Five Metro Legion Teams Submit Joint Bid to Host Regionals

February 18, 2010

Mavs Will Open Season With Twenty-Three Former Nebraska High Schoolers on Roster

February 3, 2010

Huskers Open Baseball Practice Saturday

January 28, 2010

Creighton Baseball Steak Fry to be Held Saturday, February 6 at Castle Barrett

January 26, 2010

The 2010 Creighton Baseball steak fry will be held at Castle Barrett (4330 Leavenworth Street) in Omaha on Saturday, Feb. 6 starting at 5:30 p.m. Adult steak dinners are $35 each with advance reservations or $40 each at the door. Children are admitted free with each paid adult dinner and receive a complimentary hot dog and chips. A reserved table of eight is also available for $280 ($280 for any combination of adults and youth seated at the table). For more information or to make a reservation, contact Barb Epps at (402) 280-5577 or via e-mail at bepps@creighton.edu by Monday, Feb. 1.

Ultimate Baseball Academy to Host Half-Day Coaches' Clinic on February 6

January 26, 2010

The Ultimate Baseball Academy in Omaha will hold a pre-season coaches' clinic next Saturday afternoon from 1:00 until 4:00 at the UBA facility at 120th & I.  Headlining the event as presenters will be the head coaches of the two NCAA Division I schools in the state, Mike Anderson of Nebraska and Ed Servais of Creighton.  Husker pitching coach Eric Newman and UBA Dean of Instruction Bill Olson are also featured presenters.  UBA staff members Joe Servais, a Creighton alum, and John Grose, a former Husker, will provide instruction on catching.   The registration fee for the clinic is $30 and attendance is limited to the first fifty registrants. 

| Clinic Flyer |

2010 NSAA Baseball Manual Published, Elkhorn Moves Up to Class A

January 24, 2010 (updated January 25, 2010, 8:30am)

The Nebraska School Activities Association published the 2010 Baseball Manual on its website last week, laying out the details that will govern the 2010 spring season.  The biggest change for this season will be the implementation of contest limits for baseball that were approved by the NSAA Representative Assembly last April.  Under the new rule, each team is limited to a maximum of 24 "dates" during the regular season, with the term "permissible dates" being spelled out in the rule.  Another significant development for the upcoming season is the recent decision by the NSAA Board of Control to keep the number of Class B District Tournaments at four despite the increase in the number of teams in the class to 22, just four less than the twenty-six teams that will compete in six Class A district tournaments.

| More Info |

SkyHawk Baseball to Host Annual Fundraiser on February 6

January 22, 2010

The SkyHawk Baseball Association will hold its annual fundraiser to support the summer baseball program associated with Omaha Skutt Catholic High School next Saturday, February 6 from 7:00pm until midnight at the Skutt Catholic Wrestling Building.  The evening will include food, bereages, music and a silent auction.  Admission is $25 and may be paid at the door.   See flyer for details.

Districts Split on NSAA Proposal to Modify Spring State Tournament Bracket

January 10, 2010

A proposal to modify the spring state tournament bracket so that it closely resembles the American Legion state tournament bracket received a split vote in NSAA Second District Meetings held over the past week.  The proposal received strong support yesterday in Districts I and II where fifty-five of the state's sixty-two baseball schools are located.  Nine of the twelve schools in District I (Lincoln area) that voted on the proposal approved it.  Support in District II (Omaha area) was nearly unanimous with just a handful of dissenting voices among the 78 schools voting.  District I has 13 baseball schools, and District II has 42.

Last week, the proposal was defeated 1-4 in District III, and yesterday it was defeated 2-3 in District IV.  District III has four member schools participating in baseball:  South Sioux City, Norfolk, Pender and Bancroft-Rosalie.  District IV has three baseball schools:  Grand Island Northwest, Grand Island Central Catholic and Grand Island High School. 

NSAA member schools in Districts V and VI elected not to vote on the proposal, presumably because there are no baseball schools in those districts. 

The voting in the districts is not binding on the six-member Board of Control which will vote on the proposal in April, however, historically, Board Members have been guided by the voting within their respective districts.  It is possible that member schools supporting the proposal may lobby for Board approval on the grounds that the two districts representing nearly ninety percent of the state's baseball schools strongly supported the change.  Of the twenty-seven varsity coaches who responded to a BaseballNebraska poll taken last week, two-thirds favored the proposal, with fifteen coaches strongly favoring the change.  There are forty-eight baseball programs in the state, representing sixty-two NSAA member schools. 

