Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball

Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball
Founded 1889 (1889)
University University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Head coach Darin Erstad (6th season)
Conference Big Ten
Location Lincoln, NE
Home stadium Hawks Field at Haymarket Park
(Capacity: 8,500)
Nickname Cornhuskers
Colors Scarlet and Cream[1]
         
College World Series appearances
2001, 2002, 2005
NCAA Tournament appearances
1948, 1950, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017
Conference tournament champions
Big 12
1999, 2000, 2001, 2005
Conference champions

Big Six
1929

Big Seven
1948, 1950

Big 12
2001, 2003, 2005

Big Ten
2017

The Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team is a member of the Big Ten Conference in the NCAA, and is currently coached by Darin Erstad. The program started in 1889. The Huskers entered the 2013 season ranked 45th all-time in NCAA win percentage at .578.

The Huskers have been to fifteen NCAA baseball regionals (1979, 1980, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016, and 2017). Nebraska has been to four super regionals (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2005) and three College World Series (2001, 2002, and 2005). The Huskers have also claimed seven regular season Conference championships (1929, 1948, 1950, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2017), as well as four Conference Tournament championships (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2005). They have had eighteen 40-win seasons with 9 since 1999, as well as three 50-win seasons.

Nebraska's all-time record is 2,166–1,573–19 (.579). Since 1999, the Huskers have constructed a 703–389–2 record (.645). Its all-time conference record is 830–791–2 (.512). Its conference record was 215–189–1 (.533) in the Big 12 era, and is now 88–54–1 (.619) in the Big Ten era. The Huskers won their first Big Ten regular season championship in 2017.

Facilities

Hawks Field

From 1979 through 2001, the Cornhuskers played at Buck Beltzer Stadium where they went 527–137 (.794). Buck Beltzer seated 1,500 and had an AstroTurf infield and grass outfield. The stadium was shoehorned into a very tight space; right field was adjacent to the south end zone of Memorial Stadium, and first base was across a frontage road from an overpass leading to Interstate 180. The final games at Buck Beltzer were on June 1st & 2nd, 2001, when the Cornhuskers swept Rice to win an NCAA Super Regional and advance to the College World Series for the first time.

On July 30, 1999 the university announced plans for Haymarket Park which includes Hawks Field, and a softball field. Hawks Field is named after one of the primary donor families that contributed to the construction of the baseball stadium, and Haymarket Park is named because of its location in Lincoln's historic Haymarket District.[2] The Huskers are 340–121–1 (.737) since opening the park on March 5, 2002 with a 23–1 win over Nebraska-Kearney. Nebraska is 16-0 all-time in home openers at Hawks Field, continuing their streak of 39 straight home opener wins dating back to the 1979 season.[3]

Hawks Field is arguably the finest ballpark in college baseball. Its capacity is 8,500 with 4,500 seats and berms in the outfield. It also has a playground down the right field line. Hawks Field is the first collegiate venue to use the SubAir system which can heat and cool the field year round. It was selected as the best playing surface in each of its six years of existence. In November 2007, Hawks Field won the Baseball Field of the Year Award in the College/University division by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) for the second time. The field earned its first honor in 2003 and is the only college park in the country to win twice. The Huskers have been in the top 25 for average attendance every year since the move to the field.[2]

A new LED videoboard was installed in 2012 that is nearly three times the size and resolution for the ballpark's original video screen. The widescreen display is 17 feet tall and 34 feet wide, allowing Nebraska's HuskerVision department to display introductions for each player, highlights and live crowd shots during the game.

Alex Gordon Training Complex

The $4.75 million Haymarket Park Indoor Practice Facility is specifically designed for the baseball and softball teams to practice all year. It has 18,000 square feet of climate-controlled practice space that allows for working on all phases of the game. The space can be configured to utilize as many as six spacious batting cages.

The cages can also be retracted to open up all of the 120-foot by 150-foot space for live game simulation. The entire facility is netted, allowing for the Huskers to take live batting practice. The field turf surface looks and feels like real grass, and the field includes anchors to lock down bases for use during practices.

History

Coaches from 1889–1977

The 1892 Nebraska baseball team.
Tenure Coach Years Record %
1889–1891 C.D. Chandler 3 4–5 .444
1892–1893 Charles Stroman 2 3–2–1 .583
1897 E.N. Robinson 1 8–5–1 .607
1898 F.B. Ryons 1 6–4 .600
1901 Mike Henderson 1 9–11 .450
1902 Geo P. Shidler 1 17–8 .680
1904 J.H. Bell 1 10–3 .769
1906 S.S. Eager 1 5–12–1 .306
1919–1921 Paul Schissler 3 20–14 .589
1922 Owen Frank 1 12–4 .750
1923 Scotty Dye 1/2 4–4 .500
1923 Earl Carr 1/2 2–8 .200
1925-1925 William G. Kline 2 18–15 .545
1929–1930 John Rhodes 2 12–12–1 .632
1931 W.H. Browne 1 2–10 .167
1933–1941 W.W. Knight 9 38–92 .292
1942 A.J. Lewandowski 1 3–11 .214
1946 Frank Smagacz 1 9–7 .563
1947–1977 Tony Sharpe 31 394–388–6 .503

John Sanders (1978–1997)

John Sanders compiled a 767–453–1 record in his 20 years. He had only 2 losing seasons, including his last season.[5] He produced 3 NCAA Tournament teams making his first appearance in 1979 and made it again in 1980. The only other time under Sanders was in 1985. All three teams never made it to the Super Regional. In 1997, the Big Eight turned into the Big 12 in his final season before being fired for his teams inconsistencies.

