Season Record (34-19, 10-14 Big 12)
National Rankings (--/--/--) - as of May 17)
Tues. (May 18) vs. Creighton Rosenblatt Stadium W, 12-1
Fri. (May 21) No. 21/18/-- Oklahoma (34-19, 17-7 Big 12) Hawks Field 6:35 p.m.
Sat. (May 22) Oklahoma Hawks Field 2:05 p.m.
Sun. (May 23) Oklahoma Hawks Field 1:05 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, 7-3, 2.92 ERA) vs. OU (David Purcey, Jr., LHP, 7-4, 2.76 ERA)
Sat. - NU (Phil Shirek, Jr., RHP, 5-1, 3.36 ERA) vs. OU (Mark Roberts, Sr., RHP, 8-4, 3.53 ERA)
Sun. - NU (TBA) vs. OU (Mike Swindell, Sr., RHP, 4-2, 6.05 ERA)

Media Information
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (Fri.-Sun)
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.

All three games will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network with Jim Rose and Gary Sharp calling all of the action. In addition, fans who aren’t in attendance can watch live on the Internet on HuskersNside, as every remaining regular-season game will be carried live on the premium site. Live stats are also available at Huskers.com.

Nebraska (34-19) bounced back from a weekend sweep at Baylor to post a 12-1 win over Creighton in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at Rosenblatt Stadium. The win gave the Huskers the season series over Creighton for the sixth straight year, as NU has now won six consecutive games over the Bluejays at Rosenblatt.

Nebraska now turns its attention to a Sooner team that has been playing well of late. Oklahoma (34-19) had won seven straight before falling, 8-7, at Wichita State on Tuesday night. The Sooners are second in the league with a 17-7 mark, 1/2 game behind Texas. The Sooners need one more win than Texas, which is facing Texas A&M this weekend, to leapfrog the Longhorns and win their first conference title since 1995. While both Oklahoma State (15-8) and Texas Tech (14-9) also have outside shots at winning or sharing the league crown with sweeps and some help, Texas, OU and OSU are the only three teams that can earn the No. 1 seed for next week’s tournament in Arlington.

At 10-14 in the league, the Huskers will finish either seventh or eighth in the conference, meaning that Nebraska will play in the 1 p.m. game (No. 7 seed) or the 8 p.m. (No. 8 seed) game next Wednesday in the Big 12 opener at Ameriquest Park in Arlington. The Huskers have played well at home this season, going 18-6 this season, including a 2-2 record against ranked teams.

Weekend Festivities
With the final home weekend of the season, Hawks Field will be a busy place. In addition to the NU-OU series at Hawks Field, softball will be hosting the NCAA Regional at Bowlin Stadium all weekend.

On Saturday, the parents of the 2004 Huskers will be honored, while Sunday’s game marks the final home contest for seniors John Grose, Jake Mullinax, Justin Pekarek, Quinton Robertson and Mike Sillman, who will be honored in pregame ceremonies. Over the past four seasons, the group has helped NU to 178 wins, two College World Series appearances (2001 & 2002), two Big 12 regular-season crowns (2001 & 2003) and three NCAA Regional berths (2001-03).

Trading Card Sets to be Given Away on Saturday
For the second straight year, the Nebraska baseball program has teamed up with Cook’s Hams, ConAgra Foods and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in producing a trading card set for the 2004 Husker baseball team. The 40-card set includes the players and coaches as well as a special team picture card. On the back, it includes stats and bio information, as well as an anti-drug and anti-violence messages. The cards will be available to the first 500 kids at Saturday’s game and distributed to schools around the county.

Big 12 Tournament Field Set for Next Week
Following this weekend’s series with Oklahoma, the Husker baseball team will leave Monday for the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas. The eight-team field was completed last Saturday when Missouri clinched its berth. While the field is set (Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Missouri), the seeds are very much in limbo heading into the final weekend of the conference season. The Huskers will fly out of Omaha on Monday afternoon (depart Lincoln at Noon) and practice Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Ameriquest Field, following a press conference slated 11:30 a.m. at the ballpark.

Scouting Oklahoma
Under long-time Coach Larry Cochell (507-331-1 in 14 seasons at Oklahoma; 1,303-789-3 in 38 seasons), the Sooners have enjoyed one of the league’s biggest turnarounds in 2004. After going 23-31 a year ago, Oklahoma is 34-19 overall and stands 17-7 in league play, just 1/2 game behind Texas in the Big 12 race. While the Sooners don’t control their own destiny, If OU can win one more game than Texas (which is taking on Texas A&M in a split series with two games in College Station) this weekend, they can win their first conference crown since the 1995 season.

