NU's Duensing enjoys playful prank
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BY CURT McKEEVER AND STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Millard South's Pat Hagge Field temporarily became Brian Duensing Park Saturday morning when the Huskers practiced at the junior pitcher's former stomping grounds.
When Nebraska arrived for the workout, Duensing's high school coach, Trevor Longe, had taped pieces of paper to items in the dugout and around the field just to make sure everyone knew who once ruled the roost.
For instance, a note with an arrow pointing to the restroom facility read "Duensing's bathroom."
Among some others: Duensing's hose. Duensing's trash can. Duensing's water cooler. Duensing's water. Duensing's bat rack. Duensing's helmet holder.
"I knew they were going to do something to give me a hard time. I didn't know they were going to do it like that," Duensing said. "That's Coach Longe's style."
For Nebraska coach Mike Anderson, seeing the reaction of Duensing, a 2001 Millard South graduate, was almost priceless.
"I was the first one in," Anderson said, "and he came around and said, ‘That's baloney.' I think that's a special thing for him."
The left-handed Duensing (8-0, 2.79 ERA) would be the first option if the Huskers have to go to their bullpen early in tonight's game against Florida. Another lefty, Zach Kroenke (7-2, 2.59), who threw to three batters Friday, is still slated to start the Huskers' third CWS game.
Serious series depth
Nebraska has banked on an extra deep pitching staff that ranks No. 2 nationally in earned run average (2.61) to carry it through many of its series this season. But with off days built into the CWS, could the importance of pitching depth be minimized?
"I wish it was more of the Big 12 Tournament style, where it was so fast and furious you could get into people's bullpens," Anderson said. "Here, you get the day off, it protects some teams a little bit. If somebody has three or four guys within their staff, that can work to your advantage. But we feel like we've got a lot of guys we can go to. If somebody's not going well, we can go with somebody else. That's one advantage."
Christy the crusher
Starting catcher Jeff Christy is hitting .232 this season, but in the NCAA Tournament, the junior from Lincoln Southeast is 7-for-21 (.333) with three RBIs. So what's the difference? Absolutely nothing, according to Anderson.
"He has the same approach, the same that he had in the fall. He'll come out and bust his tail harder than anybody else in practice," Anderson said. "That's the way he's been all year long. In February, when we said, hey, this kid's going to take the brunt of the catching, we really believed he'd be fine in doing that, and he has, because he's not going to change any day."
Mid-game interviews
Anderson said he has mixed emotions about ESPN interviewing head coaches during the middle of games.
"Everybody else likes the interviews, but I'm not very good at it," he said. "My intensity changes during the game, and I have a tough time with it, but that's just me. As a fan, I think it's great. I love watching it, and that's why ESPN does it. But as a coach, I don't enjoy it. It's something completely out of the realm of what you're supposed to be doing as a coach. But, on the other side of it, when I'm watching a game, I can't wait until the third or fourth inning to see the coach's interview, because I think it's cool, I think it's awesome."
Quotable
"Tomorrow will be awesome. I get to watch Taylor's game. That's great for me, because I want to relax." — Anderson, who plans to watch his son play baseball before putting his mind on the Huskers.
— Curt McKeever and Steve Sipple
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