Dave Van Horn (1998–2002)

Nebraska baseball has seen a resurgence in recent years. Much of the success of these teams and the teams that have followed is due to the efforts of Dave Van Horn, who compiled a record of 214–92 and 3 straight Big 12 Tournament championships while leading Huskers from 1998–2002. He posted a 16–3 mark in four years of Big 12 Tournament play and a 15–9 record in the NCAA Tournament.

He was chosen as the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2000. He also earned Big 12 Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors before his selection as NCAA Coach of the Year by Baseball America in 2001.

1998–2000

Van Horn was hired just 35 days before the 1998 season and led the Huskers to a 24–20 record and a 7th-place finish in the Big 12.

In 1999, they won the Big 12 Tournament championship, marking the school's first conference title of any kind since 1950. Nebraska reached the first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 seasons. They finished with a 42–18 record. Ken Harvey was the lone Husker to be a Big 12 first teamer and Shane Komine became the freshman of the year.

After many years of being a perennial doormat, the 2000 Huskers became the first team in school history to advance to the Super Regionals in the NCAA tournament but fell one game shy of the College World Series. Dan Johnson, Justin Cowan, Matt Hopper, and Shane Komine earned First Team Big 12 Honors. Also, Shane Komine became the Big 12 Player of the Year, Dan Johnson became the newcomer player of the year, and Matt Hopper became the freshman player of the year.

2001 : 1st CWS

In 2001, the Huskers were ranked as high as 4th in the nation starting the season in the top 10 for the first time in team history. They started off going 2–3 but won their next 13 games. They captured a conference best 20–8 mark in Big 12 play after winning a series against Texas and sweeping Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor, and Oklahoma State. The Huskers got their first regular-season conference crown since 1950. The pitchers had great outings en route to a 4–0 performance winning the Big 12 Tournament for the 3rd consecutive time. They are the first team to win Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles in the same season. They were number 8 overall in the NCAA tournament and hosted a regional for the first time in team history getting wins over Northern Iowa and Rutgers. They advanced to the Super Regional facing Rice who beat the Huskers 16–2 in the season opener. Nebraska beat Rice in the 1st two games and got their first chance to play in the College World Series but lost their 2 games and were eliminated.

The '01 Huskers finished with a 50–16 record, their 2nd straight 50 win season. They produced a 23–4 record at home including nine straight victories before closing stadium gates for the last time. The Huskers ranked in the top 10 nationally with their .334 average and 9.20 runs per game, while leading the Big 12 in 10 categories, including hitting, runs scored, walks, homers and stolen bases. The team produced 4 All-Americans: Shane Komine, Dan Johnson, John Cole and Matt Hopper. They also produced All-Big 12 First Teamers: Shane Komine, Dan Johnson, John Cole, Matt Hopper, Thom Ott, and Jeff Leise. Shane Komine was also the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.[6][7]

2002 : A new home

2002 was the first year that Nebraska played at Hawks Field. The '02 campaign started off well going 7–3 before playing against Big 12 opponents. The Huskers swept 7 teams during the entire season helping the Huskers with an 11-game win streak from the end of the regular season to the Big 12 Tournament until they lost to Texas in the tournament final. Coach Dave Van Horn picked up the 200th victory in his Husker coaching career with a 4–3 win over Cal Poly on May 10, near the end of the regular season. Nebraska got to host another regional and won its third straight regional title, sweeping the board and outscoring its opponents 30–6 in three games over Southwest Missouri State, Marist, and UW-Milwaukee. They hosted Richmond in the Super Regionals and won the series 2–1 earning a ticket to Omaha for the 2nd straight season. Like 2001, the Huskers were eliminated in their 2 games being defeated by Clemson and South Carolina.

The Huskers ended with a 47–21 record. The hitters have been plunked an amazing 95 times in 66 games, a total which is not only a single-season record, but the 10th-highest total in NCAA history. Jed Morris was awarded to the All Big-12 team, became the Big 12 Player of the Year, and was the first catcher in school history to earn All-America honors. Jeff Leise also earned All-American and All-Big 12 honors. Aaron Marsden was the only other Husker to be on the All-Big 12 team.[8] After the 2002 season, Van Horn left to accept the head coaching job at his alma mater, Arkansas; Mike Anderson became head coach after 8 seasons as assistant coach.

Mike Anderson (2003–2011)

In his 9 seasons, Mike Anderson guided the Huskers to a 337–196–2 record. He was awarded the Big 12 Coach of the Year Award in 2003, and 2005.[9] He has a Big 12 Tournament record of 13–10 and a NCAA Tournament record of 12–10.

2003–2004

The Huskers were better than expexcted under first year Mike Anderson. They were picked fourth in the league by the Big 12 coaches in the preseason. Nebraska started off winning 11 of their first 13 games. They won 8 of their 9 conference series going 20–7 and becoming the Big 12 regular-season conference winner. They went 2–2 in the Big 12 Tournament winning their first two but lost the next two. The Huskers hosted a Regional but were eliminated by Southwestern Missouri State. They ended the season with a 47–18 mark.

Matt Hopper became an All-Big 12 honoree for the 3rd time, and became the Big 12 player of the Year. Aaron Marsden became the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. Curtis Ledbetter and Quinton Robertson also earned First Team All-Big 12 honors. Alex Gordon earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors and became the Big 12 Freshman of the Year.[10]

The bad for Nebraska in 2004 was finishing 36–23 and placing 8th in the Big 12 with a conference 11–16 record. It was the first time that Nebraska hasn’t finished first or second in the league since 1999. The May 16 loss at Baylor marked the first time that Nebraska had been swept in league play since the 2000 season. After going 1–2 in the Big 12 Tournament, they didn't make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.

