Hey Bay Area Husker Fans,
Sorry about the time between emails and the lack of news from the homeland, but I wanted to kick this one out to remind you that the annual Spring Game is Saturday 4-19-2008. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. More info next week after the game.
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
SPRING GAME LINK FOR LIVE AUDIO AND STATS...
SPRING GAME LINK
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HUSKERS FINISH LAST PRACTICE BEFORE SELLOUT SPRING GAME...
Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson is excited about the balance between the Red and White units for Saturday's spring game.
The Nebraska football team concluded its last spring football practice with a 2 ½-hour, helmets-only workout inside the Hawks Championship Center Thursday afternoon. This was the Huskers' last practice before the much-anticipated Spring Game on Saturday, which will be played before a packed house at Memorial Stadium.
"We have two teams that are really balanced. It worked out really well, and barring anyone gets nicked up, it's going to be a lot of fun," Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson said. "I'm really happy with where we are at. Football is a long process, where were at today, the questions we had coming in, we feel like we have started to get some of those questions answered."
One of the main attractions of this year's spring game will be the progression of the defense. The defense has made great strides this spring according to Defensive Coordinator Carl Pelini, but they still have work to do.
"Guys are getting more comfortable with what we are talking about, which is the basic fundamentals and techniques. Everything is moving in a good direction," Carl Pelini said. "I'm really excited about the progression of the defensive line. I think they are really taking to the new techniques, they are asking good questions, and the "want to" is there, which is the biggest thing."
Kickoff for Saturday's spring game is scheduled for 1 p.m. All students eighth grade and below will be admitted for free, as they can take a Drug Free Pledge at halftime led by Head Coach Bo Pelini, and former Nebraska linebacker Demorrio Williams.
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SOLD OUT SPRING GAME OFFERS REGULAR-SEASON ATMOSPHERE...
Nebraska's Spring Game sellout promises to offer fans a fall game-day atmosphere.
Lincoln - For the first time, Nebraska's Red-White Spring Game is sold out for April 19, and fans will get a full game-day experience, complete with some pedestrian and traffic congestion caused by the 80,000-fan convergence on downtown Lincoln. Kickoff for the spring football game is 11 a.m. PDT, with a Husker baseball game beginning at 1:35 p.m. PDT at Hawks Field.
Fans are reminded that no tickets will be sold on Saturday, but those who have not picked up tickets can arrive at the Ticket Office beginning at 9 a.m. The Husker Nation Pavilion will open at 10 a.m. at Ed Weir Track/Nebraska Soccer Field to enhance the game-day atmosphere. Memorial Stadium gates open at 11:30 a.m.
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SPRING GAME PROGRAM...
The 2008 Nebraska Red-White Spring Game program is available for sale at Huskers Authentic and will be for sale at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 19. Kickoff for the Huskers' annual spring game is set for 11 a.m. PDT
Nebraska's Spring Game Program includes coaches biographies, updated player biographies on returning Huskers, biographies for 2008 signees, statistics from the 2007 season and much more...
Part 1 : Pages 1-36 : Introduction, Coaches Bios, 2008 Spring Outlook, Returning Player Bios, 2008 Signees
Part 2 : Pages 37-71 : 2007 Honors, 2007 Season Stats, 2007 Game Recaps, 2007 Senior Bios, Spring Game History
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HUSKERS.COM ANNOUNCES RED-WHITE ROSTERS...
Huskers.com will give Nebraska football fans their first opportunity to see the rosters for Saturday's sold-out Red-White Game. Check Huskers.com to find out who will wear Red and which players will don White jerseys on Saturday afternoon.
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11 HUSKERS NAMED TO BERRINGER TEAM...
Holder and place-kicker Jake Wesch earned his fourth straight spot on the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team.
Lincoln - Eleven members of the 2007 football team comprise the 11th annual Brook Berringer Citizenship Team as announced by the Nebraska Athletic Department. The student-athletes will be recognized on the field before kickoff of Saturday's Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium.
The Brook Berringer Citizenship Team was established by the Husker football program in honor of former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer, who died in a plane crash in April of 1996.
Berringer was a member of NU's back-to-back national championship teams in 1994 and 1995. He was also one of the most dedicated Husker volunteers in the community with youth, both in Nebraska and in his hometown of Goodland, Kan. The team honors players who display a similar love and dedication for volunteering in the community.
This year's Berringer Citizenship Team is headlined by five repeat honorees, including a four-time honoree and a pair of three-year recipients. Place-kicker Jake Wesch is a member of the team for the fourth consecutive year, while punter Dan Titchener and 2007 senior fullback Matt Senske were both named to the Berringer team a third straight time. Senior receiver Todd Peterson and 2007 senior lineman Victory Haines are the two-time honorees on this year's team.
Six players have been named to the team for the first time in their careers. Those honorees include senior quarterback Joe Ganz, sophomore fullback Aaron Gillaspie, senior linebacker Cody Glenn, sophomore linebacker Blake Lawrence, senior long snapper T.J. O'Leary and senior linebacker Tyler Wortman.
The football team has been among the most active teams in the local community, ranking among the finalists for the Life Skills Team Award each of the past three seasons. A large group of student-athletes and coaches, including football team members are scheduled to visit a local Lincoln hospital and retirement center on Thursday, April 24.
Athletic Director Tom Osborne and Associate Athletic Director for Life Skills Keith Zimmer will make the presentation to the Berringer team recipients.
In addition to the Berringer Team, senior defensive end Zach Potter will be honored on Saturday as the recipient of the second annual Cletus Fischer Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship is presented annually to a Nebraska football player who has demonstrated a high level of athletic and academic achievement and intends to pursue a career as a high school or college coach.
2008 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (years on team)
* Joe Ganz, QB, Palos Heights, Ill., 2008
* Aaron Gillaspie, FB, Littleton, Colo. 2008
* Cody Glenn, LB, Rusk, Texas, 2008
* Victory Haines, OL, Logan, Utah, 2007, 2008
* Blake Lawrence, LB, Shawnee Mission, Kan., 2008
* T.J. O'Leary, LS, Omaha, Neb., 2008
* Todd Peterson, WR, Grand Island, Neb., 2007, 2008
* Matt Senske, FB, Bellevue, Neb., 2006, 2007, 2008
* Dan Titchener, P, Cheyenne, Wyo., 2006, 2007, 2008
* Jake Wesch, PK/H, North Bend, Neb., 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
* Tyler Wortman, LB, Grand Island, Neb., 2008
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HUSKERS INK THREE-GAME SERIES WITH SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...
2012 Nebraska Football Schedule
2013 Nebraska Football Schedule
2015 Nebraska Football Schedule
Southern Miss will visit Lincoln in 2012 and 2015, with the Huskers traveling to Hattiesburg in 2013.
Nebraska announced on Monday that it has agreed to a three-game football series with Southern Miss, with games scheduled in Lincoln during the 2012 and 2015 seasons, along with a 2013 contest in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The first game in the series will be played on Sept. 1, 2012, in Lincoln, and will mark the Huskers' season opener. The Huskers will travel to Southern Miss for a game on Sept. 7, 2013, with the final meeting in the three-game contract set for Sept. 5, 2015.
The games in 2012 and 2013 are the second non-conference games scheduled for those seasons. Nebraska previously agreed to a home-and-home series with UCLA that will send Nebraska to Pasadena in 2012, with the Bruins playing in Memorial Stadium in the 2013 season. The Nebraska-USM game in 2015 is the first non-conference game on the Huskers' 2015 schedule.
"Southern Miss has an outstanding football program with a tradition of taking on top programs around the country," Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne said. "We had a competitive three-game series with them a few years back and this should be another challenging set of games for our football team against a good opponent."
The three-game series with the Golden Eagles will mark the second such agreement between the two schools, following three games between 1999 and 2004. Nebraska defeated USM in Lincoln in 1999 and was victorious at Hattiesburg in 2003, before the Golden Eagles knocked off Nebraska in Lincoln in 2004. The three recent games are the only meetings between the two schools on the gridiron.
Southern Miss is coming off a 7-6 season in 2007, including a trip to the PapaJohns.com Bowl. The Golden Eagles have been to a bowl game in nine of the past 11 seasons and 2008 will mark the debut of first-year head coach Larry Fedora.
Nebraska has completed its non-conference schedules through the 2010 season, and Big 12 Conferences schedules are set through 2015.
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Executive Travel and UNL Alumni Association announce partnership
(I've been getting their travel advice emails for some time now...very good stuff with a national and international view from a Lincoln based company...check out their website at www.executivetravel.com )
Executive Travel is pleased to announce that we have been selected by the University of Nebraska Alumni Association as their official membership tour operator. This new program will launch new tours beginning in 2009. We are excited about this new partnership and are honored to work with such an outstanding organization.
Executive Travel 1212 O Street Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
402-435-8888 Fax 402-435-2735 info@executivetravel.com
Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.
Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Bay Area Husker ENews 3-13-08
Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!
We had a great Founders' Day event on February 24th. Doug Bereuter, former Congressman from Nebraska, was our guest speaker and provided us with some unique insight about the inner workings of Congress and Nebraska politics during his 26 year career. In his new role as the President of the Asia Foundation (based here in the Bay Area), he also gave us a primer in the geopolitical world of international relations in Asia, and the challenges we (and the world) face with the rapid growth of China. We had a lot of great raffle prizes and our scholarship fund grew substantially...many thanks to all who attended and a special thanks to the board members who put the event together.
I'm gonna start you out in this email with a You Tube video, and end with one about Husker football....kinda like bookends on the message today. Enjoy the videos and all the news in between. And don't forget, the Mission Chamber Orchestra (conducted by our own Emily Ray) is holding a fund raising concert this Sunday. If you get a chance, try to attend.
More info below.
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
Golfers...save the date. Our Bay Area Husker Golf Tourney is set for Saturday June 14th at Los Lagos. More details coming soon.
Basketball fans...I'll be sending a separate email about a great event on April 12th at the Arco Arena put together by our neighboring Alumni Chapter, Northern Californians For Nebraska. Come watch the Kings and meet former Husker star, Mikke Moore. Should be fun!
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GO BIG BO! (Thanks to Kirk Swanson for sending this)...
This is awesome. Well done and hopefully a sign for new hope.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pSkH3UxFJ0g
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THREE HUSKERS SELECTED FOR NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS...
Lincoln - Three University of Nebraska volleyball players were among 29 female student-athletes across the country selected for NCAA postgraduate scholarships this week. Christina Houghtelling, Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls were each selected to receive $7,500 scholarships to use as they eventually pursue their postgraduate degrees. Prior to this year, Nebraska had had only three NCAA Postgradute Scholarship winners in program history, most recently Laura Pilakowski during the 2002-03 academic year.
The athletes selected this week were athletes who participated in fall sports, which included men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo.
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GREAT ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT HAVE SEEN IT... SPORTS / COLLEGE FOOTBALL February 25, 2008
Huskers' New Coach Promises to Heed Program's Old Ways
By JOE DRAPE
New Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini is more than a head football coach. He is the steward of a public trust, one cherished by the more than 1.7 million denizens of this state on the plains.
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THREE FORMER NEBRASKA PLAYERS ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BALLOT...
Grant Wistrom is one of three former Husker greats on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today the names of 75 players and eight coaches who comprise the 2008 Football Bowl Subdivision Ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Among the players included on the ballot are former Nebraska greats Trev Alberts, Will Shields and Grant Wistrom.
The ballot will be mailed this week to more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers, and those votes will be submitted to the NFF's Honors Court. The Hall of Fame Class will be announced on ESPN News on May 1, and inducted at the National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9 in New York City.
To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Once nominated for consideration, all player candidates are submitted to one of eight District Screening Committees, depending on their geographic location, which conducts a vote to determine who will appear on the ballot and represent their respective districts. Each year, 15 candidates, who are not selected for the Hall of Fame, will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year.
Alberts was a first-team All-American and Butkus Award winner in 1993, helping Nebraska to a Big Eight title and trip to the Orange Bowl. Alberts also distinguished himself off the field as an Academic All-American and an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1993.
Shields recently completed an accomplished pro career with the Kansas City Chiefs. While in college, Shields was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1992 and also won the Outland Trophy. He helped Nebraska to three NCAA rushing titles and back-to-back Big Eight titles in 1991 and 1992.
Wistrom was a two-time unanimous first-team All-American in 1996 and 1997. He led the Huskers to three national championships during his career and was the 1997 Lombardi Award winner as well as a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection. Wistrom was also an academic All-American and a recipient of the NCAA Top Eight Award.
Nebraska is well-represented in the College Football Hall of Fame with 13 former players and six former coaches enshrined. The Huskers' most recent inductee was 1983 Heisman winner Mike Rozier who became the 19th Husker honoree in 2006.
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HUSKERS ANNOUNCE BASEBALL TELEVISION PACKAGE...
A minimum of eight Husker baseball games will be televised this season, as the Nebraska baseball program announced its television package on Wednesday. The schedule includes five games on Nebraska Educational Television, as well a pair of national TV appearances.
Nebraska's first TV appearance of the year will be on Saturday, March 29, as the Huskers head to Austin, Texas, for a contest against the Longhorns. This game will be carried throughout the Big 12 region on FSN, and is one of five regular-season telecasts this season. First pitch for this contest has been moved from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. FSN (PDT), which announced four of its regular-season broadcasts, has one remaining wildcard slot on May 18 and also televises the Big 12 Championship game on Sunday, May 25.
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HUSKERS HEAD TO K-STATE...
Date Date Opponent Time (all times Central)
Tuesday March 11 South Dakota State W, 7-3
Friday March 14 at Kansas State
(7-6, 0-0 Big 12) 4:00 p.m. (game time moved up)
Saturday March 15 at Kansas State
(7-6, 0-0 Big 12) 2 p.m.
Sunday March 16 at Kansas State
(7-6, 0-0 Big 12) 1 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Day Nebraska Kansas State
Friday Johnny Dorn, Sr., RHP Brad Hutt, Sr., RHP
(2-0, 1.35 ERA) (1-2, 2.25 ERA)
Saturday Thad Weber, Sr., RHP Chase Bayuk, Sr., LHP
(2-1, 7.16 ERA) (0-1, 5.22 ERA)
Sunday Aaron Pribanic, Jr., RHP Justin Murray, Jr., RHP
(2-0, 0.96 ERA) (1-0, 1.54 ERA)
Nebraska vs. Kansas State
Media Info
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com Live Stats: Huskers.com Live Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Television: None
This Weekend: The Nebraska baseball program hits the road for the first time since the opening weekend, traveling to Kansas State to open the Big 12 portion of the 2008 schedule. The series begins Friday night at Tointon Family Stadium at 6:30 p.m., with afternoon games slated for both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.)
