Wednesday Afternoon Sports – Husker Baseball Takes on Omaha, Akana Leaves Huskers, Loper Men’s Hoops Add New Faces, Jackson a No-Show for Nebraska Football, Local Sports Schedule

HUSKER BASEBALL RETURNS FAVOR TO K-STATE, TAKES ON OMAHA:

Nebraska swiped six stolen bases in the first and scored seven runs through the first four innings in an 8-6 win vs. Kansas State on Tuesday night at Hawks Field.

Nebraska (16-23) had eight runs on eight hits, while K-State (21-19) totaled six runs on five hits and an error.

Entering the 2022 season, six or more stolen bases by a team in a single inning had only been accomplished 14 times in NCAA Division I history, including nine teams accomplishing the feat. Prior to this season, the last time a team had six or more stolen bases in an inning was in 2004.

Nebraska finished the game with seven stolen bases on the night, marking the first time the Huskers had seven or more stolen bases in a game since eight against Northwestern in a 16-inning game on March 29, 2013

Nebraska takes on Omaha tonight at Hawks Field. First pitch between the Huskers and Mavericks is set for 6:32 p.m.

AKANA LEAVES NEBRASKA, ENTERS PORTAL:

A consistent piece of the Nebraska volleyball team is on the move.

After two seasons in Lincoln, Keonilei Akana is entering the transfer portal. Akana made the announcement on Instagram Tuesday afternoon.

Akana played in all 53 matches during her two seasons as a Husker. During the national runner-up run in 2021, she led the team in aces and was third in digs. She had a career-high 24 digs in the NCAA title match against Wisconsin.

A defensive specialist, Akana was part of the “Legion of Doom,” as coach John Cook called it, with Kenzie Knuckles and libero Lexi Rodriguez. Akana is likely to compete to play libero at her next destination.

FORMER A&M RUNNING BACK WILL NOT ATTEND NEBRASKA:

One of the additions Nebraska made through the transfer portal during the offseason isn’t going to work out.

Tuesday afternoon, former Texas A&M running back Deondre Jackson announced on Twitter that he “will not be attending Nebraska anymore.” No reason was provided behind his announcement. Jackson did thank Husker fans for welcoming him into the program.

After committing through the transfer portal, Jackson did not enroll at Nebraska for spring football but was expected to join the program for summer workouts. Now it appears he’ll be looking for another school.

Nebraska is still in solid shape in the running back room. The Huskers return Rahmir Johnson, Jaquez Yant, Markese Stepp and Gabe Ervin and added Anthony Grant via transfer. 

UNK MENS BASKETBALL ADDS NEW TRANSFERS:

Nebraska-Kearney head men’s basketball coach Kevin Lofton announced Wednesday that Jamison Gruber and Ryder Kirsch will hit the hardwood for the Lopers next season.

Gruber is a 6-1 point guard from Council Bluffs, Ia. (Abraham Lincoln H.S.) with Kirsch, a 6-7 forward from RMAC-member Black Hills State who has three years of eligibility remaining.

For the Lincoln Lynx this winter, Gruber averaged a team-best 19.1 points, 3.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Kirsch, cousin to Lopers Klaire Kirsch (basketball) and Kassidy Kirsch (soccer), was part of a Final Four team in 2021-22. Named South Dakota’s Mr. Basketball in 2020, Kirsch appeared in 27 games this year with 10 starts.

KEARNEY BASEBALL OVERCOMES EARLY DEFICIT FOR 14th WIN:

Despite trailing 3-0 at the end of the first inning and not scoring until the third, Kearney baseball found their rhythm to success late with a big bottom of the fourth inning scoring seven runs and held off any late runs by Bellevue East to win Tuesday afternoon 11-5 at Memorial Field. 

The win improves Kearney to 14-7 on the season as they await Elkhorn North coming to Kearney on Thursday afternoon. Pregame coverage on KGFW begins at 3:50 PM with first pitch set for 4 PM. 

HUSKER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ADDS KRULL TO TALENTED ROSTER:

The Nebraska women’s basketball team added a talented player to a roster that includes four returning All-Big Ten honorees, when Head Coach Amy Williams announced the signing of NCAA Division I two-year starting guard and Omaha native Maddie Krull to its 2022-23 roster

Krull, a transfer from South Dakota, joins the Huskers with three years of eligibility remaining. The four-time Nebraska Class A all-state honoree out of Millard South High School started all 35 games for a Coyote team that advanced to the 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. For the season, the 5-9 guard averaged 6.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.5 minutes per game.

