2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team is Mike Anderson
Mike Anderson (baseball coach)
-External links:*...

's 3rd year as Head coach. The huskers play their home games at Hawks Field.

Roster

Number Name Height/Weight Position Class
2 SimokatisJoe Simokaitis
Joe Simokaitis
Joe Simokaitis is an American former professional baseball shortstop and current student manager with Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball. After playing with the Cornhuskers, Simokaitis played for four years in the Chicago Cubs system. He retired in 2010 and returned to Nebraska.-High school:Simokaitis...

 
6-1 / 195 Shortstop 4Senior
3 OpitzJake Opitz 5-11 / 190 Second base 1Freshman
4 GordonAlex Gordon
Alex Gordon
Alex Jonathan Gordon is a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the Kansas City Royals.-Early years:...

 
6-1 / 215 Third base 3Junior
5 MooreAdam Moore
Adam Moore
Adam Ross Moore is an American Major League Baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners. Moore was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft...

 
6-3 / 220 Catcher 3
Junior
8 BoyerJesse Boyer 6-1 / 195 Outfield 4Senior
9 AdamsTrey Adams 6-1 / 190 Outfield 3Junior
10 WehrleRyan Wehrle 6-3 / 195 Second base / Shortstop 1Freshman
11 VaughnTyler Vaughn 6-2 / 205 Infield 2
Sophomore
12 BruceDaniel Bruce
Daniel Bruce
Daniel Bruce is a former outfielder for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was part of the 2002 and the 2005 College World Series teams.-High school:...

 
6-0 / 185 Outfield 4Senior
13 HinesRyan Hines 6-5 / 225 Pitcher 1Freshman
14 FusilierBrandon Fusilier 6-3 / 220 Outfield 4Senior
15 LedbetterCurtis Ledbetter 6-3 / 215 First base 4Senior
16 ChristyJeff Christy  6-1 / 210 Catcher 3Junior
17 KlapperichCasey Klapperich 5-11 / 185 Infield 1
Freshman
18 DuensingBrian Duensing
Brian Duensing
Brian Matthew Duensing is a major league baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.-High school:...

 
6-0 / 195 Pitcher 3Junior
19 BuckmanBrandon Buckman  6-6 / 220 DH / First base 3Junior
20 WertzLuke Wertz 6-1 / 175 Pitcher 1Freshman
21 SullivanNick Sullivan 5-11 / 200 Outfield 1
Freshman
22 KlausingJon Klausing 6-6 / 200 Pitcher 2Sophomore
23 DornJohnny Dorn 6-3 / 205 Pitcher 1Freshman
24 Bryce Nimmo 5-11 / 170 Outfield 1Freshman
25 BohananRyan Bohanan 6-1 / 200 Pitcher 1Freshman
26 GerchAndy Gerch 6-1 / 205 Outfield 1Freshman
28 WagnerMatt Wagner 6-4 / 225 Infield 1
Freshman
30 WatsonTony Watson 6-4 / 195 Pitcher 1Freshman
31 RadmacherTim Radmacher 6-0 / 170 Pitcher 1
Freshman
32 SmithAl Smith 6-2 / 225 First base 2Sophomore
33 JensenBrett Jensen
Brett Jensen
Brett Jensen is a pitcher for the Erie SeaWolves of the Eastern League. He played collegiately for Nebraska leaving the team with 2 team records...

 
6-7 / 190 Pitcher 3Junior
34 KroenkeZach Kroenke
Zach Kroenke
Zachary B. Kroenke is a professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.-High School:...

 
6-2 / 205 Pitcher 3Junior
35 ShirekPPhil Shirek 6-3 / 210 Pitcher 4Senior
36 FoustMatt Foust  6-3 / 220 Pitcher 1Freshman
38 TimmDustin Timm 6-4 / 185 Pitcher 4Senior
39 HarmelinkMike Harmelink 6-0 / 200 Pitcher 2Sophomore
40 ShirekCCharlie Shirek 6-3 / 190 Pitcher 1
Freshman
42 BeckerJeremy Becker 5-11 / 220 Pitcher 4Senior
43 ManriqueDeric Manrique 5-10 / 175 Outfield 1
Freshman
44 ChamberlainJoba Chamberlain
Joba Chamberlain
Justin Louis "Joba" Chamberlain is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees.-Early life:Chamberlain was born and grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chamberlain's parents, Harlan Chamberlain and Jackie Standley, were never married and split up when Joba was 18 months old...

