I don't keep up with college baseball but Kentucky swept #7 South Carolina last week. They're tied for first in the SEC.

I wish someone would knock off North Carolina. Depending on which poll you look at NC / Rice or Cal St. Fullerton is ranked #1. Nebraska is ranked at 3 or 4 in all the polls. Nebraska lost to Rice in their 2nd game of the year back in Febuary. Starting next year every college team starts the season at the same time. No more southern teams getting a head start. :thumb:

Don't lie now HE. Wichita's starting pitcher was unbeaten in his career until tonight. He was 14-0 and was a freshman all American 2 yrs ago. He sat out last year due to having Tommy John surgery.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_sid=2157826

Published Wednesday
April 26, 2006

Red-hot Huskers keep rolling, blast Shockers

BY MITCH SHERMAN


NU 11, WSU 0 - April 25, 2006


LINCOLN The Nebraska baseball team, after consecutive weekend wins over defending national champion Texas to take over first place in the Big 12 Conference, returned home Tuesday night to play in 40-degree weather with its No. 5 starting pitcher on the mound.

NU starter Jon Klausing didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning.

In other words, the Huskers appeared ripe for a letdown.

Try telling that to Wichita State.
Fourth-ranked NU pounded the Shockers 11-0 before a Haymarket-Park crowd of 2,416 as unheralded sophomore Jon Klausing flirted with a no-hitter. Klausing got 10 straight ground-ball outs to open the game and allowed just two balls hit out of the infield.

Derek Schermerhorn rolled a 1-0 pitch over second base with one out in the seventh inning, the only hit surrendered by Klausing in a career-long seven innings of work.

"If that's their bottom pitching," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said, "I can only imagine what their top pitchers are like."

Nebraska (33-6) collected just seven hits off four Wichita State pitchers but scored six runs on three hits, three walks and a hit batter in the eighth inning to complete the blowout.

The Missouri Valley Conference-leading Shockers, who came to Lincoln with seven wins in their past eight games, dropped to 31-15 and finished with two hits. Sophomore starting pitcher Kris Johnson lost for the first time in 15 career decisions but left trailing only 2-0 after five innings.

"The thought goes through your mind that we could have a letdown after last weekend," NU first baseman Brandon Buckman said, "but we didn't probably because we feel like we're the best team in the Big 12. We should beat Texas. We should beat everybody in the Big 12.

"It's just about going out taking care of our business."

Nebraska certainly took care of business Tuesday. Buckman doubled to left-center field with one out in the bottom of the first, scoring Jeff Christy and Ryan Wehrle to give Klausing all the support he needed.

The 6-foot-6 left-hander from Arvada, Colo., struck out three, walked one and ran his hitless-innings streak to 9 1/3 before Schermerhorn's single. Klausing had pitched only 10 innings this season before Tuesday and 42 in his career because of a back injury.

He emerged April 11 by throwing four shutout innings against Iowa and then tossed three scoreless innings in a win last week against the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

"He fought, fought, fought and just did a good job of keeping them off balance," Nebraska coach Mike Anderson said. "Everyone here was hoping he would get to the ninth with that no-no."

Anderson removed Klausing to an ovation from the crowd and his teammates after he took the mound for the eighth inning.

"I kept the ball low, changed speeds and threw all three of my pitches for strikes," said Klausing, who received a shaving-cream pie to the face, courtesy of pitcher Mike Harmelink, during post-game interviews. "It helps my confidence and lets me know I can throw whenever they need me."

Klausing erased Schermerhorn by getting Conor Gillaspie, the Shockers' true freshman third baseman out of Millard North, on a double-play grounder to end the seventh. Nebraska freshmen Erik Bird and Zach Herr worked scoreless innings to end the game.

NU went up 5-0 in the sixth when Wichita State reliever Noah Booth hit Jake Opitz and walked Jake Mort, both with the bases loaded, followed by an RBI double from Wehrle. Buckman and Christy then collected a pair of two-run hits during the Huskers' big eighth inning.

"I thought we were embarrassed the whole tradition and history of our program," Stephenson said. "We embarrassed ourselves totally. We were dominated by their pitching, every one that they put out there."

Complete linescore

• NOTES: Nebraska right fielder Luke Gorsett finished 0 for 2 with three walks to snap his 19-game hitting streak. Six Nebraska hitters reached base with two outs in the eighth to give Gorsett a final at-bat, but he grounded out to first base . . . NU evened its all-time series against the Shockers at 19-19 . . . Nebraska pitchers have thrown 20 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings . . . Bird has not allowed an earned run 13 1/3 innings over 16 appearances this spring.

