Huskers and Lions Open Four-Game Series on Friday

Friday, March 11, Game 1 (1:35 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Howell (0-1) vs. RHP Busfield (1-0)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: HuskersNSide
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Friday, March 11, Game 2 (Approx. 5 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (0-0) vs. TBA
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: HuskersNSide
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Saturday, March 12 (2:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Matt Waldron (1-1) vs. RHP Abbott (1-1)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Sunday, March 13 (12:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: TBA vs. RHP Cohen (1-1)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: HuskersNSide
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Lincoln - Following a pair of wins over Northern Colorado, the Nebraska baseball team (4-5 0-0 Big Ten) continues its nine-game homestand with four games against the Loyola Marymount Lions (6-6, 0-0 WCC) this weekend at Hawks Field. All-time the teams have played five games, including a three-game series last year in Los Angeles, with the Huskers winning the series 2-1. Friday’s series opener will mark the first ever meeting in Lincoln between the Huskers and Lions.

The series was originally scheduled for one game on Friday, a doubleheader on Saturday and a game on Sunday, but because of forecasted rain, the teams will now open with a doubleheader on Friday starting at 1:35 p.m. Game two of the doubleheader will start 45 minutes after the end of game one.

Game three of the series will take place on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

How to Listen/Watch the Huskers
Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe, Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley call all the action on the Husker Sports Network, including on Huskers.com and the Official Husker App.

Friday’s series opener can be heard in Lincoln on 1400 AM and in Omaha on 590 AM. After that it all depends on if Nebraska’s men’s basketball team is still in the Big Ten Tournament. If the team is still plaing in Indianapolis, games will be carried on 105.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha. TuneIn Radio will only carry baseball games if there is not a men’s basketball game that day.

Friday and Sunday’s games will also be video streamed live on HuskersNSide (subscription required). Saturday’s game will be carried on the Big Ten Network’s online streaming service, BTN Plus (subscription required).

Finding the Zone
Over the first two weeks of the season the Huskers played six games and NU’s pitching staff had its struggles. The Huskers were 2-4 and the pitching staff was averaging 10.7 runs, 7.3 strikeouts and 5.7 walks per game.

Since making a trip to Long Beach last weekend, the Husker arms have started to look like their old selves.  Over the past five games the Huskers are 3-2 and their pitchers are averaging 1.4 runs, 8.2 strikeouts and 3.6 walks per game.

Schreiber Finds His Sstroke
During Nebraska’s two-game sweep of Northern Colorado, sophomore slugger Scott Schreiber hit three home runs, including homers in consecutive at bats during the series opener on Tuesday.

Schreiber now has five home runs on the season in 10 games played, which is more than any Husker had all last year. Tanner Lubach and Ben Miller tied for the team lead in 2015 with four home runs each. Nebraska hit 22 home runs last season in 57 games.

With Schreiber leading the way, the Huskers enter the weekend with 13 home runs on the year in 11 games. Seven Huskers have homered this year, including multiple home runs from Schreiber (5), Ben Miller (2) and Jake Placzek (2).

Home Sweet Hawks
The Nebraska baseball team is celebrating its 15th season at Hawks Field in 2016. Since playing their first game at the park in 2002, the Huskers have posted a 303-109-1 (.738) record at the facility entering this weekend’s series, including a 21-6 record last season.

The Huskers notched a .778 winning percentage at home last year, the highest home winning percentage since 2008 when Nebraska posted a .843 winning percentage with a 29-5-1 record.

Nebraska has won 60% or more of its home games 12 times over the past 14 seasons, including each of the past six seasons. NU’s worst home season came in 2009 when the Huskers posted a 16-14 record (.533).

Stolen Bases
Nebraska has been more active on the base paths this season, stealing 14 bases in its first 11 games, an average of 1.3 per game. Last year the Huskers totaled 40 stolen bases in 57 games, an average of 0.7 stolen bases per game.

Get a Lead for the Bullpen
During Darin Erstad’s tenure at Nebraska, the Husker bullpen has done its job when it has a lead.

Led by pitching coach Ted Silva, the Huskers are 109-15 since the start of the 2012 season when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 114-8 when leading after seven innings and are nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 123-4 record.

The last time the Huskers lost a game when leading going into the ninth inning was March 21, 2014, in Iowa City, Iowa. The Huskers held a 1-0 leading going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Hawkeyes rallied for a 2-1 walk-off victory.

