This Week in Husker Baseball

Season Record (33-16, 10-11 Big 12)
National Rankings (--/--/23 - as of May 10)
Tues. (May 11) Northern Iowa Hawks Field W, 15-6
Wed. (May 12) Northern Iowa Hawks Field W, 5-2
Fri. (May 14) Baylor (23-25, 10-9 Big 12) Waco, Texas 7 p.m.
Sat. (May 15) Baylor Waco, Texas 7 p.m.
Sun. (May 16) Baylor Waco, Texas 1 p.m.
Note: All rankings are listed as follows: Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America/Sports Weekly-ESPN Coaches

Pitching Matchups
Fri. - NU (Zach Kroenke, So., LHP, 7-2, 2.95 ERA) vs. BU (Sean Walker, Jr., RHP, 3-5, 3.79 ERA)
Sat. - NU (Phil Shirek, Jr., RHP, 5-1, 3.33 ERA) vs. BU (Trey Taylor, Jr., LHP, 5-3, 3.22 ERA)
Sun. - NU (TBA) vs. BU (Mark McCormick, So., RHP, 2-3, 2.87 ERA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network
TV: None
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Internet Video Streaming: Every remaining regular-season game will be video streamed live on HuskersNside, which is a subscription-based service of the Nebraska Athletic Department. For more information on how to subscribe, visit Huskers.com.

Huskers Travel to Baylor in Key Big 12 Matchup
One of the more intriguing series in the Big 12 takes place this weekend, as No. 23 Nebraska travels to Baylor for a three-game series at the Baylor Ballpark. The Huskers and Bears will face off in a pair of evening matchups on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (7 p.m.) before the series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.

All three games will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network with Jim Rose and Gary Sharp calling all of the action and on the Internet on Huskers.com. Live stats will be available on Huskers.com, while a live video stream is available on HuskersNside, as every remaining regular-season game will be carried live on the premium site.

Nebraska (33-16, 10-11 Big 12) heads to Waco riding a modest three-game winning streak after sweeping a pair of mid-week contests against Northern Iowa (15-6, 5-2) at Hawks Field. This weekend’s trip marks the Huskers’ final regular-season trip outside the state, as they look to make a late-season push before the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas, in two weeks.

Baylor comes into the weekend looking to shed a two-game losing streak after dropping single games to UT-Arlington (3-4) and Texas State (4-7) earlier in the week. The Bears are 23-25 overall, but are in sixth in the Big 12 with an 10-9 record, just ahead of Nebraska’s 10-11 league mark.

The Huskers and Bears have been two of the Big 12’s top programs in recent years, combining for three of the league’s past four regular-season titles (Nebraska in 2001 and 2003; Baylor in 2000) and each of the last six Big 12 Players of the Year, including former Huskers Matt Hopper (2003), Jed Morris (2002) and Shane Komine (2000). The Huskers and Bears have both made NCAA Regionals in each of the past five seasons, joining Texas as the only league schools to make that claim.

The Huskers are looking to turn their fortunes around in Waco, as NU has won just one in seven tries since the Big 12 was formed, a 15-4 win during the 2002 season. Five of the last six losses in Waco since 2000 have been by three runs or less, including a trio of one-run setbacks.

Saturday Time Change
Saturday’s game at Baylor has been moved from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to reduce conflict with Baylor’s graduation ceremonies also slated Saturday.

Bruce Named Academic All-District VII
Junior outfielder Daniel Bruce was honored on Thursday, as he was a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII selection. The Omaha, Neb., native is hitting .253 in 47 games with seven homers and 30 RBIs. In the classroom, he carries a 3.872 GPA in English and is bidding to become a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. Bruce is now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and looks to become NU’s ninth baseball Academic All-America since 1998.

Alex the Ironman
Third baseman Alex Gordon is the lone Husker to start all 49 games this season, and has been in the starting lineup the past 73 contests, dating back to April 23, 2003. This season, Gordon has played in 430.1 of Nebraska’s 434.1 innings, sitting out the final two innings of NU’s wins over Kent State (Feb. 22) and Boston College (March 21).

The Huskers’ Bruise Brothers
At first glance, the Huskers’ career hit-by pitch list looks very much like the 2004 lineup. Of the top 11 players on the all-time list (21 or more HBP), five are current players and a sixth is second-year volunteer assistant Brandt Vlieger NU hitters have been 87 times, 12 shy of the school and Big 12 record set in 2002.

• - With two weeks remaining in the regular season, sophomore third baseman Alex Gordon is looking to become the Big 12’s first triple crown (average, homers and RBIs) winner. Gordon is second in the league in hitting, homers and RBIs, as he is hitting .386 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs. The last conference player (Big Eight/SWC) to lead the league in all three categories in a single season was Oklahoma State’s Pete Incaviglia (.464-48-143) in 1985.

