Season Record (13-4, 0-0 Big 12)
National Rankings (18/20/17/- - as of March 22)

This Week in Husker Baseball
Tues. (March 23) at Creighton (8-8) Omaha, Neb. (CU Sports Complex) 3 p.m.
Fri. (March 26) vs. Kansas (21-9-1) Hawks Field 2:05 p.m.
Sat. (March 27) vs. Kansas Hawks Field 2:05 p.m.
Sun. (March 28) vs. Kansas Hawks Field 1:05 p.m.
Note: All rankings are listed as follows: Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America/Sports Weekly-ESPN Coaches/NCBWA

Pitching Matchups
Tues. - NU (Justin Pekarek, Sr., LHP, 2-0, 6.05 ERA) vs. CU (Eric Wordekemper, RHP, 0-2, 9.00 ERA)
Fri. - NU (Zach Kroenke, So., LHP, 3-0, 2.48 ERA) vs. KU (Ryan Knippschild, LHP, 5-2, 3.96 ERA)
Sat. - NU (Quinton Robertson, Sr., RHP, 1-3, 4.94 ERA) vs. KU (Clint Schambach, RHP, 2-0, 3.90 ERA)
Sun. - NU (Phil Shirek, Jr., RHP, 3-0, 1.45 ERA) vs. KU (Mike Zagurski, LHP, 3-0, 3.34 ERA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (all four games)
TV: None
Live Stats: Huskers.com

Internet Video Streaming: All four games this week will be video streamed live on HuskersNside, which is a subscription-based service of the Nebraska Athletic Department. Nearly every 2004 Husker baseball game will be shown live on HuskersNside. For more information on how to subscribe, log on to Huskers.com.

Huskers Head to Omaha to take on Creighton
Lincoln -- After completing a five-game homestand, the Huskers will make their shortest trek of the season on Tuesday, traveling to Omaha for a matchup with the Creighton Bluejays. First pitch at the CU Sports Complex for the 95th meeting between the Cornhuskers and Bluejays is slated for 3 p.m. The game will be carried throughout Nebraska on the Pinnacle Sports Network, while live stats will be available at Huskers.com.

Both teams come into the matchup playing their best ball of the early season. The Huskers, who climbed to as high as 17th (Sports Weekly/ESPN) in the national polls on Monday, are 13-4 and winners of six straight after sweeping Boston College last weekend. NU has won eight of its last nine games and has used a pitching staff that has been dominant in that span, posting a 2.04 ERA in that stretch.

The Huskers will be tested against a Creighton squad that is 8-8 on the year, but has won five of its last six games, including 2-of-3 at then No. 21 Oklahoma two weeks ago. The Bluejays have scored 49 runs over their last three games, including a 26-run outburst against Winona State on Saturday.

Nebraska has enjoyed the upper hand over the Bluejays in recent years, winning 10 of the past 12 meetings, including a series sweep last season. Creighton’s last win in the series came in an 8-3 win over the then-No. 12 Huskers on April 9, 2002, NU’s last visit to the CU Sports Complex. Nebraska, which holds a 54-38-2 lead in the all-time series, will be shooting for its sixth straight win in the series.

For both teams, Tuesday’s matchup is their final tune-up for conference play. The Huskers will host Kansas (21-9-1) in a three-game set at Hawks Field beginning Friday afternoon, while Creighton opens up MVC play at Southwest Missouri State this weekend.

Leading Off
• - Nebraska has been nearly flawless in the field, committing one error over the last six games for a .996 fielding percentage. NU currently has a streak of 40.2 innings without an error, lifting its season fielding total to a season-high .974. The last time NU went five straight games without an error was last May 16-22.

• - Nebraska has gotten off to quick starts, scoring at least one run in the first inning of 12 of its first 17 games. In fact, NU is outscoring opponents 27-5 in the opening frame and 72-17 over the first three innings. The Huskers have also been able to close games out, outscoring opponents 41-19 from the seventh inning on.

• - Another key to the Husker attack has been getting the leadoff hitter on base every inning. This season, NU has had its leadoff hitter reach safely nearly 50 percent of the time (74-of-151).

• - Nebraska’s bullpen was nearly perfect in the sweep of Boston College, tossing 11.1 innings of shutout ball and holding the Eagles to a .139 average. The six Husker relievers also combined for eight strikeouts without issuing a walk.