In other action at the meetings, a proposal to increase the size of the Board of Control from six to eight members received the three votes needed to send the proposal on to the Representative Assembly in April.  The two additional board members would be elected by Class A member schools in those districts having more than 12,000 students in grades 9-11.  Presently, District I (14,255 students) and District II (38,721 students) are the only districts with more than 12,000 students.  A similar proposal that would have created a ninth board position by providing for another board member from districts having more than 25,000 students (District II) was passed only in District II and was unanimously opposed in Districts III, IV, V and VI.  Both proposals also included language encouraging greater representation of women and minorities within the NSAA leadership, the lack of which, along with glaringly disproportionate representation of students by Board Members, was criticized in a recent Interim Study Report by the Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature.  The study also recommended that the NSAA be made subject to the Open Meetings Act and the Public Records Statutes.  

Sites Selected for 2010 Legion Post-Season Tournaments; Classes B and C Realigned

January 10, 2010

At a coaches meeting held yesterday in Norfolk in connection with the 2010 Mid-Year American Legion Convention, the Department of Nebraska Athletic Committee announced the sites for the 2010 American Legion Area and State Tournaments.  The Committee also announced a tentative realignment of Area assignments for Classes B and C, designating those teams that would compete in the seven Areas within each of those classes.  Athletic Committee Don Kiviniemi, Jr. emphasized that these assignments are tentative only and are based on the list of teams that played last year.  Final Area assignments will be made on June 21. 

| More Info |

Coaches Support Change in State Tournament Bracket

January 5, 2010

Two-thirds of the Nebraska high school varsity baseball head coaches who responded to a recent BaseballNebraska opinion poll would like to see a change in the NSAA state tournament bracket.   Of the twenty-seven coaches who responded to the online poll circulated yesterday, eighteen (67%) indicated that they support  the implementation of "Proposal A" that will be voted on in six NSAA district meetings to be held over the next week, beginning today.  That proposal, introduced by Papillion-LaVista Activities Director Chuck Johnston, would modify the current spring state tournament bracket so that it closely resembles that which is used for American Legion tournaments.  A key consideration behind the proposal is protecting pitchers from overuse in the tournament.  (See previous article.)

Of the eighteen coaches who expressed support for the proposal, fifteen indicated that they "strongly" support the change and three indicated that they "moderately" support the proposal.  Seven responders expressed support for retaining the current bracket with five of those characterizing their support as "moderate" and two coaches indicating that they "strongly" support the continued use of the current bracket.  Two coaches replied that he had "no opinion" on the question.  A total of twenty-seven of the forty-seven varsity coaches surveyed (57%) responded within the twenty-four period during which the survey was available online.  (One of those responses, a "strongly support current bracket" response, was provided by email and is included in our tabulation here but is not in the online Survey Results displayed by the link below.)

The Papillion-LaVista proposal was approved by District II (Omaha Metro and surrounding counties) in November, which caused the proposal to advance to a vote in all six NSAA districts this month.  A final determination on the proposal will be made by the Board of Control at its April 8-9 meeting where a majority of four votes will be required for passage.  Board members often follow the vote of member schools within their respective districts but are not bound to do so.  More than likely, passage in four districts over the coming week would be required for the Board's approval of the proposal.  Two of the districts that will vote on the proposal next Wednesday (Districts V and VI) do not currently have any member schools playing spring baseball.  Nevertheless, the vote within those districts could determine whether the format of the spring state tournament will be modified in accordance with the desires of a significant majority of the state's baseball coaches. 

| Survey Results | 

Pender/Bancroft-Rosalie Adds Baseball for 2010

January 4, 2010

According to a story published today in the Pender Times, the Pender Public Schools Board of Education approved a cooperative spring-season baseball program for 2010 between Pender High School and Bancroft-Rosalie High School at  the board's December 14th meeting.  The team, to be known as the Pender/Bancroft-Rosalie Pendragons, will play its home games at David Nitzschke Memorial Field in Pender. 

The two schools join Arlington, Bennington and Mt. Michael Benedictine as newcomers to spring high school baseball for 2010 raising the number of Class B teams to 22.  There are currently 26 Class A teams.  In July, the Plattsmouth school board approved the addition of a junior varsity baseball program for 2010-2011 and varsity baseball for 2011-2012.

According to NSAA rules, the Pender/Bancroft-Rosalie cooperative agreement must be approved by the Board of Control.  That body has not yet had a meeting since the  Pender board approved baseball.

The Pendragons will be the smallest program in the state with a combined 153 students in grades 9-11.  Bancroft-Rosalie competes in C-2 basketball while Pender is D-1 in hoops.  Both schools compete in Class D-1, 8-man football.  Douglas County West, which added baseball in 2004, was previously the smallest baseball program with 159 students. 

Pender and Bancroft-Rosalie are located in northeast Nebraska about 30 miles south and west of South Sioux City and about 45 miles east of Norfolk.  The addition of this program in the heart of the area where summer American Legion programs such as Wakefield, Wayne, Wisner-Pilger-Beemer and West Point compete in the Ralph Bishop League raises interesting possibilities about the growth of spring baseball in that area. 

