NEBRASKA vs. ILLINOIS
March 24-26, 2023
Hawks Field at Haymarket Park | Lincoln, Neb.
 
Friday, March 24 – 6:05 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Emmett Olson (3-1, 3.34 ERA) vs. RHP Riley Gowens (1-0, 4.33 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Saturday, March 25 – 2:02 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Jace Kaminska (4-0, 1.86 ERA) vs. RHP Julius Sanchez (0-2, 8.31 ERA)
TV/Streaming: Nebraska Public Media
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Sunday, March 26 – 1:05 p.m. CT
Pitching: TBD vs. RHP Jack Wenninger (2-1, 5.03 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska begins conference action this weekend with a three-game series vs. Illinois at Hawks Field.
 
First pitch between the Huskers and Fighting Illini is set for 6:05 p.m. on Friday night. Prior to first pitch, former Nebraska baseball All-Americans Darin Erstad, Shane Komine and Alex Gordon will have their jerseys retired in an on-field ceremony beginning at 5:48 p.m.
 
Saturday's game is scheduled for 2:02 p.m., while first pitch for the series finale on Sunday is set for 1:05 p.m.

All three games of this weekend's series can be seen on B1G+, while Saturdays game will be broadcast live on Nebraska Public Media, with Bill Doleman and Jeff Leise calling the action. Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action on the Huskers Radio Network, which can be heard on KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln and KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha. Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.
 
NU to Retire Jerseys of Erstad, Gordon & Komine
• Former Nebraska baseball All-Americans Darin Erstad, Alex Gordon and Shane Komine will have their jerseys retired in a ceremony prior to first pitch on Friday night.
• Erstad, Gordon and Komine become the first three players to earn the high distinction in the program's 117-year history.
• Darin Erstad, a first-team All-American played from 1993 to 1995. Nebraska's first conference player of the year, Erstad ended his career with a school-record 261 hits, and finished second all-time in doubles (46), third in home runs (41) and runs batted in (182) and fifth in runs (188).
• Shane Komine posted a 41-8 record with a 2.84 ERA. He had 18 complete games in 59 starts and his 510 strikeouts are fifth-most in NCAA history. Komine ended his career first in starts, wins, innings pitched, complete games, strikeouts and shutouts, and he was also the first two-time first-team All-American in program history.
• A freshman All-American in 2003, Alex Gordon was a first-team All-American in 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was the consensus national player of the year, winning the Golden Spikes, Brooks Wallace, Dick Howser and the ABCA National Player-of-the-Year awards.
 
Nebraska vs. Illinois
• Through 28 games, Illinois holds a 15-13 advantages in the all-time series over the Huskers.
• Nebraska is 7-5 against the Fighting Illini at Hawks Field since joining the Big Ten.
• Illinois won the series in Champaign last season, winning two of the three games. The two teams split the first two, while the Fighting Illini walked off the Huskers in the bottom of the ninth in the series finale, which featured two weather delays that combined for four hours and 53 minutes.
 
2-For-.400
• Nebraska is one of seven teams nationally with two everyday starters hitting at least .400 this season at the plate.
• Anderson is hitting .449 with nine doubles, two triples, three homers, 22 RBI and 13 runs, while Matthews is adding seven doubles, a triple, six home runs, 29 RBI and 21 runs with a .414 hitting clip.
• Other teams with at least two players hitting above .400 and have started every game this season include Auburn, Fairfield, Georgia, Grand Canyon, Michigan State, and Monmouth.
 
Third Time's the Charm
• Third-inning at-bats have proven to be successful for NU pitching and hitting, as the Huskers are outscoring opponents 22-1 in the third inning this season.
• On the mound, the NU pitching staff is limiting opponents to a .164 batting average and  holds a 0.47 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just 11 hits allowed in the third inning of games.
• Offensively, the Huskers are hitting .345 with six doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI and 22 runs in the third frame.
 
Matthews, Caron a Constant on the Base Path
• Brice Matthews and Josh Caron have been a constant on the base paths for the Huskers recently, as both enter the weekend having reached base safely in 15-plus games.
• Matthews comes into the conference series with Illinois on a 22-game reached base streak, while Caron has reached base safely in 19 straight games.
 
Flashing the Leather
• Through their first 19 games this season, the Huskers have committed just 11 errors and rank ninth nationally with a .983 fielding percentage.
 