The good is that the Husker pitchers issued a league-low 2.77 walks per nine innings. They went at least 45 innings without an error three times. The Huskers scored five or more runs in an inning 12 times in 11 games. Alex Gordon was the lone Husker All-American.[11]

2005 : Husker history

The '05 Huskers had their most successful season ever. They started off sweeping a 5-game series over Hawaii-Hilo. After coming back from Hawaii, they went an outstanding 20–3. They won 8 of their 9 Big 12 Conference Series losing their only series to Texas 1–2. They won the regular season crown and were ready for the Big 12 Tournament. They lost their first game but came back and won their next 5 games winning the tournament. The Huskers hosted a regional winning their 3 games and winning the Super Regional at home sweeping Miami in 2 games. They advanced to the College World Series for the third time in five years. They beat Arizona State is the first game but lost to Florida. The Huskers played Arizona State again but lost and were done in 3 games. The win against Arizona State was Nebraska's first CWS win in Husker history.

They recorded a team record 57–15 (more wins than any teams in '05) and the .791 winning percentage also easily beat the previous best of .771 set in 1982. They had two 11 game win streaks during the season, once during non-conference play and once in the postseason. The Huskers finished 33–4 at Hawks Field breaking the previous single-season home mark for wins of 29 set four times (1980, 1988, 2002 and 2003). Starting pitchers went a combined 40–5 this season and won 15 straight decisions until Johnny Dorn’s loss to Florida on June 19 at the College World Series. Nebraska had 20 come-from-behind wins all season. Nebraska led the Big 12 and ranked second nationally in ERA.

Nebraska produced great players in Alex Gordon who won the National player of the Year Award, became an All-American, earned First Team All-Big 12 honors, and became the Big 12 Player of the Year. Johnny Dorn won the Freshman Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, became a Freshman All-American, and earned First Team All-Big 12 honors. Joba Chamberlain won the Big 12 Newcomer Pitcher of the Year, and earned First Team All-Big 12 honors. Tony Watson became a Freshman All-American. Curtis Ledbetter earned First Team All-Big 12 honors.[12]

The End of the Big 12: 2006–2011

In 2006, Nebraska sprinted into the top 5 nationally, and was looking poised to make it back to Omaha for the College World Series. They were ranked as high as number 2 nationally and swept 3 Big 12 teams. However, Nebraska ran into a huge late season slump losing 8 of their last 11 regular season games and losing their last 3 Big 12 series. They were 3–0 in the Big 12 Tournament going into the championship game but lost to Kansas 7–9. They managed to host a regional, only to go two and out and bow out early ending with a 42–17 record. Brandon Buckman, Ryan Wehrle, Luke Gorsett, Tony Watson, and Brett Jensen earned First Team All Big 12 honors.

Collegiate Baseball tabbed the 2007 Huskers 9th in their preseason poll. The team started off strong but quickly began to show their youth and inexperience. They were very inconsistent throughout the season going only 14–13 in Big 12 games. They ended up placing 4th in the Big 12 and qualifying as the 3rd seed for the Tempe Regional. They went 2–1 before being defeated by Arizona State in the championship game. They finished the season 32–27.[13]

While 8 pitchers from 2007 left for the draft, the 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team was the youngest for Mike Anderson with 15 newcomers. The Huskers started the season 11–3 and were strong in the Big 12 winning 7 of their 9 series going 17–9–1 in conference play. From February 29 to March 18, the Huskers earned their longest win streak since 2000 at 14 games. Compared to 2006, the team slumped at the end of the season going 2–4 in the postseason and losing their home regional. They went 29–5–1 at home and 11–9 away from Hawks Field. They were ranked as high as No. 5 and ended in 3rd place in the Big 12. Jake Opitz, Mitch Abeita, and Johnny Dorn were selected to the All Big 12 First Team[14] as Dorn also earned 3rd Team All-American honors.[15]

2009 was a disappointing season for the Big Red. It was the worst season since 1997 going 25–28–1 with an 8–19 conference record. It was the first time they didn't make the Big 12 tournament and didn't make a regional for the first time in 5 years. Hoping to come back from a down season, the 2010 and 2011 Huskers improved but were still not able to make the Big 12 tournament or an NCAA regional going 27–27 and 30–24 respectively.

Darin Erstad (2012–present)

New coach, new conference

Before moving to the Big Ten Conference, Mike Anderson and the entire coaching staff were terminated on May 22, 2011 after going 82–79–1 and missing the Big 12 tournament the last three seasons[16] and the University of Nebraska hired former Husker and Major League All-Star Darin Erstad on June 2, 2011 to replace Mike Anderson as head coach of the team after 1 season as a volunteer assistant coach.[17] A few days later, Ted Silva was hired as pitching coach[18] as well as former huskers Will Bolt as associate head coach[19] and Jeff Christy as volunteer assistant coach.[20]

2012–2013

The Huskers made the post season for the first time in four years in 2012, qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament, going 1-2, but failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

In 2013, the team played a difficult nonconference schedule to begin the season, with games against ranked opponents Cal State Fullerton and Texas. Partly due to the difficulty of the schedule, the team started the season 0-7, its worst start since 1976. Nebraska did however pick up a signature win for Coach Erstad on April 16, 2013 defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks by a score of 3-0 using 3 pitchers to combine for a no-hitter against former coach Dave Van Horn and the #12 Razorbacks. It was the 8th no-hitter in program history. Nebraska ended the season with the #31 RPI in the country, but its 29-30 record did not allow for a postseason at-large bid.