On the Radio and Internet: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe, Lane Grindle and Adrian Fiala call all of the action on Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Any games that conflict with Nebraska basketball games on the Husker Sports Network will be available on Huskers.com and joined in progress on the network. In addition, fans can also watch all four games live on HuskersNside. For subscription information, visit Huskers.com.
Last Time Out (Nebraska 7, South Dakota State 3): Jake Opitz’s two-run double in the fifth inning broke a 2-all tie, as Nebraska extended its win streak to 10 games with a 7-3 victory over South Dakota State on March 11. Opitz was one of two Huskers to drive in a pair of runs on Tuesday, as Johnston came off the bench to deliver a pair of RBIs - the first two of his career - and scored twice. Craig Corriston tied his career high with three hits, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Mitch Abeita also chipped in a pair of hits for the victors.
With Tuesday's win, the Huskers completed a perfect 10-game homestand and have won 12 straight at Hawks Field, their longest win streak since a 21-game home win streak during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The Huskers relied on their youth, as seven freshmen saw extensive action, including four of Nebraska’s seven hurlers. Michael Mariot (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with an inning of relief, as no pitcher threw more than three innings, as the staff combined for 10 strikeouts and just one walk.
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HUSKERS COMPLETE PERFECT HOMESTAND...
We had a great Founders' Day event on February 24th. Doug Bereuter, former Congressman from Nebraska, was our guest speaker and provided us with some unique insight about the inner workings of Congress and Nebraska politics during his 26 year career. In his new role as the President of the Asia Foundation (based here in the Bay Area), he also gave us a primer in the geopolitical world of international relations in Asia, and the challenges we (and the world) face with the rapid growth of China. We had a lot of great raffle prizes and our scholarship fund grew substantially...many thanks to all who attended and a special thanks to the board members who put the event together.
I'm gonna start you out in this email with a You Tube video, and end with one about Husker football....kinda like bookends on the message today. Enjoy the videos and all the news in between. And don't forget, the Mission Chamber Orchestra (conducted by our own Emily Ray) is holding a fund raising concert this Sunday. If you get a chance, try to attend.
More info below.
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
Golfers...save the date. Our Bay Area Husker Golf Tourney is set for Saturday June 14th at Los Lagos. More details coming soon.
Basketball fans...I'll be sending a separate email about a great event on April 12th at the Arco Arena put together by our neighboring Alumni Chapter, Northern Californians For Nebraska. Come watch the Kings and meet former Husker star, Mikke Moore. Should be fun!
===========
GO BIG BO! (Thanks to Kirk Swanson for sending this)...
This is awesome. Well done and hopefully a sign for new hope.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pSkH3UxFJ0g
===========
THREE HUSKERS SELECTED FOR NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS...
Lincoln - Three University of Nebraska volleyball players were among 29 female student-athletes across the country selected for NCAA postgraduate scholarships this week. Christina Houghtelling, Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls were each selected to receive $7,500 scholarships to use as they eventually pursue their postgraduate degrees. Prior to this year, Nebraska had had only three NCAA Postgradute Scholarship winners in program history, most recently Laura Pilakowski during the 2002-03 academic year.
The athletes selected this week were athletes who participated in fall sports, which included men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo.
===========
GREAT ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT HAVE SEEN IT... SPORTS / COLLEGE FOOTBALL February 25, 2008
Huskers' New Coach Promises to Heed Program's Old Ways
By JOE DRAPE
New Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini is more than a head football coach. He is the steward of a public trust, one cherished by the more than 1.7 million denizens of this state on the plains.
===========
THREE FORMER NEBRASKA PLAYERS ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BALLOT...
Grant Wistrom is one of three former Husker greats on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today the names of 75 players and eight coaches who comprise the 2008 Football Bowl Subdivision Ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Among the players included on the ballot are former Nebraska greats Trev Alberts, Will Shields and Grant Wistrom.
The ballot will be mailed this week to more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers, and those votes will be submitted to the NFF's Honors Court. The Hall of Fame Class will be announced on ESPN News on May 1, and inducted at the National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9 in New York City.
To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Once nominated for consideration, all player candidates are submitted to one of eight District Screening Committees, depending on their geographic location, which conducts a vote to determine who will appear on the ballot and represent their respective districts. Each year, 15 candidates, who are not selected for the Hall of Fame, will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year.
Alberts was a first-team All-American and Butkus Award winner in 1993, helping Nebraska to a Big Eight title and trip to the Orange Bowl. Alberts also distinguished himself off the field as an Academic All-American and an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1993.
Shields recently completed an accomplished pro career with the Kansas City Chiefs. While in college, Shields was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1992 and also won the Outland Trophy. He helped Nebraska to three NCAA rushing titles and back-to-back Big Eight titles in 1991 and 1992.
Wistrom was a two-time unanimous first-team All-American in 1996 and 1997. He led the Huskers to three national championships during his career and was the 1997 Lombardi Award winner as well as a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection. Wistrom was also an academic All-American and a recipient of the NCAA Top Eight Award.
Nebraska is well-represented in the College Football Hall of Fame with 13 former players and six former coaches enshrined. The Huskers' most recent inductee was 1983 Heisman winner Mike Rozier who became the 19th Husker honoree in 2006.
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HUSKERS ANNOUNCE BASEBALL TELEVISION PACKAGE...
A minimum of eight Husker baseball games will be televised this season, as the Nebraska baseball program announced its television package on Wednesday. The schedule includes five games on Nebraska Educational Television, as well a pair of national TV appearances.
Nebraska's first TV appearance of the year will be on Saturday, March 29, as the Huskers head to Austin, Texas, for a contest against the Longhorns. This game will be carried throughout the Big 12 region on FSN, and is one of five regular-season telecasts this season. First pitch for this contest has been moved from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. FSN (PDT), which announced four of its regular-season broadcasts, has one remaining wildcard slot on May 18 and also televises the Big 12 Championship game on Sunday, May 25.
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HUSKERS HEAD TO K-STATE...
Date Date Opponent Time (all times Central)
Tuesday March 11 South Dakota State W, 7-3
Friday March 14 at Kansas State
(7-6, 0-0 Big 12) 4:00 p.m. (game time moved up)
Saturday March 15 at Kansas State
(7-6, 0-0 Big 12) 2 p.m.
Sunday March 16 at Kansas State
(7-6, 0-0 Big 12) 1 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Day Nebraska Kansas State
Friday Johnny Dorn, Sr., RHP Brad Hutt, Sr., RHP
(2-0, 1.35 ERA) (1-2, 2.25 ERA)
Saturday Thad Weber, Sr., RHP Chase Bayuk, Sr., LHP
(2-1, 7.16 ERA) (0-1, 5.22 ERA)
Sunday Aaron Pribanic, Jr., RHP Justin Murray, Jr., RHP
(2-0, 0.96 ERA) (1-0, 1.54 ERA)
Nebraska vs. Kansas State
Media Info
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com Live Stats: Huskers.com Live Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Television: None
This Weekend: The Nebraska baseball program hits the road for the first time since the opening weekend, traveling to Kansas State to open the Big 12 portion of the 2008 schedule. The series begins Friday night at Tointon Family Stadium at 6:30 p.m., with afternoon games slated for both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.)
On the Radio and Internet: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe, Lane Grindle and Adrian Fiala call all of the action on Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Any games that conflict with Nebraska basketball games on the Husker Sports Network will be available on Huskers.com and joined in progress on the network. In addition, fans can also watch all four games live on HuskersNside. For subscription information, visit Huskers.com.
Last Time Out (Nebraska 7, South Dakota State 3): Jake Opitz’s two-run double in the fifth inning broke a 2-all tie, as Nebraska extended its win streak to 10 games with a 7-3 victory over South Dakota State on March 11. Opitz was one of two Huskers to drive in a pair of runs on Tuesday, as Johnston came off the bench to deliver a pair of RBIs - the first two of his career - and scored twice. Craig Corriston tied his career high with three hits, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Mitch Abeita also chipped in a pair of hits for the victors.
With Tuesday's win, the Huskers completed a perfect 10-game homestand and have won 12 straight at Hawks Field, their longest win streak since a 21-game home win streak during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The Huskers relied on their youth, as seven freshmen saw extensive action, including four of Nebraska’s seven hurlers. Michael Mariot (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with an inning of relief, as no pitcher threw more than three innings, as the staff combined for 10 strikeouts and just one walk.
===========
HUSKERS COMPLETE PERFECT HOMESTAND...
Jake Opitz had two hits, including a two-run double in the fifth.
Lincoln - Jake Opitz's two-run double in the fifth inning broke a 2-all tie, as Nebraska extended its win streak to 10 games with a 7-3 victory over South Dakota State Tuesday afternoon at Hawks Field.
Opitz gave Nebraska the lead for good, roping a two-out, two-run double off of SDSU’s Isaac Johnson into the corner in right, scoring Dan Johnston and DJ Belftonte to give NU a two-run lead.
Opitz was one of two Huskers to drive in a pair of runs on Tuesday, as Johnston came off the bench to deliver a pair of RBIs - the first two of his career - and score twice. Craig Corriston tied his career high with three hits, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Mitch Abeita also chipped in a pair of hits for the victors, who open Big 12 play at Kansas State on Friday with an 11-2 mark.
With Tuesday's win, the Huskers completed a perfect 10-game homestand and have won 12 straight at Hawks Field, their longest win streak since a 21-game home win streak during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
The Jackrabbits pulled to within 4-3 on Stephen Turner's sixth-inning RBI single, but Nebraska came back with a run in the bottom of the frame and added two more in the eighth to pull away.
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DORN, HUSKERS TOP NORTHERN COLORADO...
Johnny Dorn struck out a career-high 13 hitters on Saturday.
Lincoln - Behind a career-high 13 strikeouts from Johnny Dorn, the Nebraska rolled to a 12-2 victory over Northern Colorado Saturday afternoon.
Dorn was magnificent against the Bears, fanning the first seven hitters he faced and didn't allow a base hit until Cody Henry's one-out bloop single in the fifth. Dorn, who improved to 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, topped his previous high of 12 strikeouts against UC Riverside in the 2007 NCAA Regional and reached double figures in strikeouts for the fourth time in his career.
On the day, Dorn allowed just three hits and one earned run over seven innings, while his 13 strikeouts were the most by a Husker since Joba Chamberlain fanned 13 against Miami in the 2005 NCAA Super Regional. With the win, Dorn ups his career record to 33-9, eight wins shy of Shane Komine's school and Big 12 record.
Anderson said that Dorn's velocity and location were pinpoint early on, helping the senior now strikeout 29 in just 20 innings of work for Nebraska (7-2).
"I think the velocity helps, and he located extremely well today," Anderson said. "That's good to see. I think everything is just a little bit better."
" am just trying to get ahead, and when I get two strikes in the count I try to put as much into that pitch as I can,"Dorn said. "l'll try and get a strikeout. Otherwise pitch for contact and try and get outs."
The Huskers, whose six-game win streak is the longest since 2006, were paced offensively by Bryce Nimmo, who went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. Nimmo, who is hitting .632 with seven RBIs and seven runs scored over his last five contests, has not recorded five straight multi-hit games over the past week.
CORRISTON LIFTS HUSKERS TO 3-2 WIN...
Craig Corriston's eighth-inning RBI single broke a 2-all deadlock, lifting the Nebraska baseball team to a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado Sunday afternoon. Corriston's two-out single plated Mitch Abeita with the go-ahead run, helping the Huskers to their seventh-straight win.
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DORN SHARES BIG 12 WEEKLY HONOR...
Nebraska right-hander Johnny Dorn earned an honor as well on Monday, as he was chosen as the Big 12's Co-Pitcher of the Week. It is the third time the senior has received the conference's weekly award.
Dorn allowed just one earned run over seven innings, as the Huskers defeated Northern Colorado, 12-2 on March 8. He fanned a career-high 13 Bears, including the first seven hitters he faced, as his 13 strikeouts were the most by a Husker pitcher since Joba Chamberlain in 2005. On the season, Dorn is now 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, striking out a Big 12-high 29 hitters over 20.2 innings of work.
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DR. HIBNER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWED...
Dr. Barbara Hibner served as a member of the Athletic Department for 27 years.
The University of Nebraska is proud to announce the full endowment of the Dr. Barbara Hibner Memorial Scholarship. Exactly one year after her death, the scholarship has reached the full endowment level of $250,000, thanks to donations from friends and family of Dr. Hibner, Husker fans and a generous gift from Dr. Hibner's estate.
The Dr. Barbara Hibner Memorial Scholarship will be presented annually to a women's varsity sport at Nebraska in honor of a female student-athlete who meets specific criteria established with input from Dr. Hibner's family and Nebraska's Senior Woman Administrator. The scholarship will be presented to the sport at the beginning of the fall semester to cover the needs of the honored student-athlete. In that way, Dr. Hibner's lasting impression upon Nebraska and women's athletics will continue to be felt for generations to come.
The scholarship is named for Dr. Barbara Hibner, a 28-year member of the NU Athletic Department who passed away on March 7, 2007, after a fight with bone cancer. Dr. Hibner, who was fondly known as "Dr. H" to her friends and student-athletes, was a tireless promoter of women's athletics whose efforts resulted in Nebraska being among the conference and national leaders in the advancement of women's sports.
Hibner began her career at Nebraska in 1978 as the Assistant Women's Athletic Director, before being promoted in 1985 to the position of Women's Athletic Director, a position she held for 10 years. In 1994, she was named Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, a position she held until her retirement in December of 2005. During her tenure, Nebraska added three women's sports - soccer, bowling and rifle - to become the conference leader in women's athletics with 13 sports and 117 scholarship opportunities.
"Barb is responsible for much of the rise of women's athletics at Nebraska," Athletic Director Tom Osborne said, upon Dr. Hibner's passing. "She was a women's athletic administrator during a time of tremendous growth in women's athletics. During her tenure, women's athletics emerged as a very important part of the athletic scene at the University of Nebraska.
Hibner's dedication to women's athletics was recognized beyond the reach of the NU Athletic Department. She established events in Lincoln for women's gymnastics, women's basketball and volleyball, all in addition to her efforts within collegiate athletics. In 1994, she was honored with the YWCA Tribute to Women award, and in 2004, she received the lifetime achievement award from the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office for her work in the Lincoln community. Her passion was to provide athletic opportunities for women of all ages.
