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Register now for Iowa Western Early Spring Camps to be held Feb. 13 ... See Camps / Showcases link on Main Menu for details ... Congratulations to Prep's Mike Pritchard for selection to Collegiate Baseball's Pre-Season High School All-American Team ... details coming soon

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NEWS  (click "Archives" link at left to view previous stories)
Final Statistical Leaders - 2009 American Legion Season
CREIGHTON PREP - Jurgensen Park Dedication Ceremony Photos 10/10/2009

Mavs Will Open Season With Twenty-Three Former Nebraska High Schoolers on Roster

February 3, 2010

Seated (l-r): Jace Anderson, Jeff McNichols, Trevor Gappa, Corbin Williams, Colby McCord, Travis Jacobi, Brady Hohl, Jeremy Klein.  Standing (l-r): Max Huerter, Ryan Bolt, Tyler Splichal, Ryan Tomlinson, Andrew James, Zach Croonquist, Brett Koehn, Brandon Dahl, Josh Bullock, Mark Johnson, Patrick Campell, Joe Holtmeyer, Coach Bob Herold, Matt Tew.  Not Pictured: Jake Benne, Derek Nelson

UNO Head Baseball Coach Bob Herold has stocked his 2010 Mavericks squad with a rich supply of locally-grown talent, including several first-team All-Staters and All-Nebraska players.  Twenty-three former Nebraska prep standouts will be on the team's 36-man roster when the Mavs open their season in Denver on February 13 with a two-game series against Regis University.  The Mavericks are picked to finish third in the MIAA, behind Emporia State and Central Missouri, according to an MIAA Pre-Season Coaches Poll. 

Newcomers to the ballclub include 2009 Nebraska high school graduates Matt Tew and Tyler Splichal of Bellevue East, Ryan Bolt and Zack Croonquist of Omaha Skutt, Max Huerter and Jeff McNichols of Creighton Prep, Josh Bullock of Elkhorn, Ryan Tomlinson of Westside, Corbin Williams of Omaha Benson and Patrick Campbell of Stanton plus two former Creighton Prep standouts from the Class of 2008 who transferred to UNO, Jace Anderson (Navarro College) and Derek Nelson (Iowa Western).  Ten of the twelve freshmen on the ballclub are from Nebraska.

The Mavs have averaged forty-two wins per season for the past five years.  More information:

| Mavericks Baseball |

Huskers Open Baseball Practice Saturday

January 28, 2010

The Nebraska baseball team begins preparations in earnest for the upcoming season on Saturday, as the Huskers begin spring practice inside the Hawks Championship Center. Saturday’s workout will be the first of 17 practices leading into the season opener at Fresno State on Feb. 19. The Huskers will begin practice at 8 a.m. and will practice six days a week before leaving for Fresno.

Lincoln Southwest alum and current Husker Sean Yost was selected to the Northwoods League All-Star Game last summer as a member of the Duluth Huskies.  Photo courtesy of Huskers.com.

“This group is hungry and motivated to begin practice,” Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson, who begins his eighth season at Nebraska said. “We saw it in the fall and it has continued through the offseason in conditioning and in the weight room. They have put in the effort to be ready for the upcoming season and we are excited to see how that translates to the field for practice.”

The Huskers welcome back 19 letterwinners, including eight position players who made at least 20 starts a year ago. The offensive returnees are led by All-Big 12 first baseman Tyler Farst, who hit .333 with three homers and 36 RBIs last season, and outfielder Adam Bailey, who batted .325 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs. Bailey, a 38th round draft pick of the New York Yankees, topped the Huskers in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage (.598) in 2008. Other returnees who made at least 20 starts last year include infielders Kyle Bubak and Cody Asche, catcher Cory Burleson and outfielders DJ Belfonte, Boomer Collins and Khiry Cooper.

