Lincoln - Eight Nebraska baseball players
earned All-Big Ten honors on Tuesday, including shortstop Chad Christensen, outfielder
Rich Sanguinetti and designated hitter Michael Pritchard, who all earned
first-team honors. Cory Burleson was also honored as the team's Sportsmanship
Award Honoree.
Junior third
baseman Josh Scheffert was the Huskers' lone second-team pick, while first baseman
Richard Stock, second baseman Pat Kelly and starting pitcher Kyle Kubat were
all third-team selections. Kelly and Kubat were also named to the All-Big Ten
Freshman team, along with outfielder Austin Darby.
Christensen
has been an offensive leader for the Huskers this year, as the junior leads the
team in both home runs (9) and RBI's (46). He was one of just two shortstops in
the league to hit over .300 on the season with a .322 average. Christensen led
all shortstops in average (.322), home runs (9), RBI's (45), runs (46) and
total bases (109). No other shortstop in the league had more than four home
runs or 32 RBI's.
One of the
top outfielders in the Big Ten, Sanguinetti had just one error the entire
conference season and led all outfielders in RBI's in league play with 21. A
junior college transfer from Texarkana Community College, Sanguinetti stepped into
the Husker line up and hit .319 on the season, while ranking second on the team
in RBI's with 43 and leading the Huskers in sacrifice bunts with 14.
Pritchard has
had one of the most memorable regular seasons for a NU batter in recent memory.
The sophomore from Omaha, Neb., rattled off a 25-game hitting streak in 2012
that ranks as the third-longest streak at NU since 1958. Overall, Pritchard led
all hitters on the season with a .379 average and was sixth in the league in hits
with 75. Among designated hitters, no other designated hitter in the league had
more than 50 hits on the year and Pritchard's 10 doubles were the most among
other designated hitters. During conference play, he hit .333 with 32 hits and
scored 22 runs.
After
struggling as a sophomore in 2011, Scheffert changed his approach at the plate
and saw great rewards. Overall, the Lincoln native hit .349 with 11 doubles,
eight home runs and 39 RBI's. He also flashed one of best gloves on the team
with just four errors on the season, including only one error during Big Ten
play. Among other Big Ten third basemen, Scheffert ranked second with a .350
average to Purdue's Cameron Perkins, who hit .356. Scheffert tied for the lead
in home runs during conference play with five and his 23 RBI's were a league
high.
Stock joined
the Huskers from Pierce College in Los Angeles, Calif., after spending his
freshman season at Southern Cal. Projected as a catcher, Stock became the
Huskers' everyday first baseman and turned into one of NU's top hitters. The
junior lead all Big Ten players in hits during conference play with 39 and was
third in the league in batting average with a .386 average. Among Big Ten first
baseman, Stock tied for third in average (.348), was second in doubles (17),
tied for first in triples (3) and was third in RBI's (40). Entering the
conference tournament, he is riding an 18-game hitting streak.
Kelly put
together one of the top freshman seasons in recent history at Nebraska in 2012.
Slated as the team's starting shortstop going in the season, Kelly has bothered
early by a hamstring injury and became the Huskers' everyday second baseman.
The Red Wing, Minn., native has hit eight home runs on the year, which is the
most for Husker freshman since Matt Hopper
hit 21 in 2000. During Big Ten play, Kelly was one of just two second baseman
to hit a home run, as Michigan State's Ryan Jones was the other with one homer.
Against Big Ten competition, Kelly hit .310 with three doubles, one triples,
five home runs and 19 RBI's. He was also solid with the glove with just two
errors during Big Ten play.
Kubat was
one of nine starting pitchers to earn All-Big Ten honors on Tuesday. He joined
the starting rotation for the final three weeks of the Big Ten season and
changed the Huskers' season. The Waterloo, Neb., native went 3-0 in his three
starters, with all three wins coming in series openers. Kubat was 5-0 on the
year for NU in seven starts, including a 4-0 record in Big Ten play, as he also
picked up a win out of the bullpen. During league play, Kubat led all starting
pitchers with a 1.57 ERA and his seven strikeouts against Indiana are the most
for a Husker in a single game this season.
Darby became
a regular for the Huskers in right field late in the season and helped the team
earn a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. He hit .354 during conference play and
had a .396 on-base percentage. Overall, Darby hit .336 with two homers and 13
RBI's, while also going a perfect 7-for-7 in steal attempts.
Rounding out
the group of Husker honorees was Burleson, who earned a Big Ten Sportsmanship
Award. On the field, Burleson was solid behind the plate with 18 runners thrown
out in 35 attempts. At the plate he posted career highs in hits (34), runs (24)
and RBI's (22). A four-year letterman, he recently earned his degree in
finance.
The Huskers
open postseason play tomorrow at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, when they
take on the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the Big Ten
Tournament at 11:05 a.m. The game will be shown live on the Big Ten Network,
while Greg Shapr and Lane Grindle will have the call on the Husker Sports
Network.