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HUSKER SOFTBALL TEAM EMBARKS ON NINE GAME, 10 DAY ROAD TRIP...
The Nebraska softball teams travels to Las Vegas, Nev., this weekend to kick off a 10-day road trip with five games at the UNLV Rebel Round Robin on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Huskers will then take advantage of Spring Break by staying in Las Vegas to play two contests against Southern Utah before traveling to Texas to open Big 12 play with a two-game series beginning on Friday, March 21.
Fans will be able to follow NU on its lengthy road trip, as Huskers.com will provide free audio coverage of all nine games. Nate Rohr will handle play-by-play duties for the broadcasts, while select games will be available on the Husker Sports Network.
Nebraska will face stiff competition on the road, as the Huskers will play a total of six games against teams that have either earned a top-25 ranking this season or received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. Following the road trip - Nebraska's longest since 2004 - the Huskers travel to Creighton on March 26 before returning home to play 16 of their final 21 games at Bowlin Stadium, where the Huskers have enjoyed a tremendous home-field advantage the past three seasons.
Nebraska got a taste of the home cooking last weekend, sweeping a four-game series from Northern Colorado by a combined score of 28-0. The Huskers posted three run-rule victories, with each win coming by a score of 8-0. NU posted back-to-back run-rule victories in Saturday's doubleheader, marking Nebraska’s first consecutive run-rule victories since 2006.
The Huskers were led by their pitching, as the right-handed combination of junior Molly Hill and sophomore Alex Hupp combined to toss 24.0 scoreless innings in the series. Each pitcher threw two shutouts, as Nebraska tossed four consecutive shutouts, marking the Huskers' longest shutout streak since NU posted seven consecutive shutouts during the 2004 season.
Hupp was especially impressive, allowing just one hit in 11.0 innings of work, as Northern Colorado batters were just 1-for-33 against her (.030). She tossed her first career no-hitter with a six-inning masterpiece in her first start against UNC, surrendering just one walk while striking out a career-high 12. In her second start, Hupp allowed only an infield single while striking out seven and facing just one batter over the minimum in a five-inning complete game.
Hill meanwhile continued to round into form barely a month removed from knee surgery. She tossed a pair of two-hit shutouts and the reigning Big 12 ERA champion has not allowed an earned run in three of her first five starts this season.
Offensively, NU received contributions up and down the lineup, but it was the newcomers who were especially impressive while playing in front of the home fans for the first time.
Freshman Julie Brechtel began the weekend 5-for-5 as part of a larger stretch where she recorded a hit in seven straight at bats. Fellow freshman Heidi Foland posted her first career extra-base hit while producing five RBIs in a single game, an individual high for Nebraska this season. Junior Amanda Duran, a transfer from Pima (Ariz.) Community College, also excelled, finishing 6-for-9 with four RBIs.
Overall, NU's eight newcomers combined to post an impressive .368 average with six doubles, nine runs scored and 15 RBIs.
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HILL PITCHES HUSKERS PAST BEARS...
Molly Hill tossed her second straight two-hit shutout against Northern Colorado.
Lincoln - Junior right-hander Molly Hill tossed her second two-hit shutout of the weekend, as the Nebraska softball team stretched its scoreless innings streak to 19 innings in posting a 4-0 victory over Northern Colorado in game one of Sunday's doubleheader at Bowlin Stadium.
Hill won her second straight decision to improve to 3-2 on the season. Barely a month removed from knee surgery, Hill threw a season-high 7.0 innings, while striking out a season-high 12. Hill had a no-hitter through 3.1 before surrendering a double that marked Northern Colorado's first hit off a Nebraska pitcher in 11.0 innings.
Hill's work gave Nebraska its third straight win and improved the Huskers' record to 7-8 on the season. Northern Colorado fell to 6-19 with its third loss to the Huskers. Jamie Juelfs (3-7) tossed a complete game for the Bears, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits.
Freshman Julie Brechtel and junior Amanda Duran paced the Huskers' seven-hit attack, recording two hits each.
HUPP TOSSES NO-HITTER IN 8-0 WIN...
Lincoln - Alex Hupp was nearly perfect in the circle, tossing a six-inning no-hitter as the Nebraska softball team completed a doubleheader sweep of Northern Colorado with a second 8-0 victory in the nightcap on Saturday at Bowlin Stadium.
Hupp was perfect through 4.1 innings and faced just one batter over the minimum on the night. She was perfect until walking Katelyn Landorf in the top of the fifth. The only other Bear to reach base was Jessie Schopeflin, who reached on an error but was promptly caught stealing with two outs in the top of the sixth.
Hupp, who won her third consecutive start, evened her record at 3-3 on the season. In tossing the 34th no-hitter in Nebraska softball history, Hupp struck out a career-high 12 batters in only six innings.
With Hupp in control in the circle, the Husker offense made the most of its six hits, producing eight runs for the second straight game. NU was aided by seven walks and five hit-by-pitches in the game. With plenty of RBI opportunities, it was the bottom of the order who delivered for Nebraska. Hupp recorded her first multi-hit game of the season, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, but it was freshman Heidi Foland who stole the show.
Foland finished 2-for-3 with a double and a career-high five RBIs. Entering the game, Foland had yet to record an extra base hit and had tallied just one RBI in her first 12 career games.
Kelli Henderson (1-6) took the loss for Northern Colorado, which fell to 6-18 on the season. In four innings of work, Henderson allowed just three hits, but six walks and three hit batters did her in, as she was tagged for five runs.
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HUSKER FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET PRICES REMAIN THE SAME...
Nebraska will play eight home games for the first time in six seasons.
Nebraska football season ticket holders will see no increase in cost per game of tickets for the 2008 home schedule, and will once again receive a discount compared to the full face value of a season ticket.
Season ticket holders will pay $52 a ticket for eight home games in 2008 ($416 total), a 15 percent savings ($74) over the full face value of a season ticket at $490. Individual tickets to Nebraska home games will cost $65 each for contests against four Big 12 opponents and Virginia Tech, and $55 each for home games against Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State.
For the sixth consecutive year, Nebraska students will not see an increase in their season ticket prices. UNL students will pay a total of $168 for the eight games, or $21 per game. UNL faculty and staff will pay $392 for season tickets, a 20 percent discount on the full face value of season tickets.
Husker ticket holders will see an attractive home schedule in 2008, including games against three teams that finished in the top 10 of the final 2007 rankings. Defending Big 12 North Champion Missouri (Oct. 4) finished No. 4 in the Associated Press Poll, with Kansas (Nov. 8) at No. 7 and Virginia Tech (Sept. 27) ranked ninth.
Ticket Prices Summary
2008 Single-Game Home Total (Average) $490 ($61.25)
Season Ticket Total (Average) $416 ($52)
UNL Student Ticket Total (Average) $168 ($21)
Notes
Nebraska will have eight home games for the first time since the 2002 season and just the sixth time in school history.
The Huskers' first five games of 2008 will be played at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska last played its first five games at home in 2005, and the 2008 season will mark just the fifth time in school history NU has opened with five straight home games (1906, 1918, 1975, 2005).
The Oct. 4 game against Missouri will be Nebraska's Homecoming contest.
Nebraska's meeting with Western Michigan will be the first between the two schools, while its matchup with Virginia Tech will be the first regular-season meeting between the two programs. Nebraska holds a 1-0 series edge over the Hokies, defeating Virginia Tech in the 1996 Orange Bowl.
Nebraska is 2-0 all-time against New Mexico State (1979 and 1982) and won the only previous matchup with San Jose State (2000).
Nebraska faces a total of six 2007 bowl teams this fall including Virginia Tech, Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
Tickets for the April 19 Red-White Spring Game continue to be on sale at Huskers.com, by calling 1-800-8 BIG RED or 402-472-3111, and in person at the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office. As of Wednesday, approximately 39,000 advance tickets had been sold for the game. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance to avoid long lines on game day. Kickoff on April 19 is set for 1 p.m.
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HUSKERS SNAG SEASON HIGH IN CLOSE CALL TO GOPHERS...
Junior T.J. Schmidt earned his sixth event title of the season against Minnesota and Temple.
Minneapolis, Minn.- The 10th-ranked Nebraska gymnastics captured second place in a nail-biting competition against No. 8 Minnesota and No. 9 Temple in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday night. NU fell by less than a point to Minnesota, 342.80-341.90, but was able to soar past the Owls (326.10).
Despite the loss, Nebraska earned three individual event titles, including a pair from junior T.J. Schmidt on the pommel horse (14.65) and the parallel bars (14.80). Sophomore Kyle Shanahan also captured his second high bar title of the year with a score of 13.95. Senior Stephen Tétrault stepped up his level of competition, earning second on pommel horse (14.55) and vault (15.75) before placing second in the all-around with a season high score of 84.20.
"This is exactly the type of motion I wanted to see this time of year," Head Coach Francis Allen said. "We wanted to keep improving and we're doing just that. This is the best Nebraska team I've seen for a couple of years so it's very encouraging as we go up against Iowa, Air Force and then the teams of the MPSF.
With the help of NU's All-Americans, the Huskers came out swinging on the pommel horse to start the meet, scoring a season-high team score of 55.80 to top their previous best of 54.60. Schmidt claimed the event title with a career-high score of 14.65, while Tétrault also set a new personal record score of 14.55 for second place. The Gophers took an early lead in the first rotation, scoring 59.35, while NU had 55.80 and Temple had 53.85.
Junior James Mauldin and freshman Anthony Ingrelli kept things rolling for Nebraska on the still rings, both scoring a 14.30 for second place. The duo's performance lifted the team morale, as Tétrault added a personal best of 14.05 to give the Huskers a score of 56.40 on still rings.
The Huskers then traveled to floor exercise in the third rotation, where they set a new season record of 57.50 to top their previous score of 57.10. Brûlé posted a season-high mark of 14.65 on floor as he tied for third place with Minnesota's Colin McGuire. NU jumped to first place after the third rotation, as Minnesota posted a 169.25 and Temple had a 162.30.
Schmidt claimed his second parallel bars title with a score of 14.80 as the Huskers earned a season-high score of 57.25 in the fourth roation. Brûlé wasn't far behind Schmidt, as he captured second place with a score of 14.55.
NU had a rough spot on high bar in the fifth rotation, scoring only a 53.35. However, Kyle Shanahan stepped up and earned his second high bar title of the year with a score of 13.95.
Nebraska finished up the meet on vault, where they scored a 61.60. Tétrault blasted his former vault score of 15.40 as he tied Minnesota's Cole Storer for second place. The individual surge would not be enough to score above the Gophers and Nebraska fell to 1-7 on the road this season.
The Huskers will have a two-week break before hosting Iowa at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on March 14 at 7 p.m. The meet will be a double dual with the Husker women's team, as they will be taking on Iowa State.
Team Results Score
1. Minnesota 342.80
2. Nebraska 341.90
3. Temple 326.10
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NO. 11 HUSKERS HUNT FOR DUAL WIN OVER NO. 10 HAWKEYES...
After spending the last four meets on the road, the No. 11 Nebraska gymnastics team returns to Lincoln on Friday, March 14, to go up against the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes. The competition, which is set to begin at 7 p.m., is a double dual with the NU women's team competing against Iowa State.
Nebraska and Iowa meet for the 22nd time in 41 years, with the Hawkeyes leading the series, 12-8-1. The two teams have been evenly matched in recent years as the final score has been within a point difference since 2005.
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The Mission Chamber Orchestra Presents
Eastern European Chamber Music & Auction Extravaganza!
Concert Details:
Beethoven Quartet, op. 59/, no. 3, mvt 1
Borodin Nocturne
Pacific Strings
Shostakovich Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 67
Noer Trio
Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain
MCO Cello Quartet
Ferenc Farkas Ancient Dances (/Regi Magyar Tancok/)
MCO Woodwind Quintet
Date: Sunday, March 16, 2008
Tickets: General Admission, $20, Senior/student, $17, Children under 12, $5
Time: Silent auction starts at 1:30PM; Concert begins at 2:30PM
Location: Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. 5th Street, San Jose
Parking: Free. There is a garage directly across the street.
The afternoon will include free refreshments and an exciting silent auction featuring the following, and much more!
· Dinner with pianist Jon Nakamatsu & MCO conductor Emily Ray
· Waterfall Alaska fishing package
· Disneyland tickets
· Byington Winery tour & tasting
· Hotels packages
Click on the link below for more auction items:
http://www.missionchamber.org/auction.shtml
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PAST NU DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS-BRING BACK THE GOOD OLD DAYS...
You Tube Video...
watch video
Video Description
"Paint It Black" - Rolling Stones
Track 4 from DVD "Big Red Rock"
By OurDecay Productions 2003
Personal Message
Watch the hit on Newcombe run against Tenn at :51, the next play a hit on Texas punter at :55. Mcbride talks about tradition and culture and playing for each other and former players. I guess that concept missed Callahan and Cosgrove.
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Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.
Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Bay Area Husker ENews 2-21-08
Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!
Baseball season is just around the corner and do we have a great way to start! The Huskers are playing in a round robin tourney at the Stanford Sunken Diamond baseball facility this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting). So grab your rain coat and come out and cheer on the Huskers (more info below).
Founders' Day Event...
We're looking forward to our annual Founders' Day event on Sunday at the Sunnyvale Ramada. I know the reservation deadline has past, but Mac may be able to add a couple of folks if you hustle up and call or email him tonight or early Friday morning. See the website www.BayAreaHuskers.org for more details.
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
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BAY AREA HUSKERS NIGHT AT THE SABRECATS!!!!
Our local Arena Football League team (last year's AFL National Champs), the San Jose Sabercats, is offering a great deal for local alumni groups to attend one of their games. We've selected the second game of the season on Saturday, March 22nd (vs. the Dallas Desperados) as the night for local Husker fans to get together for some great indoor football! Tickets are only $9 each (half price) and its a guaranteed great time! Karen and I have been season ticket holders for about 5 years and we think its the best sports deal in the area. Cheap tickets, a great venue and a very fast paced game...scores are usually in the 60s and 70s per team. So let me or Dave Pegg know that you want to attend and we'll arrange for a Husker group outing.
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HUSKERS HEAD TO STANFORD TO OPEN 2008 SEASON...
Nebraska at Stanford
Friday - 2 p.m. (DH)
Saturday - 2 p.m.
Sunday - 1 p.m.