On the mound, the Huskers welcome back nine pitchers, including five of the six hurlers who threw at last 50 innings last season. The returnees are paced by junior right-hander Mike Nesseth, who went 5-4 with two saves and struck out 73 over 64.2 innings last season. A 15th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, he returned for his junior season. Other veterans include Casey Hauptman (Millard South), Sean Yost (Lincoln Southwest), Michael Mariot and Jordan Roualdes. Yost earned all-star honors in the Northwoods League over the summer, while Mariot was ranked by Baseball America as one of the top prospects in the M.I.N.K. League this summer.

Another reason for optimism is a recruiting class that features several players who could make an early impact. The incoming class was ranked 13th nationally by Collegiate Baseball – the highest Nebraska’s incoming class has ever been rated. Some of the newcomers who could push for significant roles on the pitching staff this spring include Tom Lemke, Kurt Giller, Ryan Hughes, Chase Adams and Khris Tate. On the position player side, junior college transfer Patric Tolentino along with freshmen Josh Scheffert (Lincoln Southeast), Bryan Peters and Chad Christensen could earn significant playing time.

Note: this article was written by Shamus McKnight. Associate Media Relations Director for Husker baseball.  More Information: | Husker Baseball | Home Run Club Banquet, Feb. 5 |

Creighton Baseball Steak Fry to be Held Saturday, February 6 at Castle Barrett

January 26, 2010

The 2010 Creighton Baseball steak fry will be held at Castle Barrett (4330 Leavenworth Street) in Omaha on Saturday, Feb. 6 starting at 5:30 p.m. Adult steak dinners are $35 each with advance reservations or $40 each at the door. Children are admitted free with each paid adult dinner and receive a complimentary hot dog and chips. A reserved table of eight is also available for $280 ($280 for any combination of adults and youth seated at the table). For more information or to make a reservation, contact Barb Epps at (402) 280-5577 or via e-mail at bepps@creighton.edu by Monday, Feb. 1.

Ultimate Baseball Academy to Host Half-Day Coaches' Clinic on February 6

January 26, 2010

The Ultimate Baseball Academy in Omaha will hold a pre-season coaches' clinic next Saturday afternoon from 1:00 until 4:00 at the UBA facility at 120th & I.  Headlining the event as presenters will be the head coaches of the two NCAA Division I schools in the state, Mike Anderson of Nebraska and Ed Servais of Creighton.  Husker pitching coach Eric Newman and UBA Dean of Instruction Bill Olson are also featured presenters.  UBA staff members Joe Servais, a Creighton alum, and John Grose, a former Husker, will provide instruction on catching.   The registration fee for the clinic is $30 and attendance is limited to the first fifty registrants. 

| Clinic Flyer |

2010 NSAA Baseball Manual Published, Elkhorn Moves Up to Class A

January 24, 2010 (updated January 25, 2010, 8:30am)

The Nebraska School Activities Association published the 2010 Baseball Manual on its website last week, laying out the details that will govern the 2010 spring season.  The biggest change for this season will be the implementation of contest limits for baseball that were approved by the NSAA Representative Assembly last April.  Under the new rule, each team is limited to a maximum of 24 "dates" during the regular season, with the term "permissible dates" being spelled out in the rule.  Another significant development for the upcoming season is the recent decision by the NSAA Board of Control to keep the number of Class B District Tournaments at four despite the increase in the number of teams in the class to 22, just four less than the twenty-six teams that will compete in six Class A district tournaments.

| More Info |

SkyHawk Baseball to Host Annual Fundraiser on February 6

January 22, 2010

The SkyHawk Baseball Association will hold its annual fundraiser to support the summer baseball program associated with Omaha Skutt Catholic High School next Saturday, February 6 from 7:00pm until midnight at the Skutt Catholic Wrestling Building.  The evening will include food, bereages, music and a silent auction.  Admission is $25 and may be paid at the door.   See flyer for details.