Oklahoma featues one of the Big 12’s top performers in first baseman Ole Sheldon, who leads the conference with a .395 batting average, including a .429 average in league games, four homers and 49 RBIs. Sheldon is one of four Sooner regulars hitting over .300 on the season. Eric Thornton is batting .346 with seven homers and 37 RBIs.

On the mound, the Sooners have the luxury of a pair of veteran weekend starters in left-hander David Purcey and right-hander Mark Roberts. Purcey is 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 98 innings, while Roberts is 8-4 with a 3.53 ERA, as he has fanned 102 in 98 innings. Purcey is a likely to go in the first two rounds of next month’s draft, while Roberts holds the school mark for strikeouts. The duo is a big reason why OU leads the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (8.36). Out of the bullpen sophomore Jarod McAuliff is 5-0 with five saves and a 3.52 ERA in 32 appearances, while Daniel McCutchen is 4-3 with three saves in 30 outings this year.

The rivalry with Oklahoma is one of Nebraska’s oldest, as the Sooners have a 129-88-1 edge in a series that dates back to 1919. The Huskers have enjoyed their best success in the series in recent years, winning 18 of the past 21 meetings dating back to 1998. The Huskers swept OU in Norman in 2003, marking the second straight time that has happened. Before 2001, NU hadn’t swept the Sooners on the road since 1963. NU took 2-of-3 from Oklahoma in Lincoln each of the last two times the teams have met in Lincoln.

Leading Off
• - Fifth-year senior Justin Pekarek has been a bedrock for the Huskers over the last month and comes into the weekend series with OU within striking distance of a milestone. After tossing seven shutout innings on Tuesday, he has upped his season total to 24 straight scoreless innings dating back to April 17. The school record for consecutive scoreless innings is 27.1 shared by Phil Harrison (1984) and Jamie Rodrigue (2000).

• - Husker starters have enjoyed success facing Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium, going 18.1 consecutive innings without issuing a run. Jamie Rodrigue started the streak in 2001 with his final 1.2 innings before Shane Komine (five) and Zach Kroenke (five) put the streak in double figures.

Pekarek then went a career-long seven innings on Tuesday, becoming the first Husker pitcher to win twice against Creighton in the same season since Steve Fish won twice against the Bluejays in 1997.

• - Few people enjoy playing at Rosenblatt Stadium as much as Husker junior outfielder Daniel Bruce. The Millard West product is hitting a robust .464 (13-for-28) with six RBIs in six career games at Rosenblatt. Bruce went 2-for-5 with a double and triple in Tuesday’s win over Creighton.

• - Another Husker who has been playing well of late is catcher John Grose, who is batting .354 (11-for-31) with three homers and 10 RBIs in his last eight contests. Grose has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, including four multi-hit efforts.

• - Sunday’s loss at Baylor marked the first time that Nebraska had been swept in league play since the 2000 season. Since then, Nebraska has 13 three-game sweeps in league play, covering nine different league opponents. NU swept Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas A&M twice while taking brooms once to Kansas, Missouri, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Baylor. In fact, the only Big 12 team NU didn’t sweep in that stretch was Texas.

• - Nebraska saw its streak of 49 consecutive errorless innings come to an end at Creighton on Tuesday, as the Huskers committed their first error since May 10. The Jake Mullinax error in the first inning also snapped a streak of nine straight games without an error by the Husker infield dating back to May 2.

NU has now gone at least 45 innings without an error this season, including a stretch of 63.1 straight innings - the longest in over 20 years. NU is 19-6 when its does not commit a miscue. Tuesday’s four-error game was one off a season high set on April 17 at Missouri. Since the Missouri series (18 games), NU was fielding at a .987 clip before Tuesday’s win and ranks second in the league with a .976 mark. The Huskers were fourth nationally in fielding percentage entering the week.

Error Free Zone (45+ innings without an error)
Innings Dates
63.1 March 16-28
49.0 May 10-18
46.0 March 30-April 5

• -With a pair of assists on Tuesday, Joe Simokaitis moved past Kurt Eubanks (450, 1981-85) for sole possession of fourth place on NU’s career list. Simokaitis, who also committed two errors on Tuesday after making one error over his previous 19 games, is fielding at a .955 percentage on the season. His assists are the most ever by a player who played less than four seasons at NU.

