Corvallis, Ore. – The Nebraska baseball team (35-22-1) was eliminated from the NCAA Corvallis Regional after a 7-4 loss to Holy Cross at Goss Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Senior right-hander Derek Burkamper made his 15th start of the season, and went 4.1 innings, giving up five runs, all of which were earned. Chad Luensmann (1.2 innings) and Jake McSteen (2.0 innings) each made relief appearances.

In the opening frame, Jake Meyers was hit by the first pitch of the game. He was out after a lineout double play and NU’s top half of the inning ended with a foul-out. Holy Cross took the early lead with two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first.

NU’s first two batters reached on a walk and single in the second inning, but a strikeout and two deep flyouts ended the Huskers’ threat to score. The Crusaders went 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the second inning.

All three Husker batters were retired in the top of the third. Burkamper responded by retiring all three Crusaders in the bottom half of the frame.

Nebraska scored two runs on three hits in the fourth inning. Scott Schreiber and Ben Miller singled in the first two at-bats and each scored. Jake Schleppenbach was walked and Luke Roskam had an RBI single. One Crusader reached on an error in the bottom of the fourth, but he was left on base.

NU’s first two batters reached in the top of the fifth, but two strikeouts and a flyout ended the threat to take the lead. Holy Cross scored three runs to take a 5-2 lead. Two of the runs scored on a double to right field that advanced the runner to third on a fielding error by the right fielder.

Schleppenbach singled in the leadoff spot, but a flyout followed by a double play ended the top of the sixth for the Huskers. Luensmann retired the first two Crusaders in the sixth before four consecutive hits produced a pair of two-out runs. The timely hitting extended the Holy Cross lead to 7-2.

Meyers walked after a leadoff popout, but was thrown out on a double play strikeout. McSteen retired all three Crusaders, striking out two in the bottom of the seventh.

Schreiber homered in the leadoff spot in the top of the eighth. Miller singled in the second spot and the Huskers loaded the bases with two outs. Mojo Hagge hit an RBI single, but a flyout left three on base. In the bottom of the eighth, Holy Cross had a leadoff single, but couldn’t bring him in.

In the top of the ninth, all three Husker batters were retired with three groundouts. The Huskers are eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after making their third appearance in the last four years and winning the 2017 Big Ten regular-season title.

— NU Athletics —

Corvallis, Ore. – The Nebraska baseball team (35-21-1) lost its first-round game of the NCAA Regionals to Yale, 5-1, at Goss Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Junior left-hander Jake Meyers made his 14th start of the season, and went 5.2 innings. He gave up five runs, all of which were earned, while striking out five Bulldogs. Robbie Palkert threw 3.1 scoreless innings and had six strikeouts.

In the first inning, Yale scored two runs on four hits to race out to an early lead. The first three Bulldogs reached on singles to load the bases. Griffin Dey drove in both runs with a single to centerfield. Meyers singled in the leadoff spot and recorded his 20th stolen base of the season when he took second base. He advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on an RBI single from Luis Alvarado.

The Bulldogs’ Andrew Herrera homered in the leadoff spot in the second inning. Meyers retired each of the next three batters to get out of the inning. NU managed one hit in the bottom half of the frame, but couldn’t get a runner in scoring position.

Yale had a single in the third, but a double play ended its threat to score in the inning. Ben Miller drew a two-out walk and Alvarado had an infield single, but a groundout to first base ended the inning.

The Bulldogs added to their lead in the fourth with one run. The leadoff hitter singled and after back-to-back outs, Dai Dai Otaka was hit by a pitch. Tim DeGraw’s single scored the run before an inning-ending groundout. Nebraska went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth.

NU’s defense responded in the top of the fifth as all three Yale batters were retired. Meyers drew a leadoff walk, but was left stranded at second base after three consecutive outs to end the fifth frame.

In the sixth inning, Yale added one run to extend the lead to 5-1. Derek Brown doubled, and then scored on Otaka’s infield single. NU had two baserunners when Jesse Wilkening walked and Luke Roskam singled, but both were left on base.

Yale managed a double in the seventh, but Palkert struck out the other three Bulldogs he faced. In the bottom half of the frame, all three Huskers were retired.

Yale had one hit in the eighth, but Palkert recorded outs for the other three Bulldog hitters. Jake Schleppenbach singled in the eighth, but NU couldn’t score.

All three Yale batters in the ninth were retired before all three Huskers went down.

The Huskers will play on Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT) against the loser of the Oregon State/Holy Cross game, which is set for 10 p.m. (CT) on Friday.

