• 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

Oklahoma City, OK - The Huskers had given up 46 runs in the last 29 innings.  They’d lost the last 4 games by a combined 30 runs.  They deseperately needed something, a spark, someone to step up and say, “Enough is enough”.  

Tonight, Johnny Dorn was that guy as the Huskers topped the Wildcats 5-2.  Dorn came in and shut down the Wildcats in impressive fashion.  He allow 2 runs, but both were unearned following a Jake Mort error at third.  He got out of rough situation after rough situation, seeming to just will his way out.  He seemed to just want it more than the other team. 

Overall, Johnny allowed 0 earned runs over 6.2 innings while striking out 3.  Zach Herr came in and at first, it looked like the bullpen might let us down again.  With 1 runner on, Zach hit the very first batter with a pitch and then uncorked a wild pitch to move both runners into scoring position.  Zach later managed to strikeout the last batter of the inning, in fact, he struck out 6 out of the 7 outs he recorded.

For the offense, Jake Opitz stole the day.  He had 2 RBIs on a large blast to left center.  Mitch Abeita and Tyler Farst also each drove in a run.

The win was the 40th of the year.  The Huskers next face the Oklahoma State Cowboys tomorrow for a chance to head to the championship game.  The Huskers need Kansas State to beat Baylor in the finale on Saturday to allow the Huskers to advance.

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 (36-8-1, 15-5-1) took two games from Louisiana-Lafayette winning 4-3 in both games.  The wins mark the 4th consecutive victory for the Huskers and is the 250th victory for Head Coach Mike Anderson. 

Game 1 - The first game was a continuation of a unfortunate pattern, Johnny Dorn pitches a great game yet doesn’t walk away with a victory.  Johnny pitched for 7.2 innings, scattered 5 hits, struck out 11 and gave up 3 earned runs.   However, when he left the game, the scored was knotted at 3. 

Dorn ran into a little trouble with 2 outs in the 7th when Zach Herr came in and struckout the last batter to end the inning.  In the bottom of the frame, Cody Neer knocked in the go ahead run to put Herr in position to earn the win.  Herr came out for the ninth and after a leadoff popout, he struck out the final two batters to seal the win.  With the win, Herr moved to 3-0 on the year.

Cody Neer powered the Husker offense in game one with a 2 for 4 day and 2 RBIs.  Ben Kline, Mitch Abeita, and Nick Sullivan also added 2 hits apiece to help lead the charge.

Game 2 - The nightcap was a 14 inning thriller that ended with Mitch Abeita hitting an RBI grounder up the middle to score Jake Mort from 2nd in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 14th.

The MVP of the game might be Mike Nesseth though.  Mike came in to relieve Dan Jennings in the 9th and threw 3 innings, not allowing a single hit and striking out 6.  He helped keep the Rajin Cajuns at bay until the Huskers could put up a run and walk away with a victory.  Erik Bird came in to relieve Nesseth and pitched two scoreless innings to earn his 3rd win.

Aaron Pribanic got the start ahead of Thad Weber who couldn’t be with the team so he could be present for the birth of his first child.  Pribanic went 6 innings and gave up just 2 earned runs in a nice bounce back from a few rough starts in recent weeks.

Dan Johnston, Jake Opitz, Mitch Abeita and Bryce Nimmo all chipped in 2 hits apiece.   Mort drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 14th and stole 2nd before Abeita drilled the ball up the middle to score Mort for the game winner. 

The Huskers used a dramatic 2-run 9th inning to tie it and send it into extra innings.  They scored both runs with 2 outs, including the 2nd on an error by the 3rd baseman to tie it up.

The Huskers take the week off for finals week before Texas A&M Aggies come to town in what is turning out to be the showdown for the Big XII title.  The Aggies enter the series having won 15 straight Big XII games, a league record.  They lead the league in about every offensive category and are just behind the Huskers in pitching.  It will be the 2nd time this year that Haymarket has played host to two Top 10 nationally ranked teams.  The first time was when Nebraska played Wichita State, who was then #5 in the country.

