The Husker Lineup Card at a Glance

Transcription

1 2003 Schedule Date... Event... Time/Score Feb vs. SW Texas State $... W, 9-6 Feb vs. UT-Pan American $... W, 9-1 Feb vs. California $... L, 7-8 Feb at Louisiana Tech (DH)... L, 5-6 Feb at Louisiana Tech (DH)... W, 14-3 Feb at Louisiana Tech... W, 13-8 Feb vs. No. 14 Notre Dame ^... W, 7-1 March 1... vs. No. 7 Wake Forest ^... W, 6-0 March 2... at Minnesota ^... W, 15-2 March 7... Wisconsin-Milwaukee (DH)... W, 8-0 March 7... Wisconsin-Milwaukee (DH)... W, 9-6 March 8... Wisconsin-Milwaukee... ccd. March Nebraska-Kearney... W, 12-2 March at No. 22 Texas A&M... W, 3-2 March at No. 22 Texas A&M... L, 1-5 March at No. 22 Texas A&M... L, 3-6 March at No. 1 Rice... L, 1-4 March at Sam Houston State... L, 3-10 March Kansas State... W, 12-3 March Kansas State... W, 10-4 March Kansas State... W, 11-9 March Cal Poly... W, 8-3 March Cal Poly... W, 6-0 March at Oklahoma... W, 5-1 March at Oklahoma (FSN)... W, 8-6 March at Oklahoma... W, 5-2 April 1... Western Illinois... W, 16-2 April 2... Western Illinois... W, 5-3 April 4... at Kansas... W, 16-7 April 5... at Kansas (DH)... L, 4-5 April 5... at Kansas (DH)... W, 13-0 (7) April 8... at Wichita State... L, 5-7 April No. 20 Missouri... L, 3-4 April No. 20 Missouri... W, 11-9 (10) April No. 20 Missouri... W, 7-6 April McNeese State... W, 11-1 April McNeese State... W, 8-5 April No. 7 Texas... W, 3-2 April No. 7 Texas (NETV/CSTV)... W, 6-4 April No. 7 Texas... L, 4-10 April Creighton... W, 8-7 April South Dakota... W, 9-1 April at Texas Tech... L, 9-16 April at Texas Tech... W, 6-3 April at Texas Tech... W, 8-4 April Creighton (NETV)... W, 8-0 April No. 25 Minnesota... W, 9-2 May 2... Louisiana-Lafayette... L, 2-4 May 3... Louisiana-Lafayette... W, 6-2 May 4... Louisiana-Lafayette... L, 2-8 May Oklahoma State... 6:35 p.m. May Oklahoma State... 2:05 p.m. May Oklahoma State... 1:05 p.m. May vs. Creighton (Rosenblatt - NETV).. 7 p.m. May Baylor... 6:35 p.m. May Baylor (NETV)... 2:05 p.m. May Baylor... 1:05 p.m. May Big 12 Conference Tournament... TBA May Regionals... TBA June Super Regionals... TBA June College World Series... TBA $- Express College Classic (Round Rock, Texas) ^ - Dairy Queen Classic (Minneapolis, Minn.) NETV - Nebraska Educational Television CSTV - College Sports Television FSN - FOX Sports Net * - Big 12 games 2003 University of Nebraska Baseball Baseball SID: Shamus McKnight smcknight@huskers.unl.edu Office Phone: (402) Cell Phone: (402) Fax: (402) Website: Huskers.com Huskers Host OSU in Big 12 Showdown This Weekend After taking the week off for final exams, the Nebraska baseball team returns to the diamond for a crucial Big 12 test, as the Huskers play host to Oklahoma State beginning Saturday evening at Hawks Field. Because of final exam schedules at NU and OSU, the series starts Saturday at 6:35 p.m., before continuing with contests on Sunday (2:05 p.m.) and Monday (1:05 p.m.). All three games will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network with Jim Rose and Gary Sharp calling all the action. In addition, live video streaming of the series is available on HuskersNside.com, as the subscription-based service will carry nearly every remaining regular-season contest. Saturday s game will also be televised state-wide on Nebraska ETV, while being simulcast nationally on College Sports Television (Channel 610 on Direct TV). The Huskers (36-13, 15-6) look to rebound after a rare series loss to Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, marking the first time in over two years that Nebraska has dropped a weekend series at home. NU, which had won 12 of its previous 15 games before the series loss to ULL, dropped from fourth to eighth in the weekly polls released Monday, as three Big 12 teams (No. 5 Texas and No. 9 Texas A&M) are ranked in the top 10. The Huskers are 1.5 games behind the Longhorns (18-6), who are off this weekend. Oklahoma State comes into the weekend with a mark after taking 2-of-3 from Missouri last weekend. The Cowboys, who are in fifth in This Weekend No. 10/8/8 Nebraska (36-13, 15-6 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma State (30-18, 12-9 Big 12) Hawks Field at Haymarket Park Saturday-Monday, May (6:35 p.m.; 2:05 p.m.; 1:05 p.m.) Event Coverage Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network/Huskers.com Video Streaming: HuskersNside.com* Live Stats: Huskers.com Television: Nebraska ETV/College Sports TV (Sat.) Saturday Probables NU - #36 Aaron Marsden, LHP (6-2, 2.39 ERA) OSU - #22 Scott Baker, RHP (9-4, 3,20 ERA) Sunday Probables NU - #13 Quinton Robertson, RHP (7-1, 3.92 ERA) OSU - #12 Spencer Grogan, LHP (3-4, 5.23 ERA) Monday Probables NU - TBA OSU - #26 Joe Weaver, RHP (3-5, 5.54 ERA) Note: Polls are listed in following order (Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, Sports Weekly/ESPN) * - Subscribers only. To sign up for HuskersNside, log on to Huskers.com and click the HuskersNside icon on the front page. Ticket Availability Tickets for all remaining regular-season games are available by calling (800) 8-Big Red or on the Internet at Huskers.com. the league standings with a 12-9 conference mark, scored 35 runs in the three-game series against Missouri, including 15 in one inning of Sunday s 17-7 win. The Husker pitching staff, which is ranked second in the Big 12 with a 3.49 ERA, will be tested against an Oklahoma State offense that ranks second in the conference in hitting (.322) and leads the Big 12 with 66 homers. Following the series with the Cowboys, the Huskers travel to Rosenblatt Stadium to take on Creighton on May 13, before winding up the regular season with a series against No. 18 Baylor on May The Husker Lineup Card at a Glance Pos. No. Name (B/T) Ht Wt Yr 2003 (Avg.-HR-RBI-SB) Career C 37 Matt Wells (R/R) So Same -or- 4 Chad Steele (L/L) RFr Same 1B 16 Matt Hopper (R/R) Sr B 5 Jake Mullinax (R/R) Jr Same -or- 9 Bubbs Merrill (R/R) Jr Same SS 2 Joe Simokaitis (R/R) So B 3 Alex Gordon (L/R) Fr Same LF 15 Curtis Ledbetter (R/R) So Same CF 1 Jeff Leise (L/L) Sr RF 12 Daniel Bruce (R/R) So DH 21 John Grose (R/R) Jr Off the Bench OF 14 Brandon Fusilier (R/R) Jr Same OF 11 Drew Anderson (L/R) Jr INF 17 Chase Odenreider (R/R) RFr Same INF 19 Joe Gullion (R/R) Jr Same