All times Pacific
Pitching Probables
Friday (G-1)
NU-Thad Weber, Sr., RHP (0-0)
Jeremy Bleich, Jr., LHP (0-0)
Friday (G-2)
NU-Johnny Dorn, Sr., RHP (0-0)
Erik Davis, Sr., RHP (0-0)
Saturday
NU-Dan Jennings, Jr., LHP (0-0)
Max Fearnow, Jr., RHP (0-0)
Sunday
NU-Aaron Pribanic, Jr., RHP (0-0)
Jeffrey Inman, So., RHP (0-0)
Live Radio: Selected Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Stanford All-Access (free)
Television: None
This Week: The Nebraska baseball program begins the 2008 season this weekend, as the Huskers travel to Stanford for a four-game series with the Cardinal. Friday’s season opener will be a doubleheader, scheduled for 2 p.m. (Pacific) with single games on both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action on the 27-station Husker Sports Network - including flagship stations KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Every game this season will be carried on the Husker Sports Network. Saturday’s game will be joined in progress on selected network stations.
Preview: The Huskers open this week with a with a trip to national power Stanford to kick off the 2008 season. The Huskers return 13 letterwinners, including six everyday starters from a team that went 32-27 and reached the finals of the NCAA Tempe Regional last season. Offensively, senior Jeff Tezak is NU’s top returning hitter after batting .335 with three homers and 37 RBIs to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors. Tezak is one of three starters who hit over .300 a year ago, joining senior infielder Craig Corriston (.320-5-41) and sophomore right fielder DJ Belfonte (.307-0-16). Senior second baseman Jake Opitz drove in a team-high 48 RBIs, while ranking first on the squad in triples (three) and second in homers (five).
On the mound, Nebraska has a new pitching coach - Eric Newman, formerly the head coach at Dallas Baptist - and a youthful staff, as eight pitchers off the 2007 staff were plucked in last June’s draft. Senior right-hander Johnny Dorn anchors the NU hurlers, after going 10-3 in 16 starts a year ago, highlighted by a complete-game win with 12 strikeouts against UC Riverside in the NCAA Regional. He is the only starter back from Nebraska’s weekend rotation.
Leading Off
•-Nebraska is 5-0 in season openers under Head Coach Mike Anderson and has won its last six season openers, dating back to a 13-inning victory over New Mexico in 2002.
•-Nebraska’s trip to Stanford marks the Huskers’ first-ever season-opening trip to California. Under Mike Anderson, the Huskers have begun seasons in five states (Texas, New Mexico, Hawaii, South Carolina and California) over the last six years.
•-Thad Weber’s start on Friday will mark the first time since 2002 that a right-hander has started the season opener. In fact, Nebraska has started a southpaw in seven of the previous eight seasons.
•-Of the 31 players on this weekend’s travel roster, 19 could see their first action as Huskers, including nine true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen. With that many freshmen on the travel roster, there is a strong possibility that NU could have more than one freshman in the opening day lineup for the first time since 1999. Under Mike Anderson, three true freshmen have started the season opener, most recently DJ Belfonte in 2007.
•-Since the NCAA went to the 64-team format in 1999, Nebraska has made eight tournament appearances, which ties for eighth nationally. The only teams to make more appearances tham Nebraska in that span are Cal State Fullerton, Clemson, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Oral Roberts, Rice and Texas.
•-Nebraska has won 86 straight games when taking a lead into the ninth inning dating back to the 2005 campaign, and is 183-3 (.984) when leading after eight innings since the start of the 2003 season.
•-Nebraska’s trip to Stanford this weekend is the first time the Huskers have visted a Pac-10 school during the regular season since a two-game series at Arizona State in 1987.
•-This weekend’s trip to Stanford is a homecoming for pitcher Joe Hatasaki, who is from Mountain View, Calif. Hatasaki joined the program in January after pitching as a true freshman at Arizona State.
Enjoying the Great Indoors
The Huskers have a case of cabin fever they will hope to shake this weekend. Nebraska has been exclusively indoors since opening practice on Feb. 1 - a total of 17 workouts, including Wednesday. The Huskers will travel to California on Thursday morning and are scheduled to practice outdoors for the first time Thursday afternoon.
For the past two years, the Huskers have been able to work out in the Hawks Championship Center, an 81,200-square foot facility which was completed in 2006. The building, which is connected to Memorial Stadium by an indoor skywalk, includes room for a full football field and a championship wing that includes hitting cages for the baseball and softball programs.
The 2008 season will mark the third time in six years the Huskers have not gotten outdoors before departing Lincoln. The good news is that NU is a combined 6-1 on the opening weekend in those instances, including a 3-1 record last year.
Scouting Stanford
Under the guidance of long-time head coach Mark Marquess, Stanford has been among the nation’s most consistent programs. The Cardinal have reached the College World Series 13 times in his 31 years at Stanford, including five straight appearances in Omaha earlier this decade, and national titles in 1987 and 1988. In 2007, Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years, but closed the campaign by winning nine of its last 10 games to post a 28-28 mark.
For the Cardinal, the bulk of their roster is back, as the 2008 Stanford squad features 22 letterwinners, including 14 pitchers and seven everyday starters. Outfielder Sean Ratliff returns to pace the Cardinal offense, hitting .339 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs a year ago. He is one of three Stanford players in Baseball America’s top-100 draft prospects for 2008, joining pitcher Jeremy Bleich and utility player Jason Castro. On the mound, Stanford brings back 14 of its 15 pitchers who threw last year, although none of the returnees had more than four wins last season.
Series History: Stanford leads the series, 4-1, and has won the last two meetings. This weekend’s series will mark the first time the two teams have met in the regular season since 1993.
Huskers Tabbed for Sixth in Big 12
The Nebraska baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 by a vote of the league coaches released on Feb. 20. The Huskers, coming off a season where they went 32-27 and reached the finals of the NCAA Tempe Regional, totaled 36 points in voting.
Nebraska returns six everyday starters, including All-Big 12 designated hitter Jeff Tezak, who hit a team-high .336 last season. Other returning starters include catcher Mitch Abeita, second baseman Jake Opitz, third baseman Craig Corriston and outfielders Bryce Nimmo and DJ Belfonte. The Husker pitching staff is led by senior All-American right-hander Johnny Dorn, who has compiled a 31-9 record during his Husker career.
Texas was the choice of the league’s coaches, garnering 80 points in the preseason voting and eight of the 10 first-pace votes. Missouri (71) and Baylor (65) received the other two votes, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The rest of the order was Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Tech.
Huskers to Be Tested Again in 2008
An impressive home schedule, 27 games against NCAA Tournament teams and a season-opening trip to national power Stanford highlight the 2008 Nebraska baseball schedule. The Huskers will be tested against a slate that features five teams – Arkansas, Texas, Wichita State, Texas A&M and Missouri – which were No. 1 seeds in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
The 55-game regular-season schedule includes 32 home games, including a four-game series with NCAA qualifier UC Riverside to open the home schedule on Feb. 29. Other marquee non-conference tilts include a two-game series with SEC power Arkansas (March 18-19), a three-game series against Louisiana-Lafayette (May 2-4) and single games against Wichita State (April 15) and Creighton (April 22).
In 2007, the Huskers’ strength of schedule ranked sixth nationally, as Nebraska played 29 of its 59 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
Chart Climbing
•-Head Coach Mike Anderson enters the 2008 opener needing one win to move into sole possession of third place on Nebraska’s all-time wins list.
•-Anderson also begins the season in 10th place in winning percentage among all active coaches. He joins Texas’ Augie Garrido as the only two Big 12 coaches among the top-10 nationally in winning percentage.
•-Johnny Dorn begins the 2008 season within striking distance of a couple of milestones. He is already in second place on Nebraska’s career wins list with 31, a total that leads all returning pitchers nationally.
•-Jake Opitz is quickly climbing Nebraska’s career list for assists. A three-year starter at second base, Opitz begins his senior year in sixth place and needs only 35 assists to climb into fifth place.
•-Bryce Nimmo looks to become just the second Husker to lead Nebraska in stolen bases for three straight years, joining former Major Leaguer Ken Ramos, who paced NU in stolen bases from 1987 to 1989.
Dorn Climbs Husker Win List
With his win against UC Riverside in his final start of 2007, Johnny Dorn moved into sole possession of second place on NU’s career wins chart with 31. The right-hander from Grand Island also moved on to the Huskers’ top-10 lists in both career strikeouts and innings pitched to begin his senior year.
Of Dorn’s 31 career wins, 10 have been in Big 12 series clinchers over the past three seasons. He has had 14 chances to win a conference series in his career, and has won 10 of them, including five as a freshman when he went 12-2 en route to All-America honors.
The Coaching Staff
Nebraska shuffled its coaching staff in the offseason, adding pitching coach Eric Newman, while shifting Dave Bingham over to handle the Huskers’ defensive efforts. The three full-time coaches on the Nebraska staff have combined for over 1,100 wins.
Dave Bingham - Serves as the Huskers’ defensive coordinator, overseeing team defense and working with the Husker infielders. Bingham served as an assistant to Stanford Head Coach Mark Marquess on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. The pair also assisted on the 1984 U.S. Olympic staff.
Eric Newman - Begins his first season as Nebraska’s pitching coach after serving as the head coach at Dallas Baptist the past three seasons. Newman, who compiled a 95-72 record at DBU, is a California native who pitched collegiately at both Fresno State and Texas Tech.
Nate Thompson - Begins his first season as Nebraska’s volunteer coach and works primarily with the infielders and assists with the hitters. Thompson comes to NU after serving as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State in 2007. He played for Coach Newman at Dallas Baptist and was a student assistant at the school in 2006.
Husker Baseball: Giving Back
The Husker baseball program has been active in the community during the 2007-08 academic year. Starting with the Paint-a-thon in August, the Nebraska baseball team has done over 400 hours in community service projects this year.
•-During the Christmas break, players and coaches combined for over 250 hours of community service projects, working with various groups in their hometowns. Some of the projects included working with local law enforcement in translating languages, cleaning community centers and raising money for Food Banks.
•-On Jan. 25, 2008, the Nebraska baseball program hosted Baseball 101, a day of actitives to help fans learn more about the sport. The one-day clinic had over 100 participants and raised over $10,000 for a literacy center in Lincoln.
Six Draftees on 2008 Husker Roster
Nebraska’s 2008 roster boasts a total of six Huskers who have been previously selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Four of the players were picked in last year’s draft, including Thad Weber, who was chosen in the 35th round, but elected to return for his senior year.
Huskers Feature Players from 12 States
The 34 members of the 2008 roster hail from 12 states from coast to coast. There are a total of 12 players from Nebraska on the roster, including six from the Omaha metro area and two from Lincoln.
Husker Baseball on Television
The Husker baseball program will make at least eight appearances on television during the 2008 season. The broadcast schedule featured five games produced by Nebraska Educational Television (NET and NET-HD) as well as nationally televised games as part of the Big 12’s television package. Nebraska’s first TV appearance of the year will be on Saturday, March 29, as the Huskers head to Austin, Texas, for a contest against the Longhorns.
Husker Home Run Club Bus Trips
Make your plans now to join the Husker Home Run Club for a pair of bus trips during the season. The first bus trip takes place on April 12-13, for a trek to Oklahoma State, with the second one on May 17-18 for the Huskers’ regular-season finale at Missouri. Both packages include roundtrip transportation, selected meals, a hotel room and tickets to both of Nebraska’s games that weekend.
For more information and prices, contact Ed Bolejack at (402) 476-4990 or Erich Helge at (402) 643-5403 or visit Huskerhomerunclub.com.
Making the Grade by Baseball AmericaAs part of Baseball America’s preview, the publication graded the schools in the top eight conferences (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten, Big East, Big West and C-USA) in four areas - national impact, competitiveness, fans and facilities and academics - during the 64-team NCAA era.
Nebraska was one of 16 programs to receive an A from the publication and joined Texas as the only two Big 12 programs to receive an A. As a conference, the Big 12 tied the ACC for second place in that era.
Single-Game Tickets Now on Sale
Single-game general admission tickets for Husker baseball home games are now on sale. General admission tickets for all regular-season home games this season are $7 for adults and $5 for youth in high school or younger or for senior citizens ages 60 or older. General admission tickets are free for children ages six and younger along with UNL students (with a valid student ID).
The 2008 schedule includes Big 12 home series against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas A&M, as well as non-conference series against Louisiana-Lafayette, UC Riverside and Northern Colorado. Other single-games on the schedule include matchups with NCAA qualifiers Creighton and Wichita State, as well as contests against Nebraska-Kearney and Western Illinois.
16 Huskers Named to Big 12 Honor Roll
A total of 16 current or former Husker baseball players were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll last week. The group is led by Bryce Nimmo and Nick Sullivan, both of whom made their seventh consecutive appearances on the honor roll. As a team, the Huskers recorded a 2.95 team GPA during the fall semester, their best performance in Mike Anderson’s six years as head coach at NU The 16 Husker baseball players were among the 298 athletes across all sports to earn spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll during the 2007 fall semester.
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HUSKER BASKETBALL TEAM UPSETS NO. 24 WILDCATS...
Aleks Maric finished with 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in posting his seventh double-double in a row.
Lincoln – Aleks Maric collected his seventh straight double-double and Steve Harley scored a career-high 20 points to lead Nebraska past 24th-ranked Kansas State, 71-64 in front of nearly 10,000 fans Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Maric hit 5-of-8 shots from the field on his way to 15 points, but his two biggest shots of the game came at the free-throw line, where Maric calmly sank both ends of a 1-and-1 to give Nebraska a 68-64 lead with 32.1 seconds remaining. Harley, who drilled 9-of-12 from the field, also added a pair of late free throws that accounted for the final margin.
To go along with his 15 points, Maric also pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds as he dueled against another of the top big men in the country in Kansas State's Michael Beasley. Beasley also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but he took seven more shots than Maric.
With the win, Nebraska's second over a ranked squad this season, the Huskers improved to 15-9 on the season and 4-7 in the Big 12 Conference. K-State, which entered the game one-half game out of first place in the league, fell to 18-7 and 8-3.
The Huskers shot a blistering 56.5 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 51.9 percent for the game, the second-best mark of the season and easily Nebraska's best shooting performance in conference play. NU also knocked down 13-of-17 from the charity stripe, including 6-of-8 down the stretch, a key stat considering Nebraska went the final 5:08 without hitting a field goal.
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WOMENS BASKETBALL...FREE THROWS COST HUSKERS AT KANSAS...
Kelsey Griffin scored points and had seven rebounds at Kansas on Sunday.