Year  Lead after 6     After 7      After 8

 

2012              31-5         29-3          31-2

2013              20-3         25-2          28-1

2014              28-3         27-1          31-1

2015              26-3         28-2          28-0

2016               4-1           5-0           5-0

Total          109-15       114-8        123-4

Count on Chesnut
Senior Jeff Chesnut enters Friday with 68 career appearances, including 31 last season. His 31 appearances in 2015 are tied for sixth on Nebraska’s single-season chart.

Chesnut needs two more appearances this year to tie Jarod Bearinger (1996-99) and John Lepley (1985-88) for ninth place on NU’s career list.

Steve Hale holds the school record with 87 career appearances from 1999-2003.

Big Fish
Senior Taylor Fish enters Friday with a team-best .409 batting average (9-for-22) in seven starts this season. The senior catcher has four doubles on the year in 22 at bats, after recording one double in 133 at bats over his first three seasons at NU.

McSteen Back on the Mound
Jake McSteen was issued a medical hardship in 2015 after he had season-ending shoulder surgery following the third week of the regular season.

A redshirt freshman this season, McSteen has been one of NU’s most reliable arms. The lefty has a 1.59 ERA over 11.1 innings of work, all out of the bullpen, and has allowed two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six.

New Blood on the Mound
Multiple newcomers have seen time on the mound through 11 games this season. Out of the 16 pitchers that have seen time this season, eight are true or redshirt freshmen

The eight young arms have combined to throw 43.1 innings over 20 appearances. They have accounted for just over 43% of Nebraska’s innings pitched.

Redshirt freshman Jake McSteen, along with freshmen Chad Luensmann and Robbie Palkert have combined to make 10 appearances out of the bullpen and have allowed a total of 15 hits and two earned runs over 24.0 innings.

Reveles Returns
Steven Reveles was 16 games into his senior season in 2015 when he broke his finger attempting a bunt against Michigan on March 20. The shortstop ended up missing the rest of the season and was granted a medical hardship, giving him another shot at his senior year in 2016.

To be eligible for a medical hardship Reveles needed to have played in no more than 30% of NU’s  regular-season games for the year and it had to take place in the first half of the season. Reveles’ game total was 29.1%, if he had played in one more game he would have went over 30% and would not have been eligible to apply for a medical hardship.

Reveles has started 10 of NU’s first 11 games and is hitting .212 with one double, one home run and three RBIs.

Boldt Keeps Hitting
Ryan Boldt broke onto the collegiate scene as a freshman in 2014 with a .311 average and 74 hits. He avoided a sophomore slump in 2015 by hitting .344 with 75 hits.

Entering the weekend, Boldt is hitting .340 (14-for-50) with five, three-hit games on the year.

Following a pair of three-hit games against Northern Colorado, Boldt needs 34 more hits this season to become the 24th player in school history with 200 career hits.

Just a junior, Boldt would be just the 15th player to reach the mark in three seasons, and the first since his cousin, Pat Kelly, notched 212 hits from 2012-14.

Other Huskers who have reached 200 or more hits in three seasons include: Darin Erstad (261), Paul Meyers (250), Matt Hooper (249), Mark Kister (242), Alex Gordon (240), Todd Sears (234), Ken Ramos (229), Curtis Ledbetter (223), John Cole (222), Jeff Leise (217), Pat Kelly (212), Will Bolt (205), Ken Harvey (203), Francis Collins (201).

Noting the 2016 Season

 

* 13 games against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams

- 3 at College of Charleston (Feb. 19-21)

- 1 vs. Tulane (Feb. 28)

- 3 vs. Illinois (April 1-3)

- 3 at Michigan (April 15-17)

- 3 vs. Indiana (May 19-21)

* Nebraska’s 55-game schedule consists of  27 home games, 23 road games and 5 neutral site games

* Nebraska will play eight Big Ten Conference series (4 home/4 road)

- Home series: Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State, Indiana

- Road series: Purdue, Michigan, Rutgers, Michigan State

* Nebraska’s Big Ten series at Michigan State will mark the second time the teams have met in East Lansing since NU joined the Big Ten. The teams have never played a series in Lincoln, but have met six times, with three of the meetings coming at the Big Ten Tournament.

* For the first time since 2010, the Huskers won’t play a non-conference game against a team that played in the College World Series the previous season.

* Nebraska and Kansas are set to play a midweek game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Wednesday, April 27.

* The Huskers end the season with seven-straight home games. The last time Nebraska hosted seven or more games to end a season was 2009 when NU played its final 11 games of the season at Hawks Field.