2017: Big Ten Champions

Following an overall 35–20–1 record and a conference 16–7–1 record, in the regular season, the Cornhuskers finished the season as Big Ten Champions. Nebraska would receive the #1 seed in the 2017 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament, but eventually lose to Maryland in the second round.

Results by season

Coach Season Overall record Conference
record		 Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
C.D. Chandler 1889 1–2 – – – –
1890 2–3 – – – –
1891 1–0 – – – –
Charles Stroman 1892 0–2–1 – – – –
1893 3–0 – – – –
E.N. Robinson 1897 8–5–1 – – – –
F.B. Ryons 1898 6–4 – – – –
N/A 1899 8–4 – – – –
1900 8–12 – – – –
Mike Henderson 1901 9–11 – – – –
Geo P. Shidler 1902 17–8 – – – –
J.H. Bell 1904 10–3 – – – –
N/A 1905 5–16–1 – – – –
S.S. Eager 1906 5–12–1 – – – –
N/A 1907 5–11–1 – – – –
1908 4–12–2 – – – –
1909 12–14 – – – –
1910 7–7–1 – – – –
1912 3–0 – – – –
Coach Season Overall record MVC record Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
Paul Schissler 1919 5–3 – – – –
1920 7–6 – – – –
1921 8–5 – – – –
Owen Frank 1922 12–4 – – – –
Scotty Dye 1923 6–12 – – – –
W.G. Kline 1924 10–8 – – – –
1925 8–7 – – – –
Coach Season Overall record Big 6
record		 Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
John Rhodes 1929 12–5–1 10–5 Regular season – –
1930 9–7 7–5 – –
W.H. Browne 1931 2–10 2–8 – –
W.W. Knight 1933 3–1 – – –
1934 5–9 2–8 – –
1935 4–12 2–7 – –
1936 3–11 2–9 – –
1937 5–12 4–9 – –
1938 7–8 5–5 – –
1939 5–13 4–6 – –
1940 4–12 3–9 – –
1941 2–14 2–8 – –
A.J. Lewandowski 1942 3–11 3–6 – –
Frank Smagacz 1946 9–7 9–5 – –
Tony Sharpe 1947 6–9–1 6–7 – –
Coach Season Overall record Big 7
record		 Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
Tony Sharpe 1948 17–6 14–3 Regular season – –
1949 9–13 7–10 – –
1950 16–8 11–3 Regular season – –
1951 10–5 5–4 – –
1952 13–7 8–5 – –
1953 12–5–2 10–3 – –
1954 10–10 4–8 – –
1955 15–5 10–4 – –
1956 12–8 8–4 – –
1957 12–10 8–9 – –
Coach Season Overall record Big 8
record		 Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
Tony Sharpe 1958 17–10 12–9 –
1959 11–11 11–4 –
1960 9–12 6–11 –
1961 9–14 7–11 –
1962 15–11 10–10 –
1963 10–16 5–15 –
1964 9–18 7–14 –
1965 12–8 12–6 –
1966 16–9 12–8 –
1967 8–16 7–11 –
1968 10–15–1 7–13 –
1969 9–15 4–12 –
1970 14–12 11–8 –
1971 10–20 7–13 –
1972 12–17 8–11 –
1973 15–14–1 7–11 –
1974 13–27 4–16 –
1975 13–20 7–8 –
1976 21–24–1 0–2 –
1977 29–13 5–7 –
John Sanders 1978 36–20 7–7 –
1979 49–15 14–6 Regionals
1980 49–15 16–4 Regular season 14(CB) Regionals
1981 42–22 11–11 –
1982 44–13 15–5 10(BA) –
1983 44–15 8–10 –
1984 46–20 15–6 29(CB) –
1985 45–24 16–6 16(CB) Regionals
1986 35–25 14–9 –
1987 36–21 12–8 –
1988 48–23 12–12 –
1989 27–31 8–16 –
1990 42–26 12–12 –
1991 37–22 10–14 –
1992 31–25 11–13 –
1993 35–23 16–12 –
1994 32–28 14–16 –
1995 35–23 13–14 –
1996 27–27–1 8–17 –
Coach Season Overall record Big 12
record		 Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
John Sanders 1997 27–35 7–23 – –
Dave Van Horn 1998 24–20 10–13 – –
1999 42–18 16–9 Tournament 25(BA) Regionals
2000 51–17 21–9 Tournament 11(CB) Super Regionals
2001 50–16 20–8 Both 6(BA) College World Series
2002 47–21 16–11 8(CB) College World Series
Mike Anderson 2003 47–18 20–7 Regular season 13(BA) Regionals
2004 36–23 11–16 12(CB) –
2005 57–15 19–8 Both 5(BA) College World Series
2006 42–17 17–10 15(BA) Regionals
2007 32–27 14–13 – Regionals
2008 41–16–1 17–9–1 20(BA) Regionals
2009 25–28–1 8–19 – –
2010 27–27 10–17 – –
2011 30–25 9–17 – –
Coach Season Overall record Big Ten
record		 Conference champions Final ranking NCAA Tournament
Darin Erstad 2012 35–23 14–10 – –
2013 29–30 15–9 – –
2014 41–21 18–6 – Regionals
2015 34–23 9–14 – –
2016 37–22 16–8 – Regionals
2017 35–22–1 16–7–1 Regular season – Regionals
Overall record (1889–2017): 2,166–1,573–19 (.579), Conference: 830–791–2 (.512)