Lawrence, Kan. - Nebraska overcame a nine-point second-half deficit to take a three-point lead with 2:47 left, but Kansas rallied for a 62-61 win on a Danielle McCray free throw with 1.4 seconds left at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Huskers, who slipped to 17-8 overall and 6-5 in the Big 12, hit just 17-of-34 free throws in the game, while the Jayhawks converted 10-of-13 free throw attempts, including an intentional miss by McCray to end the game. The Jayhawks improved to 15-9 overall and 4-7 in the league.
Kelsey Grffin led the Huskers with 13 points and seven rebounds, despite playing just 24 minutes because of first-half foul trouble. Yvonne Turner added 11 points in just 20 minutes, after also being strapped with two early fouls in the game. Cory Montgomery added eight points and five rebounds, despite picking up three first-half fouls.
Nebraska, which entered the game leading the Big 12 in free throw shooting in conference play and hit 30-of-32 free throws in a 71-51 win over the Jayhawks in Lincoln on Jan. 12, struggled at the line for the first 34 minutes. NU hit just 9-of-24 free throws before hitting 8-of-10 in the final six minutes.
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HUSKER SOFTBALL TEAM HEADS TO KENTUCKY THIS WEEKEND...
Darcy Rutherford led NU with a .333 average last weekend while hitting second in the order.
The Nebraska softball team ventures into the Bluegrass State for the first time in the 33-year history of the program this weekend, as the Huskers travel to Louisville, Ky., for a revised Cardinal Classic.
Originally scheduled as a four-team, round-robin format tournament, the schedule has been altered and will feature only Nebraska and Mississippi, along with host Louisville. Northern Illinois was also scheduled to compete, but the Huskies will instead stay home as part of a campus-wide "Week of Healing" to help the university community deal with the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of five people on Feb. 14.
Forecasted bad weather also forced the cancellation of Friday’s games, as the revamped schedule has Nebraska playing both Louisville and Ole Miss on both Saturday and Sunday for a total of four games on the weekend. Live stats will be available for all games this weekend, while live, pay video will be available when the Huskers play Louisville through uoflsports.com.
NU hopes its first trip to Kentucky brings better results than last weekend, when the Huskers finished with a 1-4 record. Despite the record, a young and injured Nebraska squad was able to take some positives from a grueling schedule that included two games against teams ranked in the top six of the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
Nebraska opened the tournament with a 6-1 loss to traditional power Cal, although the Huskers were down just 2-1 before the Bears pulled away late. Nebraska then used three early runs and a clutch pinch-hit, two-run single from junior Amanda Duran to post a 5-3 victory over Idaho State. Freshman right-hander Tori Tyson earned the victory in her first career start, while sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp picked up her first career save.
The next day would prove more difficult for the Huskers, as they were run-ruled for the first time in 235 games in a 9-0 loss at fifth-ranked Arizona State. Nebraska then fell behind early in a 7-3 loss to Memphis before rebounding with a terrific effort against unbeaten and sixth-ranked Northwestern on Sunday.
Against the Wildcats, Tyson had a solid outing, allowing just three earned runs against a team that entered the game averaging 10 runs per game. The Husker offense also began to find its stride, as juniors Crystal Carwile and Haley Long hit a pair of two-run homers in the seventh inning to erase a 4-2 deficit and put Nebraska in front 6-4.
Northwestern immediately rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn an 8-6 victory, but NU’s effort in that contest showed glimpses of the Huskers’ potential.
Nebraska was without two players last weekend, while junior Brittany Pascale saw limited duty while continuing to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. The Huskers get ace right-hander Molly Hill back in a limited capacity this weekend and sophomore infielder Whitney Barrett is nearing her return as well.
Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.
Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.
Baseball season is just around the corner and do we have a great way to start! The Huskers are playing in a round robin tourney at the Stanford Sunken Diamond baseball facility this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting). So grab your rain coat and come out and cheer on the Huskers (more info below).
Founders' Day Event...
We're looking forward to our annual Founders' Day event on Sunday at the Sunnyvale Ramada. I know the reservation deadline has past, but Mac may be able to add a couple of folks if you hustle up and call or email him tonight or early Friday morning. See the website www.BayAreaHuskers.org for more details.
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
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BAY AREA HUSKERS NIGHT AT THE SABRECATS!!!!
Our local Arena Football League team (last year's AFL National Champs), the San Jose Sabercats, is offering a great deal for local alumni groups to attend one of their games. We've selected the second game of the season on Saturday, March 22nd (vs. the Dallas Desperados) as the night for local Husker fans to get together for some great indoor football! Tickets are only $9 each (half price) and its a guaranteed great time! Karen and I have been season ticket holders for about 5 years and we think its the best sports deal in the area. Cheap tickets, a great venue and a very fast paced game...scores are usually in the 60s and 70s per team. So let me or Dave Pegg know that you want to attend and we'll arrange for a Husker group outing.
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HUSKERS HEAD TO STANFORD TO OPEN 2008 SEASON...
Nebraska at Stanford
Friday - 2 p.m. (DH)
Saturday - 2 p.m.
Sunday - 1 p.m.
All times Pacific
Pitching Probables
Friday (G-1)
NU-Thad Weber, Sr., RHP (0-0)
Jeremy Bleich, Jr., LHP (0-0)
Friday (G-2)
NU-Johnny Dorn, Sr., RHP (0-0)
Erik Davis, Sr., RHP (0-0)
Saturday
NU-Dan Jennings, Jr., LHP (0-0)
Max Fearnow, Jr., RHP (0-0)
Sunday
NU-Aaron Pribanic, Jr., RHP (0-0)
Jeffrey Inman, So., RHP (0-0)
Live Radio: Selected Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Stanford All-Access (free)
Television: None
This Week: The Nebraska baseball program begins the 2008 season this weekend, as the Huskers travel to Stanford for a four-game series with the Cardinal. Friday’s season opener will be a doubleheader, scheduled for 2 p.m. (Pacific) with single games on both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action on the 27-station Husker Sports Network - including flagship stations KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington - and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Every game this season will be carried on the Husker Sports Network. Saturday’s game will be joined in progress on selected network stations.
Preview: The Huskers open this week with a with a trip to national power Stanford to kick off the 2008 season. The Huskers return 13 letterwinners, including six everyday starters from a team that went 32-27 and reached the finals of the NCAA Tempe Regional last season. Offensively, senior Jeff Tezak is NU’s top returning hitter after batting .335 with three homers and 37 RBIs to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors. Tezak is one of three starters who hit over .300 a year ago, joining senior infielder Craig Corriston (.320-5-41) and sophomore right fielder DJ Belfonte (.307-0-16). Senior second baseman Jake Opitz drove in a team-high 48 RBIs, while ranking first on the squad in triples (three) and second in homers (five).
On the mound, Nebraska has a new pitching coach - Eric Newman, formerly the head coach at Dallas Baptist - and a youthful staff, as eight pitchers off the 2007 staff were plucked in last June’s draft. Senior right-hander Johnny Dorn anchors the NU hurlers, after going 10-3 in 16 starts a year ago, highlighted by a complete-game win with 12 strikeouts against UC Riverside in the NCAA Regional. He is the only starter back from Nebraska’s weekend rotation.
Leading Off
•-Nebraska is 5-0 in season openers under Head Coach Mike Anderson and has won its last six season openers, dating back to a 13-inning victory over New Mexico in 2002.
•-Nebraska’s trip to Stanford marks the Huskers’ first-ever season-opening trip to California. Under Mike Anderson, the Huskers have begun seasons in five states (Texas, New Mexico, Hawaii, South Carolina and California) over the last six years.
•-Thad Weber’s start on Friday will mark the first time since 2002 that a right-hander has started the season opener. In fact, Nebraska has started a southpaw in seven of the previous eight seasons.
•-Of the 31 players on this weekend’s travel roster, 19 could see their first action as Huskers, including nine true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen. With that many freshmen on the travel roster, there is a strong possibility that NU could have more than one freshman in the opening day lineup for the first time since 1999. Under Mike Anderson, three true freshmen have started the season opener, most recently DJ Belfonte in 2007.
•-Since the NCAA went to the 64-team format in 1999, Nebraska has made eight tournament appearances, which ties for eighth nationally. The only teams to make more appearances tham Nebraska in that span are Cal State Fullerton, Clemson, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Oral Roberts, Rice and Texas.
•-Nebraska has won 86 straight games when taking a lead into the ninth inning dating back to the 2005 campaign, and is 183-3 (.984) when leading after eight innings since the start of the 2003 season.
•-Nebraska’s trip to Stanford this weekend is the first time the Huskers have visted a Pac-10 school during the regular season since a two-game series at Arizona State in 1987.
•-This weekend’s trip to Stanford is a homecoming for pitcher Joe Hatasaki, who is from Mountain View, Calif. Hatasaki joined the program in January after pitching as a true freshman at Arizona State.
Enjoying the Great Indoors
The Huskers have a case of cabin fever they will hope to shake this weekend. Nebraska has been exclusively indoors since opening practice on Feb. 1 - a total of 17 workouts, including Wednesday. The Huskers will travel to California on Thursday morning and are scheduled to practice outdoors for the first time Thursday afternoon.
For the past two years, the Huskers have been able to work out in the Hawks Championship Center, an 81,200-square foot facility which was completed in 2006. The building, which is connected to Memorial Stadium by an indoor skywalk, includes room for a full football field and a championship wing that includes hitting cages for the baseball and softball programs.
The 2008 season will mark the third time in six years the Huskers have not gotten outdoors before departing Lincoln. The good news is that NU is a combined 6-1 on the opening weekend in those instances, including a 3-1 record last year.
Scouting Stanford
Under the guidance of long-time head coach Mark Marquess, Stanford has been among the nation’s most consistent programs. The Cardinal have reached the College World Series 13 times in his 31 years at Stanford, including five straight appearances in Omaha earlier this decade, and national titles in 1987 and 1988. In 2007, Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years, but closed the campaign by winning nine of its last 10 games to post a 28-28 mark.
For the Cardinal, the bulk of their roster is back, as the 2008 Stanford squad features 22 letterwinners, including 14 pitchers and seven everyday starters. Outfielder Sean Ratliff returns to pace the Cardinal offense, hitting .339 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs a year ago. He is one of three Stanford players in Baseball America’s top-100 draft prospects for 2008, joining pitcher Jeremy Bleich and utility player Jason Castro. On the mound, Stanford brings back 14 of its 15 pitchers who threw last year, although none of the returnees had more than four wins last season.
Series History: Stanford leads the series, 4-1, and has won the last two meetings. This weekend’s series will mark the first time the two teams have met in the regular season since 1993.
Huskers Tabbed for Sixth in Big 12
The Nebraska baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 by a vote of the league coaches released on Feb. 20. The Huskers, coming off a season where they went 32-27 and reached the finals of the NCAA Tempe Regional, totaled 36 points in voting.
Nebraska returns six everyday starters, including All-Big 12 designated hitter Jeff Tezak, who hit a team-high .336 last season. Other returning starters include catcher Mitch Abeita, second baseman Jake Opitz, third baseman Craig Corriston and outfielders Bryce Nimmo and DJ Belfonte. The Husker pitching staff is led by senior All-American right-hander Johnny Dorn, who has compiled a 31-9 record during his Husker career.
Texas was the choice of the league’s coaches, garnering 80 points in the preseason voting and eight of the 10 first-pace votes. Missouri (71) and Baylor (65) received the other two votes, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The rest of the order was Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Tech.
Huskers to Be Tested Again in 2008
An impressive home schedule, 27 games against NCAA Tournament teams and a season-opening trip to national power Stanford highlight the 2008 Nebraska baseball schedule. The Huskers will be tested against a slate that features five teams – Arkansas, Texas, Wichita State, Texas A&M and Missouri – which were No. 1 seeds in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
The 55-game regular-season schedule includes 32 home games, including a four-game series with NCAA qualifier UC Riverside to open the home schedule on Feb. 29. Other marquee non-conference tilts include a two-game series with SEC power Arkansas (March 18-19), a three-game series against Louisiana-Lafayette (May 2-4) and single games against Wichita State (April 15) and Creighton (April 22).
In 2007, the Huskers’ strength of schedule ranked sixth nationally, as Nebraska played 29 of its 59 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
Chart Climbing
•-Head Coach Mike Anderson enters the 2008 opener needing one win to move into sole possession of third place on Nebraska’s all-time wins list.
•-Anderson also begins the season in 10th place in winning percentage among all active coaches. He joins Texas’ Augie Garrido as the only two Big 12 coaches among the top-10 nationally in winning percentage.
•-Johnny Dorn begins the 2008 season within striking distance of a couple of milestones. He is already in second place on Nebraska’s career wins list with 31, a total that leads all returning pitchers nationally.
•-Jake Opitz is quickly climbing Nebraska’s career list for assists. A three-year starter at second base, Opitz begins his senior year in sixth place and needs only 35 assists to climb into fifth place.
•-Bryce Nimmo looks to become just the second Husker to lead Nebraska in stolen bases for three straight years, joining former Major Leaguer Ken Ramos, who paced NU in stolen bases from 1987 to 1989.
Dorn Climbs Husker Win List
With his win against UC Riverside in his final start of 2007, Johnny Dorn moved into sole possession of second place on NU’s career wins chart with 31. The right-hander from Grand Island also moved on to the Huskers’ top-10 lists in both career strikeouts and innings pitched to begin his senior year.
Of Dorn’s 31 career wins, 10 have been in Big 12 series clinchers over the past three seasons. He has had 14 chances to win a conference series in his career, and has won 10 of them, including five as a freshman when he went 12-2 en route to All-America honors.
The Coaching Staff
Nebraska shuffled its coaching staff in the offseason, adding pitching coach Eric Newman, while shifting Dave Bingham over to handle the Huskers’ defensive efforts. The three full-time coaches on the Nebraska staff have combined for over 1,100 wins.
Dave Bingham - Serves as the Huskers’ defensive coordinator, overseeing team defense and working with the Husker infielders. Bingham served as an assistant to Stanford Head Coach Mark Marquess on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. The pair also assisted on the 1984 U.S. Olympic staff.
Eric Newman - Begins his first season as Nebraska’s pitching coach after serving as the head coach at Dallas Baptist the past three seasons. Newman, who compiled a 95-72 record at DBU, is a California native who pitched collegiately at both Fresno State and Texas Tech.
Nate Thompson - Begins his first season as Nebraska’s volunteer coach and works primarily with the infielders and assists with the hitters. Thompson comes to NU after serving as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State in 2007. He played for Coach Newman at Dallas Baptist and was a student assistant at the school in 2006.
