Amongst the several changes made to NCAA baseball this season was the reduction of roster size to 35 players. This was done in effort to keep bigger schools from stockpiling their rosters and to assure that more players were given scholarship funds. Of the Huskers 35 players, 15 are newcomers, and five are coming off redshirt, meaning that 20 out of the 35 have yet to see their first game in a Husker uniform.

Nebraska returns starters at catcher, second base, shortstop and third base, dependent upon how you see the starting line up shake out. Several players are capable of playing different positions in the infield, so it will be a matter of whose bat is the hottest as the Cornhuskers are in need of finding some offense coming into the season.

Infielder Craig Corriston will miss the first six games of the season due to a suspension stemming from a secondary NCAA violation. Corriston was one of two Nebraska players who exchanged university-issued bats for credit at a Lincoln sporting goods store. The other player, Andy Gerch, is gone this season having quit baseball due to a career-ending shoulder injury.

At the end of the article are the complete 2007 batting statistics for players returning for this season.

Catcher

Mitch Abeita returns for his senior season after starting 40 games last season, taking over for Jeff Lanning, who has transferred to the University of New Orleans this season. Abeita returns as the starter after breaking his leg in a nasty game in the Big 12 tourney against Kansas State late last season. Abeita hit .286 last season, had a homer, provided 20 RBI's and garnered honorable-mention All-Big 12 recognition last season.

His backup will be Cody Neer, who transferred from the University of Florida after starting for the Gators last season. Neer hit .271 in SEC play with five homers, and 33 RBI's. Due to his experience, expect Neer to be on the field either at first base or in the outfield. Neer is big guy, 6' 3", and 215 lbs who can provide the ability to drive in runs.

Newcomer Drew Gray will be out six weeks due to a shoulder injury. Grey comes to Nebraska via Longmount (Missouri) Community College where he hit .386 with 14 homers, 16 doubles and had 69 RBI's. Gray is another large body at 6' 5", and 215 lbs. Hopefully he'll return to the line up in late March.

First Base

First base will be done by platoon this season, as Cody Neer, Tyler Farst, and Craig Corriston will split time at the position. Farst comes to Nebraska via Grayson (Texas) Community College, where he had 36 at-bats, hitting .222 with a pair of homers and scoring nine runs.

Corriston played at third base most of last season. He returns with the second-highest hitting average at .320 and tied as the top returning home run hitter with five. He has the second-highest RBI total at 41.

Second Base

Jake Opitz will start again this season at second base, his fourth season as the starter. Opitz returns as the Huskers leader in RBI's with 48, hitting .278 and along with Corriston tied for tops with five home runs. Optiz is solid defensively, totaling 101 putouts last season.

Behind Optiz expect to see redshirt freshmen Brett Sowers and Andy Cotton. Sowers hit .516 in high school, along with 10 homers and 46 RBI's. Cotton hit .337, scored 27 runs and 23 RBI's at Lincoln Southwest.

Shortstop

Jeff Tezak will start at shortstop after having spent most of last season as designated hitter. Tezak leads the returning players with a .335 average, hitting three homers and having 37 RBI's. It was enough to earn him second team All-Big 12 honors.

Behind Tezak will be freshmen Ben Kline and Dan Johnston. Kline is from Omaha Central where he hit .458 with six homers, seven triples and 35 RBI's. Johnston is from Papillion-LaVista where he hit .342 his senior season with nine doubles, 19 RBI's and scored 22 runs.

Third Base

Jake Mort will start at third this season. Mort is one of best defensive players for the Huskers, but last season hit only .207 with 10 runs and 10 RBI's in 92 at-bats. Behind Mort expect Corriston to play third, dependent upon whether Neer can play first or is needed to cover Abeita at the catcher position.

Bottom Line

The Huskers obviously need to find the newcomers that can produce at the Division IA level as quickly as they can. The infield has a decent amount of depth and versatility, but the depth of our pitching staff isn't extensive enough to win a lot of games so we'll need to find new players than can provide some power and the ability to drive in runs if we're going to have a good season.

2007 Veterans Fielding & Batting Stats