In related news, the NSAA Board of Control approved a co-op agreement for baseball among Yutan, Mead and Ashland-Greenwood at its November meeting.  The addition of Ashland-Greenwood to the existing Yutan/Mead co-op will more than double the population of the second year program to 470 students.  The co-op program will compete under the name of "Platte Valley."  A-G teacher Kurt Finkey will succeed John Arensberg as head coach.  In October the Board also approved the addition of Concordia High School to the existing Omaha Roncalli / Brownell Talbott co-op. 

UNO Diamond Club To Host 2010 Meet and Greet on January 30th

January 4, 2010

UNO head baseball coach Bobby Herold will introduce his 2010 baseball squad at a January 30th event hosted by the UNO Diamond Club.  The event, called the "Season Opener", is open to the public and will take place from 5:30pm to 9:00pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 4323 Washington Street in Omaha.  (See Ticket Request Form.)

Herold hasn't had to travel far to fill the Mavericks' roster with quality players while compiling a 341-204-2 record over the past ten years.  Former Nebraska high school players claimed 60% of the spots on the team last year, and six of the seven top hitters on the ballclub were homegrown players.  Senior shortstop Evan Porter, one of four Millard North alums on the team, completed his UNO career as the Mavs' all-time leader in games played, at bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and total bases.  Porter posted a .424 average in 2009, was named a First Team All-American and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Millard North's Brett Koehn and Westside's Drew Schwab each launched six home runs to finish second on the team behind Porter's ten.  Schwab, a senior, was second in batting average (.417) and finished near the top in a number of offensive categories.  As a true freshman Koehn appeared in 56 of the Mavs' 61 games and hit at a .344 clip for the year.  Elkhorn's Travis Jacobi hit .349, fourth best on the team, and swiped a team-high fifteen bases.

Redshirt freshman right-hander Joe Holtmeyer (7-4), a 2008 Creighton Prep graduate, led the staff in opposing batting average (.207) and was second in strikeouts to senior Chris Kessinger with 77.   Junior Brandon Dahl, another Millard North product, led the team in saves with four.

The 2009 Mavs (41-20) won the Mid-America Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament Championship in the schools' first year in the league to advance to a fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.  The Mavericks have averaged 42 wins per season over the past five years.  UNO opens the 2010 season in Denver on February 13th against Regis University and opens at home on March 20th against Truman State.

Baseball fans are encouraged to attend the "Season Opener" on the 30th to show their support for an outstanding group of home grown players under the leadership of one of the top coaches in Nebraska.

| UNO Mavericks Baseball |

Dr. Tom House Makes Pitch for Science-Based Baseball Instruction

December 16, 2009

Former major league pitcher and pitching coach Dr. Tom House kicked off a weekend of top-level pitching instruction at Omaha's Frozen Ropes indoor baseball facility recently with an entertaining and informative presentation as part of a National Pitching Association clinic.  Talking to a group of approximately fifty coaches and parents, House debunked some common pitching instruction myths and made the case for a science-based approach to analyzing pitching mechanics and techniques. 

 | More Info |

Coaches Makes Plans for 2010 Summer Baseball, Agree to Submit Regional Tournament Bid

December 10, 2009

No blockbuster trades were made or free agents signed at Nebraska's version of the MLB Winter Meetings held last Sunday. Even so, the annual December meetings of coaches in Omaha and Lincoln to plan the 2010 summer baseball season were not without some newsworthy happenings. At the top of that list is an agreement reached by a group of six Class A Metro Senior Legion teams to submit a joint bid to host an American Legion Regional Tournament in Omaha in 2011 and 2012.  | More Info |

Pitchers Should Prepare Now to Avoid Arm Injury

November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving time is here.  And, that means in just a few weeks the calendar will flip over to 2010, and high school baseball pitchers will report for pre-season throwing workouts.  Good arm health during the upcoming season can by achieved by developing proper mechanics and implementing a regimen of shoulder-strengthening exercises during the pre-season and throughout the season, according to physical therapist and sports performance consultant Travis Manners of Athlete's Training Center in Omaha.   

| More |

Ehlers and Pritchard Sign with Huskers

November 17, 2009

Logan Ehlers of Nebraska City and Creighton Prep's Mike Pritchard made it official last Wednesday by signing National Letters of Intent to play baseball for the University of Nebraska.  Both had previously given a verbal commitment to Husker coach Mike Anderson and followed through by inking their commitments in signing ceremonies at their respective schools on Wednesday, November 11th, the first day of the NCAA early signing period. 