Post-Season Appearances

Conference tournament

Year Seed Record % Finished
1999 5 4–0 1.000 Champion
2000 2 5–1 .833 Champion
2001 1 4–0 1.000 Champion
2002 2 3–1 .750 Lost Championship Game
2003 1 2–2 .500 Lost Semifinals
2004 8 1–2 .333 Lost 2nd round
2005 1 5–1 .833 Champion
2006 4 3–1 .750 Lost Championship Game
2007 4 1–2 .333 Lost in Pool Play
2008 3 1–2 .333 Lost in Pool Play
2012 4 1–2 .333 Lost in losers bracket
2013 3 4–2 .666 Lost Championship Game
2014 2 3–1 .750 Lost Championship Game
2015 8 0–2 .000 Eliminated 1st Round
2016 2 0–2 .000 Eliminated 1st Round
2017 1 1–2 .333 Eliminated 2nd Round
Total 38–23 .623 16 Appearances

NCAA tournament

Year Seed Record % Notes
1979 3 1–2 .333 Lost Northeast Regional
1980 2 2–2 .500 Lost Mideast Regional
1985 2 1–2 .333 Lost West I Regional
1999 2 1–2 .333 Lost Ohio State Regional
2000 1 4–2 .667 Lost Stanford Super Regional
2001 1 5–2 .714 CWS Appearance
2002 1 5–3 .625 CWS Appearance
2003 1 3–2 .600 Lost Lincoln Regional
2005 1 6–2 .750 CWS Appearance
2006 1 0–2 .000 Lost Lincoln Regional
2007 3 2–2 .500 Lost Arizona State Regional Final
2008 1 1–2 .333 Lost Lincoln Regional
2014 2 1–2 .333 Lost Stillwater Regional
2016 3 0–2 .000 Lost Clemson Regional
2017 2 0–2 .000 Lost Corvallis Regional
Total 32–31 .508 15 Appearances

Rivalries

Nebraska Cornhuskers and Creighton Bluejays baseball teams lined up for the national anthem at TD Ameritrade Park in 2011

Nebraska competes in an in-state rivalry with the Creighton Bluejays of Omaha, Nebraska. The Huskers and Bluejays play a 3-game non-consecutive series each year, switching venues for each game. Creighton's original home field is the Creighton Sports Complex, although they occasionally played home games at Rosenblatt Stadium and now play at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Huskers defeated the Bluejays 2–1 in the first game played at TD Ameritrade on April 19, 2011.[22] Nebraska lead the series 72-48-2.

Nebraska-Lincoln also competes in a second, smaller in-state rivalry with sister school, Nebraska-Omaha. The Cornhuskers and the Mavericks play a 2-game non-consecutive series each year.

Memorable games

Nebraska 50, Chicago State 3 (7 inn.) (March 16, 1999)

The Huskers made national headlines in 1999 after posting the most lopsided win in NCAA history at Buck Beltzer Stadium. On March 16, 1999, NU players and coaches took part in an amazing contest that had reporters and coaches calling from across the country to see if the score was correct.

After defeating Chicago State, 15–3, in game one of a doubleheader, the Huskers opened the second game of the twinbill by scoring nine runs in the first inning. Nebraska went on to win by a score of 50–3, setting NCAA marks for runs scored (50), margin of victory (47) and RBIs (48). The previous NCAA Division I mark for runs in a game was held by West Chester (Pa.), which scored 42 against Philadelphia Textile on April 7, 1992. The previous margin of victory was 41 set in the West Chester game, as the Golden Rams defeated Philadelphia Textile, 42–1. Georgia Tech also posted a 41–0 win over Earlham (Ind.) on March 21, 1975. The 48 runs batted in by Nebraska shattered the NCAA Division I mark for RBIs in a game. The previous best was 37 by West Chester against Philadelphia Textile and by Clemson against North Carolina State on April 6, 1979.

Nebraska scored nine runs in the first, 10 in the second, four in the third, nine in the fourth, 13 in the fifth and five in the sixth, as the game was called in the seventh inning because of the 12-run rule. Eight Huskers belted nine home runs in the game. Ken Harvey hit two homers, and Scott Larsen, Adam Stern and Brian Kent hit their first career home runs. Besides setting school team records for runs (50), RBIs (48) and hits (35), Harvey, Jim Bailey and Craig Moore each established or tied individual school records. Harvey and Bailey each scored seven runs in the game, while Moore became the third player in school history to drive in 10 runs in a game. Bailey, who only had two official at bats, walked five times to tie a 50-year-old school record. Tom Novak held the previous mark of five set against Denver College on April 18, 1949. In the game, Nebraska scored the first 23 runs before the Cougars had a base runner, as Husker pitchers retired the first nine Cougar hitters. Eleven Huskers had at least two hits and seven had at least three hits.

Jay Sirianni earned the win by pitching to six batters in the first two innings, as four Huskers held Chicago State to just three runs on three hits.

Nebraska 1, Texas 0 (15 inn.) (March 28, 2015) [23][24][25]

The Husker's made national headlines after a series-clinching extra inning win over the Texas Longhorns. On March 28, 2015, the Husker's squared off against the Texas Longhorns in game that consisted of a mid-game no hitter, 12 total hits, 1 run and 27 strikeouts.