2 Nebraska Baseball Release May 6 (Oklahoma State) Coach Mike Anderson A new era of Husker baseball was ushered in on June 21, 2002, when Mike Anderson was named the 23rd head coach in the program s history. Since joining the Nebraska staff in the fall of 1994, he has coached a total of 13 first-team all-conference honorees, while 16 of his former players have signed professional contracts. His most famous protege is current Anaheim Angel All-Star Darin Erstad, who earned first-team All-America honors in 1995, when he was the first overall selection in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Seven Huskers have been tabbed first-team All- Americans under Anderson s tutelage, while four players Erstad (1995), Harvey (1999), Dan Johnson (2001) and Jed Morris (2002) have been finalists for various national player-of-the-year awards. As a team, the Huskers have led the Big 12 in hitting in each of the past four seasons, including a.338 team average the second highest in school history in The Huskers led the Big 12 in seven offensive categories in 2002, including batting average (.315), hits (753), runs scored (543), doubles (154), RBIs (491), sacrifice hits (49) and sacrifice flies (46). Nebraska set single-season records for doubles and hit by pitches with 99, equaling the all-time Big 12 record and ranking eighth in NCAA history. In 2001, Anderson coached a Husker offense that ranked in the top-10 nationally in both team average (.334) and runs per game (9.20), while also finishing second nationally in total hits (787) and runs scored (607). Throughout his tenure, Anderson has annually guided Nebraska to prolific numbers. In 1995, the first season following his arrival, NU raised its batting average to.323, a 65-point increase over the previous season. The Huskers also belted 72 home runs, 21 more than the previous year and the most since Since then, the Huskers have averaged 516 runs scored, 65 home runs, 684 hits, 129 doubles and have had a batting average of.321. As the outfielders coach, Anderson has coached three All-Americans and seven all-conference selections, including Jeff Leise, who was a first-team All-American in 2002, while leading the Huskers to their second straight College World Series appearance. Anderson s commitment to his student-athletes also extends to the classroom. Over the past eight years, the Huskers have placed 34 players on the first-team allconference squad, including seven players who earned academic All-Big 12 honors in Nebraska has had six Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans under Anderson, including two each in both 2001 and This past season, Leise was selected as the Verizon/ CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in baseball, becoming only the second Big 12 player to earn this prestigious honor. In addition, NU has had nine firstteam academic all-district selections in the past six seasons. Before arriving in Lincoln in the fall of 1994, Anderson was the top assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. He joined the Bears staff after four years as a head coach with the Northern Colorado Lab School. From 1983 through 1986, Anderson was an outfielder at Northern Colorado for College Hall of Fame Coach Tom Petroff. Anderson was an eighth-round pick by the California Angels, spending four seasons with the Angels organization. Anderson earned a bachelor s degree in physical education from Northern Colorado in Anderson graduated from Eaton High School in Eaton, Colo., where he was a first-team All-Colorado shortstop for Coach Jim Danley. Leading Off - Saturday will be a busy day for seniors Steve Hale and Matt Hopper and Student Assistant Coach Brandon Eymann, as the trio will participate in graduation ceremonies at the Devaney Center Saturday morning. Other former Huskers scheduled to graduate on Saturday include Will Bolt ( ) and, Brian Johnson ( ). - Matt Hopper has continued Nebraska s tradition of home run hitters, as the first baseman leads the Big 12 with 17 homers, one more than Baylor s Chris Durbin. In each of the past three seasons, a Husker has led the league in homers (Matt Hopper and Dan Johnson, 2000; Dan Johnson, 2001; Jed Morris; 2002). - On the injury front, the Huskers received word last week that sophomore left-hander Brian Duensing will not need Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. The Omaha, Neb., native will begin a rehabilitation program with Big 12 Predictions No.... Collegiate Baseball... Baseball America... Big 12 Coaches Texas... Texas... Texas Baylor... Baylor... Baylor Nebraska... Nebraska... Oklahoma Oklahoma... Oklahoma State... Nebraska Texas Tech... Texas A&M... Texas Tech Oklahoma State... Texas Tech... Oklahoma State Texas A&M... Oklahoma... Texas A&M Kansas State... Kansas State... Kansas State Missouri... Missouri... Missouri Kansas... Kansas... Kansas Head of the Class With a record and a No. 8 national ranking heading into this week, NU Head Coach Mike Anderson leads all Division I coaches who are in their first season at the head of an NCAA program. Here is the quick look at the first-year head coaches at Division I schools School New Coach 2003 Record Ball State Greg Beals Cal Poly Larry Lee Cal State Northridge Steve Rousey Coppin State Guy Robertson East Carolina Randy Mazey Louisiana Tech Wade Simoneaux Marist Jim Tyrrell Nebraska Mike Anderson Sam Houston State Chris Rupp San Diego State Tony Gwynn Southeastern Louisiana Dan Canevari records as of May 5 the hope that he will be ready for the 2003 opener. Duensing, 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts, is eligible to receive a medical redshirt for this season. Junior catcher John Grose is continuing to rehab after a stress reaction in his right elbow restricted him to DH duty the past month, but could return behind the plate as early