• - With one weekend 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 .383 with 17 homers and 71 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.

• - Monday marked the first time in 82 weeks that the Huskers were not ranked in any of the three major baseball polls (Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America or Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches) since April of 2000

• - Third baseman Alex Gordon is the lone Husker to start all 52 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 464 of Nebraska’s 468 innings, sitting out the final two innings of NU’s wins over Kent State (Feb. 22) and Boston College (March 21).

• - Throughout 2004, the Huskers have bolted to fast starts, outscoring opponents 54-23 in the opening inning of games and 147-63 over the first three innings.

*- 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 90 times, 13 shy of the school and Big 12 record set of 103 set last season.

• - Alex Gordon looks to extend Nebraska’s streak of Big 12 home run champions, as he is second in the league with 17 round trippers, one 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.

• - The Huskers have scored five or more runs in an inning 12 times in 2004, spanning a total of 11 games, including a five-run inning in Tuesday’s win over Creighton.

Last Time Out
NU clinched the season series over Creighton for the sixth straight season with a 12-1 win in front of over 10,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium and a state-wide television audience. The Huskers have not dropped a season series to the Bluejays since the 1993 season.

Tuesday (Nebraska 12, Creighton 1) – Justin Pekarek set career bests in strikeouts and innings pitched, leading NU to a 12-1 win in front of 10,261 at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium. Pekarek (7-1) was dominant against the Bluejays en route to picking up his seventh win, allowing only two hits while fanning nine in seven innings of work. The Huskers supplied the left-hander with all the runs he would need in the second, scoring three times of Creighton starter Scott Reese (1-3), who went just 2.2 innings. Nebraska strung five hits in the inning, including an RBI single by John Grose and run-scoring doubles by Curtis Ledbetter and Colin Shockey. Grose, who went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, highlighted Nebraska’s five-run fifth with his sixth homer of the season, a three-run shot to left, as the Huskers extended their lead to 8-0. After loading the bases, Alex Gordon’s two-run double scored a pair of runners before Grose’s homer two batters later. Joe Simokaitis led the Huskers’ 15-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs, while Colin Shockey was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Gordon Invited to Team USA Trials
Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon was one of 19 players invited by USA Baseball to participate in the USA National Team Trials June 20-26 in Durham, N.C. Gordon was one of three Big 12 players invited, joining the Texas duo of J. Brent Cox and Taylor Teagarden. An additional 17 players will be invited later in the spring for the 20-man final roster. Gordon is bidding to become Nebraska’s first Team USA player since Paul Meyers was selected in 1985.

Bruce Named Academic All-District VII
Junior outfielder Daniel Bruce was honored last Thursday as he was a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII selection. The Omaha, Neb., native is hitting .249 in 49 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.

Ledbetter on a Tear
It has been a tale of two seasons for first baseman Curtis Ledbetter. After hitting .256 with no homers and 17 RBIs in his first 19 games, Ledbetter suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the lineup for three games. Since his return, he has joined Gordon to give the Huskers a formidable 1-2 punch, hitting .336 with eight homers and 35 RBIs. Ledbetter, who is ninth in the conference in RBIs, also leads the Huskers with a .326 average with five homers and 20 RBIs in league play. He was named the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Week on April 19, batting .563 with two homers, three doubles and five RBIs in four games. Ledbetter also leads the Huskers in game-winning RBIs with 12, including his RBI double vs. Creighton on Tuesday.

Gordon Honored Twice
Gordon was named to Baseball America’s mid-season All-America team in early April. The Lincoln native was one of 17 sophomores chosen for the team, which includes one starter at each position, one utility player and six pitchers (five starters and a reliever). Baseball America lists a team for each of the four classes.

He was also honored as one of 30 players selected to the Golden Spikes Watch List. The Golden Spikes Award has been presented annually by USA Baseball since 1978 to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. Gordon is one of four Big 12 players on the 30-player watch list, joining Texas’ pitching duo of J.P. Howell and Huston Street and Oklahoma State catcher Jason Jaramillo. Last week, he joined another exclusive list, as one of 30 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Award for the nation’s top player.