The Longhorns came into Lincoln, Nebraska as the 16th best team in the country and one year removed from being in the College World Series. The Longhorns were the heavy favorite heading into the weekend series but found themselves down in the series after being defeated Friday night by the Huskers. In front of a crowd of 5,852, the Husker's made history. The Husker pitching staff combined for 19 strikeouts, 3 walks, 4 hits, 210 pitches thrown and 15 innings of work. The impressive part about this stat line wouldn't of even been noticed unless you attended the game. The Husker pitching staff threw 9 innings of no-hit baseball during this 15 inning marathon. From the 4th inning to the 14th inning, the Longhorns were unable to record a single hit off the Husker pitching staff of Kyle Kubat, Jake Hohensee, Colton Howell and Jeff Chesnut. These four pitchers were honored with the Louisville Slugger National Players of the week award; for the first time in NCAA history, this award was given to four pitchers from the same school, in the same week. Kubat threw 8.0 innings, Hohensee 2.0, Howell 2.2 and Chesnut 2.1 as well as the win.

The Husker offense had numerous opportunities to score in extra innings as they had base runners in scoring position in the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th inning. They even had bases loaded twice during this streak but were unable to push across any runs against a tough Longhorn bullpen. In the 15th inning, the Husker's finally won after an RBI base hit by Austin Darby which scored Tanner Lubach from second base.

The Husker's went on to sweep the Texas Longhorn's that weekend, due in part to the dominant pitching that happened all weekend. The Husker pitching staff allowed just 3 runs in 33 innings of work (1 run Friday, 0 runs Saturday and 2 runs Sunday). During this 33 inning stretch, the Husker pitching staff also recorded 33 strikeouts with just 5 walks. This was the most strikeouts in a single weekend for Coach Erstad since he took over in 2012.

Honors and awards

Dick Howser Trophy[26]

Dick Howser Trophy
Player Position year
Alex Gordon Third Base 2005

Golden Spikes Award[27]

Golden Spikes Award winners
Player Position year
Alex Gordon Third Base 2005

All-Americans

  • Bob Cerv – 1950
  • Don Brown – 1955
  • Gene Stohs – 1972
  • Steve Stanicek – 1982
  • Paul Meyers – 1986
  • Troy Brohawn – 1993
  • Marc Sagmoen – 1993
  • Darin Erstad – 1995
  • Ken Harvey – 1999
  • Shane Komine – 2000–2001
  • Dan Johnson – 2001
  • John Cole – 2001
  • Matt Hopper – 2001
  • Jeff Leise – 2002
  • Jed Morris – 2002
  • Alex Gordon – 2004–2005

Alumni

Major Leaguers

Name Years at UNL Years in MLB Team(s)
Drew Anderson 2001–03 2006 Milwaukee Brewers
Cody Asche 2008–10 2013–present Philadelphia Phillies
Stan Bahnsen 1965 1966–82 New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Montreal Expos, California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies
Troy Brohawn 1992–94 2001–03 Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers
Andrew Brown 2006–07 2011-12 St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies
Tim Burke 1978–80 1985–92 Montreal Expos, New York Mets, New York Yankees
Bob Cerv 1947–50 1951–62 Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros
Joba Chamberlain 2005–06 2007–Present New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland
Brian Duensing 2002–05 2009–12 Minnesota Twins
Steve Edlefsen 2006-07 2011-12 San Francisco Giants
Darin Erstad 1993–95 1996–2009 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros
Alex Gordon 2003–05 2007–Present Kansas City Royals
Kip Gross 1986 1990–93, 1999–2000 Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros
Ken Harvey 1997–99 2001–05 Kansas City Royals
Eric Helfand 1988 1993–95 Oakland Athletics
Buddy Hunter 1966 1971–75 Boston Red Sox
Dan Jennings 2006-08 2012 Miami Marlins
Dan Johnson 2000–01 2005–08,10–12 Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox
Kevin Jordan 1990 1995–2001 Philadelphia Phillies
Shane Komine 1999–2001 2006–07 Oakland Athletics
Zach Kroenke 2003–05 2010–2011 Arizona Diamondbacks
Ryan Kurosaki 1971–73 1975 St. Louis Cardinals
Ad Liska 1925 1929–33 Washington Senators, Philadelphia Phillies
Dave McDonald 1962 1969–71 New York Yankees, Montreal Expos
Bill McGuire 1983–85 1988–89 Seattle Mariners
Gary Neibauer 1965–66 1969–73 Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies
Pete O'Brien 1978–79 1982–93 Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners
Ken Ramos 1987–89 1997 Houston Astros
Marc Sagmoen 1992–93 1997 Texas Rangers
Todd Sears 1995–97 2002–03 Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres
Bob Sebra 1981–83 1985–90 Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds
Adam Shabala 1999–2000 2005 San Francisco Giants
Dwight Siebler 1957–58 1963–67 Minnesota Twins
Steve Stanicek 1980–82 1987, 1989 Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies
Adam Stern 1999–2001 2005–07, 2010 Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers
Jamal Strong 1999–2000 2003–05 Seattle Mariners
Tony Watson 2004–07 2011-12 Pittsburgh Pirates
Thad Weber 2007-08 2012 Detroit Tigers