  | More |

Omaha Diamond Spirit Joins M.I.N.K. League for 2010

November 16, 2009

Beginning with the 2010 season college ballplayers from Nebraska won't have to go far to play in a very competitive summer collegiate baseball league.  The Omaha Diamond Spirit baseball team, which was founded in 1994 by general manager and head coach Arden Rakoksky, has taken a big step up the baseball ladder by joining the venerable M.I.N.K. league. | More |

Quarterbacks Benefit from Baseball Backgrounds - Part 3 of a Series

November 15, 2009

NSAA Legislative Proposal to Revise State Tournament Bracket Clears First Hurdle

November 11, 2009

A significant revision of the spring state baseball tournament bracket was approved today by representatives of NSAA member schools in District II, which includes the Omaha Metro Area.  The proposal, which would implement a bracket that is nearly identical to that which is currently used during the summer by American Legion baseball for  Area, State, Regional and World Series tournaments, now advances to a vote in all six NSAA districts in January. 

Passage of the state tournament proposal by at least four of the districts in January voting would likely be required to give the proposal a good chance of being approved for implementation in 2011.  The proposal will follow an NSAA legislative process that applies to those proposals that seek to amend an "Approved Ruling."  Unlike proposals to amend the NSAA Constitution or Bylaws which must be approved by the Representative Assembly, a proposal to amend an "Approved Ruling" must, instead, be approved by majority of the six-member Board of Control.  The results of the voting in the six districts during January meetings is "advisory" only and is not binding on Board of Control members when they vote on the proposal in April.  However, as a general rule, the vote of an individual Board member tends to follow the vote within his district.  Thus, although the January voting is not conclusive, it is likely to provide a pretty good indication of how the Board will vote on the issue. 

In other legislative action today, District II voted down a proposal that would require each Class A team in sports other than football to play a specified minimum number of games (20 for baseball) against Class A opponents.  And, in a very significant development in terms of the NSAA governance structure, representatives of member schools in District II approved a proposal to expand the Board of Control from its current six members to nine.  Under the proposal District I (Lincoln area) would be given one additional Board member, and District II would be given two new Board members with the new District I Board member and one of the two new District II Board members representing the Class A schools within that district. 

A similar proposal, but one that adds a Board member in District I and only one in District II, passed last week in District I voting and was on the agenda for consideration by the other five districts today.  An amendment at today's District II meeting resulted in the addition of a second Board member for District II, which has more students in grades 9-11 than all of the other five districts combined and is currently under-represented on the Board of Control with only one member.  Results of the voting in the other four districts will be reported when that information is made available.  Both the District I proposal approved last week and the District II proposal passed today will advance to January voting where passage in four districts is likely to be required to send a proposal on to the Representative Assembly. 

NSAA Board of Control Establishes Contest Limit Guidelines for Baseball

November 4, 2009

At its October 9th meeting, the Nebraska School Activities Association Board of Control unanimously adopted an "Approved Ruling" that provides details about the implementation of the new "contest limits" for baseball that were enacted by the NSAA Representative Assembly in April.

With the addition of Section 3.11.2.2 to the Athletic Bylaws last spring, the NSAA established a maximum number of twenty-four baseball contest  "dates" for each team and specified that participation in a maximum of four tournaments other than districts and state by a team would be permitted.  The provision also states that each of those four tournaments will count as one of the permitted twenty-four "dates."  Other than that statement, little guidance was offered in the new bylaw as to what constitutes a "date." 

The Approved Ruling adopted last month by the Board of Control fills in that gap by creating a category of "Permissible Contests."  According to NSAA Assistant Director Jim Angele, Permissible Contests are those that are allowed to be counted as one of the twenty-four "dates." 

Here is the text of the Approved Ruling:

Permissible Contest. Teams playing baseball shall be allowed to schedule the following events:

Single Game – two schools playing one game on one day.

Double Header – two schools playing two games on one day.

Triangular – three schools playing two pre-determined contests in one day.

Double-Dual – four schools playing two pre-determined contests or two of the other schools in one day.

Tournament – four or more teams where winners continue to advance or compete until a champion is determined (straight bracket or pool play with championship criteria).

Daily Contest Limit. No member school shall play more than two baseball games in one day.

Rescheduled Events. Rescheduling regular season or postponed varsity competition in all sports after subdistrict, district or state competition begins is prohibited.

Baseball Tournaments – All games in four-team baseball tournaments must be played within two consecutive days. Eight-team bracketed tournament must be played within three consecutive days. Pool-play tournaments shall be played over two consecutive days. Pool-play shall take place the first day with place vs. place competition from each pool taking place (i.e., 1st place pool A vs. fi rst place in pool B; second place in pool A vs. second place in pool B, etc.) on the second day. The only exception to the consecutive day period shall be when weather forces postponement of one or more contests in that tournament.