— NU Athletics —

Three Nebraska football greats are among 75 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision announced as finalists Thursday for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Huskers on the 2018 ballot for induction into the Hall of Fame include Heisman-winning quarterback Eric Crouch, and a pair of Outland Trophy winning offensive linemen in Aaron Taylor and Zach Wiegert.

Crouch is on the ballot for the seventh straight year, Wiegert is making his third appearance on the ballot and Taylor is a new addition to the Hall of Fame ballot. The 2018 class will be announced on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in Atlanta on the day of the College Football Playoff championship game.

Crouch would become the second Husker quarterback in the College Hall of Fame, joining Tommie Frazier, who was part of the 2013 class. Crouch became Nebraska’s third Heisman Trophy winner in 2001 after leading the Huskers to the National Championship game. An option-based quarterback out of Omaha’s Millard North High School, Crouch set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59, and he amassed 7,915 yards of total offense in his career. A consensus All-American in 2001, Crouch also reeled in the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O’Brien Award and the Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year award during his senior campaign. His No. 7 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 2002.

Taylor is the only player in Nebraska football history to earn All-America honors at two positions. During his junior season in 1996, Taylor was a first-team All-America choice as a center. A year later, he shifted to offensive guard and was a unanimous All-America pick and Outland Trophy winner. A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Taylor helped lead the Huskers to three national championships, three conference championships and three NCAA rushing titles during his career. His No. 67 was retired in 1998.

Wiegert was a 1994 unanimous first-team All-American and is one of eight Huskers to win the Outland Trophy. A native of Fremont, Neb., Wiegert helped lead the Huskers to 1994 National Championship after NU played in the 1993 title game. The Huskers averaged 340 yards per game on the ground in 1994, and Wiegert led Nebraska with 113 pancake blocks. He even earned one first-place vote for the Heisman, finishing tied for ninth with 27 points. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.

Trev Alberts became the 17th Nebraska player in the College Football Hall of Fame, as he was inducted in 2015. He was the fourth Husker in seven years to be named to the Hall, joining 2013 inductee Tommie Frazier, 2011 honoree Will Shields and 2009 inductee Grant Wistrom.

— NU Athletics —

Nebraska has learned the start times for five of its 2017 football games as part of announcements on Wednesday by the Big Ten Conference and its television partners, as well as the Pac-12 Conference.

The game times announced Wednesday include four of Nebraska’s first five games of the season, as well as its Friday, Nov. 24 regular-season finale with Iowa.

The kickoff times include Nebraska’s home games against Northern Illinois, Rutgers and Iowa. The Sept. 16 matchup with Northern Illinois at Memorial Stadium will kick at 11 a.m. CT and be telecast on FS1. The following week, Nebraska will play host to Rutgers on Homecoming in Lincoln, with the Huskers and Scarlet Knights to kick off at either 2:30 or 3 p.m. CT, with the network to be announced at a later date.

Nebraska’s matchup with Big Ten West Division rival Iowa on the Friday after Thanksgiving will start at 3 p.m. CT, with FS1 providing the national television coverage.

Game times for Nebraska’s first two road games were also announced on Wednesday. The Huskers’ Sept. 9 matchup at Oregon will kick at 3:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. PT), with the game televised nationally on FOX. The kickoff time for NU’s Friday, Sept. 29 game at Illinois has also been set. The contest from Illinois’ Memorial Stadium will begin at 7 p.m. CT with television coverage on FS1.

The new media rights agreements between the Big Ten and its television partners will allow for more national exposure for more teams on big national platforms. There will also be more games played in prime time as part of the new agreements, but in no case may a network select a game for prime time less than 12 days prior to it being played. In past years, the entire Big Ten prime time schedule was released in April, while the new agreement allows for games starting in Week 4 to be announced 12 days prior to game day.

Nebraska will likely also learn the kickoff time and television information for its Sept. 2 season opener against Arkansas State at Memorial Stadium in the near future.

Nebraska 2017 Game Times/TV Information
Sept. 9 at Oregon 3:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. PT FOX
Sept. 16 Northern Illinois 11 a.m. CT FS1
Sept. 23 Rutgers (HC) 2:30 or 3 p.m. CT TBA
Sept. 29 at Illinois 7 p.m. CT FS1
Nov. 24 Iowa 3 p.m. CT FS1

— NU Athletics —

The Nebraska baseball team will make its 15th NCAA Regional appearance in program history, as the 64-team NCAA Tournament field was announced on Monday. The Huskers will be the No. 2 seed in the Corvallis Regional.

