ADVERTISEMENT

Huskers.com: Huskers Open 2016 at College of Charleston

RobsterMobster

Administrator
Moderator
Jan 5, 2010
21,269
21,681
113
Friday, Feb. 19 (3 p.m. CT)Probable Starters: RHP Howell (0-0) vs. RHP Helvey (0-0)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Lincoln – 1400 AM | Omaha – 590 AM)

Saturday, Feb. 20 (1:30 p.m. CT)Probable Starters: RHP King (0-0) vs. RHP Ober (0-0)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Lincoln – 1400 AM | Omaha – 590 AM)

Sunday, Feb. 21 (10 a.m. CT)Probable Starters: TBA vs. RHP McCutcheon
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Lincoln – 1400 AM | Omaha – 590 AM)

Lincoln - The Huskers open the 2016 season on Friday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. (CT) in Charleston, S.C., with the first game of a three-game series against the College of Charleston. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.


The Cougars are coming off a 45-15 season that ended with a loss to Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final.

Head Coach Matt Heath is in his first year as the leader of the program after serving five years as the team’s pitching coach. Heath earned his first head coaching job after Monte Lee left Charleston for Clemson. Health returns five position starters from last season and seven pitchers, while welcoming 18 newcomers.

Golden Spikes Watch ListNebraska junior outfielder Ryan Boldt was one of 50 players named to USA Baseball’s preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list on Tuesday. Boldt has already been named a preseason All-American by multiple publications and is ranked as the #13 college prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft by Baseball America.

Boldt was one of three Big Ten players named to the watch list, joining Michigan’s Carmen Benedetti and Maryland’s Mike Shawaryn.

Boldt is coming off a sophomore campaign where he shined both on the field and in the classroom. The Red Wing, Minn., native led the Huskers in average (.344), hits (75), runs (45) and stolen bases (9). NU’s leadoff hitter for most of the season, Boldt displayed a great eye at the plate with 27 walks to 27 strikeouts, while also leading the team with a .429 on-base percentage. During league play, Boldt ranked ninth in the Big Ten with a .374 average and tied for eighth in hits with 34, while his on-base percentage of .467 ranked fourth.

Boldt enters 2016 with 149 career hits and needs 51 hits to become the 24th player in school history with 200 career hits. He would also be just the 15th player in school history to reach the mark in three seasons.

Boldt also earned third-team academic All-America honors in 2015, becoming the 17th Husker baseball player to earn the honor.

Alex Gordon is the only Husker to ever win the Golden Spikes Award, as he won the Golden Spikes, Brooks Wallace and Dick Howser Awards in 2005, and he was also named ABCA Player of the Year. Two other Huskers have been finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, including Darin Erstad (1995) and Ken Harvey (1999).

Road WarriorsThe Huskers will play nine-straight games away from Lincoln to start the year. Nebraska played 13 (7-6) straight games on the road last year, after playing 10 (5-5) in 2014 and seven (0-7) in 2013. In Head Coach Darin Erstad’s first season in 2012 the Huskers started the year with 10 straight road games and went 6-4.

The last time the Huskers opened the season at home was 1990, when NU hosted Kearney at Feb. 11 at Buck Beltzer Field.

Count on ChesnutSenior Jeff Chesnut enters 2016 with 62 career appearances, including 31 last season. His 31 appearances in 2015 are tied for sixth on Nebraska’s single-season chart.

Chesnut needs eight appearances in 2016 to tie Jarod Bearinger (1996-99) and John Lepley (1985-88) for ninth place on NU’s career list.

Steve Hale holds the school record with 87 career appearances from 1999-2003.

Looking at the Husker OffenseThe Husker offense lost three key pieces at the end of last season when Tanner Lubach, Blake Headley and Austin Darby all finished their senior years. Lubach went on to be drafted by the Angels, while Headley was picked by the Cubs. The three seniors accounted for 544 games played, including 496 starts, over the past four years.

Last season alone, the trio combined for 173 hits (33%), 26 doubles (29%), six triples (46%), eight home runs (36%) and 91 RBIs (37%), a large portion of the team’s offensive production.

The Huskers return primary starters Ryan Boldt, Jake Schleppenbach and Ben Miller, who combined for 192 hits (36%), 27 doubles (30%), three triples (23%), five home runs (23%) and 77 RBIs (31%) a year ago.