More information: 

NSAA Athletic Bylaws (see Section 3.11.2.2 on page 13) 

NSAA Bulletin - November 2009 (See Board of Control Minutes, Item #4 on page 5)
 

Nebraska Baseball Coaches Association Considers NSAA Proposals, Regional Tournament Bid

November 4, 2009

The Nebraska Baseball Coaches Association met Tuesday evening, November 3, to discuss a number of proposals introduced into the NSAA legislative system this fall that would impact high school baseball if enacted.  At the top of the agenda was a discussion of a proposal to replace the current spring state tournament bracket with the American Legion eight-team bracket that is used during the summer (see previous article).  Following a presentation by Midland Lutheran College math professor Doug Hartman,  who discussed some of the problems with the current bracket from the perspective of logic, probability and fairness, the coaches in attendance expressed nearly unanimous support for the proposal submitted by Papillion-LaVista Activities Director Chuck Johnston to use the Legion bracket for the spring tournament. 

The coaches also discussed two other recently introduced proposals that will also be voted on in NSAA First District Meetings on November 11:  a proposal by Omaha Burke Activities Director Chris Loofe that would penalize Class A teams in sports other than football for playing too many of their games against non-Class A opponents and a proposal by Pierce High School superintendent Dan Navrkal to create a committee to study the feasibility of creating an NSAA "summer" sports season.  Under the latter proposal, Nebraska high school baseball would likely be played during the new NSAA summer sports season.  The consequences for the existing American Legion summer baseball program would likely be very significant. 

The other major topic of discussion during the meeting was the feasibility of submitting a "joint bid" from a number of Metro American Legion programs to host the Central Plains Region 6 Regional Tournament in Omaha for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.  A number of programs represented at the meeting showed considerable interest in pooling resources to host the tournament which would include three Nebraska teams in the eight-team field -- the State Champion, the State Runner-Up and the Host Team.  A conceptual plan was presented and discussed that would create a pool of eight Metro teams to share the responsibilities and benefits of hosting the tournament.  Additional planning and discussion will take place over the coming weeks in preparation for a December 6 meeting at which additional details will be presented to teams and booster organizations interested in hosting.  American Legion Regional Tournament bids must be submitted by February 1, 2010.  Any Metro coach or team representative who would like additional information may contact umpire Tim Riskowski, a member of an ad hoc steering committee that is promoting the Regional bid feasibility discussion. 

Baseball Fan Aims to Publish History of Nebraska High School Baseball

October 27, 2009

Vince Davenport, a former Omaha Benson assistant baseball coach, recently announced plans  to compile and publish a history of Nebraska high school baseball.  Davenport intends to collect information about team and individual performances over the years, including year-by-year win-loss records, state tournament appearances and results for each school, as well as player recognitions (all-state, all-conference) and coaching honors.   Individual and team records in various categories (both career and season) will also be compiled.  The current lack of historical information about outstanding individual performances became an issue this past spring when Aaron Beil hit seventeen home runs and Logan Ehlers struck out 161 batters.  Although most long-time followers of Nebraska believe both achievements to represent all-time records, there is no single location where such historical records are kept in order to verify this.  By contrast current team and individual records for softball are maintained on the NSAA website. 

"My purpose in creating this database and book is to help document the great baseball, great programs, and great players in our state over the years," observed Davenport recently in correspondence sent to athletic directors of baseball schools, seeking their assistance.    Mr. Davenport is also seeking information on past players from each school who have gone on to play in college and/or professionally as well as national rankings of teams.  Contemporary historical documents such as newspapers and high school yearbooks will be researched as well as win-loss and state tournament information that exists in the NSAA records.

Davenport's goal is to have the first edition of his publication, which will include a database of records, available for the 2011 spring baseball season. 

Anyone wishing to contact Mr. Davenport about his historical research project may do so at coachdavenport@hotmail.com. 

National Legion Office Rethinks Regional Alignment for 2010

October 27, 2009

According to information from the American Legion National Office forwarded to BaseballNebraska by Don Kiviniemi, Jr., Chairman of the Department of Nebraska Athletic Committee, the assignment of Nebraska teams to Regional Tournaments for 2010 will remain the same as in the past:  one team will go to Mid-South Region 4 and the other will go to Central Plains Region 6.  It is possible that both Nebraska teams will be assigned to Region 6, beginning in 2011, however, that decision remains tentative at this point.

Other recent changes:  the National Registration Fee for Juniors will be $25, rather than $50.  