 
6-3 / 225 Pitcher 2Sophomore
45 HightowerMark Hightower 5-11 / 195 Catcher 1Freshman
47 SchwabDrew Schwab 6-4 / 185 Pitcher 1
Freshman
50 MortJake Mort 5-10 / 170 Infield 1
Freshman

Preseason

After a season that saw Nebraska post a 36-23 record and barely missed out on qualifying for an NCAA Regional for the sixth straight season, Head Coach Mike Anderson and his staff are determined to return to the top of the Big 12 standings in 2005. The Huskers, who return six everyday position players along with three of their top four weekend starters, welcome a recruiting class that was rated among the top-20 nationally.
  • Will Bolt was promoted to volunteer assistant coach overseeing the infielders and assist with the hitters. He was on the staff serving as a graduate manager for the 2004 season.
  • Collegiate Baseball rated Nebraska’s class of 23 newcomers, which includes 16 freshmen, six junior college transfers and Nebraska-Kearney transfer Joba Chamberlain, 16th nationally ranking which is the highest ever for a class of Husker newcomers.
  • Four high school seniors and four junior college transfers have signed National Letters-of-Intent to play baseball at Nebraska beginning in the 2005-06 season.
  • Alex Gordon was selected to 2005 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List.

Schedule

2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball Game Log
25 !! May
2 !! May
9 !! May
16 !! May
23 !! May
30
June
7
June
14
Final
USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll NR --* NR NR 21 22 21 16 16 10 11 9 6 5 5 7 5 4 4 4 6
Baseball America NR NR NR NR NR NR 23 20 20 17 17 11 8 7 6 7 4 3 4 2 5
Collegiate Baseball (Top 30) 31 30 NR 27 18 23 21 9 7 4 10 7 5 5 3 5 4 4 4 3 6
NCBWA (Top 35) NR NR NR 32 19 25 20 19 8 8 10 8 6 4 3 6 5 4 4 3 6
Rivals.com
NR = Not Ranked


* USA Today/ESPN did not release a poll after the first weekend of play.

  • Nebraska held 54 of its 72 opponents to four runs or less and its 2.69 ERA tied for the second lowest single-season ERA in school history. It also finished .03 off the Big 12 mark of 2.66 set by Texas in 2004.

Season review

While the 2005 Nebraska baseball season will be remembered for many things, it was the never-say-die attitude that captured the hearts of Husker fans around the state.

Never was the Huskers’ true spirit more evident than on college baseball’s grandest stage – the College World Series in Omaha. Trailing 5-3 in the ninth inning, the Huskers were down to their last at-bat, looking to extend the most successful season in school history. As they had done 20 times during the season, Nebraska began to rally, opening the inning with two hits before Alex Gordon’s RBI single pulled NU within 5-4. Two batters later, freshman Andy Gerch provided one of the most memorable moments in school history, sending an 0-2 pitch into the left-field bleachers, giving the Huskers a 7-5 lead. Alas, the lead was short-lived, as Arizona State scored twice in the bottom of the ninth – including a game-tying homer by Jeff Larish – before ending one of the most memorable games in recent CWS history two innings later for an 8-7 ASU win.

For Head Coach Mike Anderson, the heart shown by the Huskers was a characteristic that he saw develop throughout the year. “This was a resilient group all year long,” Anderson said. “We fought and fought, and it didn’t surprise me at all that we scored those runs in the ninth.” While its resiliency allowed the Huskers to never be out of a contest, Anderson credited the team’s selflessness as the catalyst for going from eighth to first in the Big 12 and returning to the College World Series for the first time since 2002.

For Nebraska’s eight seniors, 2005 capped a remarkable five-year run in which NU won 237 games, claimed three Big 12 titles and made three College World Series appearances.

“We’re at the World Series this year because we had a group of young men that gave of themselves for their team,” Anderson said. “It’s the most unique group of young men that I’ve ever been around. They bought into the team concept. They understood the team concept and got to where they are at because of the team concept. I can’t say how proud I am of them.”