The Aggies are ranked as high as #6 (and as low as #10) coming into this week.  The first pitch is set for 6:35 pm on Friday night with Johnny Dorn getting the start.  Hopefully, we can see Johnny pitch well AND pickup a win in one game.

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 - 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 - In their freshman years, Erik Bird and Zach Herr were one of the best bullpen combinations in the country.    In 2006 The two combined for a 2.14 ERA, giving up just 5 earned runs over 21 innings pitched on the year.  Tonight was something of a flashback as the two combined for a complete game 3-0 shutout of the #5 Wichita State Shockers (27-6).

The win moves the Huskers to 26-6-1 and helped the Huskers bounce back from a difficult weekend in Stillwater where the Huskers went 1-2, including a 19-2 pasting from the Cowboy’s on Saturday.

The Huskers got some early offense with four consecutive singles from Jake Mort, Jake Opitz, Mitch Abeita, and Nick Sullivan.  Mort and Opitz singled to set the table for back to back RBis by Abeita and Sullivan.

The 2-0 lead was all Bird needed as he went 6 2/3 innings, gave up just 3 hits and struck out 4.  Herr came in and struck out 4 in 2 1/3 innings to close out the game for the save.

Next up for the Huskers, the Jayhawks visit Lincoln for a 3:35 matchup, pushed back so fans can attend both the spring game and the baseball game. 

Lincoln, NE - The Huskers (22-4-1, 9-1-1) continued to stiffle the bats of the Red Raiders (16-13, 4-6) en route to a 5-2 victory at Haymarket Park.  Senior Thad Weber, who entering today had only given up 1 earned run in 23 innings of Big XII pitching, struck out a career high 11 over 7.1 innings of work. 

The Huskers got all the runs they would need in the first inning.  Mitch Abeita and Jake Opitz both coaxed two out walks and Junior Nick Sullivan drilled a 1-1 pitch over the left-center fence for a 3-0 lead.

The Red Raiders plate two of their own in the 2nd inning, but that was all.  The Raiders really only threatened twice after that, one in the 7th inning when Tech had runners on 2nd and 3rd with just 1 out when Weber got a groundout to the pitcher and a strikeout to end the threat.

In the 8th the Raiders would threaten again getting runners on the corners with two outs when Dan Jennings came in relief and induced an easy groundout to Craig Corriston at first.

Jennings proceeded to pitch a perfect ninth, getting a strikeout and a popout and a strikeout to seal the victory.  Jennings earned his first save and kept his scoreless streak alive at 19.2 innings.

The Huskers go for the sweep on Sunday at 1:05pm.  Junior Aaron Pribanic (2-1, 2.41) takes the hill, looking to bounce back from his rough start last week where he gave up 5 earned runs over 6 innings in a 12-3 loss to the Longhorns.

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.

Austin, TX - The Texas Longhorns (18-7, 5-4) finally had enough of the Husker pitching. The Longhorns came into the series with one of the best offenses in the country and until today, the Husker pitching had shut them down, allowing just 4 runs on 9 hits in the first two contests and 0 runs on 2 hits in the previous 14 innings.

Unfortunately for Husker starter Aaron Pribanic (2-1), the Longhorn bats came alive today. The Horns put up 12 runs on 14 hits as they pounded the Huskers 12-3.

With the loss, the Huskers move to 20-4-1 overall and 7-1-1 in the Big XII.

Of the few bright spots on the afternoon, Junior Cody Neer slammed a 2-run bomb in the top of the 7th to bring the Huskers within 3 at 6-3. Unfortunately, Jordan Danks answered the very same inning with a 2-run blast of his own.  Jake Opitz extended his hitting streak to 7 games with a 1 for 4 day and Craig Corriston chipped in a run and an RBI in his 2 for 4 day.

The Huskers next take the field on Tuesday as they take on the Creighton Bluejays at Omaha’s Rosenbaltt stadium. First pitch is set for 6:35 pm.