• - Throughout 2004, the Huskers have bolted to fast starts, outscoring opponents 54-23 in the opening inning of games and 144-63 over the first three innings.

• - One trait the 2004 Huskers have shown is the ability to win close games, as Nebraska’s six one-run wins not only equals the entire 2003 team’s total, but is the most since the 1998 season.

• - Gordon looks to extend Nebraska’s streak of Big 12 home run champions, as he is third in the league with 16 round trippers, two behind Travis Metcalf of Kansas for the league lead. A Husker has led the Big 12 in homers in each of the past four seasons, dating back to the 2000 season (Matt Hopper and Dan Johnson, 2000; Dan Johnson, 2001; Jed Morris, 2002; Matt Hopper, 2003).

While Gordon adds his legacy to an impressive list of Husker sluggers, he also looks to become the first Husker third baseman to earn first-team all-conference accolades since Derek Dukart in 1994. Gordon’s performance not only potentially puts him among the favorites for league honors, but also compares very favorably to NU’s last two Big 12 Players of the Year (Jed Morris in 2002 and Matt Hopper in 2003). In addition, Ken Harvey’s numbers from the 1999 season when he was Smith Award and Golden Spikes finalist are included below.

*- One of the strengths of the Huskers in 2004 has been the play of their defense. NU is second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally with a .975 fielding percentage, a pace that would break the school mark of .971 set in 1994 and 1995. The Huskers are 19-3 this season when they play errorless baseball. NU has had a pair of stretches of at least 45 innings without an error, including a 63.1 inning stretch in March - the longest stretch in over 20 years.

• - Shortstop Joe Simokaitis is rapidly climbing NU’s career fielding lists. With 443 assists entering the Baylor series, he needs eight more assists to move past Kurt Eubanks (450, 1981-85) for sole possession of fourth place on NU’s career list. Simokaitis has committed one error in his last 16 games, as he fielding at a .960 clip on the season.

• - The Huskers have scored five or more runs in an inning 11 times in 2004, spanning a total of 10 games, including five-run innings on Monday and Tuesday.

• - Fifth-year senior Justin Pekarek enjoyed a busy weekend, earning a diploma and his third win over a ranked opponent. Pekarek, a business management major who missed graduation ceremonies because of NU’s series at Oklahoma State, earned the win in Monday’s finale, tossing 4.1 shutout innings of relief. Pekarek, who had two career wins prior to this season, is 6-1 on the year and also enjoyed wins over No. 15 North Carolina, No. 1 Texas and is 6-1 on the season. He has not allowed a run in his last four appearances dating back to April 20.

• - In Tuesday’s win against Northern Iowa, pitcher Mike Sillman made his Husker debut in right field in the ninth inning, marking the first time since high school that the Omaha native has been used in the field.

• - The Huskers have been ranked in the national polls for the past 81 weeks, dating back to April of 2000.

• - Second baseman Jake Mullinax was chosen as the Husker Power Baseball Lifter of the Year prior to the May 2 game against Texas A&M. He was chosen by a vote of his teammates after lowering his body fat percentage from 19 percent to 10 percent and gaining seven pounds of mass. He also increased his vertical jump 2.5 inches and improved his Performance Index 215 points. Mullinax beat out finalists Alex Gordon, Zach Kroenke and Phil Shirek for the award.

Scouting Baylor
Baylor enters this weekend’s series with a 23-25 record (10-9 Big 12) after falling to Texas-Arlington, 4-3, on Tuesday and Texas State, 7-4, on Wednesday at home. Steve Smith (366-228-1 in 10 seasons) has led Baylor to six straight NCAA Regionals, including a Super Regional appearance last spring when they lost to LSU in three games.

Offensively, the Bears have six starters above .300, including Reid Brees, who is at .343 with 12 doubles. Michael Griffin tops BU in doubles (14), homers (eight) and RBIs (36), while Josh Ford also has eight homers and 29 RBIs. BU’s strength is pitching, where it us second in the Big 12 with a 3.24 ERA, and features a balanced staff with eight pitchers earning at least two wins. Trey Taylor is 5-3 with a 3.22 ERA, while Sean Walker is 3-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 73.2 innings.

Baylor holds a 20-14-1 edge in the all-time series that dates back to 1938, including a slim 12-10 edge since the beginning of the Big 12 in 1997. The home team has won the regular-season series in each of the past four seasons, as NU took 2-of-3 in Lincoln in 2003. in all, the teams split six meetings in 2003, as Baylor knocked off the Huskers with a pair of wins in the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.