But he was not in the regular rotation yet this year due to his recovery from the surgery. I am in no way trying to take anything away from the Huskers. It has nothing to do with the fact that it was about 37 degrees, we used a hurt pitcher and they are in a heated tie for first to win the Valley. :p
The Huskers are a great team and could very well win it all this year. :clap:

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/spo...y/14420060.htm

Johnson still has eye on rotation
BY JEFFREY PARSON
The Wichita Eagle
Like the rest of the Shockers, Wichita State pitcher Kris Johnson was jubilant as he celebrated Josh Workman's game-ending home run Sunday.

Like many of his teammates, Johnson also took time to speak with fans -- including a co-ed or two -- after the game.

However, Johnson moved past the series sweep a bit faster than everyone else.

He knew what awaited him tonight: No. 4 Nebraska.

Johnson will get the start as the Shockers travel to one of college baseball's premier facilities to play one of the nation's premier teams.

"It's probably the biggest game of the year," Johnson said. "The No. 4 team in the nation, you know how good they're going to be. We've got to keep up this momentum."

While beating the Cornhuskers on the road would certainly be significant, it is also time to start thinking about what it will take to win a conference title. The Shockers (31-14, 9-6 Valley) control their own destiny and have only nine Valley games remaining.

If Johnson follows three straight excellent outings -- he has allowed no earned runs on six hits while striking out 13 and walking two in 14 innings -- with a good performance tonight, the Shockers might have to get him back in the weekend rotation soon.

Considering Johnson had elbow ligament replacement surgery a year ago, WSU coach Gene Stephenson and pitching coach Brent Kemnitz have been focused only on bringing him back slowly. Kemnitz continues to believe Johnson can be as good as any left-hander in the country when healthy.

Stephenson and Kemnitz admit that Johnson (4-0, 3.65 ERA) is getting close to his old form. And if Rob Musgrave, who allowed six runs (four earned) in facing only 10 batters Saturday, continues to struggle, Johnson could be needed.

"If Kris continues with what he's been doing the last three times out, we'll look at where we sit," Kemnitz said. "But right now, it's still about building his pitches up, building his stamina up. I think he's regained that air of confidence he needed."

That should be tested tonight. The Cornhuskers (32-6) lead the Big 12 with a .324 batting average and have hit 50 home runs. For perspective, Creighton leads the Valley with 27 homers.

Johnson threw 72 pitches in his last start and reported no soreness. He will have a pitch limit around 80 tonight.

Johnson has not worked past five innings, and Kemnitz said he would like to assume Johnson can make it six or seven innings before giving him a Valley start.

While Stephenson said it's possible Johnson could start tonight and then Sunday at Indiana State, the more likely scenario has Johnson going tonight, a week from tonight against Oklahoma and then starting against Illinois State.

Johnson hopes that will play out. He wants back in the weekend rotation.

"I do really bad," he said. "The conference games are more important because they're the way you get into the NCAA Tournament. We need to win the conference, and I want to be as big a part of that as possible."

Update as of 5/3/06
Nebraska keeps rolling along sweeping Texas Tech over the weekend to improve to 36-6 and move up to #3 in all of the polls. The last 2 games were 10 run called games. The Huskers have the best record in Div I

I saw where KSU lost to Kansas Wesleyan 1-0 on Tuesday. Not good. :(

Johnson had a little better outing against #8 Oklahoma, the Shockers win 9 to 5 for 13 out of last 15.
Kansas Wesleyan? I thought that was an all girls school.
I see where Turgeon hired Nebraska's assistant head Coach, Spinelli, to come to WSU.

http://www.goshockers.com/article.aspx?ID=3870
BSB: Shockers Beat Houston, 2-1

NORMAN, Okla. - Wichita State (45-20) won the first game of the NCAA Norman Regional, defeating the Houston Cougars (39-21), 2-1.

Wichita State struck early in the first inning. Senior Kenny Waddell led off with a base hit, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Josh Workman, and came around on a Matt Brown double.

WSU had runners in scoring position in the next four innings, including a bases loaded situation in the second, but could not manage to cross a run.

Houston knotted the score, 1-1, in the second inning. Pitcher Brad Lincoln hit a lead off infield single. A walk moved the runner to second and a double by Luis Flores plated one for the Cougars. Four scoreless innings for both sides followed. Houston threatened in the sixth with bases loaded and two outs, but a fly out ended the inning, the Shockers unscathed.