as next week. Senior left-hander Jamie Rodrigue had arthoscopic surgery on his right knee on May 4 and will miss the Oklahoma State series. The senior co-captain could return to the mound in time for the Big 12 Tournament in two weeks. - Matt Wells has taken advantage of Grose s absence behind the plate in recent weeks. The sophomore from Littleton, Colo., is batting.385 (10-for-26) with four homers and 11 RBIs over his last eight games, raising his average nearly 80 points in that stretch. Wells went 5-for-10 with two homers and four RBIs in last weekend s series against Louisiana-Lafayette. - Nebraska has now scored in 315 straight games, dating back to an 8-0 shutout loss at Texas on May 3, The streak is the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history, while NU broke the conference record of 269 set by Oklahoma State from 1985 to 1989 against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 22. Husker hurlers have pitched 23 shutouts in the same stretch, including a school-record six by senior left-hander Jamie Rodrigue. The Huskers have been held to only one run on nine occasions during the streak. - Daniel Bruce has been on a tear the past three weeks, hitting.467 (14-for-30) with six runs scored to raise his batting average to.282, his highest average since Feb his first game of the season. The sophomore who holds NU s career record with 36 hit by pitches, batted a team-high.438 (7-for-16) in five games last week. In Tuesday s win over Creighton, he had three hits and drove in three runs before he was hit by three pitches matching his career high also set against Minnesota in 2002 in Wednesday s win over Minnesota. -Jason Burch s save in Saturday s win over Louisiana-Lafayette was the 13th of the season for the Husker pitching staff, a total which is the second-highest in school history. Only the 2001 staff, which set All-Time NCAA Scoring Streaks No. Games Team Streak Info Arizona State (Southern California, 9-0) to present Coastal Carolina (Armstrong Atlantic, 2-0) to (Winthrop, 11-0) Wichita State (Arkansas, 5-0) to (Louisiana-Lafayette 1-0) Florida State (Tulane, 1-0) to (South Fla., 10-0) Nebraska (Texas, 8-0) to present

3 Nebraska Baseball Release May 6 (Oklahoma State) Date... Avg. (NCAA rank) (37th) ,173 (38th) ,707 (11th) ,110 (6th) ,790 Husker Baseball: A Hot Ticket After a pair of College World Series appearances, Nebraska baseball ticket demand has reached record-setting proportions. University of Nebraska Ticket Manager John Anderson announced that more than 4,200 season tickets have been sold for the 2003 season. It marked the second straight season that more than 4,000 tickets have been presold for the upcoming season. Over the past five years, NU has seen its season attendance jump from under 1,000 per game in 1999 to a school record 4,110 in 2002, a total which ranked sixth nationally. a school record with 15 saves, recorded more saves than the 2003 staff, which is currently second in the Big 12 in saves. Burch and freshman Tim Schoeninger are tied for eighth in the Big 12 with five saves apiece. -One of the major reasons for NU s success has been its conference road record. The Huskers continued that trend in 2003, winning three of four road series, including a three-game sweep of Oklahoma. Texas A&M, which is ranked as high as ninth in this week s polls, was the only road team to take a series from the Huskers, winning 2-of-3 in College Station in March. Ruling the Road Year Record Series Record Nebraska s next win will be its 37th of the season and will make Head Coach Mike Anderson the winningest first-year coach in the program s history. Currently he his tied with John Sanders, whose 1978 Huskers compiled a record. Only two of the league s current 10 coaches - Oklahoma s Larry Cochell and Oklahoma State s Tom Holliday - won 40 or more games in their first season, posting records of and 46-19, respectively. -A trio of Huskers outfielders Jeff Leise and Daniel Bruce and pitcher Aaron Marsden were nominated for Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors on April 14. Leise, the reigning Academic All-American of the Year, is looking to become a two-time first-team selection, while Marsden and Bruce have been nominated for the first time. - The Huskers have scored runs in bunches, totaling at least three runs in an inning on 55 occasions, including a season-best seven runs in the eighth inning at Louisiana Tech on Feb. 22, and six runs against Western Illinois in the eighth inning on April 1. - One of the major reasons for NU s pitching success under Rob Childress has been cutting down on walks, as NU leads the Big 12 with an average of 2.39 walks per nine innings. Husker hurlers are enjoying a 3.1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, striking out 351 and walking just 114 hitters this spring, including 38 games with three walks or less. Under Childress, NU has walked an average of fewer than three batters per game in each of the past three years, including a school-record low of 2.46 walks per game in Including this week s polls, the Huskers have been ranked in at least one of the national polls for the past 61 weeks, dating back to April of Nebraska is scheduled to play games in four major or minor league ballparks this season. The list includes the Dell Diamond (AA Round Rock Express), the Metrodome (Minnesota Twins), Rosenblatt Stadium (AAA Omaha Royals) and the SBC Bricktown Ballpark (AAA Oklahoma Redhawks), which will host the 2003 Big 12 Tournament. In addition, the Huskers home park - Hawks Field at Haymarket Park - will host the Omaha Royals on May 19, marking the second straight year the facility has hosted a AAA game. -A total of 16 former Huskers are currently listed on major or minor league rosters. The list is headed by two-time All-Star Darin Erstad of the World Champion Anaheim Angels, while Ken Harvey (Kansas City) and Troy Brohawn (Los Angeles) are also on MLB rosters. The trio was joined by Todd Sears, who was called by Minnesota on Tuesday, and helped the Twins to wins