Last Season vs. Baylor
May 16: (Nebraska 6, Baylor 2) - Aaron Marsden fired a complete-game six hitter, leading the Huskers to a 6-2 win in the series opener. The junior from Grand Forks, N.D., struck out a career-high 12 hitters, while tossing his fourth complete game of the year. Marsden held a Bear offense that was ranked ninth nationally in hitting to just six hits. Alex Gordon went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Jeff Leise had two hits and a pair of RBIs.

May 17: (Baylor 7, Nebraska 1) - Sean Walker allowed one run in six innings, while Baylor cruised to a 7-1 victory. Walker held NU to seven hits, as Bubbs Merrill’s RBI single in the second accounted for all of the Huskers’ scoring. NU finished with nine hits, including three by Joe Simokaitis and two by Matt Hopper, but could not capitalize, hitting into three double plays and stranding seven runners. Quinton Robertson allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings to take the loss for the first time in nine starts.

May 18: (Nebraska 7, Baylor 6) - Nebraska claimed its second Big 12 regular-season title with a 7-6 come-from-behind win. Alex Gordon’s bases loaded walk with two outs in the eighth inning scored Jake Mullinax with the winning run. Mullinax reached on third baseman Paul Witt’s throwing error to start the rally before walks to Jeff Leise and Matt Hopper loaded the bases. The Huskers, who trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the sixth, scored two runs when Joe Simokaitis’ ground ball went through Witt’s legs for an error with one out and runners on second and third to tie the score. NU scored seven runs on just six hits, as Matt Hopper was the only Husker to manage two hits, including his 18th homer of the season. Mike Sillman fired 1.2 shutout innings to pick up his first win of the year.

May 22 (Nebraska 9, Baylor 5) - Alex Gordon went 3-for-5 with four RBIs to lead the Huskers to a 9-5 win over Baylor in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. Gordon tied career bests in both hits and RBIs and delivered the game’s biggest hit, a two-run triple in the seventh off reliever Abe Woody. Gordon led the Huskers’ 10-hit effort, while NU got a strong start from Quinton Robertson, who allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings. Mike Sillman fanned the final two batters after the Bears loaded the bases in the ninth to pick up the save.

May 24 (Baylor 7, Nebraska 5) - The Huskers went 14 innings - their longest game in five years - but fell to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. Steve Hale and Mike Sillman turned in a heroic bullpen effort, holding BU to just two infield hits in nine innings before the Bears scored twice in the 14th. Sillman went 5.1 innings - his longest outing in over two years - but suffered the loss after Hale tossed 4.1 innings of no-hit relief. The Huskers spotted BU a 5-0 lead, but scored three in the fourth before Alex Gordon’s two-run homer in the eighth tied the score.

May 24 (Baylor 6, Nebraska 2) - Nebraska was held to a season-low two hits in a 6-2 loss to Baylor. The loss, NU’s second of the day to the Bears, ended the Huskers’ hopes for a fourth Big 12 tourney title. Alex Gordon, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI, and Bubbs Merrill accounted for all of NU’s offense, as BU scored six unanswered runs. Phil Shirek took the loss, allowing five runs in 2.1 innings.

Last Time Out
NU picked up a pair of mid-week wins, getting strong starts from freshmen Brad Furnish and Jon Klausing to sweep Northern Iowa at Hawks Field.

Tuesday (Nebraska 15, Northern Iowa 6) - Jesse Boyer had three hits and scored four times while Curtis Ledbetter and John Grose belted homers in Nebraska 15-6 win over Northern Iowa. Boyer went 3-for-4 and matched season highs in runs and stolen bases (three). While Boyer paced the Huskers’ 17-hit outburst, Ledbetter went 2-for-4 with a homer, a three-run blast in the first, and four RBIs, while Grose had two hits, including his fifth round tripper of the year, and drove in two runs. Six different Huskers had at least two hits, including three each by Boyer and Jake Mullinax, while five players drove in two or more runs, helping NU to its highest run total since Feb. 22. Brad Furnish was the beneficiary of NU’s offensive outburst, scattering six hits over a career-high 5.2 innings to improve to 3-0.

Wednesday (Nebraska 5, Northern Iowa 2) - Jon Klausing allowed two runs over six-plus innings to earn his first collegiate win, as No. 23 Nebraska downed Northern Iowa, 5-2, Wednesday afternoon. Klausing scattered five hits and struck out a career-high five Panthers to improve to 1-0 on the year. The Huskers managed just five hits off three Panther pitchers, but received solo homers from Alex Gordon, his 16th of the year, and Jake Mullinax, who also scored twice in the victory. Colin Shockey and John Grose also drove in runs in the victory.