• Marlon Lucky and Joe Ganz appear on award watch lists
• Eshaunte Jones appears to be headed to Nebraska
• Want to play NCAA Football 2008 with Grant Wistrom?
• Will Khiry Cooper stay in Lincoln or sign with the Los Angeles Angels?
• Hunter Teafatiller gets third DUI in the last year
• Walter Roese has joined the Nebraska mens basketball staff
• Huskers host regionals this weekend
• What former Husker Trev Alberts thinks about the 2008 team
• Husker hoops recruit Roburt Sallie won’t be making it to Lincoln
• Dorn and Herr save the day
• Huskers Drop 4th Straight to Bears
• Big inning sinks #5 Huskers
• Huskers get commitment #5 as Dontrayevous Robinson pledges
• C.J. Zimmerer gets Nebraska offer and quickly accepts
• Huskers sweep doubleheader with dramatic comebacks

Lincoln, NE - Game 1 - The game was over.  The Huskers (38-9-1, 17-6-1) were down 8-4, they hadn’t had a hit in 4 innings, they were playing the league leading Texas A&M Aggies (42-10, 19-5) who had won 16 consecutive Big XII games, the bottom half of the lineup was due up.  The Aggies were going to clinch a share of the Big XII title, Nebraska would likely fall behind Oklahoma State for 2nd in the conference, and Nebraska’s national seed changes we’re all but gone.

Someone forgot to tell the Huskers it was over.  In the bottom of the ninth, the Huskers provided the most dramitic come from behind win of the season.  It started off with Nick Sullivan leading off with a ground ball single to right.  Then, on a sure double play ball from Tyler Farst, Texas A&M 2nd baseman Blake Stouffer let the ball run through his legs putting runners on 1st and 3rd with no out.  You could hear the crowd start to get excited, but it was way too early to celebrate yet.

Next up, DJ Belfonte, walk.  David Stewart, who had already belted a 2 run ‘mega bomb’ into right and singled home 2 more runs a few innings later, grounded to the first baseman, scoring Nick Sullivan.  The crowd was really getting excited now as the 3 run deficit meant the winning run is at the plate.

Coach Anderson then decides to pinch hit with Cody Neer, the transfer from Florida, who delivers a two run single to left center making it a 1 run game.  Bryce Nimmo then grounds into a fielder’s choice as Texas A&M elects to try for the double play and he beats the throw at first, scoring Farst, TIE GAME!

The next batter, Jake Mort, struck out and it looked like we had another extra inning affair on our hands.  Jake Opitz coaxed the two out walk that moved the speedy Nimmo to 2nd and Mitch Abeita, who hadn’t had much success against Texas A&M pitching to that point, delivered the run scoring single to finish the Aggies in dramatic fashion 9-8.

On the mound, you have to credit reliever Dan Jennings, who came in for a struggling Thad Weber and closed the door over the final 3.1 innings to hold the Aggies to just 8.

Game 2 - In the nightcap, the Huskers found themselves down, but not out again.  After 5 1/2 innings, the Huskers trailed the Aggies 9-4 and it was looking like the Husker might be in it too deep.

However, David Stewart again delivered for the Huskers with a double to open the bottom of the 6th.  After an error allowed Andy Cotton to reach, Senior Bryce Nimmo delivered a 2 run triple that brought the Huskers within 3.  Jake Mort followed that up with an RBI groundout to bring the Huskers within just 2 runs 9-7.

The Aggies followed up with another run in the 7th to make it 10-7 and it looked like they were going to pile on more, but Mike Nesseth came in to relieve Zach Herr and struckout Kyle Colligan and Blake Stouffer to end the threat.

The Huskers would fight right back loading the bases with a pair of hit batters and a walk before David Stewart would knock in a run with a groundout to cut the lead to 2.  The Huskers evened the score at 10-10 when the Aggies uncorked a wild pitch and a passed ball.

With Nesseth dealing on the mound, the Huskers would put away the Aggies for good in the 8th when a single from DJ Belfonte rolled past the glove of Kyle Colligan allowing Farst to score from first.  David Stewart followed it up with an RBI single, his 7th of the day when he had just 4 all season.  Bryce Nimmo would then knock in his 4th and final RBI of the game knocking in Stewart to give the Huskers their final 13-10 lead.