on Tuesday and Wednesday. Five Huskers, Erstad, Harvey, Brohawn, Sears and Jamal Strong (Seattle) are currently on 40-man rosters. Player Team (Organization) Level Pos At Nebraska Darin Erstad Anaheim Angels Majors OF Ken Harvey Kansas City Royals Majors 1B Troy Brohawn Los Angeles Dodgers Majors LHP Todd Sears Minnesota Twins Majors 1B Adam Shabala Norwich (San Francisco) AA OF R.D. Spiehs Norwich (San Francisco) AA RHP Dan Johnson Midland (Oakland) AA 1B Justin Cowan Wichita (Kansas City) AA C Adam Stern Myrtle Beach (Atlanta) A OF Brian Rodaway Salem (Houston) A LHP Shane Komine Kane County (Oakland) A RHP Jed Morris Vancouver (Oakland) A C Thom Ott Lincoln (Independent) N. League RHP Jamal Strong 40-man roster (injured) OF Waylon Byers Injured -- LHP John Cole Injured -- OF Husker Baseball on the Airwaves The University of Nebraska and Pinnacle Sports Productions have announced that a minimum of 40 regular-season Husker baseball games will be broadcast this season, beginning with the March 14 contest at Texas A&M. A minimum of 20 stations will comprise the Husker Baseball Radio Network, including stations KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington. The 2003 Pinnacle Sports broadcast team includes Jim Rose and Gary Sharp. Each broadcast begins 15 minutes before first pitch with the Mike Anderson pregame show. The schedule, which includes all 27 Big 12 contests, also features nonconference matchups against Rice, Cal Poly, Creighton, Wichita State, Minnesota and Louisiana-Lafayette. The games can also be heard live on the Internet by accessing Nebraska s home page at Huskers.com Baseball Station List Station - Frequency City KBRB-AM Ainsworth KCOW-AM Alliance KWBE-AM Beatrice KCNI-AM Broken Bow KHUB-AM Fremont KTNC-AM Falls City KUVR-AM Holdrege KGFW-AM Kearney KRVN-AM Lexington KLIN-AM Lincoln KSWN-FM McCook KNEN-FM Norfolk KODY-AM North Platte KOGA-AM Ogallala KFAB-AM Omaha KNEB-AM Scottsbluff KSID-AM Sidney KVSH-AM Valentine KTIC-AM West Point KAWL-AM York Check with your local Pinnacle Sports affiliate for broadcast availability State Coverage While over half the 2003 roster consists of instate products, 12 states are represented by members of the Husker baseball program this season. The following is a list of states that have players on this spring s squad. State Players Nebraska Colorado... 5 Kansas... 2 Missouri... 2 North Dakota... 2 California... 1 Illinois... 1 Mississippi... 1 Nevada... 1 New Mexico... 1 Oklahoma... 1 Texas... 1

4 Nebraska Baseball Release May 6 (Oklahoma State) The Huskers in 2003 Category... Record Overall Big 12 Conference Big 12 Tournament Non-Conference vs. Ranked Teams vs. Unranked Teams Home Away Neutral Day Night vs. Left vs. Right Run games Run games Run games In Extra Innings Shutouts Game 1 of Big 12 series Game 2 of Big 12 series Game 3 of Big 12 series Scoring first When opponent scores first When NU starter goes 5+ innings When NU starter goes <5 innings By Inning Leading after six innings Tied after six innings Trailing after six innings Leading after seven innings Tied after seven innings Trailing after seven innings Leading after eight innings Tied after eight innings Trailing after eight innings Last at-bat wins...4 Last at-bat losses...3 When hitting a home run When not hitting a home run When allowing a home run When not allowing a home run When striking out 10 or more batters When striking out less than 10 batters By Month February March April May By Caps Red Caps Black Caps By Uniform Tops White Tops Red Tops Grey Tops w/red Grey Tops w/black Black Tops Game-By-Game Records GP Weekend Rotation Aaron Marsden looks to break a two-game losing streak, as he takes the hill in Saturday s opener. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound left-hander has been the ace of the Husker staff, going 6-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 83.0 innings of work. He is ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 in seven categories, including second in strikeouts (83) and complete games (3) and third in ERA and opposing batting average (.233), while holding a 5.5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Marsden, who was rated 69th on Baseball America s top 100 draft prospects list, had won 13 straight decisions before suffering back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette in his last two outings. Against ULL, he allowed a pair of first-inning runs before settling down, as he allowed eight hits and struck out nine in eight innings of work. In the loss at Texas Tech, he allowed a career-high seven runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings of work. Marsden earned Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week honors for the second time this season after throwing a complete-game six hitter against seventh-ranked Texas on April 18. He matched his career high with 11 strikeouts (also against Missouri on April 11), marking the fourth time this season he has struck out 10 or more batters in a game. Against No. 20 Missouri, he threw seven innings of scoreless ball while fanning 11 Tigers, but did not get the win, as NU gave up three runs in the ninth. His shortest start of his career came against Kansas on April 4, where he left after 1.1 innings because of tightness in his forearm. Against Oklahoma, Marsden shared Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week honors with Zach Kroenke, throwing a complete-game four-hitter, and striking out 10 Sooners in a 5-1 Husker win. Against No. 22 Texas A&M, Marsden pitched 7.2 innings of two-run ball in the Huskers 3-2 win over the Aggies on March 14. The Grand Forks, N.D., native hurled 7.2 shutout innings, scattering four hits with eight strikeouts in NU s 8-0 win over UW-Milwaukee on March 7 and had his best outing of the year, throwing eight innings of one-run ball and striking out 10 in the Huskers 7-1 win over No. 14 Notre Dame on Feb. 28. Last season, Marsden earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, going 8-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his