Current Minor Leaguers

  • 17 former Huskers currently play in the Minor Leagues.[33]
  • Mitch Abeita (2007–08)
  • Adam Bailey (2009–10)
  • Drew Bowman (2007)
  • Andrew Brown (2006–07)
  • Steve Edlefsen (2006–07)
  • Zach Herr (2006–08)
  • Ryan Hughes (2010)
  • Dan Jennings (2006–08)
  • Dan Johnson (2000–01)
  • Zach Kroenke (2003–05)
  • Michael Mariot (2008–10)
  • Mike Nesseth (2008–10)
  • Jake Opitz (2005–08)
  • Aaron Pribanic (2008)
  • Charlie Shirek (2005–07)
  • Tony Watson (2004–07)
  • Thad Weber (2007–08)

Other

  • This is a list of some well-known Husker letter winners and major league draftees.[34][35]
  • Will Bolt (1999–2002)
  • Daniel Bruce (2002–05)
  • John Cole (1999–2001)
  • Johnny Dorn (2005–08)
  • Turner Gill (1983)
  • Matt Hopper (2000–03)
  • Brett Jensen (2004–06)
  • Curtis Ledbetter (2003–05)
  • Jeff Leise (2000–2003)
  • Aaron Marsden (2002–03)
  • Mel Motley (1995–96)
  • Frank Solich (1965)
  • Dustin Timm (2001,03-05)
  • Joe Simokaitis (2002–05)

Records

Nebraska Cornhuskers Baseball Records[4][36][37][38]

Individual game

Batting

Stat Record Player Date
Hits 6 Steve Edlefsen vs. Iowa April 11, 2006
6 5 others
At Bats
(any game) 		10 Jim Smith
vs. Colorado (22 inn.) 		April 24, 1974
At Bats
(9 inn.) 		8 Alvie Shepherd
vs. Washington 		March 20, 1995
8 Patrick Johnson
vs. Washington 		March 20, 1995
Home Runs 3 Dan Johnson
at Southern Utah 		March 6, 2001
3 3 others
Triples 3 Shawn Buchanan
vs. Wayne State 		February 12, 1990
3 Dan Boever
vs. Benedictine 		March 8, 1983
Doubles 3 DJ Belfonte
vs. Creighton 		May 18, 2010
3 15 others
Runs 7 Jim Bailey
vs. Chicago State 		March 16, 1999
7 Ken Harvey
vs. Chicago State 		March 16, 1999
RBIs 10 Craig Moore
vs. Chicago State 		March 16, 1999
10 Gene Torczon vs. Tulsa April 5, 1958
Walks 5 Jim Bailey vs. Chicago State March 16, 1999
5 Tom Novak
vs. Denver College 		April 18, 2049

Pitching

Stat Record Player Date
Innings Pitched 13 Dennis O'Doherty
vs. Colorado 		April 26, 1974
Strikeouts 17 Shane Komine vs. Kansas April 8, 2000
17 Brent Friehauf
vs. St. Cloud State 		March 24, 1983

Individual season

Batting

Stat Record Player Year
At Bats 294 Jeff Leise 2002
Runs 100 Ken Ramos 1988
Hits 109 Jeff Leise 2002
109 Francis Collins 1997
Total Bases 201 Jed Morris 2002
Doubles 27 Cody Asche 2011
Triples 9 Shawn Buchanan 1990
Home Runs 25 Dan Johnson 2001
RBIs 90 Jed Morris 2002
90 Mike Duncan 1985
Walks 91 Bobby Benjamin 1988
Batting Average .478 Ken Harvey 1999
Longest Hit Streak 38 Francis Collins 1996
Stolen Bases 60 Scott Hooper 1984
Slugging Percentage .930 Steve Stanicek 1982

Pitching

Stat Record Player Year
Innings Pitched 131.2 Shane Komine 2001
Appearances 36 Mike Bellows 1994
Complete Games 9 Troy Brohawn 1993
Starts 18 Joba Chamberlain 2005
18 Shane Komine 2001
Shutouts 4 Jamie Rodrigue 2000
Strikeouts 159 Shane Komine 2000
Scoreless Innings 33.1 Justin Pekarek 2004
ERA 0.95 Ray Novak 1955
Wins 14 Shane Komine 2001
Losses 8 Pat Driscoll 1997
Conference Wins 8 Shane Komine 2001
8 Troy Brohawn 1993
Saves 16 Brett Jensen 2004

Individual career

Stat Record Player Year
Games played 254 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Games Started 247 Matt Hopper 2000–03

Batting

Stat Record Player Year
At Bats 966 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Runs Scored 246 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Hits 338 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Total Bases 591 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Doubles 56 Will Bolt 1999–2002
Triples 21 Shawn Buchanan 1988–91
Home Runs 64 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Walks Drawn 223 Bobby Benjamin 1988–90
RBIs 271 Matt Hopper 2000–03
Batting Average .451 Marc Sagmoen 1992–93
Stolen Bases 103 Jeff Carter 1982–85
Slugging % .791 Dan Johnson 2000–01

Pitching

Stat Record Player Year
Innings 431.0 Shane Komine 1999-02
Appearances 92 Jeff Chesnut 2013-16
Complete Games 18 Shane Komine 1999-02
Starts 59 Shane Komine 1999-02
Shutouts 6 Jamie Rodrigue 2000–03
Strikeouts 510 Shane Komine 1999-02
ERA (min. 40 inn.) 1.78 Ben Amaya 1982–83
Wins 41 Shane Komine 1999-02
Losses 17 Dan Buehrer 1973–76
Saves 33 Josh Roeder 2013-15


