Nebraska Cornhuskers
Overall Rank: #20
Conference Rank: #1 Big Ten
Nebraska has reached the NCAA Tournament two of the last three years, but they have not had much success. Following one victory in the 2014 tournament, the Cornhuskers lost their first two games last season. In 2017, Nebraska will hope to finally find some success in the postseason under Coach Darin Erstad. For now though, this is a team that should be able to compete for a Big Ten title. The pitching staff is in great shape. Jake Meyers, one of the best two way players in the country, started nine games last season and went 6-1 with a 1.42 ERA. Matt Waldron and Derek Burkamper were very productive starters last year too. Add closer Chad Luensmann into the mix and Nebraska should have a very dangerous pitching staff.
2016: 37-22, 16-8
2016 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Darin Erstad
Key Departed Players:
Ryan Boldt, .288 BA, 5 HR, 30 RBI
Jake Placzek, .286 BA, 6 HR, 32 RBI
Steven Reveles, .271 BA, 4 HR, 26 RBI
Key Returning Players:
Jake Meyers, P, 1.42 ERA, 50.2 IP, 26 SO, .326 BA, 2 HR, 29 RBI
Matt Waldron, P, 2.87 ERA, 75.1 IP, 56 SO
Derek Burkamper, P, 3.09 ERA, 70.0 IP, 55 SO
Chad Luensmann, P, 1.18 ERA, 38.0 IP, 23 SO, 13 SV
Scott Schreiber, IF, .325 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI
Ben Miller, 1B, .317 BA, 6 HR, 46 RBI
Projection:
The pitching will look even better thanks to a talented defense. There are some holes to fill in the field, but much of the power returns to the plate. Scott Schreiber had a superb sophomore season, belting 16 homeruns and driving in 55 runs. Senior Ben Miller was second on the team with 46 RBIs and led the Cornhuskers with 16 doubles. Schreiber and Miller will lead an offense that has quite a bit of potential. Losing Ryan Boldt, Jake Placzek and Steven Revles will hurt, but look for players like Luis Alvarado, Jake Schleppenbach and Jesse Wilkening to step up their production. The hitting may be down a little compared to last season and the pitching should be a little bit better, but Nebraska’s success or failure in 2017 will come down to how they play in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
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