Husker Baseball: Giving Back
The Husker baseball program has been active in the community during the 2007-08 academic year. Starting with the Paint-a-thon in August, the Nebraska baseball team has done over 400 hours in community service projects this year.
•-During the Christmas break, players and coaches combined for over 250 hours of community service projects, working with various groups in their hometowns. Some of the projects included working with local law enforcement in translating languages, cleaning community centers and raising money for Food Banks.
•-On Jan. 25, 2008, the Nebraska baseball program hosted Baseball 101, a day of actitives to help fans learn more about the sport. The one-day clinic had over 100 participants and raised over $10,000 for a literacy center in Lincoln.
Six Draftees on 2008 Husker Roster
Nebraska’s 2008 roster boasts a total of six Huskers who have been previously selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Four of the players were picked in last year’s draft, including Thad Weber, who was chosen in the 35th round, but elected to return for his senior year.
Huskers Feature Players from 12 States
The 34 members of the 2008 roster hail from 12 states from coast to coast. There are a total of 12 players from Nebraska on the roster, including six from the Omaha metro area and two from Lincoln.
Husker Baseball on Television
The Husker baseball program will make at least eight appearances on television during the 2008 season. The broadcast schedule featured five games produced by Nebraska Educational Television (NET and NET-HD) as well as nationally televised games as part of the Big 12’s television package. Nebraska’s first TV appearance of the year will be on Saturday, March 29, as the Huskers head to Austin, Texas, for a contest against the Longhorns.
Husker Home Run Club Bus Trips
Make your plans now to join the Husker Home Run Club for a pair of bus trips during the season. The first bus trip takes place on April 12-13, for a trek to Oklahoma State, with the second one on May 17-18 for the Huskers’ regular-season finale at Missouri. Both packages include roundtrip transportation, selected meals, a hotel room and tickets to both of Nebraska’s games that weekend.
For more information and prices, contact Ed Bolejack at (402) 476-4990 or Erich Helge at (402) 643-5403 or visit Huskerhomerunclub.com.
Making the Grade by Baseball AmericaAs part of Baseball America’s preview, the publication graded the schools in the top eight conferences (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten, Big East, Big West and C-USA) in four areas - national impact, competitiveness, fans and facilities and academics - during the 64-team NCAA era.
Nebraska was one of 16 programs to receive an A from the publication and joined Texas as the only two Big 12 programs to receive an A. As a conference, the Big 12 tied the ACC for second place in that era.
Single-Game Tickets Now on Sale
Single-game general admission tickets for Husker baseball home games are now on sale. General admission tickets for all regular-season home games this season are $7 for adults and $5 for youth in high school or younger or for senior citizens ages 60 or older. General admission tickets are free for children ages six and younger along with UNL students (with a valid student ID).
The 2008 schedule includes Big 12 home series against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas A&M, as well as non-conference series against Louisiana-Lafayette, UC Riverside and Northern Colorado. Other single-games on the schedule include matchups with NCAA qualifiers Creighton and Wichita State, as well as contests against Nebraska-Kearney and Western Illinois.
16 Huskers Named to Big 12 Honor Roll
A total of 16 current or former Husker baseball players were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll last week. The group is led by Bryce Nimmo and Nick Sullivan, both of whom made their seventh consecutive appearances on the honor roll. As a team, the Huskers recorded a 2.95 team GPA during the fall semester, their best performance in Mike Anderson’s six years as head coach at NU The 16 Husker baseball players were among the 298 athletes across all sports to earn spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll during the 2007 fall semester.
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HUSKER BASKETBALL TEAM UPSETS NO. 24 WILDCATS...
Aleks Maric finished with 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in posting his seventh double-double in a row.
Lincoln – Aleks Maric collected his seventh straight double-double and Steve Harley scored a career-high 20 points to lead Nebraska past 24th-ranked Kansas State, 71-64 in front of nearly 10,000 fans Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Maric hit 5-of-8 shots from the field on his way to 15 points, but his two biggest shots of the game came at the free-throw line, where Maric calmly sank both ends of a 1-and-1 to give Nebraska a 68-64 lead with 32.1 seconds remaining. Harley, who drilled 9-of-12 from the field, also added a pair of late free throws that accounted for the final margin.
To go along with his 15 points, Maric also pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds as he dueled against another of the top big men in the country in Kansas State's Michael Beasley. Beasley also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but he took seven more shots than Maric.
With the win, Nebraska's second over a ranked squad this season, the Huskers improved to 15-9 on the season and 4-7 in the Big 12 Conference. K-State, which entered the game one-half game out of first place in the league, fell to 18-7 and 8-3.
The Huskers shot a blistering 56.5 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 51.9 percent for the game, the second-best mark of the season and easily Nebraska's best shooting performance in conference play. NU also knocked down 13-of-17 from the charity stripe, including 6-of-8 down the stretch, a key stat considering Nebraska went the final 5:08 without hitting a field goal.
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WOMENS BASKETBALL...FREE THROWS COST HUSKERS AT KANSAS...
Kelsey Griffin scored points and had seven rebounds at Kansas on Sunday.
Lawrence, Kan. - Nebraska overcame a nine-point second-half deficit to take a three-point lead with 2:47 left, but Kansas rallied for a 62-61 win on a Danielle McCray free throw with 1.4 seconds left at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Huskers, who slipped to 17-8 overall and 6-5 in the Big 12, hit just 17-of-34 free throws in the game, while the Jayhawks converted 10-of-13 free throw attempts, including an intentional miss by McCray to end the game. The Jayhawks improved to 15-9 overall and 4-7 in the league.
Kelsey Grffin led the Huskers with 13 points and seven rebounds, despite playing just 24 minutes because of first-half foul trouble. Yvonne Turner added 11 points in just 20 minutes, after also being strapped with two early fouls in the game. Cory Montgomery added eight points and five rebounds, despite picking up three first-half fouls.
Nebraska, which entered the game leading the Big 12 in free throw shooting in conference play and hit 30-of-32 free throws in a 71-51 win over the Jayhawks in Lincoln on Jan. 12, struggled at the line for the first 34 minutes. NU hit just 9-of-24 free throws before hitting 8-of-10 in the final six minutes.
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HUSKER SOFTBALL TEAM HEADS TO KENTUCKY THIS WEEKEND...
Darcy Rutherford led NU with a .333 average last weekend while hitting second in the order.
The Nebraska softball team ventures into the Bluegrass State for the first time in the 33-year history of the program this weekend, as the Huskers travel to Louisville, Ky., for a revised Cardinal Classic.
Originally scheduled as a four-team, round-robin format tournament, the schedule has been altered and will feature only Nebraska and Mississippi, along with host Louisville. Northern Illinois was also scheduled to compete, but the Huskies will instead stay home as part of a campus-wide "Week of Healing" to help the university community deal with the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of five people on Feb. 14.
Forecasted bad weather also forced the cancellation of Friday’s games, as the revamped schedule has Nebraska playing both Louisville and Ole Miss on both Saturday and Sunday for a total of four games on the weekend. Live stats will be available for all games this weekend, while live, pay video will be available when the Huskers play Louisville through uoflsports.com.
NU hopes its first trip to Kentucky brings better results than last weekend, when the Huskers finished with a 1-4 record. Despite the record, a young and injured Nebraska squad was able to take some positives from a grueling schedule that included two games against teams ranked in the top six of the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
Nebraska opened the tournament with a 6-1 loss to traditional power Cal, although the Huskers were down just 2-1 before the Bears pulled away late. Nebraska then used three early runs and a clutch pinch-hit, two-run single from junior Amanda Duran to post a 5-3 victory over Idaho State. Freshman right-hander Tori Tyson earned the victory in her first career start, while sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp picked up her first career save.
The next day would prove more difficult for the Huskers, as they were run-ruled for the first time in 235 games in a 9-0 loss at fifth-ranked Arizona State. Nebraska then fell behind early in a 7-3 loss to Memphis before rebounding with a terrific effort against unbeaten and sixth-ranked Northwestern on Sunday.
Against the Wildcats, Tyson had a solid outing, allowing just three earned runs against a team that entered the game averaging 10 runs per game. The Husker offense also began to find its stride, as juniors Crystal Carwile and Haley Long hit a pair of two-run homers in the seventh inning to erase a 4-2 deficit and put Nebraska in front 6-4.
Northwestern immediately rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn an 8-6 victory, but NU’s effort in that contest showed glimpses of the Huskers’ potential.
Nebraska was without two players last weekend, while junior Brittany Pascale saw limited duty while continuing to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. The Huskers get ace right-hander Molly Hill back in a limited capacity this weekend and sophomore infielder Whitney Barrett is nearing her return as well.
Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.
Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Bay Area Husker ENews 2-5-08
Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!
Sorry about the gap in coverage, but here's some good stuff from the homeland including notice of a special event tomorrow (Wednesday) when Huskers.com will provide live coverage of the Huskers Signing Day.
The Husker Round Ball teams are also playing big games tomorrow night (see info below).
Enjoy!
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
P.S. Don't forget to sign up for our chapter Founders' Day event on Sunday February 24th. See http://www.bayareahuskers.org/ for more details and the registration form.
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LIVE SIGNING DAY COVERAGE...
Gearing up for National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 6, Huskers.com will provide free, live video and audio of Head Coach Bo Pelini's 12 p.m. (Pacific time) press conference to announce his first signing class. Below is a schedule of what to expect on Signing Day.
Prior to Signing Day Press Conference
Tables below will be updated with the list & biographies of all players whose Letters of Intent were received by Noon.
Signing Day Press Conference
Watch the press conference LIVE
Listen to the press conference LIVE
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ESPN Early Top 25 Ranking...(nope, the Huskers aren't on the list...YET!)...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3186264
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RESERVED TICKETS FOR THE SPRING GAME AVAILABLE TOMORROW...
The University of Nebraska has announced that tickets to the April 19 Red-White Spring Football Game will go on sale on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 6 a.m. (Pacific Time) Tickets will be available at Huskers.com and can also be purchased by contacting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8BIG RED. Kickoff for the Red-White Spring Game has been set for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
This season, in a change from recent years, reserved tickets for the spring game will be available. Approximately 25,000 reserved seats in the East and West Stadiums will be available at a cost of $10 per ticket.
In addition to the reserved tickets, fans may also purchase general admission tickets at the cost of $8 for adults and $4 for youth (high school age and younger) and seniors. Children under age six, as well as UNL students, faculty and staff (with ID) will be admitted for free. Children (junior high or younger) wishing to take the Drug Free Pledge at halftime will also be admitted for free. General admission seating will be in the North and South stadiums.
All fans wishing to attend the Red-White game are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance to avoid long lines at ticket booths and will-call windows on game day. Nebraska has averaged nearly 60,000 fans for its spring game over the past four seasons and Memorial Stadium will be at full capacity (81,067) for this year’s Red-White contest.
Nebraska Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations Jeff Jamrog said the goal is to better the record 63,417 fans that attended the 2005 game.
“Nebraska is known nationally for its tradition of selling out football games and I know Coach Pelini wants that to include the spring game,” Jamrog said. “Hopefully, our fans will take the chance to spend a great day in Lincoln and get a preview of their 2008 Huskers.”
In addition to expecting a large crowd in the stadium, Nebraska will also be hosting its Junior Day in conjunction with the spring game with prospects from around the country expected to be on campus.
The Nebraska baseball team will also be in town on April 19, playing host Kansas at Hawks Field later in the afternoon. Information on additional events surrounding the Red-White Spring Game will be announced in the coming weeks on Huskers.com.
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DOBSON NAMED NEBRASKA HEAD FOOTBALL STRENGTH COACH...
Nebraska Football Coach Bo Pelini announced Tuesday that James Dobson has been hired as the Huskers’ Head Football Strength Coach. Dobson is regarded as one of the top young strength coaches in the country after spending the past nine years as an assistant strength coach at the University of Iowa.
Dobson will oversee all aspects of the Huskers’ strength and conditioning efforts for football, including the winter conditioning program, summer workouts and in-season strength training. Nebraska will begin its winter conditioning program under Dobson’s direction on Jan. 21.
Dobson has been a part of the Hawkeye football program during one of the most successful periods in school history. Iowa appeared in bowl games in six of the past seven seasons and won 38 games from 2002 to 2005. Iowa won 25 Big Ten games in that same period, including Big Ten titles in both 2002 and 2004.
With the Hawkeye program, Dobson worked under Chris Doyle, who is regarded as one of the nation’s top strength coaches. Top pupils Dobson has worked with include safety Bob Sanders, tight end Dallas Clark, offensive tackle Robert Gallery and linebacker Chad Greenway.
Sanders earned All-America honors at Iowa in 2003, and was the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Indianapolis Colts. Clark began his Hawkeye career as a walk-on linebacker, but moved to tight end and went on to earn All-America honors in 2002, before being a first-round draft pick. Gallery came to Iowa as a 240-pound tight end, and through the strength program, he left as a 320-pound offensive tackle, won the 2003 Outland Trophy and was the second overall selection in the 2004 draft. Greenway earned All-America honors as a senior in 2005, and was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2006.
In addition to his experience at Iowa, Dobson worked for two years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Southern Methodist, working with the football, volleyball and basketball teams.
Dobson attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked as a student assistant with the Badger football team for three seasons. He earned his B.S. degree in kinesiology from Wisconsin in 1996, and his masters of science and administration degree from Central Michigan in 2004.
A certified strength and conditioning specialist and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Dobson is a native of Mt. Horeb, Wis. He and his wife, Rebecca, have a son, Colton, and a daughter, Elise.
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BECK NAMES HUSKER RUNNING BACKS COACH...
Nebraska Head Football Coach Bo Pelini has announced that Tim Beck will serve as the Huskers’ running backs coach. Beck joined the Huskers on Monday after completing his third season as an assistant coach at Kansas in the Orange Bowl last Thursday.
Beck is the final full-time assistant to be named to the Nebraska staff, as Pelini announced the other eight members of his coaching staff in mid-December. Like the other members of Nebraska’s new staff, Beck has prior experience coaching in the Big 12 Conference.
Beck helped Kansas to its best season in school history with a 12-1 record in 2007, capped by a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl. In each of his three seasons on Mark Mangino’s staff, Beck served as the Jayhawks’ receivers coach, and he added the title of pass game coordinator in 2007.
