Since the Huskers’ season-ending slide came to a premature and abrupt halt in the NCAA Regional last Saturday, NU baseball coach Mike Anderson no longer questions what went wrong, because he’s concluded it wasn’t that much.

That belief — combined with the likelihood that third-team All-Americans Ryan Wehrle and Tony Watson will be back for their junior seasons — has Anderson thinking “literally small adjustments” are needed for NU to achieve a higher level of success in 2007.

“There will not be a major overhaul in adjustments,” he said.

Nebraska entered the month of May with a nation-best 36-6 record and atop the Big 12 Conference standings.

It was around that time, however, that two key components in the Huskers’ game changed.

Leadoff hitter Bryce Nimmo began a struggle at the plate that forced Anderson to alter his lineup. Nimmo returned because of an injury to right fielder Luke Gorsett, but he finished with just one hit in his last 33 at-bats.

Gorsett, a first-team all-league pick, entered May as a strong candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors. Little did anyone outside the Huskers’ program know then that it was becoming increasingly more difficult for Gorsett to deal with a stress fracture in his lower back.

As it turned out, he hit just one of his team-high 15 home runs during the final 17 games.

In that stretch, Nebraska lost its final three Big 12 series, regrouped to win three games in the conference tourney to advance to the championship game, but then became just the second NCAA Tournament national seed in the last eight years to go 0-2. It left NU with a 42-17 record.

“I always feel bad saying ‘This happened and this happened,’ because it creates an excuse,” Anderson said. “There’s no excuse. (But) there is a reality to it and the reality is, if you want a recap from a coaching standpoint, I feel like I coached five seasons (and) it was taxing because there were so many things we tried to push for.

“From our kids’ standpoint, their preparedness was outstanding. Their sustainability was not.”

Anderson figures the experience many of those players went through for the first time will give next year’s veteran-laden team something to draw on if it hits a rough stretch.

If  left-hander Watson (a 17th-round pick by Baltimore in Tuesday’s Major League Draft) and shortstop Wehrle (18th round by Cincinnati) both return, the Huskers should have fewer lulls.

With Joba Chamberlain departing after becoming NU’s sixth first-round draft pick, Watson would be the anchor to a staff that will include all-Big 12 performer Johnny Dorn. Charlie Shirek also is coming off a strong freshman season, and Anderson believes incoming freshman Sam Sharpe has a good chance to make an immediate impact.

Nebraska has to replace career saves leader Brett Jensen (a 14th-round pick), but the bullpen appears to be in capable hands with Erik Bird and Zach Herr coming off superb freshman seasons.

The departure of All-Big 12 first baseman Brandon Buckman (a 19th-round pick) and Gorsett (a 14th-round choice) will significantly reduce the Huskers’ power punch, as those two combined for 29 of the team’s 70 home runs.

Anderson, though, noted Buckman produced 14 after hitting just two in 2005, and that Gorsett was a first-year Husker.

“We went into this year kind of questioning where some of our power numbers would come by, and our power numbers came through two unknowns,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if we’ll have anyone that hits 20 home runs (next year), but home runs are not a concern. Who’s going to drive in runs — that is.”

Wehrle (eight home runs, 48 RBIs), Andrew Brown (nine HRs, 30 RBIs) and Ryan Bohanan will be counted on heavily in that department. The left-handed Bohanan hit .311 and made 21 pitching appearances as a freshman in 2005, then missed this season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Before the injury, he was being groomed to play third base, but he’ll now turn his focus to playing first.

Besides Chamberlain, Nebraska’s biggest loss from 2006 will be catcher Jeff Christy (a sixth-round pick). The responsibility of replacing Christy will fall on sophomore-to-be Jeff Lanning and Mitch Abeita, a transfer from North Central Texas Community College, 

“We really (will) take a hold of the new guys and show them what we’re going to do,” Anderson said, “and hopefully the returning guys are hungrier.”

Briefly

Anderson has declined an offer to be an assistant for the 2007 USA National Team, which consists of the top collegiate players and plays a summer schedule in the States and abroad.  “I don’t think I’m interested at this point — No. 1, this program is too important to leave, even for a short time,” Anderson said. “And so is my family.”

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