Districts Split on NSAA Proposal to Modify Spring State Tournament Bracket

January 10, 2010

A proposal to modify the spring state tournament bracket so that it closely resembles the American Legion state tournament bracket received a split vote in NSAA Second District Meetings held over the past week.  The proposal received strong support yesterday in Districts I and II where fifty-five of the state's sixty-two baseball schools are located.  Nine of the twelve schools in District I (Lincoln area) that voted on the proposal approved it.  Support in District II (Omaha area) was nearly unanimous with just a handful of dissenting voices among the 78 schools voting.  District I has 13 baseball schools, and District II has 42.

 

Last week, the proposal was defeated 1-4 in District III, and yesterday it was defeated 2-3 in District IV.  District III has four member schools participating in baseball:  South Sioux City, Norfolk, Pender and Bancroft-Rosalie.  District IV has three baseball schools:  Grand Island Northwest, Grand Island Central Catholic and Grand Island High School. 

 

NSAA member schools in Districts V and VI elected not to vote on the proposal, presumably because there are no baseball schools in those districts. 

 

The voting in the districts is not binding on the six-member Board of Control which will vote on the proposal in April, however, historically, Board Members have been guided by the voting within their respective districts.  It is possible that member schools supporting the proposal may lobby for Board approval on the grounds that the two districts representing nearly ninety percent of the state's baseball schools strongly supported the change.  Of the twenty-seven varsity coaches who responded to a BaseballNebraska poll taken last week, two-thirds favored the proposal, with fifteen coaches strongly favoring the change.  There are forty-eight baseball programs in the state, representing sixty-two NSAA member schools. 

 

In other action at the meetings, a proposal to increase the size of the Board of Control from six to eight members received the three votes needed to send the proposal on to the Representative Assembly in April.  The two additional board members would be elected by Class A member schools in those districts having more than 12,000 students in grades 9-11.  Presently, District I (14,255 students) and District II (38,721 students) are the only districts with more than 12,000 students.  A similar proposal that would have created a ninth board position by providing for another board member from districts having more than 25,000 students (District II) was passed only in District II and was unanimously opposed in Districts III, IV, V and VI.  Both proposals also included language encouraging greater representation of women and minorities within the NSAA leadership, the lack of which, along with glaringly disproportionate representation of students by Board Members, was criticized in a recent Interim Study Report by the Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature.  The study also recommended that the NSAA be made subject to the Open Meetings Act and the Public Records Statutes.  

Sites Selected for 2010 Legion Post-Season Tournaments; Classes B and C Realigned

January 10, 2010

At a coaches meeting held yesterday in Norfolk in connection with the 2010 Mid-Year American Legion Convention, the Department of Nebraska Athletic Committee announced the sites for the 2010 American Legion Area and State Tournaments.  The Committee also announced a tentative realignment of Area assignments for Classes B and C, designating those teams that would compete in the seven Areas within each of those classes.  Athletic Committee Don Kiviniemi, Jr. emphasized that these assignments are tentative only and are based on the list of teams that played last year.  Final Area assignments will be made on June 21. 

| More Info |

Coaches Support Change in State Tournament Bracket

January 5, 2010

Two-thirds of the Nebraska high school varsity baseball head coaches who responded to a recent BaseballNebraska opinion poll would like to see a change in the NSAA state tournament bracket.   Of the twenty-seven coaches who responded to the online poll circulated yesterday, eighteen (67%) indicated that they support  the implementation of "Proposal A" that will be voted on in six NSAA district meetings to be held over the next week, beginning today.  That proposal, introduced by Papillion-LaVista Activities Director Chuck Johnston, would modify the current spring state tournament bracket so that it closely resembles that which is used for American Legion tournaments.  A key consideration behind the proposal is protecting pitchers from overuse in the tournament.  (See previous article.)