Proposed NSAA Rule Change Would Alter State Tournament Bracket

October 16, 2009

A proposal recently submitted into the 2009 NSAA legislative process could bring the American Legion state tournament bracket -- or at least something very close to it -- to the spring state baseball tournament.  The proposal, introduced by Papillion-LaVista Activities Director Chuck Johnston, would eliminate the "rest day" currently enjoyed by the undefeated 3-0 team on day four of the five-day tournament and would reduce the number of games that a team in the losers' bracket would have to play in order reach the championship round.   | More |

More American Legion Announcements Follow October 10th Athletic Committee Meeting

October 15, 2009

Dates were set last Saturday for the 2010 American Legion Area and State Tournaments by the Department of Nebraska Athletic Committee.  For Class A Junior and Senior Legion teams, Area Tournaments will be held July 14 - 19, and State Tournaments will be held July 23-27.  The Class A Senior Legion State Championship Playoff Game will be held on July 31st, hosted by the American Division State Champion.  Both the Nebraska state champion and the runner-up will advance to the Central Plains Region 6 Tournament in Blue Springs, Missouri, August 5-9.  The 2010 American Legion World Series will be played in Spokane, WA August 13-17.

Area and State Tournaments for Classes B and C will be as follows:

Class B and C Junior Legion Area Tournaments:  July 15-20

Class B and C Junior Legion State Tournaments:  July 24-28

Class B and C Senior Legion Area Tournaments:  July 22-27

Class B and C Senior Legion State Tournaments:  July 31-August 4

The Class B and C Senior Legion State Playoff Game will be played August 7, hosted by the Class C State Champion.

Legion programs that are interested in hosting 2010 Area or State Tournaments have until January 1 to submit their application.  Site hosts will be announced on January 9, 2010. 

Other relevant information pertaining to the 2010 Legion season may be found on the lower section of the home page of the Nebraska American Legion Baseball website. 

Elite Teams Wrap Up Fall Season

October 13, 2009

Four inches of snow last Saturday wasn't quite what Ultimate Baseball Academy Director of Elite Teams Bill Olson had in mind for the final weekend of the UBA Elite Teams' fall season.  So, with a little help from the weatherman, the UBA coaches and the fifty players on the three UBA teams will take the field again this Sunday for a season-ending in-house triangular.  The Black Team and White (sophomore) Team will kick off the action at 11:00am at Northwest High School's Olson Field, followed by Black vs. Green and Green vs. White.   |  More | 

American Legion National Office Implements New Online Registration Procedures

October 7, 2009

Update 10/27/09:  According to information that Mr. Kiviniemi has just received from the American Legion National Office, the assignment of Nebraska teams to Regional Tournaments for 2010 will remain the same as in the past:  one team will to to Mid-South Region 4 and the other will go to Central Plains Region 6.  It is possible that both Nebraska teams will go to Region 6, beginning in 2011, however, that decision is tentative at this point.

Other recent changes:  the National Registration Fee for Juniors will be $25, rather than $50. 

According to Don Kiviniemi, Jr., Chairman of the Athletic Committee for the Department of Nebraska American Legion, the national American Legion office is implementing significant changes in the methods by which Legion coaches will register their teams for participation in the American Legion baseball program for the 2010 season.  Use of the newly developed National Legion Baseball On-Line Registration System will be mandatory for the upcoming season, according to Kiviniemi, who recently returned from national Legion meetings. 

Kiviniemi conducted a meeting for Legion coaches in eastern Nebraska Monday evening at Westside High School to inform coaches of the upcoming changes.  The ensuing discussion among coaches led to a number of questions, including concerns about the timeline for obtaining liability insurance through the Legion's carrier.  Those questions and concerns resulted in subsequent email correspondence between Kiviniemi and Jim Quinlan, the national program coordinator for American Legion Baseball, which provided additional details about the new online system.  To help disseminate this information to coaches statewide, Mr. Kiviniemi has requested that BaseballNebraska publish Mr. Quinlan's response.  Here is a link to that information. 

In other American Legion developments, Kiviniemi announced that, starting with the 2010 season, Nebraska's two Class A Regional Tournament teams will both play in the same Regional Tournament, the Central Plains Region 6 Tournament.  In the past Nebraska sent its two teams to different Regionals.  In an effort to control costs, the American Legion will require participating teams to compete in the closest tournament, which puts both of Nebraska's teams in Region 6.  Due to the high number of American Legion teams playing in Nebraska, our state is one of only a handful of states that has two Regional Tournament teams.  Other teams participating in Region 6 will be state champions from Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Missouri will host the 2010 Regional and will then be replaced in Region 6 by a second Minnesota team.

