles (2001 and 2005) and four NCAA regional appearances (2001-03 and 2005). Members of the Huskers’ 2005 senior class includes Jeremy Becker, Jesse Boyer, Daniel Bruce, Brandon Fusilier, Curtis Ledbetter, Phil Shirek, Joe Simokaitis and Dustin Timm.

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 ranks 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*
4. College Of Charleston 17-6
*-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

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, winning outright conference crowns in both 2001 and 2003. 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 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

It’s More Common than Halley’s Comet
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. For comparison’s sake, Halley’s comet, which last appeared in 1986, appears once every 76 years and is next scheduled to appear in 2061.

Scouting the NCAA Lincoln Regional
University of Illinois at Chicago: The UIC Flames (39-18-1) enter the tournament red hot, having won their last 10 games dating back to May 14. During that span, Head Coach Mike Dee’s squad captured both the Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles. UIC is lead by right-handed pitchers Ryan Zink (8-5, 3.56 ERA) and Zach Peterson (10-1, 3.18 ERA). Zink, who was named the Horizon League Tournament MVP by throwing 12 scoreless innings in the tournament, has thrown four complete games with one shutout for the Flames, striking out 74 while walking 29 over 113.1 innings pitched. Illinois-Chicago and Nebraska played two common opponents this season. The Flames went 3-0 in two games with Iowa and one game with Northern Illinois, while the Huskers went 3-0 in two games with Northern Illinois and one with Iowa. NU and UIC have never before met in school history.

North Carolina State: The North Carolina State Wolfpack (40-17) qualified for the tournament for the third consecutive year, and the sixth time in nine seasons under Head Coach Elliot Avent. The Wolfpack finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a school-record 17 league wins. NC State placed three players on the ACC’s first-team all-conference squad, including relief pitcher Joey Devine (4-3, 2.25 ERA), who has recorded 12 saves on the season, striking out 67 while walking only seven in 44.0 innings. Devine is joined on the first team by catcher Jake Muyco and first baseman Aaron Bates, who finished the year with a .420 batting average with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs. While North Carolina State and NU have never met, Devine was a teammate of Alex Gordon on Team USA, while Avent served as one of the assistant coaches.

Creighton: The Creighton Bluejays (46-15) qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2000 and the first time under second-year Head Coach Ed Servais. The Bluejays won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and advanced to the final of the conference tournament. Creighton is led by a trio of first-team all-conference selections, including second baseman Tony Roth, designated hitter Zach Daegas and relief pitchers Brandon Bird and Scott Reese. Daegas led CU with a .359 batting average, hitting eight home runs and five triples while driving in 58 RBIs. Bird (2-0, 1.51 ERA) leads the Bluejays with 10 saves while Reese (11-0, 2.64 ERA) leads the team in wins and strikeouts (52). Creighton and Nebraska have met three times this season. Johnny Dorn shutdown the Bluejays at Hawks Field in the first meeting of the season before the Huskers dropped the next two at Rosenblatt Stadium to give CU the series win, 2-1. NU owns the overall series lead, 57-41-2.