Superb Southpaw
• Friday night starter Emmett Olson has led the NU pitching staff through five starts this season.
• Olson is 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 29.2 innings of work while limiting opponents to a .192 batting average.
• The junior had a complete-game outing in his start vs. Nicholls last weekend. The Des Plaines, Ill., native allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts in the 2-1 win in seven innings.
 
Zero Earned Runs in last 18.2 Innings
• Junior Jace Kaminska hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 18.2 innings, going back to his second start of the season against South Alabama.
• In the 18.2-inning stretch, Kaminska has allowed just one run, which was unearned on a passed ball in a 17-1 win against Nicholls.
• Kaminska is 4-0 this season with a 1.86 ERA and is limiting opposing hitters to a .204 batting average in 29.0 innings.

Numbers to Know
18 – Jace Kaminska hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 18.2 innings, going back to his second start of the season at South Alabama.
3 – Nebraska is set to retire the first three jerseys in program history this weekend, as the Huskers will retire the jerseys of Darin Erstad, Shane Komine and Alex Gordon ahead of first pitch on Friday night.
13 – Nebraska has scored first 13 times this season and holds a 10-2-1 record in those 13 games.
10 – 10 different Huskers have recorded a three-hit game this season, led by Max Anderson's six three-hit games on the year. Dylan Carey and Cole Evans are the lone Huskers with a four-hit performance.
6 – The NU offense ranks in the top 30 nationally in six offensive categories, including batting average, doubles, doubles per game, on-base percentage, scoring and slugging percentage.

Huskers Open Conference Play Against Purdue

The Nebraska softball team (20-9) opens Big Ten Conference play this weekend as they host Purdue (15-13) for a three-game series. The first game is set for Friday, March 24, at 5:30 p.m. at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers and the Boilermakers will face off on Saturday, March  25, with first pitch at 1 p.m. The final game is set for Sunday, March 26, at 12 p.m. 
 
Fans can listen to all three games live on the Huskers Radio Network and Huskers.com with the call from Nate Rohr and Mattie Fowler Burkhardt. The games will also be streamed live on BTN+ (subscription required). 
 
Nebraska currently is in the top three in the Big Ten numerous offensive categories including batting average (.324), runs (159), hits (252), doubles (55), home runs (32) and slugging percentage (.549). 
 
Junior Billie Andrews leads the conference with 10 home runs and is in the top four in slugging percentage (.745) and hits (36). Freshman Katelyn Caneda leads the team with a .403 batting average. Caneda has added 31 hits including four doubles, one triple, two home runs and 21 RBI. 
 
In the circle, Courtney Wallace has been a leader through the first half of the season. Wallace (12-5) has appeared in the circle for 95.0 innings while tallying 58 strikeouts. Sarah Harness (7-3) has added 53.0 innings of work, striking out 60 batters. 

Nebraska By the Numbers
  • The Huskers lead the Big Ten in shutouts with eight and are ranked 22nd in the NCAA. 
  • NU has tallied a conference-best 54 doubles, a number that ranks fifth in the nation. 
  • Nebraska is second in the Big Ten in batting average (.324) and is 20th in the NCAA. 
  • Katelyn Caneda is sixth in the Big Ten with a .403 batting average, a mark that leads the Big Red. 
  • Billie Andrews is first in the conference and ninth in the NCAA in home runs with 10 through the first half of the season. 
  • Billie Andrews and Caitlynn Neal are first and second in the conference in extra-base hits. 
  • Caitlynn Neal is first in the Big Ten with nine doubles. 
  • Courtney Wallace has recorded the most wins in the conference with 10. She is also ninth in the NCAA.
  • Wallace has recorded three shutout wins this season, a mark that is second in the Big Ten and 29th in the nation. 
Opponents By the Numbers
  • Purdue holds a .273 batting average, which ranks 10th in the Big Ten. 
  • The Boilermakers are 12th in the conference with a 3.52 ERA. 
  • Nebraska and Purdue share five common opponents this season in Weber State, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
  • Tyrina Jones leads the Boilermaker offense as she is hitting .375 with 36 hits including five doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI.
  • Jones has tallied a team-best 18 runs. 
  • Alex Echazarreta holds a 3.16 ERA and a 5-8 record in the circle. The fifth-year senior has made the most appearances in the circle for the Boilermakers, pitching 51.0 innings. 
  • Mo Wimpee leads Purdue in the circle with a 2.30 ERA and a 4-2 record. The senior has added 45.2 innings of work. 
Husker Quick Hits
  • Sarah Harness recorded her 500th career strikeout last weekend. The junior has  tallied 60 strikeouts this season and has combined for 500 including her three seasons at Southern Illinois. 
  • Billie Andrews has tallied 10 home runs this season, she is now seventh all-time in Nebraska history in career homers with 37. 
  • Andrews is one of 12 returning players in the NCAA who hit 20 or more home runs last season. 
  • Sarah Harness recorded a no-hitter against New Mexico on Feb. 24, 2023. It marked the first no-hitter by a Nebraska pitcher since 2016. 
  • Mya Felder is the only returning Big Ten player who received All-Big Ten, All-Defensive and All-Tournament honors in 2022. 
  • Courtney Wallace is one of six returning Rawlings/NFCA Gold Glove recipients from last season.