In 2007, Beck helped engineer one of the nation’s most potent offenses as Kansas ranked second nationally in scoring offense (42.8 ppg), eighth in total offense (479.8 ypg) and 17th in passing offense (291.0 ypg). KU senior receiver Marcus Henry caught 54 passes for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns to earn All-Big 12 honors, while three other Jayhawks caught more than 40 passes each.
Before joining the Kansas staff, Beck was one of the most respected high school coaches in the state of Texas, serving three seasons at Summit High in Mansfield. He was the 2003 District Coach of the Year after leading Summit to its first-ever playoff appearance and district championship. Beck also served as the head coach at R.L. Turner High in Carrollton, Texas, from 1999 to 2001.
He also had a successful run as the head coach at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., from 1993 to 1995. Among the standouts Beck coached at Saguaro High was former Nebraska All-America safety Mike Brown.
In addition to Kansas, Beck’s collegiate experience includes three seasons at Missouri State (1996-98), two seasons as a graduate assistant at Kansas State (1991-92) and one season at Illinois State (1990).
Beck is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High, the same high school that Bo and Carl Pelini attended. Beck played college football at Central Florida.
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HUSKER BASKETBALL TEAM HEADS TO MANHATTAN TO FACE RANKED WILDCATS...
+ Game Information
Game: Game 20
Game Time: 7:07 p.m. CST
Game Date: Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008
Release Date: Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008
Television: FSN Midwest/ESPN FullCourt (Greg Sharpe, play-by-play; Matt Davison, color)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Kent Pavelka, play-by-play; Andy Markowski, color)
Internet: Huskers.com (live radio, stats)
Satellite Radio: Kansas State broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 125
Venue: Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
+ Nebraska Takes on Wildcats in Manhattan
The Nebraska men's basketball team will make its third road trip in 12 days as it travels to Manhattan, Kan., to take on No. 20/24 (AP/Coaches) Kansas State on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Aiming for their second straight Big 12 Conference road victory after defeating Missouri in Columbia, Mo., last week, the Cornhuskers will tip off against the Wildcats at 7:07 p.m. on Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The mid-week contest will be telecast on FSN Midwest with Greg Sharpe calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The NU telecast will be distributed only in the state of Nebraska, per Big 12 Conference rules. KSU's telecast will also air on FSN Midwest in the state of Kansas. A new agreement this year will allow Nebraska's telecasts on FSN Midwest to also be seen around the nation on ESPN FullCourt. Check listings for the channel assignment on FSN Midwest and ESPN FullCourt.
The Nebraska-Iowa State contest can be heard live on the radio on the Husker Sports Network, consisting of 30 stations around Nebraska and Iowa that provide coverage of Nebraska athletic events. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka will call the action while former Husker Andy Markowski adds color commentary. The broadcast will be carried around the world live on the Internet on Huskers.com.
NU men's basketball games can typically also be heard on satellite radio. This week, however, Kansas State's broadcast will be the only one heard on Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 125.
Nebraska will be looking for its third straight win in conference action. With a victory, the Huskers would pull within a game of .500 in the league standings after starting the season 0-4, including a pair of losses to top-5 Kansas. The last time the Huskers won three straight games in league play was 2005-06 with victories over Missouri, Oklahoma State and Baylor.
The Huskers will also be searching for their second straight road win after defeating Missouri last week in Columbia, Mo., by a 66-62 margin. Nebraska won consecutive road games last year with victories over Missouri and Texas Tech, the first time since posting victories at Colorado and No. 24 Kansas in 1999.
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HUSKER LADIES TIP OFF BIG 12 SECOND HALF AT COLORADO...
Senior forward Danielle Page leads the Huskers to her home state of Colorado to battle the Buffaloes on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-6, 5-3)
at Colorado Buffaloes (13-8, 2-6)
Coors Events Center (11,064) • Boulder, Colo.
Wednesday, Feb. 6 • 9 p.m. CST
Television: FSN Rocky Mountain
(DirecTV Ch. 645, DISH Ch. 414, Time Warner Cable Ch. 302)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
(98.1 FM-KFGE, Lincoln, 1110 AM-KFAB)
Live Internet Audio: Huskers.com (free)
Huskers Tip Off Second Half of Big 12 Season at Colorado
The Nebraska women’s basketball team starts the second half of the Big 12 Conference season by traveling to Boulder to take on Colorado on Wednesday night. Tip-off with the Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center is scheduled for 9 p.m., with live television coverage provided by FSN Rocky Mountain. The game can be seen on DirecTV Ch. 645 and DISH Network Channel 414 along with Time Warner Cable Channel 302 in Lincoln. Live radio coverage on the Husker Sports Network will provided by 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln and 1110 AM-KFAB in Omaha. KFAB will join the game in progress following the conclusion of the Husker men’s game at Kansas State.
The Huskers head to Colorado after a thrilling 73-67 comeback win at Missouri on Sunday. Nebraska trailed by 14 points with 8:30 left and by 10 points with 5:30 remaining before storming to the six-point win. Junior Kelsey Griffin scored 17 of her season-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Husker comeback, including 15 points in the final 12 minutes. The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, averaged 21.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game last week to earn Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors on Feb. 4. Griffin leads the Huskers in Big 12 play with 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game despite playing with a cracked rib.
Nebraska’s late-game turnaround at Missouri was nearly astonishing. The Huskers hit just 12-of-42 shots to open the game, before hitting 12 of their final 13 shots from the field to close the contest. NU scored on 19 of its 20 possessions to close the game, scoring 39 points in the final 12 minutes, after managing just 34 points in the first 28 minutes.
Sophomore guard Yvonne Turner played a big role in the NU turnaround at Missouri, scoring all nine of her points in the second half, including eight in the final 4:09. Turner has led Nebraska defensively on the perimeter throughout the season, leading the Big 12 in conference play with 2.88 steals per game.
Senior forward Danielle Page is also enjoying her best season at Nebraska. The 6-2 native of Monument, Colo., is averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. She owns 55 blocks on the year and needs just five more to become the first player in NU history to record 60 or more blocks twice in her career.
Nebraska Nuggets: Team Notes
Sorry about the gap in coverage, but here's some good stuff from the homeland including notice of a special event tomorrow (Wednesday) when Huskers.com will provide live coverage of the Huskers Signing Day.
The Husker Round Ball teams are also playing big games tomorrow night (see info below).
Enjoy!
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
P.S. Don't forget to sign up for our chapter Founders' Day event on Sunday February 24th. See http://www.bayareahuskers.org/ for more details and the registration form.
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LIVE SIGNING DAY COVERAGE...
Gearing up for National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 6, Huskers.com will provide free, live video and audio of Head Coach Bo Pelini's 12 p.m. (Pacific time) press conference to announce his first signing class. Below is a schedule of what to expect on Signing Day.
Prior to Signing Day Press Conference
Tables below will be updated with the list & biographies of all players whose Letters of Intent were received by Noon.
Signing Day Press Conference
Watch the press conference LIVE
Listen to the press conference LIVE
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ESPN Early Top 25 Ranking...(nope, the Huskers aren't on the list...YET!)...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3186264
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RESERVED TICKETS FOR THE SPRING GAME AVAILABLE TOMORROW...
The University of Nebraska has announced that tickets to the April 19 Red-White Spring Football Game will go on sale on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 6 a.m. (Pacific Time) Tickets will be available at Huskers.com and can also be purchased by contacting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8BIG RED. Kickoff for the Red-White Spring Game has been set for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
This season, in a change from recent years, reserved tickets for the spring game will be available. Approximately 25,000 reserved seats in the East and West Stadiums will be available at a cost of $10 per ticket.
In addition to the reserved tickets, fans may also purchase general admission tickets at the cost of $8 for adults and $4 for youth (high school age and younger) and seniors. Children under age six, as well as UNL students, faculty and staff (with ID) will be admitted for free. Children (junior high or younger) wishing to take the Drug Free Pledge at halftime will also be admitted for free. General admission seating will be in the North and South stadiums.
All fans wishing to attend the Red-White game are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance to avoid long lines at ticket booths and will-call windows on game day. Nebraska has averaged nearly 60,000 fans for its spring game over the past four seasons and Memorial Stadium will be at full capacity (81,067) for this year’s Red-White contest.
Nebraska Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations Jeff Jamrog said the goal is to better the record 63,417 fans that attended the 2005 game.
“Nebraska is known nationally for its tradition of selling out football games and I know Coach Pelini wants that to include the spring game,” Jamrog said. “Hopefully, our fans will take the chance to spend a great day in Lincoln and get a preview of their 2008 Huskers.”
In addition to expecting a large crowd in the stadium, Nebraska will also be hosting its Junior Day in conjunction with the spring game with prospects from around the country expected to be on campus.
The Nebraska baseball team will also be in town on April 19, playing host Kansas at Hawks Field later in the afternoon. Information on additional events surrounding the Red-White Spring Game will be announced in the coming weeks on Huskers.com.
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DOBSON NAMED NEBRASKA HEAD FOOTBALL STRENGTH COACH...
Nebraska Football Coach Bo Pelini announced Tuesday that James Dobson has been hired as the Huskers’ Head Football Strength Coach. Dobson is regarded as one of the top young strength coaches in the country after spending the past nine years as an assistant strength coach at the University of Iowa.
Dobson will oversee all aspects of the Huskers’ strength and conditioning efforts for football, including the winter conditioning program, summer workouts and in-season strength training. Nebraska will begin its winter conditioning program under Dobson’s direction on Jan. 21.
Dobson has been a part of the Hawkeye football program during one of the most successful periods in school history. Iowa appeared in bowl games in six of the past seven seasons and won 38 games from 2002 to 2005. Iowa won 25 Big Ten games in that same period, including Big Ten titles in both 2002 and 2004.
With the Hawkeye program, Dobson worked under Chris Doyle, who is regarded as one of the nation’s top strength coaches. Top pupils Dobson has worked with include safety Bob Sanders, tight end Dallas Clark, offensive tackle Robert Gallery and linebacker Chad Greenway.
Sanders earned All-America honors at Iowa in 2003, and was the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Indianapolis Colts. Clark began his Hawkeye career as a walk-on linebacker, but moved to tight end and went on to earn All-America honors in 2002, before being a first-round draft pick. Gallery came to Iowa as a 240-pound tight end, and through the strength program, he left as a 320-pound offensive tackle, won the 2003 Outland Trophy and was the second overall selection in the 2004 draft. Greenway earned All-America honors as a senior in 2005, and was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2006.
In addition to his experience at Iowa, Dobson worked for two years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Southern Methodist, working with the football, volleyball and basketball teams.
Dobson attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked as a student assistant with the Badger football team for three seasons. He earned his B.S. degree in kinesiology from Wisconsin in 1996, and his masters of science and administration degree from Central Michigan in 2004.
A certified strength and conditioning specialist and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Dobson is a native of Mt. Horeb, Wis. He and his wife, Rebecca, have a son, Colton, and a daughter, Elise.
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BECK NAMES HUSKER RUNNING BACKS COACH...
Nebraska Head Football Coach Bo Pelini has announced that Tim Beck will serve as the Huskers’ running backs coach. Beck joined the Huskers on Monday after completing his third season as an assistant coach at Kansas in the Orange Bowl last Thursday.
Beck is the final full-time assistant to be named to the Nebraska staff, as Pelini announced the other eight members of his coaching staff in mid-December. Like the other members of Nebraska’s new staff, Beck has prior experience coaching in the Big 12 Conference.
Beck helped Kansas to its best season in school history with a 12-1 record in 2007, capped by a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl. In each of his three seasons on Mark Mangino’s staff, Beck served as the Jayhawks’ receivers coach, and he added the title of pass game coordinator in 2007.
In 2007, Beck helped engineer one of the nation’s most potent offenses as Kansas ranked second nationally in scoring offense (42.8 ppg), eighth in total offense (479.8 ypg) and 17th in passing offense (291.0 ypg). KU senior receiver Marcus Henry caught 54 passes for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns to earn All-Big 12 honors, while three other Jayhawks caught more than 40 passes each.
Before joining the Kansas staff, Beck was one of the most respected high school coaches in the state of Texas, serving three seasons at Summit High in Mansfield. He was the 2003 District Coach of the Year after leading Summit to its first-ever playoff appearance and district championship. Beck also served as the head coach at R.L. Turner High in Carrollton, Texas, from 1999 to 2001.
He also had a successful run as the head coach at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., from 1993 to 1995. Among the standouts Beck coached at Saguaro High was former Nebraska All-America safety Mike Brown.
In addition to Kansas, Beck’s collegiate experience includes three seasons at Missouri State (1996-98), two seasons as a graduate assistant at Kansas State (1991-92) and one season at Illinois State (1990).
Beck is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High, the same high school that Bo and Carl Pelini attended. Beck played college football at Central Florida.
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HUSKER BASKETBALL TEAM HEADS TO MANHATTAN TO FACE RANKED WILDCATS...
+ Game Information
Game: Game 20
Game Time: 7:07 p.m. CST
Game Date: Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008
Release Date: Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008
Television: FSN Midwest/ESPN FullCourt (Greg Sharpe, play-by-play; Matt Davison, color)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Kent Pavelka, play-by-play; Andy Markowski, color)
Internet: Huskers.com (live radio, stats)
Satellite Radio: Kansas State broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 125
Venue: Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
+ Nebraska Takes on Wildcats in Manhattan
The Nebraska men's basketball team will make its third road trip in 12 days as it travels to Manhattan, Kan., to take on No. 20/24 (AP/Coaches) Kansas State on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Aiming for their second straight Big 12 Conference road victory after defeating Missouri in Columbia, Mo., last week, the Cornhuskers will tip off against the Wildcats at 7:07 p.m. on Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The mid-week contest will be telecast on FSN Midwest with Greg Sharpe calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The NU telecast will be distributed only in the state of Nebraska, per Big 12 Conference rules. KSU's telecast will also air on FSN Midwest in the state of Kansas. A new agreement this year will allow Nebraska's telecasts on FSN Midwest to also be seen around the nation on ESPN FullCourt. Check listings for the channel assignment on FSN Midwest and ESPN FullCourt.
The Nebraska-Iowa State contest can be heard live on the radio on the Husker Sports Network, consisting of 30 stations around Nebraska and Iowa that provide coverage of Nebraska athletic events. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka will call the action while former Husker Andy Markowski adds color commentary. The broadcast will be carried around the world live on the Internet on Huskers.com.
NU men's basketball games can typically also be heard on satellite radio. This week, however, Kansas State's broadcast will be the only one heard on Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 125.