first season as a Husker. He made 20 appearances, including 13 starts, and threw innings in During the summer, he pitched in the Northwoods League, going 8-2 with a league-low 1.60 ERA and was chosen as the league s best overall prospect. He also earned second-team Summer All-America honors from Baseball America. In his only previous appearance against Texas Tech, he didn t allow an earned run in 5.2 innings, striking out five and walking five in a 4-3 Red Raider win. Marsden s Last Five Outings Date Opp. S/R IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR Dec. Rec. 4/4 Kansas S ND -- 4/11 Missouri S ND -- 4/18 Texas S W 6-0 4/25 Texas Tech S L 6-1 5/2 Louisiana-Lafayette S L 6-2 Season Totals S Quinton Robertson will go for his team-high eighth win of the season against the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander from Richland, Miss., is 7-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 12 appearances, covering 62.0 innings. Robertson, who is seventh in the conference in ERA (fourth among starters), and has gone six or more innings in each of his last six starts. He has gone 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last three outings, including a career-high seven innings against Texas Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette. In his last outing,robertson went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits in the Huskers 6-2 win over the Ragin Cajuns. He enjoyed his best effort of the year at Texas Tech on April 26, going seven innings and allowing one unearned run in the Huskers 6-3 win. He scattered five hits and allowed just two balls out of the infield in his final five innings of work to earn his first win since March 29. Against seventh-ranked Texas on April 19, Robertson allowed two first-inning homers, but settled down, going six innings and scattering seven hits. He struck out three but did not get the decision in the 6-4 win against the Longhorns. At Oklahoma on March 29, giving up six runs on six hits while striking out five Sooners in the Huskers 8-6 victory. Robertson turned in a strong outing against Kansas State on March 22, going a career-high seven innings and striking out a season-high seven Wildcats in a 10-4 victory. At No. 22 Texas A&M on March 15, he suffered his only loss, allowing four runs one earned on just three hits in 4.1 innings. Against Minnesota in his first Division I start, Robertson allowed two hits in six innings, leading NU to a 15-2 win over the Golden Gophers. A 17th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2001, Robertson spent the previous two seasons at Texarkana College, going a combined 15-3 with a 3.18 ERA. Last season, he was 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA, striking out 31 and walking 10 in 34 innings of work. Robertson was a second-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman, going 9-0 with a 3.45 ERA, helping Texarkana College to the 2001 NJCAA World Series. Robertson s Last Five Outings Date Opp. S/R IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR Dec. Rec. 4/5 Kansas-1 S ND -- 4/12 Missouri S ND -- 4/19 Texas S ND -- 4/26 Texas Tech S W 6-1 5/3 Louisiana-Lafayette S W 7-1 Season Totals

5 Nebraska Baseball Release May 6 (Oklahoma State) Weekend Rewind Friday (Louisiana-Lafayette 4, Nebraska 2): Louisiana-Lafayette scored three runs in the first two innings and made it stand up in a 4-2 victory in the series opener. Aaron Marsden survived the rocky start and pitched eight solid innings in defeat, allowing four runs on eight hits. The left-hander struck out nine without issuing a walk, but NU managed only two runs off Ragin Cajun pitching. Matt Wells provided all of the Huskers offense with a career-high three hits, including his fourth homer of the season, while Daniel Bruce also had two hits. Saturday (Nebraska 6, Louisiana-Lafayette 2): Alex Gordon had three hits and scored three times, while Quinton Robertson threw seven strong innings, as NU tied the series with a 6-2 win. Gordon went 3-for-3 with a walk, while Curtis Ledbetter and Matt Wells each homered in the victory. Robertson improved to 7-1 on the season, scattering eight hits in seven innings, matching his season-long outing. The right-hander from Richland, Miss., struck out three without a walk and allowed single runs in the fifth and sixth innings en route to his second straight win. Relievers Jeremy Becker and Jason Burch slammed the door in the final two innings, as Burch did not allow a hit in 1.1 scoreless innings for his fifth save of the season. Sunday (Louisiana-Lafayette 8, Nebraska 2): The Ragin Cajuns jumped to a 6-0 lead and cruised to an 8-2 win in the series finale. Phil Shirek fell to 4-1 with the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings. NU finished with eight hits, including two each by Joe Simokaitis, who had an RBI single, and Daniel Bruce. Mike Sillman provided most of the pitching highlights, as he did not allow an earned run in 2.2 innings of relief. Scouting Oklahoma State Coach Tom Holliday and the Cowboys come to Lincoln with a record after taking 2-of-3 from Missouri last wekeend. The Cowboys, who are also off for finals this week, bring one of the Big 12 s most prolific offenses into town, as OSU is hitting.323 as a team to rank second in the conference, while pacing the league with 66 home runs. In all, eight starters are hitting above.300, as Oklahoma State has four hitters among the league s top-15 batters coming into the week. Offensively, the Cowboys are paced by outfielder Jose Virgil, who is third in the Big 12 with a.394 average, while pacing OSU in runs scored (55), stolen bases (14) and RBIs (48). He is joined by first baseman John Urick, who tops the squad in homers (12) and RBIs (48), while Josh Fields is hitting.377 with 10 homers and 48 RBIs. OSU also has a solid pitching Team Comparison Nebraska... Category...Oklahoma St Record Batting Average At Bats Runs Hits Home Runs Stolen Bases-Attempts Pitching/Defense ERA Innings Hits Allowed Runs Earned Runs Strikeouts Walks Fielding Pct Errors staff and ranks fourth in the league with a 4.42 ERA. Right-hander Scott Baker is the ace of the Cowboy staff with a 9-4 record and a 3.20 ERA in 90 innings of work. Baker leads the Big 12 in wins, but is the only one of OSU s weekend starters with a winning record. Junior Daniel Rew ranks eighth in the league with a team-high five saves in 19 appearances. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series, , but NU has won eight of the past nine meetings dating back to the 2000 Big 12 Tournament. Last season, the Huskers won 2-of-3 in Stillwater, marking NU s first series win at Oklahoma State since Two years ago, the Huskers went 5-0, sweeping the meeting in Lincoln before winning a pair of games over the Cowboys at the Big 12 Tournament. Hopper on the Charts School and Big 12 Records (5) *- Career Hits (314) *- Career Home Runs (59) *- Career RBIs (255) *- Career runs scored (222) *- Career Total Bases (550) Additional School Records *- Career Sacrifice Flies (15) *- Homers (21) and RBIs (71) by a Freshman Career Multi-Homer Games vs. Kansas (April 8, 2000) vs. Western Illinois (April 18, 2000) vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (April 24, 2000) at Louisiana Tech (Feb. 22, 2003) at Texas A&M (March 16, 2003) at Missouri (April 12, 2003) Hopper Shatters School and Big 12 Records in 2003 One of the major catalysts of the Huskers offensive output has been first baseman Matt Hopper. The senior from Golden, Colo., has been putting together a season worthy of Big 12 Player-of-the- Year consideration, leading the Huskers in hitting (.363), homers (17), RBIs (50), walks (33) and onbase percentage (.477). Hopper tops the Big 12 in homers, is second to Curtis Ledbetter in slugging percentage (.708) and ranks among the league leaders in eight offensive categories. A four-year starter, Hopper has etched his name in NU s career record book several times in 2003, becoming the school s all-time leader in hits, homers, RBIs, runs scored and total bases. He became the Big Welcome to Hawks Field at Haymarket Park Last season marked the debut of the Huskers new home Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The field is named in memory of Myrna Hawks, as the Hawks family was one of the major benefactors in the Haymarket Park project. In March of 2000, Howard and Myrna Hawks guaranteed the unfunded portion of UNL s $10.6 million commitment to the baseball/softball complex, which enabled the University to move forward in a joint venture with the City of Lincoln and NEBCO, Inc., the owners of the Lincoln Saltdogs in the Northern League. The University retained the right to name the field and on Feb. 23, 2002, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the name of Hawks Field. It was formally dedicated in pregame ceremonies against Kansas on April 28, The ballpark includes 4,500 chair-back seats, 16 suites, a Diamond View Lounge and a Sub-Air system that allows the field to grow grass nearly year-round. The park is one of only three fields in the country that uses this state-ofthe-art heating system (Invesco Field at Mile High and Safeco Field are the others). Other highlights of the complex include a 1,400-square feet clubhouse for the Husker baseball program, a video board/scoreboard in right center field, the Buck Beltzer Playgound for kids down the right field line and numerous restrooms and concession stands. Hawks Field, as well as the adjacent Bowlin Stadium the 2,500-seat softball stadium which opened in the fall of 2001 are both located inside Haymarket Park, a 32-acre complex that includes both stadiums as well as the plaza area and 2,000 parking stalls. The 2002 season marked the first time since World War II that the Huskers did not play at the former sight of Buck Beltzer Stadium on the UNL campus. Hawks Field Top 10 Crowds No. Att. Opponent...Date 1. 8,569 vs. Richmond#... 6/9/ ,481 vs. Richmond#... 6/8/ ,474 vs. Richmond#... 6/7/ ,917 vs. SW Missouri State*... 6/2/ ,891 vs. Marist*... 6/1/ ,879 vs. Texas... 4/18/ ,631 vs. UW-Milwaukee*... 5/31/ ,961 vs. Missouri... 4/11/ ,911 vs. Missouri... 4/10/ ,833 vs. Texas... 4/19/03 #- NCAA Super Regional / *-NCAA Regional

6 Nebraska Baseball Release May 6 (Oklahoma State) Big 12 Standings School Big 12 Pct. Overall Pct. Last 5 *Texas *Nebraska *Texas A&M *Baylor *Okla. State *Missouri Kansas Oklahoma Texas Tech Kansas State Upcoming Schedule Tuesday, May 6 at Baylor 15, Centenary 1 at Texas A&M 10, Southwest Texas 4 Wichita State 2, at Kansas State 0 Washburn at Kansas, ccd. Missouri-Illinois (O Fallon, Mo.), ccd. Wednesday, May 7 Kansas at Wichita State, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8 Wofford at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Friday, May 9 *Kansas at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. *Oklahoma at Kansas State, 7 p.m. Wofford at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 10 *Oklahoma at Kansas State, 2 p.m. *Oklahoma State at Nebraska, 6:35 p.m. *Kansas at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. Wofford at Texas Tech (2), 4 & 7 p.m. Sunday, May 11 *Oklahoma at Kansas State, 1 p.m. *Kansas at Texas A&M, 1 p.m. *Oklahoma State at Nebraska, 2:05 p.m. Monday, May 12 *Oklahoma State at Nebraska, 1:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 Southern at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m. Texas-Pan American at Texas, 6:30 p.m. Nebraska-Creighton (Rosenblatt Stadium), 7 p.m. Texas-Arlington at Oklahoma, 7 p.m. Houston at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 14 Southern at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m. Southwest Texas at Baylor, 7 p.m. Oral Roberts at Oklahoma, 7 p.m. Friday, May 16 *Oklahoma at Missouri, 6:30 p.m. *Texas at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m. *Baylor at Nebraska, 6:35 p.m. *Kansas at Kansas State, 7 p.m. *Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Sat., May 17 *Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. *Baylor at Nebraska, 2:05 p.m. *Texas