Tuesday Afternoon Sports – Husker Baseball Rematch Moved Up with Creighton, Nebraska Softball Battles Iowa, Kearney Baseball Takes on HAC Tournament, Local Sports Schedule

HUSKER BASEBALL PREPARES FOR IN STATE RIVAL CREIGHTON REMATCH:

Nebraska is set for a rematch with in-state rival Creighton, as the Huskers host the Bluejays at Hawks Field.

Game time has been moved up 30 minutes to avoid the incoming storm and inclement weather predicted in Lincoln. Pregame will begin at 5:30 PM on KGFW. 

Nebraska was swept in its conference series at home against Big Ten-leading Rutgers last weekend.

Creighton enters Tuesday night’s midweek matchup with an 18-8 record and 3-0 mark in Big East play after sweeping Georgetown last weekend.

Creighton has won the last three meetings after winning earlier this season in Omaha and posting wins in Omaha and Lincoln in 2019. The last time the Huskers won over the Bluejays was on March 26, 2019 with a 6-3 victory in Omaha.

HUSKER SOFTBALL FACES HAWKEYES IN DOUBLEHEADER:

The Nebraska softball team hosts the Iowa Hawkeyes at Bowlin Stadium for a doubleheader tonight. 

The first game, which was originally set for 4 p.m., will begin at 3 p.m. followed by 5:30 game two start.

Nebraska has won its last 13 games with an offense that leads the Big Ten in numerous categories including runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, walks and on-base percentage. Nebraska also remains the only undefeated team in conference play in the Big Ten. 

Iowa (18-18, 1-8 Big Ten) is coming off of a 1-2 series against Minnesota where the Hawkeyes picked up their first conference win in game two of the three-game series. Iowa opened Big Ten Conference play with 0-3 series losses to Wisconsin and Maryland.

KEARNEY BASEBALL OUTGUNS HASTINGS, HEADS TO HAC TOURNAMENT:

The Kearney Bearcats Baseball team had to get their bats rolling late, finding their rhythm in the fifth inning to take the lead over Hastings and earn their eighth win on the season 14-9. 

Kearney trailed early in a 4-0 hole at the end of the second inning, but rallied back by scoring three runs in the third and fourth innings. Trailing 8-6 at the bottom of the fifth, Kearney exploded for scores after Reese Bober crushed a three run-home run and the Bearcats added a total of 6 runs in the fifth. 

The #2 Bearcats now begin the HAC Tournament today beginning with a first round bye followed by taking on #10 Lincoln Pius X. 

UNK SOCCER FINDS A NEW HEAD COACH (AGAIN)

Nebraska-Kearney Athletic Director Marc Bauer announced Monday that Rob Breton is the Lopers new head women’s soccer coach.

The Maryland native replaces Neil Piper, who accepted the position in February but recently left UNK due to unforeseen family circumstances back in Texas. Breton will be the fourth head coach in school history; the program began in 2009. He begins his duties Monday.

Breton spent the past three years as an assistant women’s coach at Division II Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi, W.V.). With an enrollment of 800, the school competes in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the women’s soccer team led by head coach and former Creighton assistant Jaron Hulme.

He helped coach three all-conference players, had one player sign an overseas professional contract, saw the team’s cumulative grade point average rise to 3.63, and had 45 student-athletes earn a 4.00 semester GPA.

Breton played at Division II West Virginia Wesleyan (Buckhannon, W.V.), helping the Bobcats reach the 2010 Elite Eight and earn a No. 2 national ranking. The team co-captain also helped Wesleyan reach the conference finals three straight seasons.

FORMER HUSKER GREAT GREEN RETIRES, JOINS USAW STAFF:

Husker great James Green announced his retirement from wrestling on Friday, April 8. While he will no longer be competing, Green will step into a new role as the developmental coach for Team USA.

As a competitor, Green won a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. The former Husker competed on six U.S. Senior World Teams and most recently wrestled for the Southeast Regional Training Center and the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club.

NEBRASKETBALL’S VERGE EARNS PORTSMOUTH INVITE:

Nebraska senior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. has been selected to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) taking place this week.

The four-day pre-draft camp features 64 of the top seniors in the country and scouts from both the NBA and overseas. The event runs from Wednesday, April 13 to Saturday, April 16, and is the first PIT since 2019 because of COVID-19.

Verge started 31 games for the Huskers in the 2021-22 season after transferring from Arizona State, averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He led the Big Ten Conference in assists per game and ranked among conference leaders in steals (1.6, third), free throw percentage (.770, 10th), field goal percentage (.450, 12th) and points per game (16th).

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

MONDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • BASEBALL: v. Hastings
    • KHS 14-9
  • GIRLS TENNIS: @ Varsity Invite @ Koch Tennis Center – 8 AM
    • KHS = 10th of 24
    • Olivia Flood = Consolation Champion
  • BOYS GOLF: HAC Golf Championships @ Norfolk Country Club
    • Cole Fedderson = HAC Champion
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • BASEBALL: v. Hastings
    • KHS 14-9

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • BOYS GOLF: Varsity Invite @ Johnson Lake – 10 AM
  • BASEBALL: HAC Tournament
    • #2 KHS = First Round Bye.
    • KHS v. Lincoln Pius- 3 PM
  • BOYS SOCCER: @ Lincoln Southeast – 5 PM
  • GIRLS SOCCER: v. Lincoln Southeast – 7 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • GIRLS TENNIS: @ Lexington Dual Invite – 9:30 AM
  • BOYS GOLF: @ Ravenna Triangular – 4 PM
  • GIRLS SOCCER: @ Columbus Scotus – 5 PM
  • BOYS SOCCER: @ Columbus Scotus – 5 PM
  • BASEBALL: HAC Tournament
    • #2 KHS = First Round Bye.
      • KHS v. Lincoln Pius – 3 PM
• UNK:
  • WOMENS GOLF: @ Wayne State Classic
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • MENS/WOMENS GOLF: @ Lochland Community College Invite

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • BASEBALL: HAC Tournament
    • #2 KHS v. TBA
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • BASEBALL: HAC Tournament
    • #2 KHS v. TBA
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • MENS/WOMENS TENNIS: v. Concordia – 11 AM, 1 PM
  • SOFTBALL: v. College of St. Mary (Doubleheader) – 4 PM, 6 PM

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • GIRLS TENNIS: Kearney Invite – 9:30 AM
  • BOYS GOLF: @ Lochland Country Club – 10 AM T&F: @ Omaha Central Invite – 4 PM
  • GIRLS SOCCER: @ Norfolk – 5 PM
  • BOYS SOCCER: v. Norfolk – 7 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • T&F: @ Gothenburg Invite – 2:30 PM
• UNK:
  • MENS TRACK: @ Mt. Sac Relays – @ Walnut, CAWOMENS TENNIS: @ Northeastern State – 3 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • BASEBALL: v. Midland University (Doubleheader) – 3 PM, 5 PM

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • MENS TRACK: @ Bryan Clay Invite @ Azusa, CA
  • WOMENS TENNIS: @ Central Oklahoma – 11 AM
  • M/W T&F: v. Loper Invite – 11 AM, 3 PM
  • SOFTBALL: v. Lincoln (Doubleheader) @ Patriot Park – 2 PM, 4 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • BOYS SOCCER: v. Omaha Central – 1:30 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • SOFTBALL: v. Central Missouri (Doubleheader) @ Patriot Park – 12 PM, 2 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • M/W T&F: @ UNK Invite
  • BASEBALL: v. Mount Marty University (Doubleheader) – 4 PM, 6 PM
  • MENS/WOMENS TENNIS: @ Midland University – 11 AM