Nebraska will be looking for its third straight win in conference action. With a victory, the Huskers would pull within a game of .500 in the league standings after starting the season 0-4, including a pair of losses to top-5 Kansas. The last time the Huskers won three straight games in league play was 2005-06 with victories over Missouri, Oklahoma State and Baylor.
The Huskers will also be searching for their second straight road win after defeating Missouri last week in Columbia, Mo., by a 66-62 margin. Nebraska won consecutive road games last year with victories over Missouri and Texas Tech, the first time since posting victories at Colorado and No. 24 Kansas in 1999.
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HUSKER LADIES TIP OFF BIG 12 SECOND HALF AT COLORADO...
Senior forward Danielle Page leads the Huskers to her home state of Colorado to battle the Buffaloes on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-6, 5-3)
at Colorado Buffaloes (13-8, 2-6)
Coors Events Center (11,064) • Boulder, Colo.
Wednesday, Feb. 6 • 9 p.m. CST
Television: FSN Rocky Mountain
(DirecTV Ch. 645, DISH Ch. 414, Time Warner Cable Ch. 302)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
(98.1 FM-KFGE, Lincoln, 1110 AM-KFAB)
Live Internet Audio: Huskers.com (free)
Huskers Tip Off Second Half of Big 12 Season at Colorado
The Nebraska women’s basketball team starts the second half of the Big 12 Conference season by traveling to Boulder to take on Colorado on Wednesday night. Tip-off with the Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center is scheduled for 9 p.m., with live television coverage provided by FSN Rocky Mountain. The game can be seen on DirecTV Ch. 645 and DISH Network Channel 414 along with Time Warner Cable Channel 302 in Lincoln. Live radio coverage on the Husker Sports Network will provided by 98.1 FM-KFGE in Lincoln and 1110 AM-KFAB in Omaha. KFAB will join the game in progress following the conclusion of the Husker men’s game at Kansas State.
The Huskers head to Colorado after a thrilling 73-67 comeback win at Missouri on Sunday. Nebraska trailed by 14 points with 8:30 left and by 10 points with 5:30 remaining before storming to the six-point win. Junior Kelsey Griffin scored 17 of her season-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Husker comeback, including 15 points in the final 12 minutes. The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, averaged 21.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game last week to earn Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors on Feb. 4. Griffin leads the Huskers in Big 12 play with 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game despite playing with a cracked rib.
Nebraska’s late-game turnaround at Missouri was nearly astonishing. The Huskers hit just 12-of-42 shots to open the game, before hitting 12 of their final 13 shots from the field to close the contest. NU scored on 19 of its 20 possessions to close the game, scoring 39 points in the final 12 minutes, after managing just 34 points in the first 28 minutes.
Sophomore guard Yvonne Turner played a big role in the NU turnaround at Missouri, scoring all nine of her points in the second half, including eight in the final 4:09. Turner has led Nebraska defensively on the perimeter throughout the season, leading the Big 12 in conference play with 2.88 steals per game.
Senior forward Danielle Page is also enjoying her best season at Nebraska. The 6-2 native of Monument, Colo., is averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. She owns 55 blocks on the year and needs just five more to become the first player in NU history to record 60 or more blocks twice in her career.
Nebraska Nuggets: Team Notes
- NU enters the week at No. 20 in the CollegeRPI.com power rankings. The Huskers own six wins over top-50 RPI teams and all six of NU’s losses have come against top-40 RPI foes. NU is one of nine Big 12 teams in the top 50, and 11 Big 12 teams are ranked among the RPI’s top 100 with only No. 113 Missouri outside the century club. The Big 12 is the best conference in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com.
- Nebraska’s No. 14 RPI entering the week of Jan. 28 is the highest the Huskers have ever been rated outside of the non-conference season. Early this year, NU spent a few days as the No. 1 RPI team in the country.
- The Huskers’ Strength of Schedule comes in at No. 16 according to CollegeRPI.com. The Huskers are 6-6 so far this year against Top 50 RPI clubs, and have played the best home schedule in school history. NU has hosted traditional NCAA powers Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Mississippi, Florida, Kansas State and Kansas already this year. The Huskers opened the season at home against UTEP, which is 17-2 this season. The Miners’ only other loss this year came by single digits at Kansas State. UTEP entered the week at No. 24 in the CollegeRPI.com rankings.
- The Huskers headed into the second half of Big 12 Conference play with a 16-6 overall record and a 5-3 league mark. It marked the fifth straight season that NU hit the turn in league play with a .500 or better record. Nebraska was 6-2 through the first eight games last year before finishing a tie for fourth with a 10-6 conference mark.
Nebraska's 82-72 win over Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum ended a 10-year losing streak to the Cyclones in Ames. NU's last win had come on Jan. 30, 1997, in Angela Beck's final year as the Husker head coach. - NU set a school record with 11 three-pointers in the win at Iowa State. The Huskers have hit 10 or more three-pointers on five occasions against the Cyclones.
- Nebraska's 45 points allowed in a 56-45 win over No. 15 Texas were the fewest scored by a top-25 opponent in school history against the Huskers.
- The Huskers' win at Missouri was their fifth straight over the Tigers in Columbia. It also marked Nebraska's largest comeback victory of the season. NU trailed by 14 points with 8:30 left in the contest, before winning 73-67.
- Nebraska is leading the Big 12 in conference games only by hitting 79.6 percent of its free throw attempts. Entering league play, NU ranked 11th in the league at 59.9 percent, ahead of only Oklahoma. The Sooners are ranked second in Big 12 games only at 75.4 percent.
- Nebraska (30-32) and Kansas (7-8) combined to hit 37-of-40 free throws on Jan. 12. The 92.5 percent free throw shooting was the best combined mark by both teams in Husker history, surpassing a 34-of-37 effort (91.9 percent) between Nebraska (18-19) and Oklahoma (16-18) in the Sooners’ 91-69 win at the Lloyd Noble Center on Feb. 5, 2000.
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KROPP RETURNS TO OMAHA WITH AVP "HOT WINTER NIGHTS" TOUR...
Former Husker All-American Jenny Kropp is now on the AVP Tour.
Lincoln – Nebraska volleyball fans will have an opportunity to see one of their former standouts in action next Thursday night in Omaha, as the AVP Tour brings its "Crocs Hot Winter Nights" Tour to Omaha.
The 19-city tour stops at the Qwest Center next Thursday night, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., and tickets for the event are available for purchase at Ticketmaster outlets and at Ticketmaster.com. The tour, which began in Oklahoma City last month and continues throughout February, replicates a beach tournament environment, complete with sand, music and all of the trapping of beach volleyball.
Jenny Kropp was chosen as the AVP’s Crocs Rookie of the Year in 2007, posting three top-10 finishes, including a third-place finish in Chicago where her and her partner Jen Pavley upset four top-10 teams to reach the semifinals. Kropp appeared in 13 events and finished third on the tour in blocks at 1.15 per game.
Strong blocking was Kropp’s forte during her college career as a Husker. The Grand Island, Neb., native still ranks in the top-10 on Nebraska’s career lists for both blocks (544, seventh) and block assists (484, fifth). Kropp earned second-team All-America honors as a senior, averaging 2.45 kills per game on .371 hitting and 1.73 blocks per game. Kropp was a two-time AVCA All-Central Region pick and led the Huskers to an undefeated record and a national title in 2000. Following graduation from NU, she played professionally in Puerto Rico for two seasons.
Four men and four women compete in Omaha including three-time Olympian Holly McPeak, Angie Akers and Angela Lews. The men’s tournament features AVP stars Matt Fuerbringer, Jake Gibb, Casey Jennings and Sean Rosenthal.
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TTRAULT, SCHMIDT FACE TOP GYMNASTS AT WINTER CUP...
Senior Stephen Ttrault will be participating in his fourth consecutive Winter Cup. He has earned a bid every year since his freshman season.
Nebraska All-Americans Stephen Ttrault and T.J. Schmidt will get a chance to go up against some of the nation’s top gymnasts at the 2008 Winter Cup in Las Vegas. The two Nebraska natives earned spots at the invitation-only, three-day event, which begins on Thursday, Feb. 7. Two sessions of preliminary action begin at 2 p.m central at the Las Vegas Sports Center and the meet concludes on Saturday, Feb. 9, with finals starting at 8:30 p.m.
Approximately 84 gymnasts will attend the 2008 Winter Cup. Each participant received invitations to the meet either through a qualifying finish at a 2007 national event or by submitting a video to a panel of judges. The field is separated into two sessions of 42 participants each on Thursday, of which those gymnasts who finish in the top three on any given event or those who receive a qualifying score will advance to the finals on Saturday. Friday is set aside as a finalist training day.
The Winter Cup is used to select seven members for the U.S. National Team, including the top four finishers from the meet as well as three additional athletes as selected by the Men’s Program Committee.
Both Ttrault and Schmidt will begin the meet on the parallel bars in Session 1, which will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Joining the Huskers is a large group of Michigan Woverines, including Thomas Kelley, Joe Catrambone, Ralph Rosso, Ed Umphrey and Mel Anton Santander. The groups will follow Olympic order from their starting event.
The two Huskers have had vast experience at the Winter Cup, as Ttrault has attended the event every season since his freshman year and Schmidt received an invitation during his sophomore season.
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HUSKER GYMNASTS FALL TO SOONERS IN OKLAHOMA...
Norman, Okla. – The No. 10 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team scored a team mark of 327.75 in front of 1,238 fans at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners on Friday night. Despite strong team and event scores, NU’s performance wasn’t quite enough to prevail over OU, which posted a score of 355.55 for the win.
"We're doing much better just look at our scores," Nebraska Head Coach Francis Allen said. "We're starting to get a little team momentum built up, but we just have to have more meets. We want to be in a position to beat both Iowa and Minnesota so we can be in the top six"
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NU FINISHES THIRD AT STANFORD GYMNASTICS OPEN...
Palo Alto, Calif.-The No. 14 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team finished third at the Stanford Open in front of a blaring crowd at the Burnham Pavilion on Saturday night. The Huskers scored a 333.85 on the night, while Stanford notched a 361.35 for top honors and California scored a 357.90 for second place. NU fell to a 0-6 all-time record against the Cardinal and a 1-4 all-time record against the Golden Bears.
With Stanford and Cal’s athletes in full force, Nebraska was unable to crack the top three in any event. However, several gymnastics earned career-high scores on the night.
“We did some really good things, but we missed 60 percent of our routines,” Nebraska Coach Francis Allen said. “That’s killing us right now. We started off good today, but in our last three events we couldn’t seem to finish. We are seeing some bright spots here and there.”
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HUSKERS TAKE THIRD AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN GYMNASTICS OPEN...
Colorado Springs, Colo. – The No. 10 Nebraska men's gymnastics team opened its 2008 season by earning a third-place finish with a score of 331.20 at the Rocky Mountain Open on Saturday night.
The U.S. Olympic Training Center won the six-team competition with a score of 347.90, while No. 3 Oklahoma placed second with a score of 343.55. Air Force managed a fourth-place showing (323.20), while Arizona State took fifth (305.85) and Washington settled for sixth (194.10).
"This was our first meet and we made little mistakes and errors,” Nebraska Coach Francis Allen said. “Once we get these first meet jitters out of our system we’ll be fine. We need to go home and clean up those little areas and we have the potential to be a great team.”
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ESPN TABS HUSKER SOFTBALL TEAM AS WORLD SERIES CONTENDER...
Coach Revelle's 2008 Huskers feature no seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen.
As part of its softball season preview, Graham Hays of ESPN.com featured Head Coach Rhonda Revelle and the 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers as a candidate to make it to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Hays cited Revelle's proven coaching success, as well as promising hitters Crystal Carwile and Amanda Duran and returning Big 12 ERA Champion Molly Hill as reasons why the Huskers may end the season at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. Revelle is seeing her team gain some favorable preseason expectations, despite the fact that Nebraska features one of the youngest squads in school history this season. The Huskers will rely heavily on eight newcomers to produce this season, while the roster does not include a single senior for the first time in the 33-year history of the program.
Below is an excerpt from Hays' column, entitled Cinderellas-in-waiting, pitchers on the rise and other preseason questions:
The University of Nebraska brought back one legend in an attempt to recapture the glory of bygone years on the gridiron when the school tabbed Tom Osborne to take over as athletic director. Luckily for softball fans in Lincoln, that program's championship aspirations have more to do with the present than the past in large part because coach Rhonda Revelle never left.
A player on the Nebraska team that went to the first Women's College World Series in 1982 -- one of seven all-time appearances for the Cornhuskers -- Revelle has run the show from the bench for the last 15 seasons. She took her team to Oklahoma City as recently as 2002 and while they aren't likely to open the season with the same fanfare as Big 12 rivals like Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Baylor, the Cornhuskers may have what it takes to outlast almost anyone.
For more of Hays' complete feature and season preview, visit ESPN.com by clicking here.
Nebraska, which is receiving votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, opens its season one week from Friday with a pair of games at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
TEAM PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN BIG 12...
The Nebraska softball team was picked to finish sixth in the 2008 Big 12 preseason coaches poll, the conference announced on Thursday, Jan. 17.
Texas A&M was the preseason favorite to win the league for the third straight year. Oklahoma was picked second, while Baylor received two first-place votes and came in at No. 3. Missouri and Texas rounded out the top five.
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ASSISTANT VOLLEYBALL COACH MAES NAMED HEAD COACH AT VIRGINIA...
Lincoln – University of Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook confirmed Monday afternoon that head assistant coach Lee Maes is leaving the Husker program to become the head coach at the University of Virginia.
Maes spent three seasons on the Husker staff, handing player training and opponent scouting and working extensively with the middle blockers while serving as the Huskers' recruiting coordinator. In his three seasons at Nebraska, Maes' teaching was evident, as the Huskers went 96-5 with three Big 12 titles and two appearances in the NCAA Championship match. He helped develop 13 AVCA All-Americans in his time at Nebraska, including national players of the year Christina Houghtelling (2005) and Sarah Pavan (2006).
Cook said that Maes has played a vital role in Nebraska’s success over the last three years, highlighted by helping the Huskers win the school’s third NCAA title.
“Since Lee’s arrival, Nebraska has been on an incredible run over the last three years,” Cook said. “We are thankful for his hard work and effort and helping Nebraska volleyball reach the next level. One of Lee’s long-range goals was to become a head coach, and Virginia presented a great opportunity for him. They are very lucky to have him as their head coach, and it shows the commitment that Virginia is making to become a successful program.”
Cook said that a national search is underway.
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