Game team bests

Stat Record Player Date
Longest Game by Innings 22 Colorado 2, Nebraska 1 April 26, 1974
At Bats 77 Colorado April 26, 1974
Runs Scored 50 Chicago State March 16, 1999
Runs Scored by Opponent 37 Oklahoma State April 8, 1995
Margin of Victory 47 50–3 vs. Chicago State March 16, 1999
Runs Scored Both Teams 55 Nebraska 18, Oklahoma State 37 April 8, 1995
Runs Scored in an Inning 17 Washington March 20, 1995
Hits 35 Chicago State March 16, 1999
Doubles 10 Creighton April 23, 2008
Triples 6 Wayne State March 1, 1985
Home Runs 9 Chicago State March 16, 1999
Total Bases 73 Chicago State March 16, 1999
RBIs 48 Chicago State March 16, 1999
RBIs, Both Teams 51 Chicago State March 16, 1999
Walks 19 Fort Hays State March 18, 1989
19 Northwest Missouri State March 4, 1987
Stolen Bases 13 Nebraska-Omaha March 16, 1995
Strikeouts by NU 16 Texas May 26, 2004
16 Kansas State April 27, 1991
Strikeouts of Opponent 22 UL-Lafayette (15 inn.) February 20, 2009
Walks Allowed 20 Wichita State April 8, 1987
Hits Allowed 26 Oklahoma State April 8, 1995
Big 12 Record
Big Ten Record
NCAA Record

Season team bests

Stat Record Player Year
Wins 57 2005
Consecutive Wins 26 1983
Losses 35 1997
Batting Average .339 1985
Slugging Percentage .548 1985
At Bats 2,448 2005
Runs Scored 676 1985
Hits 787 2001
Doubles 154 2002
Triples 38 1980
Home Runs 94 1985
Total Bases 1,228 1985
RBIs 603 1985
Walks 565 1988
Stolen Bases 196 1984
Strikeouts 454 1997
Double Plays 80 1988
Games Played 72 2005
Lowest ERA 2.64 1965
Complete Games 31 1980
Innings Pitched 643.0 2005
Strikeouts of Opponent 538 2005
Shutouts 15 1979
Consecutive Scoreless Innings 43.1 2004
Saves 23 2005
Fielding Percentage .975 '04 & '05

See also

References

  1. ↑ "University of Nebraska Athletics Brand Guide" (PDF). Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Hawks Field at Haymarket Park". Huskers.com. February 11, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Huskers Host Bears for Doubleheader". Huskers.com. March 4, 2013.
  4. 1 2 2008 Nebraska Baseball Media and Recruiting Guide: Records Archived 2009-05-12 at WebCite
  5. ↑ "Van Horn set standard for NU". The Grand Island Independent. Archived from the original on October 1, 2002. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  6. ↑ "2001 College World Series". Huskers.com. June 30, 2001. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  7. ↑ "First College World Series". Huskers.com. June 5, 2001. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Huskers Journey to Omaha for 2002 CWS". Huskers.com. June 11, 2002. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Van Horn Selected as Baseball America’s NCAA Coach of the Year". Huskers.com. June 18, 2001. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  10. ↑ "2003 Season in Review". Huskers.com. July 1, 2001. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Huskers Head to Big 12 Tournament". Huskers.com. May 24, 2004. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Baseball Wraps up Historic Season". Huskers.com. June 23, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  13. ↑ McKeever, Curt (July 12, 2007). "Anderson pleased, but not satsified [sic], with season". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  14. ↑ "2008 Big 12 Baseball Postseason Awards Announced". Big 12 Sports. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Dorn Earns Third-Team All-America Honors". Huskers.com. May 20, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Osborne Announces Change in Baseball Program". Huskers.com. May 22, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Erstad Named Nebraska Head Baseball Coach". Huskers.com. June 2, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Silva Named Pitching Coach at Nebraska". Huskers.com. June 16, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Bolt Returns to Nebraska as Associate Head Coach". Huskers.com. June 8, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Christy Joins Husker Baseball Staff". Huskers.com. July 5, 2011.
  21. ↑ "NCAA Tournament Teams". Huskers.com. January 30, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  22. ↑ Rawnsley, David. "Omaha's new crown jewel". Perfect Game USA. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Huskers Walk Off #16 Longhorns, 1-0, in 15 Innings". Huskers.com. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  24. ↑ "Get Out the Brooms, Huskers Sweep #16 Texas". Huskers.com. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  25. ↑ Dixon, Michael. "Husker pitchers make history with four named on National Players of the Week list". Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  26. ↑ "Dick Howser Trophy on Baseball Almanac." Dick Howser Trophy on Baseball Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/dick_howser_trophy.shtml
  27. ↑ "Golden Spikes Award by USA Baseball on Baseball Almanac." Golden Spikes Award by USA Baseball on Baseball Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_goldenspikes.shtml
  28. ↑ 2008 Nebraska Baseball Media and Recruiting Guide: History Archived 2009-05-12 at WebCite
  29. ↑ "First-Team All-Americans". Huskers.com. June 24, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  30. ↑ "University of Nebraska Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues". Baseball Almana. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  31. ↑ "Huskers in Major League Baseball". Huskers.com. September 2, 2011.
  32. ↑ "MLB Player Index". MLB.com. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  33. ↑ "Huskers In Professional Baseball". Huskers.com. July 7, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  34. ↑ "Nebraska's All-Time Letterwinners". Huskers.com. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  35. ↑ "All-Time Baseball Draft Picks". Huskers.com. June 23, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  36. ↑ "Baseball Records". Huskers.com. June 25, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  37. ↑ "Jeff Chesnut Bio". Huskers.com. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  38. ↑ "Josh Roeder Bio". Huskers.com. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
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