The Huskers will welcome back Steven Reveles, who played in just 16 games last season due to injury. Seniors Jake Placzek and Taylor Fish each have starting experience, while sophomores Scott Schreiber, Luis Alvarado, Elijah Dilday and Jake Meyers all saw significant time on the field last year as true freshmen.

Reveles ReturnsSteven Reveles was 16 games into his senior season in 2015 when he broke his finger attempting a bunt against Michigan on March 20. The shortstop ended up missing the rest of the season and was granted a medical hardship, giving him another shot at his senior year in 2016.

To be eligible for a medical hardship Reveles needed to have played in no more than 30% of NU’s regular-season games for the year and it had to take place in the first half of the season. Reveles’ game total was 29.1%, if he had played in one more game he would have went over 30% and would not have been eligible to apply for a medical hardship.

Jake McSteen was also issued a medical hardship and will be a redshirt freshman in 2016. McSteen had season-ending shoulder surgery following the third week of the 2015 regular season.

Start with a WNebraska is looking to open the season with a win for the third straight year on Friday after posting a 5-3 win over Pacific in 2014 and a 2-0 victory over UNLV last season.

Prior to the victory over Pacific in 2014, the Huskers had lost four straight season openers, with the last win coming at UL-Lafayette in 2009.

The last time NU started three-straight seasons with a win was from 2002 to 2007, when the Huskers won six-straight season openers.

Innings Up for GrabsPitching Coach Ted Silva has the task of replacing not just one, but two senior weekend starters from last season. Nebraska’s weekend starters threw a total of 256.2 innings in 2015, with seniors Kyle Kubat and Chance Sinclair combining for 185.2 innings, or roughly 73% of the weekend innings pitched.

Kubat was a mainstay on the mound for the Huskers over the last four seasons, evident by his 43 career starts that rank fifth all-time at Nebraska. Sinclair totaled 31 starts over the past two seasons and was a two-time All-Big Ten pick.

Nebraska returns two pitchers who started on a weekend last year and they combined for 71.0 innings. Derek Burkamper accounted for the majority of the innings with 65.2 innings over 12 starts, while Max Knutson pitched 5.1 innings over two starts.

Returning Huskers Who Started Midweek Games in 2015Garett King (40.1 innings in 8 starts)
Zach Engelken (9.1 innings in 4 starts)


Boldt Keeps HittingRyan Boldt broke onto the collegiate scene as a freshman in 2014 with a .311 average and 74 hits. He avoided a sophomore slump in 2015 by hitting .344 with 75 hits.

Boldt needs 51 hits in 2016 to become the 24th player in school history with 200 career hits.

Just a junior, Boldt would be just the 15th player to reach the mark in three seasons, and the first since his cousin, Pat Kelly, notched 212 hits from 2012-14.

Other Huskers who have reached 200 or more hits in three seasons include: Darin Erstad (261), Paul Meyers (250), Matt Hopper (249), Mark Kister (242), Alex Gordon (240), Todd Sears (234), Ken Ramos (229), Curtis Ledbetter (223), John Cole (222), Jeff Leise (217), Pat Kelly (212), Will Bolt (205) Ken Harvey (203), Francis Collins (201).

Howell’s New RoleColton Howell had the opportunity to pursue professional baseball after the end of the 2015 season when he was selected in the 27th round of the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. The O’Fallon, Mo., native turned down the Padres and instead returned to Nebraska for his senior year in 2016.

During the offseason Howell has worked on the transition from a reliever to a starter and is projected to make his first career start in Friday’s season opener.

During his first three years at Nebraska, Howell made 47 appearances on the mound, all out of the bullpen. Last season he notched a 2.08 ERA and two saves, while posting career highs in innings pitched (30.1) and appearances (25).

Home Sweet HawksThe Nebraska baseball team is celebrating its 15th season at Hawks Field in 2016. Since playing their first game at the park in 2002, the Huskers have posted a 301-109-1 (.734) record at the facility, including a 21-6 record last season.

The Huskers notched a .778 winning percentage at home last year, the highest home winning percentage since 2008 when Nebraska posted a .843 winning percentage with a 29-5-1 record.

New Face at FirstFans will see a new face coaching first base in 2016, as Brad Smith will be the Huskers’ volunteer assistant coach this season. Smith is not new to the program though, as he has served as a graduate manager each of the past for seasons.

