Huskers Head to Sam Houston Baseball Classic

Media Info
Live Radio: Selected Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com
Live Stats:  Huskers.com 
Live Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Television: None

Probable Starting Pitchers
Fri. Michael Mariot, So., RHP (0-0, 3.18 ERA)
Missouri St. - TBA

Sat. (Game 1) Mike Nesseth, So., RHP (0-0, 1.50 ERA)
 St. Mary’s - Taylor Reid, So., RHP (1-0, 1.23 ERA)

Sat. (Game 2) Erik Bird, Sr., RHP (0-0, 15.43 ERA)
SHSU - Jordan Westra, Jr., RHP (0-0, 2.25 ERA)

Sun. Jordan Roualdes, Jr., LHP (0-0, 4.76 ERA) 
Missouri St. ? TBA

This Week: Following Wednesday’s home opening win against North Dakota, the Huskers are back on the road, traveling to Huntsville, Texas, for the Sam Houston Baseball Classic at Don Sanders Stadium. The Huskers (3-1-1) will take on Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Missouri State twice (Friday and Sunday) as well facing NCAA Regional qualifier and tournament host Sam Houston State (Saturday at 5 p.m.) and St. Mary’s (Saturday at 1:30 p.m.).

On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Lane Grindle and Adrian Fiala call all of the action this weekend on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Every game this season will be carried on Huskers.com and available to Husker Sports Network stations. Saturday’s game against Sam Houston State will be an internet-only broadcast because of the men’s basketball game at Kansas State scheduled for 7 p.m.

On the Huskers: The Huskers erupted for a season-high 10 runs in posting a 10-6 victory over North Dakota Wednesday. Junior college transfer Adam Bailey enjoyed a memorable home debut, going 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and a career high six RBIs. Bailey’s six RBI effort was the most by a Husker since Ryan Wehrle drove in six runs against Texas Tech in 2006. Trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Nebraska responded with five runs, loading the bases before Khiry Cooper’s two-run single gave NU the lead for good. Tyler Farst, who went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, then coaxed a bases-loaded walk to plate another run before Bailey - who belted a three-run homer earlier in the game - gave the Huskers a pair of insurance runs with a two-run double. Sophomore right-hander Casey Hauptman earned the win in relief, allowing one run over the final 3.1 innings.

Leading Off
?-Nebraska already has three come-from-behind wins this season, overcoming three-run deficits against UL-Lafaytte on Feb. 21 and North Dakota on Feb. 25. The Huskers, who had 21 comeback wins in 2008, have trailed in all five games this season. NU now has 102 come-from-behind wins under Mike Anderson since 2003.
?-Wednesday’s win over North Dakota improved the Huskers to 30-0 all-time at home in February and was the Huskers’ earliest home game since 1998.
?-Wednesday’s crowd of 3,280 against North Dakota was the fourth-largest opening day crowd in school history and the largest February home crowd in program history. 
?-Nebraska has shown a flare for the dramatic, winning a pair of games in its last at-bat, while its five-run eighth inning against North Dakota was its highest inning total of the year.
?-Nebraska improved to 6-1 in season openers under Head Coach Mike Anderson with Friday’s 15-inning win over UL-Lafayette. It marked the first time the Huskers have played an extra-inning game in a season opener since a 13-inning win over New Mexico in 2002.
?-It was also the fifth time the Huskers have played at least 14 innings under Mike Anderson. NU went 16 innings against Texas A&M (2008) and Texas (2005) and 14 innings against Baylor (2003) and UL-Lafayette (2008).
?-Prior to this season, the last time NU opened a season with three consecutive one-run games was in 2002. The only other time in the program’s 100-plus year history was in back in 1970.
?-Dating back to last season, the Huskers and Louisiana-Lafayette played five consecutive one-run games prior to Sunday’s tie. In fact, the last six meetings between the teams have been decided by a total of five runs, with NU out-scoring the Ragin’ Cajuns by a combined score of 22-19.
?-Nebraska set a school and Big 12 record in the opener against UL-Lafayette, as five Husker pitchers combined for 22 strikeouts, breaking the school and conference mark of 21 set at Iowa State on April 18, 1999. Three of the top five strikeout performances have been under pitching Eric Newman over the past two seasons.
?-A trio of Huskers are quickly climbing the Huskers’ career hit by pitch list. DJ Belfonte (31), Nick Sulllivan (28) and Jake Mort (28) now comprise half of the Huskers’ top-five list in career hit by pitches.
?-A total of 12 players saw their first action as Huskers during the Louisiana-Lafayette series. The hitting contingent was led by freshmen Khiry Cooper (.375-1-2) and Cody Asche (.375-0-0) and junior college transfer Adam Bailey (.308-1-1). On the mound, sophomore Eric Rose went 1-0 with a save and a 1.93 ERA in three outings, while Jordan Roualdes (0-0, 4.76) earned the start in the series finale. Bailey (1-0, 3.38 ERA), Joe Broekemeier (0-0, 0.00) and Kash Kalkowski (0-0, 6.75 ERA) also saw action out of the bullpen for the Big Red. On Sunday, the Huskers trotted out a lineup with six newcomers in the lineup, as Cooper, Asche and Burleson combined for seven of the Huskers’ 10 hits in the 5-5 tie.
?-Sunday’s tie marked the second straight year that the Huskers have had a tie game after not having one since 1996.
?-With a pair of extra-inning games under its belt, the Huskers are now 15-8-2 (.640) in extra-inning contests since 2003. Last year, the Huskers went 3-1-1 in extra-inning games.
?-Since the NCAA went to the 64-team format in 1999, Nebraska has made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, which ties for seventh nationally in that time period. The only teams to earn more bids than Nebraska in that span are Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Miami, Oral Roberts, Rice and Texas.
?-Nebraska has won 121 of its last 122 games when taking a lead into the ninth inning and is 121-0-1 in that stretch dating back to the 2005 season. NU is 216-3-1 (.984) when leading after eight innings under Mike Anderson.

