NU baseball hopeful for season opener
Further proof of Mike Anderson’s tendency to view things from a glass-half-full perspective will be evident today, when his Nebraska baseball team begins a season-long homestand against UC Riverside.
Go ahead and check your calendars, but yes, it really is February.
“I knew we’d have to work at it and maybe be a little lucky,” said the eternal optimist coach about being able to play so early at home. “Well, guess what? It’s both.”
As of early Thursday evening, an area of right field in Haymarket Park was still saturated from recent melting. Anderson, though, vowed the field would be ready for today’s 1:35 p.m. opener.
And if the Huskers are extremely lucky with the weather, they’ll play 10 games in Haymarket Park over the next 12 days. Then, after opening Big 12 Conference action at Kansas State, they’ll return home for another seven straight before the end of March.
That’s 17 on their field out of 20 total, played over 27 days.
“I just had a flashback to the Oklahoma State series last year when it was pretty cold,” said senior pitcher Johnny Dorn when asked what came to his mind when he first saw the 2008 schedule. “I was thinking we might have a few weeks like that.”
For obvious reasons, only once before in its history, in 1981, has NU played a season-long homestand that started in February.
Strangely enough, the Huskers would have had nicer weather to play in had they opened the 2008 season at home last weekend against Stanford instead of traveling to Palo Alto, Calif., where for most of three days it rained and was in the 40s.
OK, so the field was still thawing and probably wouldn’t have been ready. At least the outlook for this weekend is bright.
The forecasted high for today is 49. For tomorrow, when the teams play a doubleheader, it’s 60. And on Sunday, it’s 46.
“The game doesn’t change that much in cold weather,” senior outfielder Bryce Nimmo said. “Well, when it’s 30 or below it does, because your joints are freezing. But you just get ready and get through it.
“Playing at home early is probably an advantage against a California team, because to them 50 degree is probably cold. But the biggest advantage we have playing at home is we know our field better than anyone.”
How much do the Huskers, who are 27-0 all-time at home in February, covet their park? Consider that on Tuesday, players alternated drill work with shoveling snow in order to get the field ready for this weekend.
“There was ice everywhere,” Nimmo said, “but by the end it was looking pretty good. It was playable.”
Haymarket’s readiness won’t be in question this weekend, but it could take a freak of nature for Nebraska to get through its opening homestand without weather issues.
While the forecasted high for Tuesday’s game against Nebraska-Kearney is a balmy 46, early projections for next weekend, when NU has a four-game series against Northern Colorado, are calling for possible snow flurries and a high temperature of 26 on Friday, followed by a high of 38 on Saturday.
“I guess you can’t change it,” Dorn said. “It’s going to be 30, 40 out. You can’t use it as an excuse, so you might as well deal with it.”
Today’s game marks Nebraska’s earliest home opener since the 1999 season, when the Huskers beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 27.
Of course, it’s rare for NU to be at home early in the season.
Last year, Nebraska played its first 13 contests on the road and only eight home games out its first 28.
In 2006, the Huskers opened with 10 on the road, then played 12 straight in Haymarket Park during March and came out of that 10-2.
NU also had its first 10 games of 2005 on the road, then played 11 straight and 12 total at home in March, and went 12-0 in those contests.
“I’m happy finally being able to be in front of the fans and have their support,” Dorn said. “I’m sure they can get used to the cold weather.”
It might not be present this weekend, but don’t put your thermals away just yet.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
Go ahead and check your calendars, but yes, it really is February.
“I knew we’d have to work at it and maybe be a little lucky,” said the eternal optimist coach about being able to play so early at home. “Well, guess what? It’s both.”
As of early Thursday evening, an area of right field in Haymarket Park was still saturated from recent melting. Anderson, though, vowed the field would be ready for today’s 1:35 p.m. opener.
And if the Huskers are extremely lucky with the weather, they’ll play 10 games in Haymarket Park over the next 12 days. Then, after opening Big 12 Conference action at Kansas State, they’ll return home for another seven straight before the end of March.
That’s 17 on their field out of 20 total, played over 27 days.
“I just had a flashback to the Oklahoma State series last year when it was pretty cold,” said senior pitcher Johnny Dorn when asked what came to his mind when he first saw the 2008 schedule. “I was thinking we might have a few weeks like that.”
For obvious reasons, only once before in its history, in 1981, has NU played a season-long homestand that started in February.
Strangely enough, the Huskers would have had nicer weather to play in had they opened the 2008 season at home last weekend against Stanford instead of traveling to Palo Alto, Calif., where for most of three days it rained and was in the 40s.
OK, so the field was still thawing and probably wouldn’t have been ready. At least the outlook for this weekend is bright.
The forecasted high for today is 49. For tomorrow, when the teams play a doubleheader, it’s 60. And on Sunday, it’s 46.
“The game doesn’t change that much in cold weather,” senior outfielder Bryce Nimmo said. “Well, when it’s 30 or below it does, because your joints are freezing. But you just get ready and get through it.
“Playing at home early is probably an advantage against a California team, because to them 50 degree is probably cold. But the biggest advantage we have playing at home is we know our field better than anyone.”
How much do the Huskers, who are 27-0 all-time at home in February, covet their park? Consider that on Tuesday, players alternated drill work with shoveling snow in order to get the field ready for this weekend.
“There was ice everywhere,” Nimmo said, “but by the end it was looking pretty good. It was playable.”
Haymarket’s readiness won’t be in question this weekend, but it could take a freak of nature for Nebraska to get through its opening homestand without weather issues.
While the forecasted high for Tuesday’s game against Nebraska-Kearney is a balmy 46, early projections for next weekend, when NU has a four-game series against Northern Colorado, are calling for possible snow flurries and a high temperature of 26 on Friday, followed by a high of 38 on Saturday.
“I guess you can’t change it,” Dorn said. “It’s going to be 30, 40 out. You can’t use it as an excuse, so you might as well deal with it.”
Today’s game marks Nebraska’s earliest home opener since the 1999 season, when the Huskers beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Feb. 27.
Of course, it’s rare for NU to be at home early in the season.
Last year, Nebraska played its first 13 contests on the road and only eight home games out its first 28.
In 2006, the Huskers opened with 10 on the road, then played 12 straight in Haymarket Park during March and came out of that 10-2.
NU also had its first 10 games of 2005 on the road, then played 11 straight and 12 total at home in March, and went 12-0 in those contests.
“I’m happy finally being able to be in front of the fans and have their support,” Dorn said. “I’m sure they can get used to the cold weather.”
It might not be present this weekend, but don’t put your thermals away just yet.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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