Satterfield Discusses Offensive Depth

Following day three of spring football, Offensive Coordinator Marcus Satterfield met with members of the media to discuss the first few days of practice.  
 
"I love this team," Satterfield said. "I love offense, defense. Not just the offense, but just from the off-season to competition week to the first couple days of spring practice, these guys compete. They like to play football. They like each other. They like being around each other. They like competing against each other. So, I'm really excited about where I think, I'm not coming out of three days thinking, "Oh crap this isn't what I thought it was going to be." It's even higher than I thought it would possibly be, from just what we have a chance to do here." 
 
Satterfield expanded on his view of the future of the offense.
 
"Everybody wants to know what it looks like, and our brand, you kind of know what you want it to look like, but you're always going to go to the side of what you have from a personnel standpoint," he said. "The one consistent thing that we can guarantee is that we're going to try to play clean football and protect the football. People talk about balanced offense, it's not throw it 50 percent, run it 50 percent. There's going to be times in the game where we're going to need to run the ball, and we've got to be able to do that at a high level. There's going to be times in the game where we need to throw the ball, and we need to do that at a high level. So, everything we do daily is just trying to inch closer to those goals." 
 
He also discussed the versatility of the offense. 
 
"We're a positionless offense," Satterfield said. "Our tight ends can play running backs. Our running backs can go play receiver. Our receivers can go play tight end. Our quarterbacks can go play receiver. We're going to, whatever you do, we're going to widen you up everywhere." 
 
Satterfield highlighted the depth at the tight end position. 
 
"We have the body types, "Satterfield said. "It's what I've always wanted to have in an offense. I've never had this many tight ends, but we want to be in 13 personnel at times, where you have a tight end who's maybe a bigger guy that puts his head down and is blocking...and you have another tight end who night be a little bit shorter that's playing more the fullback type. And then you have another tight end who might be just a little bit undersized, and he's playing in the slot, but they're all tight ends and they're all having to be counted as tight ends. So, as many as we can get out there at once is awesome for me. I think we're going to have a chance to have really good depth at that position."  
 
The Huskers will continue their spring practice on Saturday. The annual Red-White Spring Game presented by FNBO is set for April 22, at 1 p.m. (CT). Tickets for the Spring Game can be purchased on Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG RED. 
 

Nebraska to Receive National Recognition from Special Olympics

Lincoln, Neb. – Special Olympics Nebraska has announced that the University of Nebraska, a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, is receiving national banner recognition for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. Nebraska Athletics is receiving this honor as a result of meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. An award presentation took place at the Husker Women's Basketball game against Iowa on February 18th.  

Nebraska will be amongst a select number of schools to receive this distinction. They have been presented with a banner to hang in their school and be included on a list of other schools around the country who have achieved this distinguished status.

"The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Athletics are proud to receive recognition from Special Olympics for our efforts to strive toward inclusion," said Dr. Lawrence Chatters, Nebraska Executive Associate A.D. for Strategic Initiatives. "A special thank you to the UNL Campus Recreation Center for all they do to provide opportunities through Unified Intramural Programming. This recognition is a significant designation that will inspire us to continue building out programming that is inclusive for all. We will also continue to engage our staff, students and student-athletes in education and activities that help us appreciate the many contributions and talents of students with disabilities. I am hopeful that our fanbase will be active on this journey with us and help us champion these efforts across Husker Nation. Go Big Red!"

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® is a strategy for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Special Olympics Unified Sports®, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement.

More than 230 schools are currently participating in Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming in Nebraska as part of more than 8,000 schools across the country engaged in the program. Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools aims to expand to 10,000 schools by the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

The Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools model is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. This model has been proven, through research, to be an effective and replicable means to providing students with and without disabilities the opportunity to form positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate*. Key data points include:

  • 96% of teachers/school staff say the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program increases opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to work together.
  • 96% of involved teachers believe participation in the program has increased the confidence of students with disabilities.
  • 92% credit the program with reducing bullying, teasing, and offensive language.

