Huskers need to keep faith
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Please pardon the pessimism, but odds are Nebraska will lose its three-game baseball series starting Friday at top-ranked Texas.
The Huskers are error-prone of late and their pitching plan has lapsed into semi-confusion. The Longhorns, meanwhile, feature stellar pitching, discipline at the plate and a 22-2 record this season at Disch-Falk Field.
Perhaps you already know about Texas junior Huston Street, one of the nation's premier relievers. The Longhorns also boast left-handed starter J.P. Howell, 8-1 with a 1.83 earned run average and 95 strikeouts in 73 innings.
Nebraska fans inclined toward pessimism fear a Texas sweep.
It's a good thing Husker head coach Mike Anderson is inclined toward optimism.
It's also a good thing Anderson isn't inclined toward panic. Wise baseball men will tell you the grand old game devours those who panic.
During a 56-game regular season, a team's bound to encounter a rough patch, and Nebraska has hit the skids, losing five of its last seven games. It now must concentrate on exiting the morass.
The Huskers are 26-10 overall and 7-5 in the Big 12, good for fourth place. Falter badly this weekend, and they probably can forget repeating as Big 12 regular-season champs. Win a couple in Austin, and they're back in the mix.
No matter what happens in Texas, Nebraska must keep its recent struggles in perspective. After all, 17 regular-season games remain after this weekend.
"I think a 19-year-old kid maybe thinks the sky's falling," Anderson said after Tuesday night's 6-4 home loss to Creighton.
Anderson understands that in a few weeks, Nebraska could again be playing well and surging toward its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. At that point, the players will understand what their coaches are telling them now - keep the faith, fellas.
Make no mistake, the Huskers, ranked as high as No. 16 nationally, are an NCAA Tournament-caliber outfit.
"I hope - I hope - that when we get out of this, we learn something," Anderson said. "I see light at the end of the tunnel. I really do. But it doesn't matter what I see. The players have to see it. That's important."
Anderson expresses concern about his team's lack of confidence, saying he has several players who can be hard on themselves.
"To be blunt, I wish they felt as confident as I am in them," Anderson said.
This Nebraska team, for the most part, is a quiet bunch. Senior catcher John Grose is generally considered the most chatty of the group,Anderson said. Grose also is regarded as a team leader. Trouble is, he's hitting .192.
Most of the Huskers are "internally motivated," Anderson said, and that's fine with him.
Senior second baseman Jake Mullinax said he senses the lack of confidence. He can't put his finger on from where it stems; he just feels it.
"Right now, we're at our lowest point," Mullinax said after Tuesday's loss.
One can tell by Mullinax's grin he's not panicking.
"The only way's up,"he said, no disrespect to Creighton intended.
Many college kids these days eschew history. Joe Frazier?Heck, it's amazing how many Nebraska football players don't remember Tommie Frazier.
It'd be wise for Nebraska baseball players to embrace their program's recent history.
In 2002, the Huskers fell to 23-13 after losing two of three games at Missouri, blowing a 6-0 lead in the series finale. NU, however, used a 6-5 win against Creighton followed by a series victory over then-league leading Oklahoma State to spark a surge that led to a second straight trip to the College World Series.
In 2001, Nebraska endured stretches in which it lost four of five games and four of six, yet still wound up in the CWS.
Sometimes it's the smallest of occurrences that can ignite a team. A comeback win. A couple of hits that barely sneak into open space. A defensive gem or two.
Maybe the Huskers will get lucky in Austin.
The way Anderson sees it, Nebraska always should expect to win, even when facing the nation's top-ranked club.
"We need to go down there and win two, win three - we need to win the series," Anderson said.
Nebraska junior Curtis Ledbetter looks toward the Huskers' middle infielders - Mullinax and shortstop Joe Simokaitis - for leadership.
"Mullinax is unbelievable in the clubhouse," said Ledbetter, second on the team with 38 RBIs. "He's always staying 'up' and picking guys up when they're down."
Mullinax, meanwhile, looks toward sophomore third baseman Alex Gordon of Lincoln, who leads the squad in home runs (13), RBIs (56), slugging percentage (.833) and a slew of other categories.
"I mean, Alex plays the game hard," Mullinax said. "The way I look at it, he's doing it, so I can do it too. He might not be as vocal as some people, but he leads by example."
Remember, this is a Nebraska team that won 19 of 21 games before faltering in its last seven.
"We had a lot of confidence earlier in the season,"Ledbetter said. "We were winning games, putting a lot of runs on the board, and the pitching staff was throwing really well. But there are some things we haven't been getting done lately."
Exhibit A: In the last seven games, Nebraska's ERA is 6.46. What's more, the Huskers have committed 14 errors during their ugly patch.
However, "We're going to be just fine down there,"Ledbetter said of the Texas trip. "We're going to play some good baseball. We know we can play with anybody in the country; it's just a matter of going out and doing it."
Indeed, life's never as bad as it might seem at a given moment, never as good as it might seem.
Anderson remembers plenty of times when Nebraska encountered adversity and bounced back.
"I think we're still waiting for that bounce,"he said.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@;journalstar.com.
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