A total of six Huskers were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including four players in the top 10 rounds. Alex Gordon became Nebraska’s fifth first-round pick, as he was chosen by Kansas City with the No. 2 overall pick. Brian Duensing and Zach Kroenke joined Gordon as players taken in the first five rounds, as they were picked in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. The trio’s selections marked the first time that three Huskers were taken in the first five rounds of the draft.

Nebraska relied on the combination of a dominant pitching staff, strong defense and clutch hitting to put together a 57-15 record and sweep the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles en route to a berth in the College World Series. The 57 wins not only led the nation, but easily topped the previous school mark of 51 set in 2000. The Huskers finished the year ranked as high as fifth in the national polls after opening the year at No. 50 in Baseball America’s preseason issue. Also, their No. 2 ranking in Baseball America heading into the College World Series is its highest in any national poll since the 2001 season (a year the Huskers were ranked first for two weeks by Baseball America).

On the mound, Nebraska put together one of the most dominant staffs in Big 12 history. The Huskers ranked second nationally with a Big 12-low 2.69 ERA, the best by a Husker staff since 1969. NU set single-season records for wins (57), saves (23) and strikeouts (538), while holding opponents to a .227 average. The heart of the staff was a four-man rotation of right-handers Joba Chamberlain and Johnny Dorn and southpaws Brian Duensing and Zach Kroenke. They won 15 straight decisions until Johnny Dorn’s loss to Florida on June 19 at the College World Series. The quartet combined for a 37-6 record, as all earned All-Big 12 honors in 2005.

A transfer from Division II Nebraska-Kearney, Chamberlain took the Big 12 by storm, going 10-2 with a 2.81 ERA en route to third-team All-America honors. The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all league pick, Chamberlain was second in the Big 12 with 130 strikeouts and ranked in the top 10 in seven categories. The sophomore right-hander recorded five double-digit strikeout performances, including 15 against New Mexico in just his second start as a Husker. Chamberlain saved his best performance of the year until the Super Regional against Miami, which he fanned 13 and allowed one run over eight innings to out-duel Cesar Carillo in a 3-1 win.

Dorn became one of the Big 12’s top freshmen, going 12-2 to capture third-team All-America honors. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a first-team all conference selection, Dorn went 12-2 with a 2.16 ERA, tying for the league lead in wins and ranking among the top five in the Big 12 in wins, ERA and opponent batting average. Dorn was superb in conference play, going 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA, as he earned the clinching win in five of NU’s eight series victories.

Duensing returned from missing nearly two full seasons with an elbow injury to post an 8-0 record and earn All-Big 12 honors. Duensing split time between the rotation and the bullpen, but saved his best effort for the Big 12 title game, when he tossed 7.2 innings of shutout ball, as NU blanked Baylor, 1-0, to win the conference tournament title.

Kroenke rounded out the quartet, going 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA to pick up second-team all-conference accolades. The Omaha native saved his best efforts for NU’s biggest moments, tossing a complete game against Kansas State to help clinch the Big 12 title. Two weeks later, Kroenke struck out a career-high 13 in a complete-game masterpiece against Creighton in the regional title game.

While NU’s rotation was the envy of much of college baseball, the Huskers also relied on a talented bullpen led by closer Brett Jensen. The junior ranked third in the country with 16 saves to earn All-Big 12 honors, while set-up man Dustin Timm also earned All-Big 12 honors.
Offensively, the Huskers were led by the leadership and all-around abilities of third baseman Alex Gordon. A two-time All-American, Gordon etched his name in Husker history by becoming the first NU baseball player to be named national player of the year. The junior from Lincoln hit .372 with 19 homers, 66 RBIs and 23 stolen bases, as he topped the Big 12 in six categories and became the first player in seven years to repeat as conference player of the year.

Gordon was one of four hitters to receive All-Big 12 honors in 2005. Senior first baseman Curtis Ledbetter garnered first-team All-Big 12 honors, hitting .319 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs. He ranked fourth in the Big 12 in homers and was named MVP of the Big 12 Tournament, leading NU back to its fourth conference tournament title since 1999.