No. 1 overall national seed Oregon State will host No. 3 seed Yale and No. 4 seed Holy Cross in addition to the Huskers at Goss Stadium this weekend. Nebraska opens the double-elimination Regional format with Yale on Friday, June 2 at 3 p.m. (CT) on ESPN3. Oregon State and Holy Cross square off on Friday at 10 p.m. (CT) in the other Corvallis Regional opener.

Nebraska, who enters the NCAA Tournament with a 35-20-1 record, won the Big Ten regular-season title with a 16-7-1 mark during conference play. The Huskers are making their third NCAA Tournament appearance under sixth-year Head Coach Darin Erstad, who was named 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Nebraska also qualified for the national tournament in 2014 and 2016 under Erstad.

The Huskers are led by two All-Big Ten first-team honorees and two third-team members. Juniors Jake Meyers (Utility) and Scott Schreiber (Designated Hitter) each earned first-team all-conference recognition, while Angelo Altavilla (Shortstop) and Jake Hohensee (Starting Pitcher) were each selected for the third team. Luke Roskam (Third Base) was a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team. Senior Jake Schleppenbach (Second Base), the lone Husker to play in all 56 games this season, earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after batting .455 with a home run during the tournament.

In its program history, Nebraska has had three College World Series teams (2001, 2002, 2005) and made a Super Regional in 2000. NU’s additional NCAA Tournament showings came in 1979, 1980, 1985, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2016.

This year’s Super Regionals, consisting of the 16 Regionals winners, are set for June 9-11 or 10-12 on campus sites. The eight Super Regionals winners will advance to the College World Series, scheduled for June 17-27/28 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.

— NU Athletics —

Bloomington, Ind. – The Nebraska baseball team (35-18-1) opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 15-9 win over Purdue (29-26) on a rainy Wednesday night at Bart Kaufman Field.

Junior right-hander Jake Hohensee made his 14th start of the season, and struck out six Boilermakers in 6.0 innings of work. He gave up six runs, all of which were earned, and allowed seven hits. Robbie Palkert earned a save in 3.0 innings of work.

In the first inning, Hohensee retired all three Boilermaker batters, striking out one. Jake Meyers doubled in the leadoff spot to begin the night for Nebraska’s offense. Angelo Altavilla also doubled before Scott Schreiber reached on a throwing error and advanced to second. Ben Miller was walked to load the bases. Luis Alvarado singled to score Altavilla. Luke Roskam was walked, which scored another run for the Big Red. Jesse Wilkening grounded into a double play, but Miller scored. Jake Schleppenbach flew out to right field to end the inning after the Huskers scored four runs.

Purdue’s first four batters reached base with hits in the second frame, which included a pair of doubles. In all, the Boilermakers scored five runs on six hits to take the lead. All three Husker batters were retired in the bottom of the second.

Purdue went 1-2-3 in the top of the third, as Hohensee struck out one Boilermaker. Leadoff hitter Schreiber reached on a fielding error and scored when Miller doubled to right field. Miller scored when Wilkening’s single brought him in after back-to-back outs. NU’s two runs off two hits gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead.

Hohensee struck out all three Boilermakers he faced in the top of the fourth. The Huskers extended their lead in the bottom half of the frame with two runs on one hit, three walks and a hit-by-pitch. Mojo Hagge, the leadoff hitter, singled, and scored along with Meyers, who was hit by a pitch.

Purdue’s Jacson McGowan homered to trim the lead to 8-6, but Hohensee managed to get the other three Boilermakers out in the top of the fifth. NU managed to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 11-6. Four Huskers were walked, while Schreiber and Miller each doubled.

Hohensee gave up a walk in the top of the sixth, but retired the other three hitters, including his sixth strikeout of the game. Schleppenbach reached on a leadoff single and advanced to third, but the Huskers couldn’t bring him in.

Palkert came in for Hohensee before the top of the seventh, and allowed a leadoff double, which led to a Purdue run. The Boilermakers had two groundouts and a strikeout to end the inning. All three Husker batters in the bottom of the seventh struck out.

In the top of the eighth, Purdue scored one run off two hits. Hagge saved an additional run with a catch at the right field wall. Hagge launched a home run to right field that scored Schleppenbach and gave NU a 13-8 advantage. Schreiber also homered, bringing in Altavilla.

In the top of the ninth, Purdue managed a home run, but three consecutive outs led to an NU win.

The Huskers will face the winner of Maryland and Iowa in the next round of the Big Ten Tournament. The game between the Terrapins and Hawkeyes has been moved to Thursday at 9 a.m.

— NU Athletics —

Lincoln – University of Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Tim Miles announced Wednesday that sophomore forward Ed Morrow Jr. has elected to transfer from the Husker basketball program following the spring semester.