 

Of the eighteen coaches who expressed support for the proposal, fifteen indicated that they "strongly" support the change and three indicated that they "moderately" support the proposal.  Seven responders expressed support for retaining the current bracket with five of those characterizing their support as "moderate" and two coaches indicating that they "strongly" support the continued use of the current bracket.  Two coaches replied that he had "no opinion" on the question.  A total of twenty-seven of the forty-seven varsity coaches surveyed (57%) responded within the twenty-four period during which the survey was available online.  (One of those responses, a "strongly support current bracket" response, was provided by email and is included in our tabulation here but is not in the online Survey Results displayed by the link below.)

 

The Papillion-LaVista proposal was approved by District II (Omaha Metro and surrounding counties) in November, which caused the proposal to advance to a vote in all six NSAA districts this month.  A final determination on the proposal will be made by the Board of Control at its April 8-9 meeting where a majority of four votes will be required for passage.  Board members often follow the vote of member schools within their respective districts but are not bound to do so.  More than likely, passage in four districts over the coming week would be required for the Board's approval of the proposal.  Two of the districts that will vote on the proposal next Wednesday (Districts V and VI) do not currently have any member schools playing spring baseball.  Nevertheless, the vote within those districts could determine whether the format of the spring state tournament will be modified in accordance with the desires of a significant majority of the state's baseball coaches. 

| Survey Results

Pender/Bancroft-Rosalie Adds Baseball for 2010

January 4, 2010

According to a story published today in the Pender Times, the Pender Public Schools Board of Education approved a cooperative spring-season baseball program for 2010 between Pender High School and Bancroft-Rosalie High School at  the board's December 14th meeting.  The team, to be known as the Pender/Bancroft-Rosalie Pendragons, will play its home games at David Nitzschke Memorial Field in Pender. 

The two schools join Arlington, Bennington and Mt. Michael Benedictine as newcomers to spring high school baseball for 2010 raising the number of Class B teams to 22.  There are currently 26 Class A teams.  In July, the Plattsmouth school board approved the addition of a junior varsity baseball program for 2010-2011 and varsity baseball for 2011-2012.

According to NSAA rules, the Pender/Bancroft-Rosalie cooperative agreement must be approved by the Board of Control.  That body has not yet had a meeting since the  Pender board approved baseball.

The Pendragons will be the smallest program in the state with a combined 153 students in grades 9-11.  Bancroft-Rosalie competes in C-2 basketball while Pender is D-1 in hoops.  Both schools compete in Class D-1, 8-man football.  Douglas County West, which added baseball in 2004, was previously the smallest baseball program with 159 students. 

Pender and Bancroft-Rosalie are located in northeast Nebraska about 30 miles south and west of South Sioux City and about 45 miles east of Norfolk.  The addition of this program in the heart of the area where summer American Legion programs such as Wakefield, Wayne, Wisner-Pilger-Beemer and West Point compete in the Ralph Bishop League raises interesting possibilities about the growth of spring baseball in that area. 

In related news, the NSAA Board of Control approved a co-op agreement for baseball among Yutan, Mead and Ashland-Greenwood at its November meeting.  The addition of Ashland-Greenwood to the existing Yutan/Mead co-op will more than double the population of the second year program to 470 students.  The co-op program will compete under the name of "Platte Valley."  A-G teacher Kurt Finkey will succeed John Arensberg as head coach.  In October the Board also approved the addition of Concordia High School to the existing Omaha Roncalli / Brownell Talbott co-op. 

UNO Diamond Club To Host 2010 Meet and Greet on January 30th

January 4, 2010

The 2009 Mavericks roster included seventeen former Nebraska high school players.  Front row (l-r): Colby McCord, Trevor Gappa, Matt Meyer, Jeremy Klein, Brian Strawn, Brady Hohl, Justin Burns; back row (l-r): Travis Jacobi, Joe Holtmeyer, Drew Schwab, Mark Johnson, Evan Porter, Brandon Dahl, Brett Koehn, Jake Benne, Paul Hansen.  Not pictured: Matt Eikmeier.