A Special Olympics Unified Champion School has an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement, and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

The primary activities within these standards include: Special Olympics Unified Sports® (where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates), inclusive youth leadership and whole-school engagement. National banner schools should also be able to demonstrate they are self-sustainable or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future.

*Evaluation conducted by the Center for Social Development and Education (CSDE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston

About Special Olympics Nebraska
Special Olympics Nebraska is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, which was founded in 1972. The mission of Special Olympics Nebraska is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendships with their families, and other Special Olympics athletes and the community. 

Six Husker Men’s Basketball Players Named Academic All-Big Ten

Six members of the Nebraska men's basketball program were honored Thursday afternoon as the Big Ten Conference announced its Academic All-Big Ten teams for winter sports.

All six of the Huskers' honorees were first-time recipients, including Wilhelm Breidenbach, Denim Dawson, Sam Hoiberg, Oleg Kojenets, Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher. 

The six academic All-Big Ten honorees are NU's highest total since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12 and matches the most the Huskers have had in a single season (also 2004).

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team, have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. A total of 67 men's basketball players from around the Big Ten were honored.

The six Academic All-Big Ten honorees continued a strong academic year for the Husker basketball program, as 12 student-athletes made the Fall NU Scholar-Athlete honor roll announced last month. That group included all six Academic All-Big Ten honorees as well as first-year Huskers Henry Burt, Jeffrey Grace III, Sam Griesel, Cale Jacobsen, Blaise Keita and Jamarques Lawrence.

60 Huskers Named Academic All-Big Ten

The Big Ten conference announced the winter Academic All-Big Ten teams on Wednesday. A total of 60 Nebraska athletes garnered the academic honor.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team, as verified by being on the official squad list as of March 1 for winter sports, who have been enrolled fulltime at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Men's Basketball
Wilhelm Breidenbach, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Denim Dawson, Child, Youth & Family Studies
Sam Hoiberg, Sports Media & Communication
Oleg Kojenets, Computer Science
Keisei Tominaga, Child, Youth & Family Studies
C.J. Wilcher, Child, Youth & Family Studies

Men's Gymnastics
Taylor Christopulos, Agribusiness
Liam Doherty-Herwitz, Environmental Studies
James Friedman, Accounting
Cooper Giles, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Chris Hiser, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Moritz Mueller, Business Administration
Sam Phillips, Hospitality, Restaurant & Tourism Management
Zac Tiderman, Business Administration
Dylan Young, Finance

Women's Basketball
Isabelle Bourne, Communication Studies
Kendall Coley, Advertising & Public Relations
Sam Haiby, Nutrition - Master's
Alexis Markowski, Business Administration
Kendall Moriarty, Advertising & Public Relations/Sports Media & Communication
Jaz Shelley, Advertising & Public Relations
Annika Stewart, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Allison Weidner, Elementary Education

Women's Gymnastics
Clara Colombo, Biochemistry
Martina Comin, Business Administration
Kinsey Davis, Communication Studies
Genesis Gibson, Criminology & Criminal Justice
Katie Kuenemann, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Kylie Piringer, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Halle Rourke, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Emma Simpton, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Emma Spence, Communication Studies
Kathryn Thaler, Management

Women's Swimming and Diving
Kaitlyn Barth, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Caitlin Cairns, Management
Gabriela Donahue, Marketing
Emily Haimes, History/Psychology
Maia Hall, Accounting
Reagan Hinze, Child, Youth & Family Studies/Music
Katelyn Kilpatrick, Biological Systems Engineering
Alexa Kucera, Nutrition & Health Sciences/Finance
Berkeley Livingston, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Madison Lloyd, Psychology/Sociology
Sydney McCracken, Nutrition & Health Sciences
JoJo Randby, Biological Sciences/Management
Madesyn Ronquillio, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Molly Rosenthal, Food Science & Technology
Shannon Stott, Child, Youth & Family Studies
Sara Troyer, Child, Youth & Family Studies - Master's

Wrestling
Silas Allred, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Kyle Burwick, Child, Youth & Family Studies
Quinton Chavez, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Jagger Condomitti, Architectural Studies
Blake Cushing, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Brock Hardy, Psychology
Daniel Monahan, Biological Sciences
Peyton Robb, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Nicholas Stoltenberg, Business Administration
Adam Thebeau, Finance
Brandyn Van Tassell, Animal Science