Wichita State regained the lead in the top of the seventh, 2-1. Workman drew a lead off walk and stole second base. Conor Gillaspie drove him in on a double down the right field line.

Brown and Gillaspie led the Shockers offensively, each with two hits and one RBI a piece. Lincoln was the only Cougar with a multiple-hit game and Flores had the team’s only RBI.

Freshman starter Aaron Shafer (11-3) threw seven complete innings, allowing one earned run and scattering six hits. Noah Booth went two innings of relief, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts.

Wichita State will take on the winner of tonight’s 7 p.m. game, tomorrow, Saturday, June 3, at 7 p.m. in Norman, Okla.


- Wichita State -

So how are your teams doing this year? Shockers are steady, having another good season.

KSU is sucking again. No big surprise there.

WSU scores four in eighth to top Nebraska
BY JEFFREY LUTZ
The Wichita Eagle

Larry Smith/Correspondent
Wichita State pinch-runner Ryan Jones slides safely past Nebraska catcher Mitch Abeita for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning at Eck Stadium.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wichita State-Nebraska
Shocker report
Tyler Weber had hit into hard luck all night. There was the line drive in the second inning hit right to the left fielder. In the fifth, Weber drove a ball to the warning track in center, but it was also caught. When Weber's bases-loaded line drive in the eighth hit off the pitcher and stayed on the infield, the Wichita State catcher figured it was more bad luck.

"I wasn't sure what was going on," Weber said. "I was just praying he didn't have time to get either one of us out."

The ball ricocheted to Nebraska third baseman Craig Corriston, who scooped it to catcher Mitch Abieta. But Abieta wasn't on the plate to make the force out and Ryan Jones slid under the tag.

The run tied the game and paved the way for No. 11 WSU's 5-3 win over the Cornhuskers Thursday night at Eck Stadium -- a victory marred by the potential loss of Derek Schermerhorn to an ankle injury.

Damon Sublett provided the winning runs with a two-run single with two outs in the eighth.

Weber wasn't the only one with bad luck before the eighth. The Shockers had baserunners all night against Nebraska starting pitcher Drew Bowman, but just one run to show for it during Bowman's 5 2/3 innings.

"I thought we were swinging the bats well," WSU coach Gene Stephenson. "Their balls were finding holes and getting in there and we weren't having any luck at all. This team battled back and we didn't give in."

The Shockers lost at least two runs in the first inning, when Schermerhorn reached base on an error by Corriston. He was on his way to scoring easily on Matt Brown's triple when he injured his left ankle while rounding third.

Schermerhorn was unable to get up after falling from the injury and was tagged for the second out. The next batter, Danny Jackson, hit a deep fly ball to right that would have scored Brown from third.

Stephenson, uncertain of the severity of Schermerhorn's injury, didn't sound optimistic. Schermerhorn was on crutches after the game and Stephenson said he would likely be X-rayed tomorrow.

"When it happened, I thought he broke it," Stephenson said. "He heard something snap, he said. It's very unusual that you twist a left ankle running bases like that. That's a tough thing. I'm really concerned."

The Shockers scored on doubles by Conor Gillaspie and Dusty Coleman in the second. They struggled to string hits together after that, but WSU's pitching kept it close by frequently escaping potential game-breaking jams.

Nebraska took the lead in the third on an RBI single by Ryan Wehrle, but stranded runners at second and third. In the fifth, the Huskers scored their final run and left Abeita, who reached scoring position with one out, stranded at third base.

Max Hutston, making his first start and fifth appearance of the year for WSU, allowed two runs in three innings. Relievers Kyle Touchatt, Anthony Capra and Noah Booth combined for six innings of one-run, five-hit ball.

"I thought our pitching was outstanding, I really do," Stephenson said. "Hutson did a good job; he deserved a lot better than what he got. We were snakebit there until the eighth inning."

The pitching set the stage for the late rally during an eighth inning that featured 14 players -- nine WSU batters, two pinch-runners and three Nebraska pitchers.

Sublett, who had only reached base via a fifth-inning walk prior to the eighth, wasn't patient this time.

"I was just going up there looking first-pitch fastball," Sublett said. "I kind of figured he'd want to get ahead with the bases loaded, and I didn't think he'd throw anything off-speed."

Huskers aren't doing so hot this season. Their bullpen is solely responsible for about 99.9% of their losses so far. Else they'd have 25 to 28 wins. Postponed last night in Oklahoma. Don't know if they will be able to play today or not. Missouri is having a great year so far.