All in all it was a very hardfought series where both teams could have very easily swept the series.  Had Mitch Abeita not missed a pop-foul in the 16th inning of the first game, they may still be playing and who knows, NU may have won.  On the other hand, had Blake Stouffer completed the sure double play in the bottom of the ninth of the first game, the momentum would have been entirely on the side of the Aggies and they might have swept NU.

It was one of the best, most hardfought series of 2 top 10 of the season and maybe ever at Haymarket.  Both teams have a knack for never quite being ‘out’ of a game which made it an amazing series to watch.   Next up for the Huskers they play the Creighton Bluejays at Rosenblatt Stadium on Tuesday May 13th.  First pitch is set for 7:00pm.

Lincoln, NE - The Huskers (34-8-1, 15-5-1) took both games of a midweek series with the Western Illinois Leathernecks 6-4 and 6-1.  The first win gave the Huskers 1 more win than last year’s season mark of 32, with 10 regular season games, a Big XII tourney and NCAA tourney left, the Huskers look set to win 40 games for the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons.

In the 1st game, the young guys really stepped up in a big way.  Freshman shortstop Ben Kline from Omaha Central hit a bases-loaded single in the 6th to give the Huskers the lead they would not relent.  Freshman pitcher Casey Hauptman from Millard South pitched a career high 4 innings and gave up just 2 hits to get his first career win.  Freshman reliever Mike Nesseth pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 4th save of the year.

In the 2nd game, Husker pitcher Erik Bird got the start and pitched 5 scoreless innings to notch his 4th win of the year.  Freshman 1st baseman Tyler Farst got things going for the offense in the 3rd when he drilled a 2-RBI double off the base of the wall with the bases loaded and just 1 out. After DJ Belfonte was hit by a pitch, Nick Sullivan was hit by a pitch to score another run.

Weekend starter Aaron Pribanic came in for 2 innings of perfect relief, perhaps a sign that Mike Anderson might be considering using lefty Dan Jennings for the Sunday start this weekend since Pribanic has struggled as of late.

The Huskers take on Louisiana-Lafayette for a three game series this weekend starting Friday at 6:35 followed up by a double-header on Saturday at 12:05pm and 6:35pm.

Waco, TX - The Huskers (32-7-1, 15-4-1)  pounded the Baylor Bears in the nightcap of Saturday’s double header 14-1.  The win clinched the series win for the Huskers, their first ever series win in Waco since the inception of the Big XII.  In fact, going into today, they had only won 1 game in Waco in 13 attempts.

Thad Weber pitched a great game for the Huskers, keeping the Bears at bay while the offense had their way.  He threw a complete game in the 10-run rule shortened game, a rule for the Big XII reserved for the 2nd game of a double header and Sunday ‘getaway’ games.  He scattered 4 hits over 7 innings and struck out 4.  He allowed just 1 hit over the final 5 innings and struck out the side for the final inning.

The Huskers would give him all the padding he needed when they bolted out to a 7-run first inning.  Started off with a Jake Opitz double that scored Nimmo and Mort.

Opitz led the way for the Husker offense scoring 3 times and knocking in 4 RBIs, including a 2-run bomb in the top of the 5th over the right field wall.  DJ Belfonte continued to battle back since being dropped in the lineup in favor of Bryce Nimmo.  He chipped in a 2 for 2 day with 3 RBIs and scored a run. 

The Huskers will go for the sweep tomorrow at 1:00pm with Junior Aaron Pribanic on the Hill.  The win allows the Huskers to stay just 1 1/2 games behind Big XII leading Texas A&M who has won 14 straight Big XII games.

Waco, TX - The Huskers (31-7-1, 14-4-1) haven’t had very much luck in Waco for a long time.  Before today the Huskers were an abysmal 1-12 in Waco, easily their worst record at any Big XII destination.  The first game threatened to continue that aweful trend, when Baylor hit a dramatic 2-run home run of reliever Dan Jennings to tie the game with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th.  However, DJ Belfonte knocked in 2 go ahead runs for the 2nd time late in the game for the 6-4 win in the first half of the double header.

In an all to common trend, Johnny Dorn was excellent, but still failed to get the decision.  He pitched 7 innings, gave up just 4 hits and walked 3 while striking out 7.  He allowed 2 runs to score, both in the Baylor 5th, the only inning where he seem to face any trouble.  Dorn was in position to earn the win, when DJ Belfonte knocked in two runs in the 8th just before Dorn was lifted.