UNO head baseball coach Bobby Herold will introduce his 2010 baseball squad at a January 30th event hosted by the UNO Diamond Club.  The event, called the "Season Opener", is open to the public and will take place from 5:30pm to 9:00pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 4323 Washington Street in Omaha.  (See Ticket Request Form.)

Herold hasn't had to travel far to fill the Mavericks' roster with quality players while compiling a 341-204-2 record over the past ten years.  Former Nebraska high school players claimed 60% of the spots on the team last year, and six of the seven top hitters on the ballclub were homegrown players.  Senior shortstop Evan Porter, one of four Millard North alums on the team, completed his UNO career as the Mavs' all-time leader in games played, at bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and total bases.  Porter posted a .424 average in 2009, was named a First Team All-American and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Millard North's Brett Koehn and Westside's Drew Schwab each launched six home runs to finish second on the team behind Porter's ten.  Schwab, a senior, was second in batting average (.417) and finished near the top in a number of offensive categories.  As a true freshman Koehn appeared in 56 of the Mavs' 61 games and hit at a .344 clip for the year.  Elkhorn's Travis Jacobi hit .349, fourth best on the team, and swiped a team-high fifteen bases.

Redshirt freshman right-hander Joe Holtmeyer (7-4), a 2008 Creighton Prep graduate, led the staff in opposing batting average (.207) and was second in strikeouts to senior Chris Kessinger with 77.   Junior Brandon Dahl, another Millard North product, led the team in saves with four.

The 2009 Mavs (41-20) won the Mid-America Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament Championship in the schools' first year in the league to advance to a fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.  The Mavericks have averaged 42 wins per season over the past five years.  UNO opens the 2010 season in Denver on February 13th against Regis University and opens at home on March 20th against Truman State.

Baseball fans are encouraged to attend the "Season Opener" on the 30th to show their support for an outstanding group of home grown players under the leadership of one of the top coaches in Nebraska.

| UNO Mavericks Baseball |

Dr. Tom House Makes Pitch for Science-Based Baseball Instruction

December 16, 2009

Former major league pitcher and pitching coach Dr. Tom House kicked off a weekend of top-level pitching instruction at Omaha's Frozen Ropes indoor baseball facility recently with an entertaining and informative presentation as part of a National Pitching Association clinic.  Talking to a group of approximately fifty coaches and parents, House debunked some common pitching instruction myths and made the case for a science-based approach to analyzing pitching mechanics and techniques. 

 | More Info |

Coaches Makes Plans for 2010 Summer Baseball, Agree to Submit Regional Tournament Bid

December 10, 2009

No blockbuster trades were made or free agents signed at Nebraska's version of the MLB Winter Meetings held last Sunday. Even so, the annual December meetings of coaches in Omaha and Lincoln to plan the 2010 summer baseball season were not without some newsworthy happenings. At the top of that list is an agreement reached by a group of six Class A Metro Senior Legion teams to submit a joint bid to host an American Legion Regional Tournament in Omaha in 2011 and 2012.  | More Info |

Pitchers Should Prepare Now to Avoid Arm Injury

November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving time is here.  And, that means in just a few weeks the calendar will flip over to 2010, and high school baseball pitchers will report for pre-season throwing workouts.  Good arm health during the upcoming season can by achieved by developing proper mechanics and implementing a regimen of shoulder-strengthening exercises during the pre-season and throughout the season, according to physical therapist and sports performance consultant Travis Manners of Athlete's Training Center in Omaha.   

| More |

Ehlers and Pritchard Sign with Huskers

November 17, 2009

Ehlers

Pritchard

Logan Ehlers of Nebraska City and Creighton Prep's Mike Pritchard made it official last Wednesday by signing National Letters of Intent to play baseball for the University of Nebraska.  Both had previously given a verbal commitment to Husker coach Mike Anderson and followed through by inking their commitments in signing ceremonies at their respective schools on Wednesday, November 11th, the first day of the NCAA early signing period. 

 

  | More |

 

 

 

 

 

 

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