Krull, who started all 60 games in her two-year career at USD, joins Nebraska returning starters Sam Haiby, Isabelle Bourne, Jaz Shelley, Alexis Markowski and Allison Weidner on Nebraska’s 2022-23 roster.

STORM SERIES IN WESTERN CONFERENCE SET:

The Tri-City Storm’s schedule for the 2022 Western Conference Semifinal series against the Omaha Lancers has been set. Tri-City will host the opening game of the best-of-three series Saturday night at the Viaero Center in Kearney. The Storm will also host the third game of the series on Tuesday, if necessary. 

Puck drop for the Storm’s home games in the Western Conference Semifinals playoff round is set for 7:05pm CT. 

NBA PLAYOFFS SCORES:

TUESDAY RESULTS:

Miami Heat 97 – 94 Atlanta Hawks (MIA 4-1)

Memphis Grizzlies 111 – 109 Minnesota Timberwolves (MEM 3-2)

Phoenix Suns 112 – 97 New Orleans Pelicans (PHX 3-2)

WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE:

Chicago Bulls @ Milwaukee Bucks – 6:30 PM (MIL 3-1)

Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors – 9 PM (GSW 3-1)

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • BASEBALL: v. Bellevue East
    • KHS 11-5
  • GIRLS TENNIS: Kearney Quad
    • KHS 9-0 over Holdrege
    • KHS 6-3 over McCook
  • GIRLS SOCCER: v. Lincoln High
    • KHS 7-0
  • BOYS SOCCER: v. Columbus
    • KHS 2-0 (OT)
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • BOYS GOLF: Kearney Catholic Invite
    • KCHS team champion
  • BASEBALL: v. Bellevue East 
    • KHS 11-5

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • BOYS GOLF: @ Capitol City Golf Invite @ Holmes Golf Course – 9 AM
  • T&F: @ Omaha Benson – 3 PM
  • BASEBALL: v. Elkhorn North – 4 PM @ Memorial Field
    • Pregame on KGFW at 3:50 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • GIRLS TENNIS: @ Hastings Invite – 10 AM
  • BASEBALL: v. Elkhorn North – 4 PM @ Memorial Field
    • Pregame on KGFW at 3:50 PM
• UNK:
  • FOOTBALL: Loper Backer Banquet @ Younes Conference Center
  • M/W T&F: @ Drake Relays (Des Moines, IA)
  • M/W T&F: @ Prairie Wolf Invite, Lincoln – 12 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • M/W T&F: @ Prairie Wolf Invite, Lincoln – 12 PM
  • M/W T&F: @ Drake Relays (Des Moines, IA)

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • M/W T&F: @ Drake Relays (Des Moines, IA)
  • M/W T&F: @ Kip Janvrin Open, Indianola, IA
  • WOMENS TENNIS: v. NW Missouri State (MIAA Tourney) – 10 AM
  • SOFTBALL: @ Northeastern State – 1 PM, 3 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • M/W T&F: @ Prairie Wolf Invite, Lincoln – 12 PM
  • M/W T&F: @ Drake Relays (Des Moines, IA)
  • BASEBALL: @ Morningside – 4 PM, 6 PM

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • GIRLS SOCCER: District Soccer Tournament
  • BOYS SOCCER: District Soccer Tournament
  • GIRLS TENNIS: @ Omaha Koch Family Tennis Center Invite – 8:30 AM
  • BASEBALL: @ Lincoln SW – 2 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • GIRLS SOCCER: Sub-Districts TBA
  • BOYS SOCCER: Sub-Districts TBA
  • T&F: @ Centennial Conference @ Columbus – 10 AM
  • BASEBALL: @ Lincoln SW – 2 PM
• UNK:
  • SOFTBALL: @ Rogers State – 12 PM, 2 PM
  • WOMENS SOCCER: @ Iowa Western CC, Council Bluffs, IA
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • M/W T&F: @ Drake Relays (Des Moines, IA)
  • BASEBALL: @ Morningside – 1 PM, 3 PM
  • SOFTBALL: @ Morningside – 1 PM, 3 PM