“I want to say thank you to my teammates, coaches, the fans and the University of Nebraska Athletics Department for giving me the opportunity to play Division I basketball,” Morrow said. “It is hard to leave home, and Nebraska is my home. I was born and raised here, it is my parents’ alma mater, and I have a lot of friends here. But sometimes you have to venture out to pursue dreams and aspirations in a career. This is a sacrifice I have to make to better myself.”

“I support Ed in his decision to transfer schools and wish him well,” Miles said. “We appreciate his hard work over the last two years. Although I am disappointed, we will continue to recruit young men who are committed to our mission of building Nebraska Basketball with a culture of success in all areas…life, school and winning basketball at its highest level.”

Morrow, a 6-foot-7 forward, played in 24 games, averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game in 2016-17. Morrow, who missed seven games because of a foot injury, tied for the team lead in blocked shots with 27 and posted a team-high three double-doubles. He reached double figures 10 times in 2016-17, including a career-high 19 points against Dayton. Morrow grabbed 10 or more rebounds on seven occasions, including a career-high 18 against Gardner-Webb. In his two seasons at Nebraska, Morrow averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 54 games, including 19 starts.

The Huskers return three starters and seven of the team’s top 10 scorers from the 2016-17 team, while welcoming a trio of newcomers, including Georgetown transfer Isaac Copeland and Miami transfer James Palmer Jr., and incoming freshman Nana Akenten.

— NU Athletics —

Lincoln – University of Nebraska Head Coach Tim Miles announced Wednesday that freshman Jeriah Horne has decided to transfer from the Husker program following the spring semester.

“Jeriah informed me earlier this week that he intends to transfer,” Miles said. “Though I’m disappointed and hoped he’d stay at Nebraska, I fully support him as he considers his future plans.”
Horne, a 6-foot-7 forward from Overland Park, Kan., played in 29 games as a freshman, averaging 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Horne had a season-high 18 points in a win over Southern, one of five double-figure performances for Horne during the 2016-17 season.

“I want to take a moment and thank the University of Nebraska, Coach Miles, my teammates, my fellow students and all the fans of Husker basketball for welcoming me into their community. I am so thankful for the support I have received here at Nebraska,” Horne said.

“However, I have decided to transfer at the end of the year. This wasn’t an easy decision, but I feel it is best that I explore other educational and athletic opportunities that may be available to me. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given and wish everybody at the University of Nebraska nothing but success.”

The Huskers return four starters and eight of the team’s top 10 scorers from the 2016-17 team, while welcoming a trio of newcomers, including Georgetown transfer Isaac Copeland and Miami transfer James Palmer Jr., and incoming freshman Nana Akenten.

— Nebraska Athletics —

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rapper and reality TV personality Flavor Flav stood up from his third-row seat at the Big Ten Tournament, raised his arms and yelled, “Make this count!”

He was talking to his cousin, Penn State junior guard Shep Garner, who already had made a 3-pointer that rattled in as the shot-clock buzzer sounded in overtime and now was stepping to the foul line with 80 seconds left. Garner coolly made both attempts and wound up with seven of Penn State’s 16 points in OT, leading the 13th-seeded Nittany Lions to a 76-67 victory over Nebraska in the conference tourney’s opening game Wednesday.

“It was a surprise. I didn’t know he was coming,” Garner said about his better-known relative, a member of the seminal `80s rap group Public Enemy. “But he does things like that. He doesn’t tell you; he just pops up and makes a scene. He’s that type of guy.”

Flavor Flav said this was the first Penn State game he attended this season. Wearing a green shirt and backward green Yankees baseball hat, along with an alarm clock around his neck — his signature accessory — he was inundated with selfie requests from fans.

“I shot around with him before, but we never played together and we never played against each other,” he said about Garner. “I’m going to wait until after this season, because me and him — we have a date at the basketball court.”

Garner made his mark on this game, scoring 16 points while going 4 for 7 on 3s, all despite a recent foot injury.

“That experience of playing in the Big Ten these last couple years really shined through today,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “He gutted it out, for sure.”

Penn State (15-17) never trailed and ended a five-game losing streak, advancing to face Michigan State in the second round.

“We’ve had a lot of games this year where we get into one- and two-possession games and one point and two points and we’ve been coming up short. So I felt like I had to make a play for my teammates, for my team,” Garner said. “I wanted to do it.”

Freshman Mike Watkins produced 18 points, 11 rebounds and a Big Ten Tournament-record eight blocks.

“There’s more consistent effort there,” Chambers said. “There’s more willingness there.”