• - Nebraska is 63-11 (.851) since moving into Hawks Field at the start of the 2002 season.

• - With this week’s ranking in the national polls, the Huskers have now been ranked in each of the past 74 polls, dating back to April of 2000.

• - With last Wednesday’s win over Western Illinois, Nebraska has now won 26 straight home openers, dating back to the 1979 season.

• - Nebraska has been able to successfully manufacture runs during the early part of the season. The Huskers are second in the Big 12 with 30 sacrifice bunts, trailing Texas’ total of 39 (through 29 games). NU’s total in 17 games is more than half the entire season total of the 2001 (48) and 2002 (49) team totals.

Second baseman Jake Mullinax has been one of NU’s main catalysts, with a team-high 10 sacrifices. Mullinax, who is also among the Big 12 leaders with a .379 average, is only seven sacrifice hits behind the school mark of 17 set by Joe Simokaitis in 2003.

NU’s five sacrifices against New Mexico on Feb. 20, marked the first time any NCAA team had at least five sacrifices in a game since the 2001 season. Last weekend, both Nebraska and Texas accomplished the feat in a three-day span. Only two teams have ever recorded 100 sacrifice hits in a season, with the last being Texas’ NCAA record of 126 set in 2000.

Scouting Creighton
Under first-year coach Ed Servais, the Bluejays got off to slow start before making a strong turnaround over the past two weeks. The ‘Jays are 8-8 on the year and have won three straight entering Tuesday’s game. Outfielder Zach Daeges leads the Bluejays in hitting with a .404 average, two homers and a team-high 15 RBIs. Second baseman Tony Roth is also hitting .400 with a homer and eight RBIs. Tuesday’s starter Eric Wordekemper is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, but has struck out 17 in 20 innings of work. The sophomore has allowed 32 hits, while opponents are hitting .381.  The Bluejay roster features a trio of former Huskers in sophomore infielder Chase Odenreider (.276-0-9), outfielder Matt Daeges (.250-1-4) and pitcher Adrian Rider (0-0, 3.38 ERA).

Last Time Out
The Huskers completed a 5-0 homestand by sweeping Boston College over the weekend. The Huskers sandwiched a pair of 10-1 wins around a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.

Friday (Nebraska 10, Boston College 1) -- Zach Kroenke scattered three hits over 7.1 innings, as Nebraska topped Boston College, 10-1 in the series opener. The sophomore fanned eight - the second-highest total of his career - and took a shutout into the eighth for his first victory since Feb. 27. Daniel Bruce went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Huskers’ 11-hit attack, while Colin Shockey was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored, as Nebraska jumped out to an 8-0 lead after three innings. Six different Huskers drove in at least one run, including Al Smith, who belted his first career homer – a solo shot to center - in the third.

Saturday (Nebraska 3, Boston College 2) -- Beau Sullivan’s 10th-inning RBI single broke a 2-all tie, as Nebraska rallied for a 3-2 win over Boston College on Saturday. The Huskers trailed 2-1 after eight innings before tying the game on Joe Simokaitis’ RBI single off BC ace Chris Lambert in the ninth scored Chad Steele, who opened the inning with a double and moved to third on Braden Keith’s bunt single. Sullivan then gave NU its second extra-inning win with a one-out RBI single in the 10th off Eagle reliever Mike Gauthier. The Huskers received an outstanding relief performance from Tim Schoeninger, who tossed 6.2 innings of shutout relief for his second win of the year. Schoeninger got the Huskers out of a two-on, one-out situation in the fourth and then allowed only one BC runner into scoring position the rest of the way.

Sunday (Nebraska 10, Boston College 1) – Alex Gordon and Joe Simokaitis drove in four runs each, as Nebraska completed the weekend sweep of Boston College with a 10-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field. Gordon went 2-for-3 while his three-run homer in the third inning broke a 1-all tie, as the Huskers won their sixth straight game and improved to 13-4 on the season. Simokaitis had three hits and set a career high with four RBIs, including a two-run double in the third, as NU scored five runs off Eagle starter Matt O’Donnell. The early offensive output was more than enough for Phil Shirek and three relievers who combined on a four hitter. Shirek, improved to 3-0, allowed one run on six hits over six innings, while Jeremy Becker, Dustin Timm and Mike Sillman each worked a perfect inning of relief to complete the win.