The Huskers took the early lead in the 2nd inning when Craig Corriston launched a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall.  After the Bears took the 2-1 lead in the 5th, Corriston singled home a run to tie it up again.

After the dramatic comeback in the 9th by the Bears, DJ Belfonte did it again, grounding a single up the middle in the 10th scoring Jake Opitz and Nick Sullivan for the final advantage.

Mike Nesseth earned the win, who came in to relieve Dan Jennings in the 9th and Zach Herr earned his 4th save allowing just 1 hit in the 10th.

The Huskers and Bears finish up the double header in the nightcap as the Huskers try to get their first ever series win in Waco.

Lincoln, NE - The Huskers (29-7-1, 13-4-1) couldn’t get much going against Creighton starter Greg Hellhake.  They managed just 4 hits and 0 runs in his 5 innings.  When Creighton went to the bullpen in the 6th, the Huskers took advantage and scored all their runs in a 4-3 victory in that frame.

Jake Mort opened the frame with a base hit up the middle and moved up to 2nd on a wild pitch.  Two batters later, Senior Catcher Mitch Abeita singled to left, scoring Mort to tie up the game at 1 apiece.  Even though Nick Sullivan popped out on the next play, the Huskers weren’t done.  After and Abeita steal, Creighton intentionally walked Craig Corriston to setup the force out.   Unfortunately, Creighton’s Jeremy Hauer couldn’t find his control, walking DJ Belfonte. 

Creighton brought in T.J. Roemmich who plunked Freshman left fielder Dan Johnston to give the Huskers their first and final lead.  After another pitching change, freshman Ben Kline singled home Belfonte and Corriston to extend the lead to 4-1.

It was a good thing for the Huskers too, because the next inning, Junior Nick Nordgren parked a 1-0 Erik Anderson pitch in the left-center berms to trim the lead to one.

On the mound, the Huskers got yet another excellent outing from Junior Dan Jennings.  Although his 30-inning scoreless streak ended in the 4th, he pitched 6 solid innings, walked 1, and gave up just 3 hits while striking out 5.  Zach Herr and Mike Nesseth combined to closeout the game with Nesseth earning his 4th save of the year.

The Huskers and Bluejays both make the 50-mile trek up I-80 for tomorrow night’s game as the two teams make up for the weather postponed contest on April 1st.  First pitch is set for 6:35pm and the Huskers send Erik Bird to the mound, fresh off his brilliant performance against top 10 Wichita State Shockers last week.

Lincoln, NE - Senior catcher Mitch Abeita hit one home run all last year.  Today Abeita hit his 7th home run of the year, a grand slam in the 4th inning that gave the Huskers (28-6-1, 13-3-1) a 4-2 lead.  The 8-6 win over the Jayhawks gave Nebraska the series win, their 5th Big XII series win out of 6 tries.

Senior Thad Weber picked up his 7th win of the year (7-2), although it was not his best outing of the year, giving up 4 runs over 5 innings and struck out 7.  Zach Herr picked up his 3rd save of the year with a solid 1.2 innings of scoreless work to finally shut down the Jayhawks. 

8,697 fans watched as the Huskers loaded the bases with just one single by Bryce Nimmo, a misplayed bunt from Jake Mort and a walk to Jake Opitz.  Then Abeita drilled the 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for the grand slam and the 4-2 lead.

The Jayhawks would tie it again in the next inning, but the Huskers would grab the lead right back.  Ben Kline opened the inning with a single. On a brilliant call bike Coach Anderson, Kline took off on the pitch while Nimmo faked the bunt and leaned across the plate and slapped a ground ball right back where the shortstop covering 2nd orginally was.  Ben Kline hustled around 2nd and just beat the throw to third while Nimmo smartly took 2nd when he saw the throw was to third.  Two batters later, Opitz would ground out to the 1st baseball and score Kline from third, giving the Huskers back the lead for good.

In the next inning, the Huskers would add a couple more.  Corriston was hit by the pitch to open the frame and then brought home on a DJ Belfonte double to right center.  DJ would eventually come around to score on a Bryce Nimmo single to 2nd base where he just beat out the throw to give the Huskers a 7-4 advantage.

The Jayhawks would pull back within 1 off of a double in the 7th and a solo home run in the 8th that would chase reliver Mike Nesseth to bring the score to 7-6.  But the Huskers would add an insurance run in the 8th when Jake Opitz hit an infield single just past a running 3rd baseman and score Kline who doubled 3 batters earlier.

Zach Herr walked the leadoff batter in the 9th, but put the next three down in order to earn the save and the Husker victory.

The win kept the Huskers just a half game out of first place in the Big XII behind Texas A&M who beat Baylor 11-1 on Saturday.  The Huskers will go for the sweep tomorrow at Hawks Field at 1:05 pm.  The game will be televised on NET sports across the state of Nebraska.

Lincoln, NE - The Husker baseball team (27-6-1, 12-3-1)  took a close one from the Kansas Jayhawks in a back-and-forth seasaw battle 7 - 6.  The contest was not your typical Friday night pitchers duel as neither pitcher was overwhelmingly sharp. 

Johnny Dorn took the start and got the win, but not in typically Johnny Dorn fashion.  He struggled early, giving up 6 earned runs over the first 5 innings, but finally settled down to retire 10 out of the last 11 batters he faced.

The Jayhawks would take the early lead when KU led off the 2nd inning with a pair of singles to put runners on the corners with nobody out.  Dorn would induce a popup on the next hitter, but the ball was deep enough to score the runner from third for the sacrifice fly.

The Huskers would claw right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half.  Nebraska would take advantage of two miscues by the Jayhawks, a wild pitch to move Cody Neer and Craig Corriston to 2nd and 3rd and bad throw on a fielders choice when Corriston took off for home on Dan Johnstons grounder to the third baseman that sailed past the catcher.  Neer would score next on a groundout to 2nd base by DJ Belfonte to give the Huskers a 2-1 lead.

The Jayhawks would answer right back with a couple of RBI singles to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the 3rd, but the Huskers would strike right back in the bottom of the frame when Bryce Nimmo led off the inning with a single and came around to score off of a Mitch Abeita single.

In the 4th, Dan Johnston walked and DJ Belfonte singled to open the frame.  After a double steal, Johnston scored on a Nimmo groundout and Belfonte scored on a throwing error on a Jake Mort grounder to take the 5-3 lead.

The Jayhawks again would again strike back with three runs in the top of the 5th to take a 6-5 lead and would hold that lead until the 7th when the Huskers would load the bases with nobody out.  Craig Corriston would single to plate two more runs to give the Huskers the final 7-6 lead.

After a 2 out walk in the 8th, Dan Jennings came in to finish of the Jayhawks.  Dan Jennings would face 5 hitters, record 4 outs and 3 of them would be strikeouts as the Junior would earn another save. 

The Huskers take on the Jayhawks again tomorrow at 3:35 pm after the spring game.  Senior Thad Weber will take the hill as the Huskers look for their series win.

Lincoln, NE - Texas Tech’s Doug Thennis hit a solo shot off Johnny Dorn in the 5th.  That one short sentence describes the entire offensive output against Dorn Friday evening.   The home crowd of 6,593 watched as Dorn and the #9 Huskers (22-4-1, 8-1-1) put a muzzle on the visiting Red Raiders (16-13, 4-6)by the score of 6-2.

Dorn allowed just the 1 hit over 7.1 innings and although he walked three, he also struck out 10.  With the win, Dorn moved to 4-0 on the year with a measly 2.12 ERA and is currently 3rd in the Big XII with 48 Ks behind Kendal Volz of Baylor (50) and Missuori’s Aaron Crow (67).

At the plate, the Huskers scored the first two runs in the 2nd inning when Junior transfer Cody Neer ripped  a 1-1 pitch into right center scoring Bryce Nimmo and Craig Corriston.  In the third, the Huskers would double that lead when Jake Opitz tripled home DJ Belfonte and Mitch Abeita followed up with a double to score Opitz.

Craig Corriston answered Tech’s 1 run shot in the 5th with a solo shot of his own in the 6th on the 2nd pitch of the inning that chased starter Nathan Karns.

The Huskers will try for their 4th straight Big XII series win on Saturday at 2:05 pm at Hawks field.  Coming off his brilliant 2-hit shutout of Texas last week, Senior Thad Weber (4-1, 3.20 ERA) will look to do the same against the Red Raiders.