A&M at Texas (FSN), 3 p.m. *Oklahoma at Missouri, 6:30 p.m. *Kansas State at Kansas, 7 p.m. *Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Sun., May 18 *Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 1 p.m. *Texas A&M at Texas, 1 p.m. *Baylor at Nebraska, 1:05 p.m. *Oklahoma at Missouri, 2 p.m. *Kansas State at Kansas, 4 p.m. 12 s all-time hit leader at Oklahoma on March 30, breaking Rick Park s conference record of 282 hits between 1997 and 2000, and became the conference s RBI leader against Kansas on April 4, breaking the mark held by Texas Tech s Josh Bard ( ). He added to his list of achievements on April 20 against Texas, as he broke the Big 12 s home run record held by Oklahoma s Casey Bookout ( ). After seeing his 2002 season end at the Super Regional because of an injury, Hopper wasted little time getting back into the swing of things. Against Louisiana Tech, the 6-4, 220-pound first baseman went 6- for-9 (.667) with three homers, six RBIs, seven walks and seven runs scored, finishing the series with an on-base percentage of.812 and a slugging percentage of In his first day back, he reached base all 10 times and drove in five runs in a doubleheader split against Louisiana Tech. Hopper continued his early season tear at the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic in Minneapolis, going 6-for-14 with four runs scored to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Hopper had only three official at-bats against UW- Milwaukee, but made the most of them, going 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs and four runs scored in the sweep of the Panthers. Hopper provided nearly all of the Huskers offense at Texas A&M, going 6- for-13 (.462) with three homers, four RBIs and four runs scored. Against Missouri, Hopper went 3-for- 13, but keyed Saturday s comeback from an 8-1 deficit, belting two homers, including a three-run game winner in the 10th, and driving in a career-high seven runs. Against seventh-ranked Texas, Hopper went 4-for-11 with two homers and six RBIs, highlighted by a three-run homer that broke a 3-all tie in Saturday s 6-4 win to earn national player-of-the-week honors from College Baseball Insider.com. Two weeks ago at Texas Tech, Hopper went 3-for-14 with four runs scored, helping NU remain in contention for its second Big 12 title in three years. He had two hits on Tuesday before going 3-for-5 with three RBIs against Minnesota in posting his 20th multi-hit game of the year. Hopper was held in check against Louisiana-Lafayette, going 1-for-11 with two walks over the weekend. A two-time All-Big 12 selection and first-team All-American in 2001, Hopper missed all of the fall after off-season shoulder (right) and hand surgeries (left), but began working out with the team at the start of practice in January. In 2002, Hopper was plagued by injuries, batting.309 with nine homers and 49 RBIs. Originally recruited to Nebraska as a pitcher, Hopper played third base as a redshirt freshman before becoming NU s DH/first baseman in 2001, backing up fellow All-American Dan Johnson. Hopper shined in his first full season at the position in 2002, committing three errors in 549 attempts for a.995 fielding percentage. Leise is the Center (fielder) of Attention The Huskers have the benefit of one of the nation s top leadoff hitters in senior All-American Jeff Leise. The Omaha, Neb., native returned for his senior season after being selected in the seventh round by the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Leise s return to NU for his senior season marked the highest selected draftee to return to Nebraska since Gene Stohs was selected in the third round of the 1972 Draft. Leise, a preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America and Collegiate Baseball, has lived up to the lofty expectations, batting.333 with six homers and 30 RBIs. He tops the Huskers in hits (67), triples (seven) and stolen bases (16), while ranking second in runs scored (41). Leise had reached safely in his first 26 games before going 0-for-4 against Kansas on April 5 and has reached safely in 42 of 46 contests this season. A career.350 Leise on Career Lists Career Hits No. Mark Player Year Matt Hopper Jeff Leise Career Triples No. Mark Player Year Shawn Buchanan Jeff Leise Career Runs Scored No. Mark Player Year Matt Hopper Ken Ramos Joe Scherger Will Bolt Jeff Leise Active players in Bold hitter, he passed Will Bolt to move into sole possession of second place on NU s all-time hit list on April 30, and he trails only teammate Matt Hopper on the school s list. Earlier this season, Leise was selected as the MVP of the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic, hitting.467 with two homers, two triples, six RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Leise batted.429 (6-for-14) with four runs scored in the sweep of Kansas State. Leise missed the Cal Poly series with an eye injury that required seven stitches, but came back with a 5-for-14 effort with three stolen bases against Oklahoma. He provided a spark against Missouri, going 6-for-12 with three runs scored and three RBIs - all coming on a three-run homer in Sunday s 7-6 come-from-behind win. Leise was on a hot streak heading into last weekend, going 11-for-20 (.550) with two homers, five RBIs and six runs scored over the previous four contests, but went just 2-for-12 versus Louisiana-Lafayette. In 2002, Leise earned first-team All-America honors from the ABCA, batting.371 with 12 homers, 51 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, while committing three errors in 168 total chances in the field. In the classroom, he is just as impressive, as he was selected as the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2002 with a 3.85 GPA in psychology. He joins junior right-hander Aaron Marsden on Baseball America s top-100 draft-eligible players list for the upcoming draft. Last month, Leise was tabbed as the University s Male Student-Athlete of the Year for his performance in the classroom, in the community and on the diamond.