Jerry Frerichs New Metro League Administrator

Although Mr. Kiviniemi continues to serve as the Athletic Committee Chairman and as the Area Representative for Areas 1-4, he resigned at the end of the 2009 season as the League Administrator of the twenty-one team Metro League, which conducts a ten-game regular season during the summer that results in the seeding of the Areas 1-4 tournaments.  It was announced on Tuesday that former Elkhorn head coach Jerry Frerichs has been selected as  the new Metro League Administrator -- a move that was heartily endorsed by Metro League coaches.  The head coach position at Elkhorn has been filled by the selection of Steve Frey to be Frerich's successor.  Frey was the head Junior Legion coach for one of Elkhorn's two Junior Legion teams in 2009.

Creighton Prep Community To Dedicate Renovated Ballpark on Saturday, October 10

October 6, 2009

After being without a home ballfield since the end of the Spring 2008 season, the Creighton Prep baseball program will celebrate the completion of its newly renovated home field this Saturday, October 10 with a special dedication ceremony beginning at 3:00pm.  The ballfield makeover is part of a $20 million athletic facilities upgrade at the Jesuit all-boys school which also includes a new 2,300-seat top-loading basketball arena, complete with a new "Bird Cage" student section, a synthetic-surfaced, multi-purpose outdoor field that is lined for football, soccer and lacrosse and a 3,500 square feet, two-tiered weight training facility. 

The baseball field upgrade included the construction of sunken dugouts, a new press box, a concession stand, restrooms and batting cages, in addition to the installation of a new natural grass playing surface, a high-visibility backstop and fences.  The field was designed to create a small stadium-like atmosphere with seating for 350 and an expansive, fan-friendly concourse area that will accommodate another 250 spectators.   "It should be a great place to watch a game," commented Prep head coach Pat Mooney. 

The new baseball facility will be named Jurgensen Park in recognition of a major donation by Prep alumnus Jerry Jurgensen, a member of the 1969 state championship baseball team who went on to become CEO of Nationwide Insurance.  Jurgensen and nine other members of the 1969 squad will be on hand for the dedication and will participate in a "first pitch" ceremony at the new ballpark.  The team was coached by the late George Kocsis, Class of '55.

During the seventeen-month construction period, Prep's baseball teams have not only had to play all of their games on the road but have also been without an adequate practice facility.  "I am very proud of how the players have handled all of this," stated Mooney.  "We had an undersized skin infield beyond center field to practice four teams on last spring.  The outfield was taken up by soccer.  To squeeze 45 to 60 ball players out there after school was almost unbelievable.  It was like practicing four basketball teams on a half court with only one hoop." 

Saturday's activities will also include a cornerstone dedication and blessing of the new facilities by recently-installed Archbishop George Lucas at 2:00 and an open house from noon until 4:00pm.  The public is welcome and invited to attend. 

| Schedule of Events | Architectural renderings | Slideshow of Construction Progress |

Baseball-Playing Quarterbacks Benefit from Variety of Competitive Experiences

October 2, 2009

Part 2 in a Series.

Our series on baseball-playing quarterbacks continues this week as we take a look at five QB's from the Metro and Heartland Conferences who are also standout baseball players.

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Millard South Alum Duensing to Start for Twins in Game 1 of ALDS

October 6, 2009

Rookie lefthander Brian Duensing will get the start Wednesday evening for the Minnesota Twins in Game One of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.  The Twins claimed the AL Central title Tuesday night with an electrifying 6-5 win in twelve innings against the Detroit Tigers to claim the AL Central title. 

The Twins won 17 of their final 21 games including a single playoff game against the Tigers that concluded less than 24 hours before the Twins are to face the Yankees (103-59) in the Bronx.  Minnesota made up a three game deficit to Detroit in four games.

Duensing, a 2001 Millard South graduate and former Husker, will duel against 2007 AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia (19-8) who will be the Yankees' starter. 

Duensing worked his way into the Twins rotation in mid-August, winning five straight before losing to Tigers last Tuesday.  He finished the regular season with a 5-2 record and a 3.64 ERA in 84 innings. 

The southpaw was on hand at Millard South in July to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Area 3 Senior Legion Tournament.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Northeast alum Joba Chamberlain, the other Nebraska high school player on a post-season team, is not slated to be a starter for the Yankees who will go with an ALDS rotation consisting of Sabathia, A.J. Burnette and Andy Pettite.  According to the Yankees MLB website, Chamberlain may see relief action or could be left off the roster altogether.  Chamberlain was 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA in the regular season but was 1-4 in his final ten appearances. 

Wednesday's game will be on TBS at 5:00pm Central time. 

Husker Home Run Club to Host Fall Meet & Greet, Saturday, October 3

September 29, 2009

The 2010 Huskers will be on display for Nebraska baseball fans at a Meet & Greet event hosted by the Husker Home Run Club on Saturday, October 3 from 9:00 to 11:00 at Haymarket Park.  The event will feature breakfast with danishes, muffins and coffee and a chance to watch the Huskers go through fall drills, including a live scrimmage. There will be an autograph and photo areas for kids who will also have a chance to run the bases at the ballpark.

