The risk with Nebraska baseball recruit Curtis Petersen is he might be too good for the Huskers.

Yes, you read that right.

If Petersen, one of 13 players who have committed to play at NU beginning in 2009, wows professional scouts enough during his senior season at Denton (Texas) Ryan High next spring, he may never throw a pitch in Haymarket Park.

Then again, it’s not like the right-handed pitcher, an alternate for the 2007 USA Junior National Team, is thinking about how he’d spend that big signing bonus.

“I’ve still got to get these high school hitters out,” said Petersen, who did that often last season, going 9-1 with a 1.52 earned-run average to lead Dallas-Fort Worth area pitchers in wins. “I think God will lead me, (but) I’m looking at going to college.“

That, of course, is Nebraska coach Mike Anderson’s hope. It’s also what separates college baseball recruiting from any other sport — hoping, rather than expecting, a big-time player who’s signed will show up on campus.

The game Anderson has to play is to try and figure out how draft position will impact a prospective recruit’s decision on whether or not to attend college.

With his latest class, Anderson thinks he’s got a few players who could jump up high enough to where they’re seriously weighing options.

“I think that’s why you see 13 kids (in it), too,” Anderson said. “But there’s not a kid in here that we didn’t work thoroughly finding out they were kids that wanted to go to school. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re not going to sign, but we went after kids that wanted to be college baseball players.“

Petersen is one of five Texans in the class, proof that first-year pitching coach Eric Newman is having a major impact in recruiting. Newman was head coach at Dallas Baptist for three seasons before Anderson hired him in July.

Other Texans include catcher Cory Burleson of Midland, outfielder Boomer Collins of Waxahachie, infielder Kale Kiser of Plano and left-handed junior college pitcher Colt Simon from Grand Prairie. The other three are all ranked among the top high school seniors in their state by Perfect Game USA.

The Huskers also landed the high school seniors ranked 1-2 in Nebraska — right-handed pitcher Nick Ludemann of Omaha Creighton Prep and right-handed pitcher/shortstop Kash Kalkowski of Grand Island. Lincoln Southeast’s Jake Kuebler, a cousin of former Husker and 2005 National Player of the Year Alex Gordon, joined those in-state talents.

“My personal belief, the three kids that committed to us from Nebraska will be the lifeline of this program. And it’ll continue to be that way,” Anderson said. “I just think there’s an opportunity there (in Texas) right now, recruitingwise, that we’re going to take advantage of.“

Particularly if guys like Petersen wind up coming.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.