7 Nebraska Baseball Release May 6 (Oklahoma State) Tough to Get the Led (Better) Out One of the biggest surprises in the conference has been the emergence of sophomore Curtis Ledbetter. The Lawrence, Kan., native has become one of the top hitters in the Big 12 in 2003 after redshirting last year. On the season, the 6-3, 200-pounder is hitting. 355 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs, as he leads the Big 12 in slugging percentage (.717) and is third in the conference in home runs. NU Hit Streaks Francis Collins, Ken Ramos, Derek Dukart, Curtis Ledbetter, Paul Myers, 1986 Ledbetter turned heads in his first game as a Husker, belting two homers in a 9-6 win over Southwest Texas in the season opener. It would be his only homers for over a month, until he came off the bench to belt a pair of round trippers against Kansas State on March 21. Since then, he is hitting a team-high.380 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs in his last 29 games. Ledbetter had a 23-game hitting streak, the longest by a Husker in eight seasons, that stretched from March 23 until April 30, and has filled in at first base and left field in addition to his designated hitter duties. Two weeks ago, he was named the Big 12 s co-player of the Week, going 9-for-16 with two homers and nine RBIs in five games, as six of his nine hits went for extra bases. He tied a school record with three doubles in a 4- for-4 effort against South Dakota on April 25. Charting Ledbetter Span Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT Before March After March True Freshmen Making Immediate Impact While only three true freshmen are on the Huskers active roster, each has played a significant role in the Huskers success in Third baseman Alex Gordon is batting.336 with four homers and 32 RBIs. He leads all conference freshmen in hitting and on-base percentage (.450), while he has reached in 42 of his first 45 games as a Husker. Gordon snapped a 4-for-27 slump on Saturday, going 3-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored and reached base twice in Sunday s loss. On the mound, Tim Schoeninger and Zach Kroenke have been major contributors on a pitching staff that is second in the Big 12 in ERA. Schoeninger is 4-2 with a team-high five saves and a 4.46 ERA in a team-high 20 appearances out of the bullpen. His five saves rank eighth in the Big 12 and is the highest total by a conference freshman. Kroenke, who shared Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week honors with Aaron Marsden on March 31, is 4-2 with a 2.50 ERA in 11 appearances, including seven starts. He shared Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week honors last month, as he went 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in victories over Cal Poly and Oklahoma in a span of five days. Kroenke earned his fourth win of the season with four shutout innings of relief against Minnesota last Wednesday. Husker Trio Garnering Pro Attention A trio of Husker baseball players were among the Baseball America/Prospect Plus ranking of the top- 200 college players eligible for the 2003 player draft. Junior left-hander Aaron Marsden, who is 6-2 with a 2.39 ERA entering Saturday s scheduled start, was the Huskers top-rated pro prospect, as he placed 69th on the list. Center fielder Jeff Leise (85th) and first baseman Matt Hopper (180th) joined Marsden on the preseason list. All three players had been drafted during their college careers, while Leise was picked in the seventh round of the 2002 MLB Draft, while Marsden (34th, Cleveland) and Hopper (36th, San Francisco) were taken in the 2001 Draft. Over the past five seasons, NU has had nine players drafted in the top-10 rounds. NU Looks to Continue Home Success The Huskers have been nearly unbeatable at Hawks Field since it opened in 2002, going 50-8 (.862) in that span, including a 34-3 mark against unranked teams. The Huskers have enjoyed a pair of 10-game winning streaks this season and had not dropped a series at Hawks Field until Louisiana-Lafayette took 2-of-3 from NU last weekend. NU has three last at-bat wins, including consecutive wins over No. 20 Missouri last month. One major reason is the fan support the Huskers receive at home. NU is averaging 3,790 fans per home date this season, as NU drew 16,417 fans for the three-game series against Missouri in early April. Three weeks ago, NU drew 20,905 for a three-game series against Texas, including a Hawks Field regular-season record of 6,879 for Friday s opener. Reserved seats are sold out for five of NU s final six regular-season games (all except Monday s game vs. OSU). In 2002, the Huskers finished their inaugural season at Hawks Field with a 29-5 record, including a 9-4 mark against ranked foes. NU had winning streaks of 15 games the highest total since winning 24 straight in 1988 and 10 games during the season, while the 29 home wins tied the school record set in 1980 (29-1) and 1988 (29-5) Honors & Awards Drew Anderson, Soph., OF DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team Brian Duensing, Soph., LHP Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (March 3) DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team Brandon Fusilier, Jr., LF Dairy Queen Baseball Classic Silver Stick Award DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team Matt Hopper, Sr., 1B College Baseball Insider National Player of the Week (April 22) DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team Zach Kroenke, Fr., LHP Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week (April 1) Curtis Ledbetter, So., 1B/OF Big 12 Co-Player of the Week (April 29) Jeff Leise, Sr., CF Preseason All-American (Collegiate Baseball and the BCBWA) Dairy Queen Baseball Classic MVP DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team Aaron Marsden, Jr., LHP Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (April 22) Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week (April 1) DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team 2003 Husker Power Lifter of the Year Joe Simokaitis, Soph., SS DQ Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team Husker Baseball on TV This spring, get a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Nebraska baseball program on the Husker Baseball Show with Mike Anderson. With in-depth interviews, highlights and features, the show gives Husker fans a chance to follow the Big Red in its bid for a third straight College World Series appearance this spring. The show began on March 30 and runs for 10 straight weeks on the following stations. Station Day Time KM3 Sun. 10:35 p.m. KOLN/KGIN Sun. 10:35 p.m. KSTF Tues. 7 p.m. KIIT Tues. 5 p.m. Cable One Wed. 9 p.m. Fans who don t have Internet access and can t get to Hawks Field will have the opportunity to watch the Huskers on television at least four more times this spring. Three future Husker games will be carried on a state-wide basis on Nebraska Educational Television (NETV). The schedule began with last Saturday s 6-4 win over Texas. Other games scheduled include two games against Creighton (April 29 and May 13) and matchups with Oklahoma State (May 10) and Baylor (May 17). The games against Oklahoma State and Baylor will also be carried nationally on College Sports TV, a 24-hour cable company that launched in April