The event is free for Husker Home Run Club members and all children under the age of 13, and $5 for non-members. The Husker Home Run Club will have membership information and merchandising order forms available for fans to purchase items. 

The team will conclude the fall practice season with the annual Red-White Series, October 8-10.  Among the freshman participating in fall practice are:  Tyler Niederklein (Millard West), Kurt Farmer (Columbus), Josh Scheffert (Lincoln Southeast), Chris Williams (Westside), Dylan Vogt (Millard South), Brian Donohoe (Papillion LaVista South) and John Mulgrue (Lincoln Southwest).  The 2009 recruiting class was ranked 13th nationally by Collegiate Baseball, the highest rating ever for the Huskers in the 27-year history of recruiting class rankings by the publication. 

More information:

|  Husker Baseball  |  Home Run Club |

Baseball-Playing Quarterbacks Have Football Teams Atop Rankings

September 17, 2009

When it comes to moving a football team down the field, it seems that baseball players do a pretty darn good job.  At least that's what one might conclude from looking at this week's Class A Football Top Ten where three of the top four teams are quarterbacked by standout baseball players.  Omaha Burke, Lincoln Southwest and Papillion LaVista are #2, #3 and #4, respectively, this week in both the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Class A rankings, and all three teams feature athletes taking the snaps from center who will be among state's top returning baseball players next spring.  Whether playing baseball makes those athletes better football players or playing football makes them better baseball players is something that fans of each sport can debate.  Both statements are probably true, just as it is also true that these young men are exceptional student athletes with an intense competitive drive that fuels their multi-sport aspirations and accomplishments.             | More |

Ehlers in North Carolina for USA Baseball Junior National Team Tryout

September 13, 2009

Logan Ehlers traveled to the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday with hopes that the trip will include an eleven-day stopover in South America.  Accompanied on the flight by his father, Dennis, the senior left-hander from Nebraska City was one of thirty-four hopefuls from across the United States invited to the six-day 18U USA Baseball National Team Trials being held this week at the National Training Complex (NTC) and at Doak Field on the West Campus of North Carolina State University in nearby Raleigh.  At the conclusion of the tryouts, which includes a series of scrimmages between the Red and Blue teams comprised of the thirty-four contenders, a final twenty-player roster will be announced on Thursday, September 17 following a 7:00pm scrimmage.  If Ehlers' name is called, he will remain at the NTC for team preparations and practices from the 18th to the 23rd before departing for  Barquisimeto, Venezuela where the team will represent the United States in the 2009 Confederación Panamericana de Béisbol (COPAPE) Pan Am "AAA" (18U) Championships (Junior Pan Am Games) to be played September 25-October 4.  | More |

Jumpstart Your Recruitment Effort by Registering for FREE BaseballNebraska Prospects Service

September 4, 2009

 If you're a sophomore, junior or senior in high school who is interested in playing college baseball, then wait no longer to take advantage of a tremendous opportunity here at BaseballNebraska.  We started the BaseballNebraska Prospects service a year ago in order to help facilitate the recruitment of Nebraska high school baseball players.  Since that time use of the service by players and college coaches has steadily grown.  Here's how it works:

• A prospect can enter his name, contact information and brief biographical information (graduation year, birth month and year, height, weight, positions played, bats / throws) into a password-protected database by filling out a simple online form. 

• College coaches and pro scouts who also register for the service receive a password and username allowing them to access the Prospects portion of the site and to search through the database.  Coaches will have access to Prospects' email address and mailing address so that they can contact players they are interested in.

• Prospects who elect to upgrade their free listing can choose from two optional premium levels of service, Silver and Gold.  These levels allow players to provide more detailed information about their academic background, their athletic and baseball resume, headshot photos, and in the case of the Gold level, action photos and videos. 

The response to the Prospects service from college coaches has been very positive as it provides them with the ONLY recruitment database available that consists exclusively of Nebraska high school players.  We continue to add college coaches on a regular basis.

The Prospects section of the website is like a mini-website with a tabbed menu to access several sections of information about our Prospects including:  the Prospects Database, schedule information, high school coaches' contact info, headshots of registered prospects, our comments (positive only) on various prospects that we've seen at ballparks, and honors and player honors and recognitions (such as all-state teams, Elite teams, etc.)

Please help us help you!  It will make our job of "selling" coaches on registering for the database easier if there are more prospects registered.  The free level of service does a lot for you, including giving coaches a way to contact players that they read about here on the site.  A coach might say to himself, "hey, that Smith kid from Huskerville High School  keeps showing up in the highlights.  I'd like to contact that kid and see what his college plans are."  If the Smith kid is registered on the Prospects service, the coach can shoot him an email or call him.  It's that easy.