While Gordon and Ledbetter provided most of the offensive firepower, seniors Joe Simokaitis and Daniel Bruce provided leadership with their relentless aggressiveness on the field to instrumental roles in 2005.

Simokaitis finished his career as the Big 12’s alltime leader in assists and routinely made spectacular plays look routine. A 10th-round pick in the MLB Draft, Simokaitis put together the best offensive year of his career, hitting .310 with three homers, 37 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

Bruce shined in both the classroom and on thediamond in 2005. A second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, he was named Nebraska’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year and earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. Bruce also hit .322 with five homers and 32 RBIs to earn All-Big 12 honors.

Fans also turned out in record numbers to watch the Huskers in 2005, as NU averaged a school-record 4,984 fans per home game to rank sixth nationally. Hawks Field drew seven of its 10 largest crowds in 2005, highlighted by a school-record crowd of 8,771 for the Super Regional clinching win over Miami. NU enjoyed immense success at home, going 33-4 at its home park, including a perfect 5-0 during the NCAA Tournament breaking the previous single-season home mark for wins of 29 set five times (1980, 1988, 2002, 2003 and 2008).

While Nebraska was dominant at home, the Huskers put themselves in position to reach the postseason with success on the road. NU went 15-6 in road games during the regular season, a total that ranked third nationally. In Big 12 play, the Huskers stayed in contention for the league title, going 8-4 away from Hawks Field and winning every conference road series for the first time since 1938.

Nine of Nebraska’s 15 losses this season were by one run, as the Huskers finished 11-9 in one-run games. After having just one multi-homer game in 2004, Nebraska had eight this season, including four by first baseman/catcher Curtis Ledbetter and two by All-American third baseman Alex Gordon.

Heading into the final weekend of the season, the Huskers were two games behind Baylor in the conference race. Nebraska won its first two games against Kansas State, while Baylor and Missouri split their first two contests, putting the Huskers in position to earn a share of the league crown. Behind Kroenke’s complete-game gem on Senior Day, Nebraska posted a 3-1 victory, while Missouri capped NU’s title hopes by beating Baylor in Waco later that day, giving the two teams a share of the Big 12 crown. The two teams would meet one week later with the Big 12 Tournament title on the line. The game was scoreless until the sixth when Andy Gerch’s sacrifice fly plated Gordon for the game’s only run. Duensing and Jensen combined on a three-hit shutout to give NU a 1-0 win over the Bears and the Huskers’ fourth Big 12 Tourney crown since 1999 and winning the regular-season and tournament titles in the same season for the second time in school history (2001).

Huskers in the MLB Draft

2005
Player Position Round Overall MLB Org.
Alex Gordon 3B 1 2 Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

Brian Duensing LHP 3 84 Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

Zach Kroenke LHP 5 169 New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

Joe Simokaitis SS 10 310 Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

Curtis Ledbetter 1B 18 533 Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

Brett Jensen* RHP 23 684 Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...



2006
Player Position Round Overall MLB Org.
Joba Chamberlain RHP 1 41 New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

Jeff Christy C 6 186 Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

Brett Jensen RHP 14 412 Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

Tony Watson* LHP 17 505 Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

Ryan Wehrle SS 18 534 Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

Brandon Buckman 1B 19 586 St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...


2007
Player Position Round Overall MLB Org.
Matt Foust RHP 6 188 Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

Tony Watson LHP 9 278 Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

Luke Wertz RHP 13 413 Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

Charlie Shirek RHP 23 719 Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...



2008
Player Position Round Overall MLB Org.
Jake Opitz 2B 12 371 Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

Johnny Dorn RHP 15 448 Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...


  • Did not sign

See also

  • 2005 Big 12 Baseball Tournament
    2005 Big 12 Baseball Tournament
    The 2005 Big 12 Baseball Tournament was held at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, OK from May 25 through May 29. Nebraska won their fourth tournament in seven years and earned the Big 12 Conference's automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament...

  • 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
    2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
    The 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was held from May 30th through June 26th, . 64 NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament...

  • 2005 College World Series
    2005 College World Series
    The 2005 College World Series was held June 17 through 27, 2005 in Omaha, Nebraska. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. It was won by Texas, which defeated Florida in the championship...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK