Posted: Friday, February 23, 2007 6:00 pm
The season has barely begun, and already we know how serious Mike Anderson is about putting the Nebraska baseball team in the proper mind-set for a strong finish. At least his players do.
Anderson — who hates to lose even in February to a national championship-caliber team like Rice — has clearly drawn the line with the recent suspension of three players.
Last week, it was senior first baseman Andrew Brown, NU’s hottest hitter at the end of 2006 and a player that Anderson has called “a better leader” and “the most motivated guy on our team.”
Thursday, Nebraska left for the Rice Invitational without All-America pitcher Tony Watson, a player Anderson respects so much that he was chosen to speak at the team’s annual banquet, and senior pitcher Mike Harmelink. Earlier Thursday, Harmelink was cited for driving while intoxicated. Watson was a passenger in the vehicle.
Anyone who has ever been a 20-something college student ripe for a little too much fun can understand the lapse in judgment. But if they haven’t already, Brown, Harmelink and Watson will thank their coach for refusing to bend team rules. While their punishment cost them a weekend of action, it should serve them, and the Huskers, well in the long run.
Junior shortstop Ryan Wehrle went through the same public embarrassment as Harmelink two years ago and now Baseball America lists Wehrle as the 28th-best player for the June major-league draft. Watson, by the way, is No. 38 on that list, so you know he’s smarting right now.
At the team’s banquet, Watson spoke about Nebraska’s winning attitude and “how it filters through from the top, how we’re always going to win games. We always expect to win no matter who we’re going up against.”
Asked about that later, he said he could already feel those vibes before the Huskers began their season at last week’s Texas-Arlington tournament.
“What do we have, like 20 juniors?” Watson asked. That number’s actually 15, but “about 10 of us were on that (2005) World Series team. We tasted what it was like to be at the highest of highs, and then last year we tasted the lowest of lows. Everybody wants to get that good taste back in our mouths, going up to Omaha and having fun up there. I think that’s what motivates us the most.”
The low feelings came from last year’s 0-2 showing on their home field in an NCAA regional. Thus, Anderson’s focus on finishing strong.
While it’s early, Anderson is still hopeful the Huskers will hold together regardless of whether they get off to a hot start. What he senses now is that at least most of the players have a good understanding of their roles.
“We just need to be able to sustain our growth,” Anderson said. “When we have good years, we continue to grow as a team. When we just have average years, I think we’re prepared but I think we just kind of stay stagnant. I think that comes with how we evaluate.”
An evaluation he and his staff could’ve made before NU went 3-1 on its opening weekend of action was that Nebraska is stacked with pitching.
Watson, Johnny Dorn, Charlie Shirek and Matt Foust had a combined 2.53 earned-run average and all went at least five innings in their first starts. Watson and Foust allowed only one run.
In addition, the bullpen — which didn’t have promising newcomer Thad Weber as an option because he had to handle first base exclusively with Brown out — went 3-for-3 in save opportunities.
New closer Erik Bird, who set up All-Big 12 closer Brett Jensen last season, got his first save in the opener against New Mexico by striking out a batter on four pitches after inheriting a 2-0 count with the bases loaded. The next day against Texas-Arlington, he came on in the eighth with runners on the corners and NU up by a run, then retired the next two hitters before pitching a scoreless ninth.
Offensively, keep a eye on outfielder DJ Belfonte. The only true freshman who played last weekend, Belfonte hit .286 but drew five walks and got hit by two pitches to lift his on-base percentage to .643. He’ll move into the leadoff spot regularly if Bryce Nimmo can’t shake his horrific slump at the end of last season. Nimmo was 3-for-15 last weekend with five strikeouts.
As for Wehrle (off to a 2-for-13 start) and second baseman Jake Opitz (3-for-15)? Worry not. Their swings are fine, and they’ll be helped by Brown’s presence at the clean-up spot. Left fielder Andy Gerch (7-for-17) also looks ready to produce in the middle of the lineup.
Anderson also likes the right- and left-handed bats of junior college transfers Craig Corriston (5 RBIs last weekend) and Jeff Tezak (3-for-8), and has confidence putting Jake Mort into games for added defense at third base.
That leaves questions about first-year starting catcher Jeff Lanning, who went 5-for-10 last weekend.
“It’s always good to learn when you’re winning,” Corriston noted. “We were missing a lot (last weekend), but we won, so it made it better.”
With a game today against preseason No. 1 Rice (the Owls are currently No. 6) and one against No. 27 Florida Atlantic (which entered the weekend 9-0) on Sunday, the Huskers should learn whether they’re worthy of their No. 7 ranking. At the same time, they ought to know their coach wants them thinking about the big picture, too.
“We don’t pay too much attention to it, really, because it doesn’t mean anything right now,” Corriston said of the lofty ranking. “I know we’ve got a long way to go to achieve what we want to do.”
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.