Bolt, Huskers Prepared To Head South

Snowflakes began to gather on the bill of Shay Schanaman's cap as he discussed, naturally, the beginning of baseball season.
 
The Nebraska sophomore interrupted himself with a short laugh about the irony, given the Huskers were some 48 hours from their first game.
 
Thankfully, (as far as weather is concerned) it's in Texas.
 
"Baseball season is an exciting time of the year," Schanaman said Wednesday beyond the left field berm on a cold, dreary day at Haymarket Park. "It's always nice to get back out and get those first-game jitters out of the way and get rolling as a team."
 
That's especially true this season, as Nebraska begins the Will Bolt era. The former Husker replaces Darin Erstad as head coach, and players say the transition has been nearly seamless.
 
"They really haven't changed a whole lot," junior outfielder Aaron Palensky said. "I would say they're just slightly more hands-on this year, a little bit more structure. But I don't think it's been too drastic of a change.
 
"I'm really excited for our guys. I think we're ready. We put in a lot of work this offseason, and I like our chances going down there this year."
 
Palensky is referring Waco, Texas, where Nebraska will begin a three-game series on Friday against Baylor. Senior transfer pitcher Gareth Stroh, a graduate of Gibbon High School, will make his first start in a Husker uniform to begin the season. Sophomore Colby Gomes and junior college transfer Cade Povich round out the weekend rotation.
 
"We're going to have our hands full, but we think we're ready," Schanaman said. "If we do the same things we've been practicing, focus on the details, do everything we need to do to get outs and put up runs, I think we'll be fine."
 
Schanaman, a right-handed pitcher from Grand Island, will work out of the back end of the bullpen. He's added a change-up and two-seamed fastball and said that overall, he's an improved pitcher.
 
"I feel a lot better. I feel a lot stronger, I'm in better shape," Schanaman said. "I feel like I can go longer, farther, bounce back quicker. I feel like a better pitcher.
 
"I know us as a staff, we're excited to go out there and prove we're not going to be the weak link on the team."
 
Palensky, who led Nebraska last season with a .320 batting average, said he's better prepared physically for the rigors of a collegiate season. He worked in the offseason to increase his weight after remembering losing pounds during his freshman season.



Now at 190 pounds, Palensky said he feels bigger, stronger and more athletic overall. Also the team leader in home runs, hits, runs scored and stolen bases last season, Palensky said he's not the only player in the lineup who made physical gains.
 
"I think we can be very dangerous, because this offseason we had multiple guys just become way more powerful, way more consistent, finding more consistent barrels," Palensky said. "They've really put a lot of work in, and I'm excited to see what they're going to do."
 
Whereas Nebraska returns most position players and its top offensive player, the Huskers are filling openings on the pitching staff.
 
"With all our new guys, it's going to be a challenge, especially on the mound," Palensky said. "We have a lot of returners in the field, but with our entire weekend staff gone, we're definitely going to need some guys to step up. But we do have guys I feel like myself and the team are very confident in to be able to go up and take the ball and do well."
 
That begins with Stroh, the former Purdue pitcher who sat out last season with Nebraska. The 6-foot-2 left-hander has an array of pitches and is the most experienced pitcher on the roster, a main reason Bolt gave Stroh the season-opening nod.
 
"Gareth is a very diligent worker," Bolt said. "He knows what he's doing. He knows what his strengths are as a pitcher, he knows what his weaknesses are, he knows how to set up hitters. So he's kind of got a pretty good feel for what he's trying to do to attack hitters."
 
As for the rest of the weekend rotation, Bolt said Gomes and Povich have been most consistent.
 
"Really, we had a pretty good idea going back to the fall of who would be some of the guys we figured we could count on to start," Bolt said. "Kind of turn the lineup over, build some pitch counts, those types of things."
 
Gomes is making the move from the bullpen to the starting rotation after making 19 appearances as a true freshman with a 4.09 ERA. Povich, a Bellevue native, comes to Lincoln from South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, where he went 10-1 with a 1.52 ERA in his only season, with eight complete games and five shutouts.
 
"You know he's been pretty efficient in his outings in junior college," Bolt said. "The numbers stood out first, and then once you lay eyes on him, you see a projectable left-hander who's 6-4. He's put on some good weight, and he's a guy that feels confident throwing four pitches for strikes."
 
As far as team goals are concerned, Palensky isn't shy in saying he wants Lincoln to host a regional, maybe even a Super Regional, while "praying to God every day we can bring the Cornhuskers back to Omaha."
 
That's where Michigan landed last season, after Palensky had figured Nebraska had knocked the Wolverines out of the post season entirely by defeating them in the Big Ten Tournament. Instead, Michigan made a Cinderella-type run after barely making the NCAA Tournament.
 
Palensky remembers watching Michigan in the College World Series.
 
"It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth," Palensky said, "especially because we beat Michigan more times than they beat us last year."

Incidentally, the Wolverines on Monday were picked by Big Ten coaches to win the conference, while Nebraska was picked fourth, behind Ohio State and Minnesota.

"Just seeing what a team can do when they got hot at the right time," Palensky said, "knowing that if we can do that, just peak at the right time, then we can do what Michigan did and even more."
 
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.