Grose Named to Johnny Bench Watch List
John Grose has been named to the Johnny Bench Watch List. The senior from Henderson, Nev., is a three-year starter for the Huskers and a career .290 hitter. Grose has thrown out 40 percent of would-be base stealers this spring, as Nebraska has allowed a league-low 28 stolen bases. He is one of 45 candidates on the initial Watch List, which will be trimmed to 10 semifinalists prior to this weekend’s games. Justin Cowan was one of three finalists for the 2000 Johnny Bench Award.

Second (Base) to None
With the graduation of Big 12 Player of the Year Matt Hopper, one of the questions entering 2004 was who would supply some of Hopper’s home run power. Second baseman Jake Mullinax has become one of NU’s long ball hitters in 2004. The senior co-captain from Hesperia, Calif., is second on the team with eight homers - including five in conference play. Mullinax, who also ranks among the Big 12 leaders with a .328 average and 12 sacrifices, is third on the team with 19 RBIs in league games.

Getting Defensive
Several defenders have played a key role in the Huskers ranking in the top five nationally in defense. First baseman Curtis Ledbetter has made just one error in 415 chances for a .998 fielding percentage, a mark better than All-American Ken Harvey’s .996 mark in 1999 - the year he was named Easton/Redline National Defensive Player of the Year.

Up the middle, NU’s double play combination of Jake Mullinax and Joe Simokaitis have combined for 16 errors in 445 chances (.964 pct.). In addition, center fielder Colin Shockey has not committed an error in 125 chances this season, while third baseman Alex Gordon has made one miscue in his last 18 contests.

Pitchers Set Big 12 Shutout Streak Mark
In early April, the Nebraska pitching staff established a record with 43.1 scoreless innings. The record, which included 42 complete innings and parts of two others, broke the Big 12 record of 41 set by Texas in 2002. In all, the Husker pitchers tossed a pair of one-hitters, a three-hitter and a five-hitter before Kansas State scored a run in the fourth inning of NU’s win on April 4, marking the first run scored by a Husker opponent since March 28. The four consecutive shutouts equaled a mark set over a four-game stretch over parts of the 1977 and 1978 seasons.Oklahoma held the Big Eight record with 31 straight scoreless innings in 1971, while Arizona State holds the NCAA mark with 64 straight scoreless innings back in 1972.

Ouch!
Husker hitters have been hit at an alarming rate in 2004, getting plunked an amazing 90 times in 53 contests. In all, Nebraska has been hit by three or more pitches 19 times, including a season-high six against UW-Milwaukee on March 30. Colin Shockey leads the Huskers with 15 HBPs, while Daniel Bruce has been hit 14 times, increasing his school record to 56 in 171 career games. At the current rate, NU’s projected 56-game regular-season total of 95 would threaten the school and Big 12 record of 103 set by NU (in 65 games) last season.

Stingy Becker Cuts Out Inheritance
Left-hander Jeremy Becker has made a name for himself as one of the Big 12’s best situational relievers. While he does not have a save, the 5-11, 215-pounder from Scottsbluff has played a major role in NU’s success. He has allowed just three of 23 inherited runners to score in 2004. The academic All-America candidate went nearly an entire year (25 runners over his last 21 appearances) without allowing an inherited runner to score from April 25, 2003 to April 17, 2004.

While Becker’s numbers are quite impressive, he is one of several relievers who have made it difficult on opponents. Brett Jensen has allowed just two of 19 inherited runners to score, and has not allowed one to score in his 15 appearances dating back to March 13. Other Huskers who excel in that role include right-handers Tim Schoeninger (5-of-18) and Dustin Timm (5-of-17), although Timm has been in the weekend rotation for the past month.

Simokaitis Shows Unexpected Power
While shortstop Joe Simokaitis is more noted for his defensive expertise, the St. Louis, Mo., native provided one of the biggest offensive highlights of the 2004 season on April 30, with his three-run homer off Texas A&M ace Jason Meyer. The homer, his first since April 17, 2003 and second in 524 career at-bats, broke a 1-all tie and gave NU a 4-1 win over the No. 10 Aggies. It also marked the first homer that Meyer allowed in 70.2 innings this season, as NU handed the Aggie lefty his first loss in nine decisions.

Up Next
Nebraska travels to Arlington, Texas, next Monday, May 24, for the 2004 Big 12 Tournament. The Huskers will play at either 1 p.m. (as the No. 7 seed) or at 8 p.m. (as the No. 8 seed).