Scouting This Weekend’s Opponents
Missouri State: Under longtime head coach Keith Guttin, the Bears have been one of the most consistent programs in the Missouri Valley Conference. After going 40-17 last year, Missouri State was the preseason pick to win the MVC this season, garnering eight of the nine first-place votes by the league coaches. The Bears welcome back 18 letterwinners from a squad that finished second in the MVC. Missouri State got off to a slow start, getting swept by Middle Tennessee State in their opening series last weekend.
The Bears are led by right-hander Tim Clubb, who is the reigning MVC Pitcher of the Year. Last year, he went 11-0 with a 2.52 ERA. Clubb took his first loss since 2007 in the season opener, allowing eight runs on seven hits in four innings.
Offensively, Kevin Medrano tops Missouri State with a .429 average, while Ben Carlson hit .400 and scored three times in Missouri State’s series against MTSU. 
Series History: The teams have split their eight all-time meetings, but have not squared off since the 2003 NCAA Lincoln Regional. The last four matchups have taken place in the NCAA Tournament.

St. Mary’s (Cal.): The Gaels are 3-1 on the year following a 5-3 victory over No. 20 Stanford on Wednesday evening. St. Mary’s took 2-of-3 against Oregon to open the year before knocking off the Cardinal at Sunken Diamond. The Gaels, who were picked to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference following a 26-26-1 record in 2008, feature All-American Kyle Jensen, who set a school record with a .421 batting average in 2008. Greg Ditmer has led SMC in the early going, hitting .500 through the first five contests. Right-hander Taylor Reid allowed one earned run over 7.1 innings in his first start to earn the win against Oregon. Reid went 2-2 with a 6.61 ERA as a freshman. 
Series History: Saturday’s matchup will be the second all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since a 9-3 Gaels win in 1939.

Sam Houston State: Under former Texas A&M coach Mark Johnson, Sam Houston State is off to one of its best starts in program history The Bearkats are 5-0 following a 12-1 win over Prairie View A&M and enjoying their best start since 1987. Sam Houston State is coming off consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and swept Creighton in a four-game series to open the season before Tuesday’s win over Prairie View A&M.
Offensively, outfielder Nick Zaleski leads SHSU with a .500 average and eight RBIS through five contests. In all, five starters are hitting above .300 while the Bearkats have also committed just three errors and have a 3.19 ERA. Like Nebraska, SHSU has been in close games, winning a pair of one-run games and a pair of two-run victories. Junior right-hander Jordan Westra will take the hill on Saturday night against Nebraska. Series History: The Huskers are winless in three all-time meetings with Sam Houston State, although they have not played the Bearkats since the 2003 season

Husker Baseball: We Know Drama
The first week of the 2009 season has provided fans no shortage of excitment. Nebraska’s first five games have included a trio of one-run games, two games decided in the Huskers’ final at-bat and a tie game that went 10 innings.

NU opened the year with a 15-inning victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, a game where the Huskers scored a run in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. The following day, the two teams split a twinbill that featured two one-run games. Last Sunday, NU and ULL played their second extra-inning game of the weekend, going 10 innings before travel considerations forced the game to end in a tie.