Evan Taylor led 12th-seeded Nebraska (12-19) with 15 points. Tai Webster shot 4 for 16 and fouled out in OT with 12 points, only two after halftime.

Watkins helped limit Nebraska to 34 percent shooting.

“We just couldn’t get anything going at the rim,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said. “That hurt us.”

BIG PICTURE

Penn State: Coach Patrick Chambers got a vote of confidence from AD Sandy Barbour over the weekend, but the Nittany Lions haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011, before Chambers was in charge.
Nebraska: As the game ended, AD Shawn Eichorst tweeted that Miles will be back, despite the team’s collapse this season. After a 3-0 start in Big Ten play — their best conference start in 41 years — the Huskers lost 13 of 16 the rest of the way. “There was no doubt that he was with me and supporting me,” Miles said. “I knew he would probably do something after the season in his own way.”

UP NEXT

Penn State: Plays Thursday against No. 5 seed Michigan State, winner of a record five Big Ten conference tournament titles. Penn State beat the Spartans 72-63 on Jan. 7 at the Palestra in Philadelphia.

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nate Mason had 25 points in 28 minutes with his best shooting performance in Big Ten play, Jordan Murphy posted his sixth double-double in the last seven games and Minnesota breezed by Nebraska 88-73 on Thursday night for its eighth straight victory.

Murphy finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Reggie Lynch had 11 points, six blocks and six rebounds as the Gophers (11-6, 23-7) overpowered the Huskers (12-17, 6-11) around and underneath the basket.

Mason went 9 for 13 from the field and Dupree McBrayer added 16 points and six assists for Minnesota, which will play at Wisconsin on Sunday with a chance at second place and a double-bye in the conference tournament well within reach. The turnaround in coach Richard Pitino’s fourth year after going 8-23 last season has plenty of time left.

Glynn Watson Jr. scored 14 points for Nebraska, which has lost 10 of the last 14 games after an encouraging 3-0 start in Big Ten play to put coach Tim Miles’ job security in tenuous territory. Tai Webster had a quiet 11 points with eight rebounds, reaching double-digit scoring for the 30th straight game dating to last season’s finale. The third-leading scorer in the conference, who shot 4 for 13 from the floor, became the 15th player in program history to top the 500-point mark in one season.

The Gophers, after going to overtime five times in Big Ten play, finally were able to relax down the stretch. McBrayer had the longest highlight reel, with a pair of 3-pointers, a floater he swished from the lane and a one-handed dunk off a drive during the middle of the second half. Minnesota’s lead grew as large as 24 points.

The Gophers were a bit sluggish in the early going, but they finished the first half on a 14-2 run over the final 4 1/2 minutes before the break. Murphy provided the ignition, when he grabbed a long rebound and dribbled into the lane for a powerful two-handed dunk and a 30-25 advantage. Minnesota took a 40-27 lead downstairs to the locker room, a feat replicated in all nine conference home games this season.

SENIOR NIGHT

The two Gophers seniors were honored before the game: Akeem Springs, who has been a capable 3-point shooter, reliable defender and loquacious leader in his lone season as a graduate transfer, and Darin Haugh, a Minnesota native and former walk-on who played at suburban Eastview High School and took a mere 24 career minutes into his final home game.

Haugh walked into Pitino’s office last summer to tell him he needed a full-time job to pay for school and might not be able to stay on the team. Pitino had already planned to give him a scholarship. The student section’s chants for Haugh’s appearance were rewarded with 3:54 left when a grinning Haugh checked in.

SERIES HISTORY

Despite only being conference competitors for six seasons, the Huskers have played the Gophers 73 times, by far the most of any Big Ten foe in a series that started in 1902. Minnesota leads the series 54-19 after winning for just the second time in the last six meetings.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: All that’s left to play for is the long-shot run at the Big Ten tournament title, with a first-round bye still possible for next week. That’ll be the only postseason play for the Huskers, who are on pace for their fourth losing record in five years under Miles.

Minnesota: Twenty years since they reached their only NCAA Final Four, the Gophers have their best Big Ten record since going 16-2 in that sensational season. Only one other time since 1997 they won 10 games in conference play: 2005 under coach Dan Monson.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Huskers host Michigan on Sunday, having lost 91-85 to the Wolverines on Jan. 14. They’ll try to send Webster out strong in his final scheduled game at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Minnesota: The Gophers aim on Sunday for their first win at the Kohl Center in six tries since 2009. After beating Wisconsin on Jan. 22, 2014, Pitino’s first game against the Badgers, they’ve lost six in a row to their border-state rival.

— Associated Press —