Huskers Host Illini for Big Ten Home Opener

Friday, April 1 (6:35 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (2-1) vs. RHP Sedlock (4-1)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Saturday, April 2 (2:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: LHP McSteen (2-0) vs. LHP Hayes (3-2)
TV: NET
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Sunday, April 3 (1:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Matt Waldron (4-1) vs. RHP Bellair (0-0)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: HuskersNSide
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Lincoln - The Nebraska baseball team (17-7 3-0 Big Ten) will look to continue its winning ways on Friday night at Hawks Field when it opens a three-game Big Ten series against the Illinois Fighting Illini (10-12, 2-1 Big Ten). All time the Illini hold a slim 7-6 advantage dating back to 1897.

The Illini have won the last three games of the series. Nebraska ended the 2015 season in Champaign, Ill., and the Illini, who won the Big Ten regular-season title a year ago, took the first two games of a three-game series before game three was rained out and not made up. Illinois then downed the Huskers in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, 3-2.

Friday will be the conference home opener for the Huskers after opening league play with a three-game sweep at Purdue last weekend. The Illini opened conference play at home last week with a 2-1 series victory over Penn State.

Following an 8-2 win over Creighton on Tuesday night at Hawks Field, the Huskers have won eight straight games and 14 of their last 15 games after starting the year 3-6. The Illini enter Friday on a two-game losing streak and a 4-6 record over their last 10 games. After taking the first two games against the Nittany Lions last weekend the Illini dropped the finale and then lost on Tuesday at Indiana State.

The Huskers and Illini have met for a league series every year since the Huskers joined the Big Ten. Including a meeting in the Big Ten Tournament, the teams are an even 6-6 since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2012. The only time the teams didn’t meet as Big Ten opponents was in 1897, when Illinois won at home, 14-9. Nebraska is 4-2 against the Illini at Hawks Field, including series victories in 2012 and 2014.

The Husker hosted the Illinois in their first ever Big Ten game on March 23, 2012, and Illinois won 11-3. The Huskers took the series though with victories in the final two games of the weekend, 18-5 and 13-3.

The Illini are one of three teams the Huskers have met or will meet in each of NU’s first five seasons in the Big Ten. Nebraska also played Northwestern and Michigan each of its four years in the league and is schedule to play both teams in 2016.

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 this weekend, including on Huskers.com and the Official Husker App.

All three games this weekend can be heard in Lincoln on 1400 AM and in Omaha on 590 AM. The games are also scheduled to be carried on TuneIn Radio.

Friday’s series opener will be streamed live on BTN Plus (subscription required). Saturday’s game will be carried across the state on NET and will also be available on BTN Plus, Larry Punteney and former Husker Steve Edlefsen will have the call. Sunday’s series finale will be streamed on HuskersNSide (subscription required.

Double Digits
Nebraska has amassed double digit hits 15 times in 24 games entering Friday and is 11-4 when reaching the mark.

Nebraska has reached double digit hits in each of its last six games entering Friday, including a season-high 16 hits twice last weekend at Purdue.

Last season the Huskers totaled 10 or more hits 23 times in 57 games.

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 119-15 since the start of the 2012 season when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 125-8 when leading after seven innings and are nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 134-4 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.

Longball
Nebraska’s home run totals are up in a big way this year, as they have hit 28 in 24 games after totaling 22 in 57 games last season.

Nebraska last topped 30 home runs in a season in 2012, when they hit 47.

Eight different players have hit a home run this season, including a team-high six from both Scott Schreiber and Jake Placzek, while Ben Miller has five. Miller and Tanner Lubach tied for the team lead last season with four each.

Nebraska already has 10 multi-homer games this season after notching two all of last year.

Nebraska is 13-4 on the year when they hit a home run, with all four losses coming in the first four games where NU hit a homer.

The Huskers did change equipment prior to this season, as the team is swinging adidas bats this year after using Rawlings bats each of the last four years.

Get to Third
When the Huskers get a runner on third base with less than two outs, they are putting runs on the board. On the year NU has 47 RBIs in 78 chances with a runner on third and less than two outs, a success rate just over 60%.

In 10 home games, NU is getting the job done at almost a 63% clip with 20 RBIs in 32 chances.

Stolen Bases
Nebraska has been more active on the base paths this season, stealing 32 bases in its first 24 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.

Nebraska last stole 60 bases in a season in 2011 when they were 62-for-81.

Count on Chesnut
Senior Jeff Chesnut enters Friday ranked seventh all-time at Nebraska with 75 career appearances, including 31 last season. His 31 appearances in 2015 are tied for sixth on Nebraska’s single-season chart.

With 13 appearances in 2016, Chesnut needs three more appearances to tie Erik Bird (2006-09) and Jeff Anderson (1981-84) fifth place on NU’s career list.

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

Career Appearances
1. 87 Steve Hale 1999-03
2. 82 Casey Hauptman 2008-11
3. 80 Brett Jensen 2004-06
4. 79 Dylan Vogt 2010-13
5. 78 Erik Bird 2006-09
78 Jeff Anderson 1981-84
7. 75 Jeff Chesnut 2013-present
8. 74 Zach Herr 2006-08
9. 73 Jonas Armenta 1994-97
10. 70 Jarod Bearinger 1996-99
70 John Lepley 1985-88

Score Early
In 24 games this year the Huskers have scored a run in the first inning 11 times, including eight times in their last 13 games.

The Huskers are 9-2 on the year when they score a run in the first inning.

The Huskers are 16-2 this year when they score the game’s first run.

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.

Following this fourth straight three-hit game on Tuesday night that included a pair of home runs, Boldt is hitting .358 (39-for-109) in 2016 with 12 multi-hit games, including nine games with three-hits.

Boldt needs 12 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).

NU 200-Career Hit Club
1. 338 Matt Hopper 2000-03
2. 305 Jeff Leise 2000-03
3. 281 Will Bolt 1999-02
4. 261 Darin Erstad 1993-95
5. 251 Michael Pritchard 2011-14
6. 250 Paul Meyers 1984-86
7. 249 Joe Simokaitis 2002-05
8. 248 Jed Dalton 1992-95
9. 247 Chad Christensen 2010-13
10. 246 Darin Petersen 1992-95
11. 242 Mark Kister 1985-87
12. 240 Alex Gordon 2003-05
13. 238 DJ Belfonte 2007-10
14. 234 Todd Sears 1995-97
15. 231 Daniel Bruce 2002-05
16. 229 Ken Ramos 1987-89
17. 227 Jake Opitz 2005-08
18. 226 Austin Darby 2012-15
19. 223 Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05
20. 222 John Cole 1999-01
21. 212 Pat Kelly 2012-14
22. 203 Ken Harvey 1997-99
23. 201 Francis Collins 1995-97

-- 188 Ryan Boldt 2014-Present

Placzek’s Power
Senior Jake Placzek entered 2016 with one career home run in 328 at bats over 110 games, including 88 starts. In 73 at bats this season entering Friday, Placzek has exploded for six home runs, including four home runs over his last seven games.

Placzek has also roped eight doubles and driven in 19 runs, already topping the 14 RBIs he had last season. The La Vista, Neb., native also had eight doubles in 2014 and drove in 25 runs.

Draft History
Eight members of the 2016 Husker baseball team have previously been drafted:

Luis Alvarado - 2014 (Boston Red Sox, 33rd Round)
Ryan Boldt - 2013 (Boston Red Sox, 22nd Round)
Derek Burkamper - 2013 (Boston Red Sox, 20th Round)
Sean Chandler - 2015 (Milwaukee Brewers, 32nd Round)
Colton Howell - 2015 (San Diego Padres, 27th Round)
Garett King - 2014 (New York Mets, 36th Round)
Chad Luensmann - 2015 (New York Mets, 39th Round)
Jesse Wilkening - 2015 (Arizona Diamondbacks, 28th Round)

Filthy Freshman
After career saves holder Josh Roeder graduated last year, the Huskers needed to find a new closer. It wasn’t a problem early on, as the Huskers didn’t have a save opportunity during the first 13 games of the year.

That changed on Saturday, March 12, when the Huskers entered the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead and NU went to freshman Chad Luensmann. The 6-4 right hander worked a scoreless ninth for his first career save. The Huskers then had a 5-4 lead the following day and with a four-game sweep on the line, NU again went to Luensmann, who tossed a 1-2-3 inning against the top of Loyola Marymount’s lineup. Luensmann picked up his third save of the year when he closed out NU’s sweep clinching victory at Purdue, stranding the tying run at third base to end the game.

On the season, Luensmann has a 0.52 ERA and didn’t allow an earned run until his 10th appearance of the season. In 17.1 innings of work opponents are hitting .155 off the right hander from Altoona, Pa.

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 310-110-1 (.738) record at the facility entering, including a 9-1 record this 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).

Big Ben
Junior Ben Miller enters Friday with a team-high .370 batting average. The Clive, Iowa, native has seven doubles, five home runs and 19 RBIs. He has a team-high 14 multi-hit games in 2016, including a four three-hit performances

After failing to reach base in the first game of the season, Miller reached in a career-high 20 games before the streak was snapped on March 26 at Purdue.

Young Arms
The Huskers have had a youth movement on the mound this year, with multiple newcomers seeing time on the mound through 24 games. Out of the 18 pitchers that have seen time this season, nine are true or redshirt freshmen

The nine young arms have combined to throw 94.0 innings, including a team-high 31.2 innings from Matt Waldron.

The nine newcomers have accounted for over 43% of Nebraska’s innings pitched.