Doubling Up Against North Dakota
Nebraska rapped out a season-high four doubles against North Dakota on Wednesday after totaling five doubles over the first four contests. Juniors Adam Bailey and Tyler Farst each enjoyed career bests with two doubles apiece against the Fighting Sioux. The Huskers’ four doubles was NU’s highest single-game total since setting a school record with 10 doubles against Creighton on April 23, 2008.

Having a Day
Junior Adam Bailey put together a home debut to remember in Nebraska’s home opener against North Dakota on Feb. 25, going 3-for-5 with a homer and six RBIs. His six RBIs were the second-highest total for a Husker since Mike Anderson took over the Husker program in 2003 and the highest single-game total by a Husker since 2006.

Cooper, Asche Led Freshman Contingent
A pair of true freshman have provided an early offensive spark for the Huskers, as third baseman Cody Asche and outfielder Khiry Cooper have led a talented group of freshman.

Asche tops the Huskers with a .455 average, playing extensively in the wake of Jake Mort’s hamstring injury. Acshe has two straight multi-hit contests since moving into the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a run scored on Sunday before a 2-for-3 effort on Wednesday versus North Dakota.

Cooper, a fifth-round draft pick of the LA Angels of Anaheim, has made a seemless transition to the diamond after playing football in the fall. He has appeared in all five contests, hitting .333 with a homer and four RBIs. Cooper had a season-high three hits, including his first career homer, against UL-Lafayatte on Feb. 22. Against North Dakota on Feb. 25, Cooper went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored while his two-run single in the eighth inning gave the Huskers a 7-6 lead.

What’s New at the Ballpark
Two significant changed have happened for Husker baseball fans over the last season - one which affect ballpark traffic and another that will be less noticeable to fans. The Harris Overpass re-opened on Oct. 10, 2008, making it easier to get to the ballpark from downtown Lincoln. The bridge was closed for extensive repairs since the fall of 2007.

During the off-season, the playing surface of the ballpark was replaced, allowing for improved drainage especially on the warning tracks. The Huskers spent the fall at Sherman Field while the project took place and have been able to work at Hawks Field since starting practice earlier this month.

Double Duty for Bailey
Junior college transfer Adam Bailey did something that no other Husker had done in 14 season against UL Lafayette on Feb. 21. He became the first Husker player to earn a victory and hit a homer in the same game since Alvie Shepherd accomplished the feat against Kansas on April 5, 1995.  Bailey entered the game as a reliever in the top of the fourth and fanned three over 2.2 innings of two-hit relief. He  moved to right field for the final three innings, going 1-for-2 with a ninth-inning homer that was the final margin of victory in a 9-8 win.

Many Happy Returns
A trio of Huskers who ended the 2008 season on the shelf made strong opening weekend impressions. Jeff Tezak, who played in just seven games last year before knee surgery on a torn left ACL, is hitting .389 with a team-high five runs scored while splitting time between second base and designated hitter.

Left-hander Eric Rose, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, has been impressive early on, going 1-0 with a  3.18 ERA ini four appearances. He appeared in three of the four games in Louisiana, earning the win in the opener and then coming back a day later to throw the final two innings to preserve a 9-8 win.

Joe Broekemeier, who missed the last two years with injuries, has not allowed an earned run in two appearances, highlighted by two perfect innings with a strikeout in his college debut on Feb. 21.

New Rotation...Same Effectiveness
One of the questions entering the 2009 season was how effective the Husker starting rotation would be. NU had all four weekend starters drafted in the first 20 rounds of last year’s Major League Baseball Draft.
After one weekend, the results looked promising, as Michael Mariot, Mike Nesseth and Jordan Roulades all turned in solid performances in their first Division I starts. Mariot went a career-high 5.2 innings, fanning a career-high eight hitters and allowing a pair of earned runs in Friday’s season opener. Nesseth, the only starter to be involved in a decision, went six innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and fanning seven in a 2-1 setback.  Roualdes capped the weekend by going 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits in Sunday’s 5-5 tie.

Kline Steps Up in Louisiana
Ben Kline was one of the Huskers’ offensive standouts on the trip to Louisiana last weekend. The Omaha Central product hit .375 on the weekend and drove in a team-high five RBIs.  In the season opener, Kline tied a career high with three hits in NU’s 15-inning win. After his second multi-hit game on Saturday night, Kline moved into the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the first time in his career. He responded by driving in by matching his career high with three RBIs in a 5-all tie with ULL the series finale.

Huskers to Be Tested Again in 2009
A total of 19 games against NCAA Tournament teams and 30 home games at Hawks Field highlight the 2009 Nebraska baseball schedule. The Huskers will be tested by a schedule that sees the Huskers play 17 of their 55 regular-season games against teams ranked in Baseball America’s top-25 preseason poll. The list includes Big 12 weekend series at No. 1 Texas A&M and against No. 4 Texas, No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 Missouri at Hawks Field.

