The Nebraska baseball team returns to Hawks Field riding a 13-game win streak, as the Huskers play host to SEC power Arkansas this Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch for both games is at 1:05 p.m and general admission tickets are available for both games against the Razorbacks by calling 800-8-BIGRED or at Hawks Field 90 minutes prior to each game.
The Arkansas series, which begins a seven-game homestand for the Huskers, also marks the return of former coach Dave Van Horn, who guided the Huskers between 1998 and 2002 before returning to his alma mater. In his time at NU, Van Horn guided Nebraska to a pair of College World Series appearances (2001-02), three Big 12 Tournament titles (1999-01) and in 2001, led the Huskers to their first regular-season conference crown in 51 years.
Van Horn (214-115 in six seasons at Arkansas) brings the Razorbacks to town in between their first two Southeastern Conference series. Arkansas won 11 of its first 12 games with the only blemish coming at Texas A&M, which is coached by former NU assistant Rob Childress. The Razorbacks then ran into a red-hot Arizona State team, getting swept as the top-ranked Sun Devils threw their top two starters in the mid-week series. Over the weekend, Arkansas won its SEC opener before dropping the final two games at home.
Offensively, Arkansas is led by Aaron Murphree, who is hitting .363 with 13 homers and 31 RBIs in just 17 contests. Murphree is one of three Razorbacks who have at least 20 RBIs, and that does not include Logan Frosythe, who is hitting .415 with 12 runs scored and spent last summer with Team USA.
The Razorbacks will throw junior right-hander Mike Boslinger on Tuesday. He is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in five appearances. Boslinger has not pitched since striking out four in two innings of no-hit ball against the No. 1 Sun Devils last Wednesday. Arkansas, like Nebraska, has not announced its starter for Wednesday, as both teams are expected to throw a number of pitchers to prepare for weekend conference action.
Nebraska has a 7-5 advantage in the series, although the two teams have not squared off since the Huskers swept a pair of games in Fayetteville during the 2000 season.
Following a perfect 5-0 week, the Huskers were ranked for the first time in 2008, climbing to as high as 22nd in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. It marked the first time NU had been ranked in any poll since March 19, 2007, and the first time NU was in the Baseball America poll since February 2007.
Senior first baseman Craig Corriston garnered Big 12 Player of the Week honors on March 17, as the senior hit .579 (11-for-19) with six runs scored, four doubles and four RBIs in leading the Big Red to a 5-0 week. Corriston had three multi-hit games, including his first career four-hit game in Saturday's series clinching win. He also drove in the winning run in NU's 2-1 win over Kansas State on Friday with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly.
Leading Off
The Huskers are 13-10 all-time against SEC competition with only the Alabama series in 2006 taking place in Lincoln. NU has won 10 of its last 11 regular-season games against SEC teams dating back to 1991, but is 0-4 in NCAA Tournament matchups in that same span.
Nebraska's current 13-game win streak is the third-longest streak in the nation heading into this week. The only two teams in the country with longer win streaks Kentucky (19) and Arizona State (17) have not lost during the 2008 season.
The Huskers' current win streak already ranks among the longest in school history. NU, which began baseball in 1889, has only had four longer win streaks and one of those came in the last 25 years.
No Wins Dates Year
1. 26 March 7-April 7 1983
2. 16 April 14-April 27 1979
3. 15 April 7-April 24 2000
4. 14 March 11-March 25 1979
4. 13 Feb. 29-Present 2008
13 Feb. 23-March 19 1980
13 Feb. 18-March 16 2001
13 Feb. 26-March 26 2006
The Huskers' 14-2 start is one of the best 16-game starts in school history. In fact, only two Husker teams in program history have played better through the first 13 contests than the 2008 Huskers.
The Huskers' also bring a 12-game home win streak into Tuesday's game with Arkansas. The streak, which began with the final home series of 2007, is the sixth-longest streak in the country.
Since allowing 17 runs to Stanford in the season opener, Nebraska pitchers have combined for a 1.76 ERA, as the Huskers have not allowed more than five runs in any game since then. The Huskers lead the Big 12 with a 2.68 ERA.
Nebraska hitters were plunked seven times on Saturday, one off the Big 12 single-game record of eight by Kansas State against Wichita State in 2000.
With nine stolen bases in the weekend sweep of Kansas State, the Huskers have swiped 33 bases this season to rank third in the Big 12. That is nearly half of the Huskers entire 2007 total of 67.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]