Huskers Face A&M Tonight at Hawks Field

Nebraska (25-5, 7-2 Big 12) vs. Texas A&M (19-17, 3-9 Big 12)
National Rankings: 4 (CB) ? 6 (BA) ? 5 (Sports Weekly) ? 4 (NCBWA)

Pitching Probables
Thurs. (6:35 p.m.)
Joba Chamberlain, Jr., RHP (4-2, 3.00 ERA, 36 IP)}
TAMU - Jason Meyer, Jr., LHP (1-0, 2.72 ERA, 39.2 IP)

Fri. (6:35 p.m.)
Tony Watson, So., LHP (5-0, 1.89 ERA, 52.1 IP)
 TAMU - Austin Creps, Jr., RHP (3-2, 1.46 ERA, 61.2 IP)

Sat. (3:05 p.m.)
Johnny Dorn, So., RHP (5-2, 4.19 ERA, 43.0 IP) 
TAMU - TBA

Media Information
Tickets: General Admissiom Tickets are available at $7 (adults) and $5 (youth and seniors) for all three games and can be purchased by calling the NU Ticket Office or at Hawks Field 90 minutes before first pitch each day.
Live Stats:  Huskers.com 
Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network
Internet Radio:  Huskers.com 
Video Steaming:  HuskersNside
Television: Thursday’s game is on Cox Cable in Omaha, Time Warner Cable in Lincoln and Charter Media in the Western part of the state (List of TV Outlets)
Satellite Radio: Saturday’s game will be carried on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Ch. 110)

No. 4 Huskers Return Home to Host Texas A&M
For the first time since March 29, the fourth-ranked Nebraska baseball team returns to Hawks Field at Haymarket Park this weekend, as the Huskers host the Texas A&M Aggies. The three-game series commences Thursday, April 13, at 6:35 p.m. with games on Friday (6:35 p.m.) and Saturday (3:05 p.m.).

Thursday’s series opener is Student Appreciation Night, as the first 300 UNL students who enter Hawks Field through the center field entrance will receive a Berm Zone T-Shirt.

All three games will be carried across the state of Nebraska on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha, 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington, along with an Internet broadcast at Huskers.com. Saturday’s game against the Aggies will be carried on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Ch. 110)

Thursday’s game will be the second of six Husker baseball teams produced by Cox Communications of Omaha with Greg Sharpe, Paul Meyers and Damon Benning calling all of the action. The game is available throughout much of the state on Cox Cable in Omaha (Ch. 3), Time Warner Cable in Lincoln and surrounding areas (Ch. 77) and in the western part of the state on Charter Media (check local listings for broadcast channels).

The Huskers, who climbed in the national polls this week and now sit between fourth and sixth nationally, comes off a wild 16-14 win over Iowa on Tuesday evening. In that game, the Huskers pounded out 24 hits, including six by third baseman Steve Edlefsen, who hit for the cycle and matched NU’s single-game record with six hits in a game. Jake Opitz established career highs with five hits and five RBI, including his two-run single in the 13th, while Brandon Buckman continued his hot hitting with four hits, including a three-run homer. The win wrapped up NU’s eight-game road trip with a 7-1 record and seven straight wins.

Texas A&M comes to Lincoln with a 19-17 record after dropping its mid-week game against Texas State, 5-1 on Tuesday. The weekend series marks the return of Aggie head coach Rob Childress to Lincoln. Childress served as NU’s pitching coach for eight seasons (1998-2005) before taking the Aggie coaching reigns last June. Childress is one of three Aggie coaches who have either played or coached at NU. Assistant Coach Jeremy Talbot was a volunteer coach for the Huskers in 1998, while volunteer coach Will Bolt was a four-year starter for the Huskers from 1999 to 2002 before serving as a graduate manager (2004) and volunteer coach (2005).

Leading Off
?-Nebraska has gotten off to fast starts, outscoring its opponents 33-7 in the first inning of games. In fact, NU has scored at least one run in the first inning of 12 of its last 16 contests dating back to March 14.
?-After Tuesday’s win at Iowa, NU is now as high as third in the latest simulated RPIs (warrennolan.com and fourth in Boydsworld.com). NU is 15-3 against teams rated in the top-100 of the RPI.
?-NU is off to one of its best starts in school history, as its 25-5 record is the third-best start after 30 games in school history. A fact that is more impressive since NU has played the 22nd toughest schedule in the country.

?-The first set of NCAA stats were released Wednesday and junior right fielder Luke Gorsett ranks among the national leaders in four categories: homers/gm (0.50, first); slugging percentage (.858, second); RBIs/gm (1.29, 24th) and batting average (.407, 50th). Gorsett’s 14 homers also ranks second nationally in Division I.

National Home Run Leaders
No. Player Team Homers
1. Kellen Kulbacki James Madison 17
2. Quinn Stewart Louisiana State 14
 Steven Strausbaugh Western Carolina 14
 Luke Gorsett Nebraska 14
 Michael Cowgill James Madison 14
 Zach Clem Washington 14
 www.boydsworld.com

?-Nebraska is one of only three schools in the country to rank in the top-10 in both ERA and fielding percentage in the first set of NCAA stats released Wednesday, joining Cal State Fullerton and South Carolina.

Pitching and Defense
School Fielding Pct. Rank ERA Rank
South Carolina .987 1st 2.96 10th
Cal St. Fullerton .980 4th 2.54 1st
Nebraska .977 7th 2.92 9th

?-One of NU’s keys to success is the ability to run and shut down other team’s running games. NU is tied for the Big 12 lead with 60 stolen bases, including 20-of-25 in Big 12 play. On the other hand, opponents have just attempted two steals in NU’s last 13 games, and NU leads the Big 12 by allowing just 13 stolen bases.
?-Nebraska’s offense has been on a tear over the last three weeks, hitting .343 as a team over the last 13 games, including season-high hit totals in each of the last two games. The Huskers’ 24 hits against Iowa on Tuesday was their highest single-game total since a school-record 35 hits against Chicago State on March 16, 1999.
?-Jeff Christy has been effective offensively and behind the plate in recent weeks. He is hitting .373 in his last 13 games, raising his average to a season-best .275. Defensively, he has allowed just one stolen base since March 17.
?-Senior first baseman Brandon Buckman has continued his early-season tear, as the senior is hitting .457 (37-for-81) with nine homers and 28 RBIs in his last 20 games, raising his average 179 points since March 6. Buckman has 13 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI contests in that stretch, including a 4-for-6 effort with a homer and three RBIs vs. Iowa. In that game, Buckman reached safely in all eight at bats.
?-Nebraska has held 22 of its first 30 opponents to four runs or less this season and its 3.6 runs allowed per game is 11th nationally.
?-Before he allowed three runs in the ninth against Iowa on Tuesday, NU closer Brett Jensen had been spectacular in recent weeks, going 4-0 with six saves and a 0.34 ERA since Feb. 19. He is third in the Big 12 and 29th nationally with six saves.
?-Nebraska has already sold out all the reserved and club seats at Hawks Field for the 2006 season. NU ranked sixth nationally in average attendance, averaging a school-record 4,984 fans per game in 2005. NU’s number is based on actual game attendance, not tickets sold.
?-Nebraska is one of only three teams in the country that returned two pitchers who won at least 10 games in 2005 (Oregon State and Miami of Ohio are the others).
?-Nebraska is one of only seven teams in all of Division I baseball to post team ERAs below 4.00 over the last four years, joining Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Oral Roberts, Rice, Texas and Wichita State.  The Huskers were second nationally with a 2.69 team ERA in 2005.
?-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 with more than one team in that group.
?- Nebraska has scored at least one run in each of its last 161 games dating back to the start of the 2004 campaign. The streak is the longest in the Big 12, while NU has scored in 492 of the last 493 games dating back to the 1998 season.
?-NU already has eight come-from-behind wins this season, including a pair in last weekend’s sweep of Missouri. NU overcame a four-run defict in the finale, the largest decifict it has overcome in a game in 2006.

Last Time Out
Tuesday (NU 16, Iowa 14, 13 innings):  Jake Opitz produced five hits and five RBIs, including the game-winning two-run single in the top of the 13th inning to lead Nebraska to a 16-14 victory in 13 innings over Iowa. Opitz’s final hit made a winner of Jon Klausing (2-0), who pitched four innings of scoreless relief in his first outing in nearly a month.  Along with Opitz’s gaudy numbers at the plate, Steve Edlefsen erupted for one of the best individual nights by a Nebraska hitter in school history. Entering the game, Edlefsen had just six hits in 37 at-bats on the season, but doubled his total with six hits against the Hawkeyes, including his first career homer while hitting for Nebraska’s second cycle of the season. Edlefsen’s six hits tied a Nebraska record last matched by John Cole. Brandon Buckman also continued his torrid stretch at the plate, reaching base all eight times he came to the plate, including his 10th home run of the season.

Scouting Texas A&M
Head Coach Rob Childress brings his Texas A&M Aggies into town with a 19-17 record after falling to Texas State, 5-1, on Wednesday. The Aggies got off to a blistering start, winning 13 of its first 15 games, including a series win at Florida before cooling off. TAMU is just 3-9 in Big 12 play after dropping 2-of-3 against nationally ranked Oklahoma last week.

On the mound, the Aggies have been led by junior right-hander Austin Creps, who is 3-2 with a 1.46 ERA in nine starts. Creps pitched 10 scoreless innings against Oklahoma last Saturday, but got the no-decision in a 1-0 loss to the Sooners. Jason Meyer has recently moved into the No. 1 spot in the rotation and tossed a complete game in A&M’s 3-1 win over OU.

Offensively, Texas A&M has struggled at times, hitting .246 as a team and scoring two runs or less 11 times in 35 contests. Jose Salazar tops the Aggies with a .303 average and 17 RBIs. TAMU is dangerous on the base paths, matching NU for the league lead with 60 stolen bases, while allowing just 25 steals in 36 contests.

Texas A&M leads the all-time series, 16-14, but Nebraska took 2-of-3 last season for the program’s first-ever win in College Station. NU has won seven of the last nine meetings in Lincoln between the two squads.