With 30 home games, including five Big 12 series, Head Coach Mike Anderson said that the Huskers’ home schedule will be very appealing. Nebraska opens the home portion of its schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 25, against North Dakota, and plays 12 of its final 13 regular-season games at Hawks Field, where NU ranked 10th nationally in average attendance in 2008.

Nesseth Ranked Among Top Prospects
Sophomore right-hander Mike Nesseth is rated by Baseball America as one of the top 100 prospects for this June’s Major League Baseball Draft. Nesseth, who went 4-1 with four saves and a 3.58 ERA last season, is rated as the No. 29 college prospect and No. 63 overall prospect by the publication. Nesseth was also ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Northwoods League over the summer by Baseball America. He was also ranked as the No. 19 sophomore in the country in the most recent edition of Baseball America.
This season, Nesseth is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA, fanning seven over six innings while holding opponents to a .105 batting average.

Huskers Tabbed for Seventh in Big 12
The Nebraska baseball team was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll by a vote of the league coaches released on Feb. 17.

The Huskers, coming off a season where they went 41-16-1 and advanced to an NCAA Regional for the eighth time in nine seasons, totaled 38 points in voting by the league’s coaches.  In 2008, the Huskers were picked sixth in the preseason poll and finished in third place in the final league standings, staying in contention for the league’s regular-season title until the final weekend of the year. Nebraska has finished fourth or better in five of the last six years under Head Coach Mike Anderson, including regular-season titles in 2003 and 2005.

Texas A&M was the choice of the league’s coaches, garnering 81 points in the preseason voting and nine of the 10 first-pace votes. Texas was the second choice, as the Longhorns received 69 points. Baylor and Oklahoma State tied for third with 59 points, while Missouri (51) and Oklahoma (42) placed fifth and sixth. Each of the league’s top six teams has been ranked in the top 20 by at least one national preseason poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Following Nebraska in the preseason poll were Texas Tech (25), Kansas State (15) and Kansas (11.)

Switching Things Up
One of the things that is evident on the 2009 roster is an abundance of switch hitters. In all, Nebraska has six position players (Kyle Bubak, Cory Burleson, Kale Kiser, Jed Hanson, Jeff Tezak and Cody Neer) listed as switch hitters, which is believed to be the most in school history. Prior to this year, Nebraska has had only four switch hitters on a roster this decade - and no more than two in any year - since having four in 1985.

Husker Homes
The 2009 Huskers come from 14 states across the nation. Nebraska natives comprise nearly a third of the 34-man opening-day roster with 11 spots, while Texas, Missouri and Minnesota also claim at least three Huskers apiece.

Among the Nation’s Best
Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson begins the 2009 season in 12th place in winning percentage among all active coaches. He joins Texas’ Augie Garrido and Kansas State’s Brad Hill as the only three Big 12 coaches among the top-15 nationally in winning percentage.
 
Success in the Classroom
NU enjoyed a strong performance in the classroom by posting a team GPA of 3.089 during the fall semester. The team GPA was the highest in tracking the program’s GPA over the last 20 years. A total  of 18 Huskers were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fall semester, including DJ Belfonte, who posted a perfect 4.0 GPA. In addition, senior outfielder Nick Sullivan has been on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll at nine semesters at Nebraska.

Join the Husker Home Run Club in Oklahoma
The Husker Home Run Club is sponsoring a bus trip to Norman, Okla., to support the baseball team against Oklahoma on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29.  The trip includes game tickets for both days, selected meals and hotel accomadations at the Embassy Suites in Norman.

The deadline for registration is March 10.  For more information and to download a registration form for the bus trip, please log on to huskerhomerunclub.com or contact Ed Bolejack at 402-617-5913.

Single-Game Tickets Now on Sale
Single-game general admission tickets for Husker baseball home games are now on sale. General admission tickets for all regular-season home games this season are $7 for adults and $5 for youth in high school or younger or for senior citizens ages 60 or older. General admission tickets are free for children ages six and younger along with UNL students (with a valid student ID).

The 2009 schedule includes Big 12 home series against Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas, Missouri and Baylor as well as non-conference series against Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield.

Nebraska-Creighton Tickets on Sale April 1
Single-game tickets for the annual Nebraska-Creighton baseball game at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium on Tuesday, May 12, will go on sale on Wednesday, April 1, at Ticketmaster locations across Nebraska.

Tickets for the annual match-up between the Huskers and Bluejays range from $9-$15 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster in Lincoln at (402) 475-1212 or in Omaha at (402) 422-1212 or on the Internet at Ticketmaster.com.