A three-time All-MIAA selection at Pittsburgh State, Smith works with Nebraska’s infielders. Smith was a .383 career hitter and led Division II in doubles per game during the 2006 season with 22 in 42 games.

Smith takes over for Jeff Christy, who took a full-time assistant coach position at Central Oklahoma after serving as NU’s volunteer coach the last four seasons. Christy works with the Bronchos’ pitchers, catchers and is the team’s recruiting coordinator.

Noting the 2016 Season* 12 games against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams (could increase depending on matchups at the Tony Gwynn Classic)

- 3 at College of Charleston (Feb. 19-21)

- 3 vs. Illinois (April 1-3)

- 3 at Michigan (April 15-17)

- 3 vs. Indiana (May 19-21)

* Nebraska’s 55-game schedule consists of 27 home games, 23 road games and 5 neutral site games

* Nebraska will play eight Big Ten Conference series (4 home/4 road)

- Home series: Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State, Indiana

- Road series: Purdue, Michigan, Rutgers, Michigan State

* Nebraska’s Big Ten series at Michigan State will mark the second time the teams have met in East Lansing since NU joined the Big Ten. The teams have never played a series in Lincoln, but have met six times, with three of the meetings coming at the Big Ten Tournament.

* For the first time since 2010, the Huskers won’t play a non-conference game against a team that played in the College World Series the previous season.

* Nebraska and Kansas are set to play a midweek game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Wednesday, April 27.

* The Huskers end the season with seven-straight home games. The last time Nebraska hosted seven or more games to end a season was 2009 when NU played its final 11 games of the season at Hawks Field.

Burkamper OutPrior to the start of the 2016 season, Head Coach Darin Erstad announced that Derek Burkamper will be suspended for the first two weeks of the season for a violation of team rules.

Huskers on the Radio in 2016The Husker IMG Sports Network will continue the strong tradition of broadcasting Nebraska baseball in 2016, as every game of the season will be carried.

In the state of Nebraska, KXSP AM 590 ESPN (590 AM) and KEZO Z-92 (92.3 FM) will serve as the new Omaha affiliates in 2016. KXSP’s strong signal reaches a good portion of the Midwest day and night, including parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas. KLIN (1400 AM) once again serves as the Lincoln affiliate.

All baseball broadcasts are heard live on Huskers.com and the Official Husker App, while select broadcasts are also carried on the TuneIn Radio App and www.TuneIn.com.

Greg Sharpe, Lane Grindle and Ben McLaughlin bring another exciting season of baseball with every broadcast beginning 30 minutes prior to first pitch.

Sharpe is in his ninth year covering Nebraska baseball and also serves as the radio play-by-play voice for Husker football. Sharpe hosts the Husker Baseball Radio Show that airs from 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays during the season and hosts a sports talk show, Sports Nightly, each weeknight that focuses on Husker athletics.

Grindle is in his 11th season covering Nebraska baseball and also serves as the sideline reporter during Husker football games.

McLaughlin is back for his third season of baseball in 2016. McLaughlin produces multiple shows on the network and serves as a host for Sports Nightly.

Draft HistoryEight members of the 2016 Husker baseball team have previously been drafted:

Luis Alvarado - 2014 (Boston Red Sox, 33rd Round)
Ryan Boldt - 2013 (Boston Red Sox, 22nd Round)
Derek Burkamper - 2013 (Boston Red Sox, 20th Round)
Sean Chandler - 2015 (Milwaukee Brewers, 32nd Round)
Colton Howell - 2015 (San Diego Padres, 27th Round)
Garett King - 2014 (New York Mets, 36th Round)
Chad Luensmann - 2015 (New York Mets, 39th Round)
Jesse Wilkening - 2015 (Arizona Diamondbacks, 28th Round)

Huskers in MLBA total of 17 former Huskers were part of a Major League organization in 2015, including five that are currently at the MLB level.

MLB
Cody Asche - Phillies
Alex Gordon - Royals
Dan Jennings - White Sox
Michael Mariot - Phillies
Tony Watson - Pirates

Free agents
Brian Duensing

Minor Leagues
Andrew Brown - Angels
Aaron Bummer - White Sox
Joba Chamberlain - Indians
Chad Christensen - Twins
Blake Headley - Cubs
Zach Hirsch - Brewers
Dan Johnson - Cardinals
Pat Kelly - Twins
Tanner Lubach - Angels
Josh Roeder - Yankees
Thad Weber - Tigers

Link: Click Here
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT