HUSKER BASEBALL MAKES A COMEBACK, WALKS OFF AGGIES:
Efry Cervantes lined the first pitch he saw through the right side for a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Huskers a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over New Mexico State on Wednesday afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.
Nebraska (7-9) won its third consecutive game after totaling six runs on five hits and two errors, while the Aggies (9-6) had five runs on nine hits and two errors.
Nebraska continues play at home this weekend, welcoming Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to Hawks Field at Haymarket Park for a three-game series on Friday-Sunday, March 18-20.
KEARNEY HIGH BASEBALL POSTPONED TO FRIDAY:
The Kearney High Baseball team will have to wait another day for their opening day. Due to inclement weather, the contest between the Bearcats and Lincoln Southeast has been moved to Friday.
First pitch time will be at 1 PM at Memorial Field.
KEARNEY SPRING SPORTS GET THEIR START:
The spring sports season for NSAA sanctioned athletics kick off over the next few days with area athletes staying busy on the diamond and back on the turf and grass.
The Bearcat soccer teams split their teams as the girls will travel to Lincoln Pius and the boys stay home to battle the Thunderbolts at 7 PM.
Likewise, Kearney Catholic Soccer will compete at home against York Thursday evening as well.
Finally, the UNK Indoor Track & Field invite takes place in Cope Coliseum on Friday with many area teams making the trip. Kearney High and Kearney Catholic will both be in action at the meet.
TRAUDT NAMED GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
In its 37th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade has announced Isaac Traudt of Grand Island Senior High School as the 2021-22 Gatorade Nebraska Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Traudt is the third Gatorade Nebraska Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Grand Island Senior High School
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound senior forward led the Islanders (10-13) to the district semifinals this past season. Traudt averaged 23.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. An Omaha World-Herald First Team All-Nebraska selection and Lincoln Journal Star First Team Super-State honoree, he’s ranked as the nation’s No. 46 prospect in the Class of 2022 by ESPN.
Traudt concluded his Islander hoops career and is taking his talents to Virginia to become a Cavalier.
HUSKER WRESTLING TRAVELS TO DETROIT FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Nebraska wrestling team heads to Detroit for the 2022 NCAA Championships in the quest for a national title. The three-day event will consist of six sessions beginning Thursday morning at the Little Caesar’s Arena.
Eight grapplers compose the field for Nebraska at this year’s national championship. Seven earned automatic bids as a result of their finishes at the Big Ten Championships, including Ridge Lovett (149), Peyton Robb (157), Bubba Wilson (165), Mikey Labriola (174), Taylor Venz (184), Eric Schultz (197) and Christian Lance (285). Chad Red Jr. earned an at-large bid.
The championships will be streamed on ESPNU and ESPN2, with championship matches on ESPN on Saturday.
UNK SOFTBALL SWEEPS BEARCATS MONDAY, GRIFFONS TUESDAY:
Lefty Madison Rosenthal threw five shut out innings in game one and freshman Sydney Thomason delivered a two-out, game winning single in the top of the seventh in game two as Nebraska-Kearney swept Missouri Western State, 3-0 and 4-2, Tuesday afternoon in St. Joseph.
These games were pushed back three full days due to wintry weather. Both clubs started their MIAA seasons with sweeps, UNK (10-12, 4-0) beating Northwest Missouri and the Griffons (7-13, 2-2) besting Fort Hays State.
This is UNK’s best MIAA start, surpassing a 3-0 effort in 2020, and its best league start since the 2006 team went 8-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play.
The Lopers remain in St. Joe this week as they take part in the Drury Inn Invitational this Friday-Sunday, playing six Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conf. (NSIC) teams.
MATT MALCOLM: UNK NATIONAL CHAMPION & TEAM TITLE COMMENTS:
MALCOLM – INCREDIBLE FEELING KNOWING LOPERS WERE CHAMPS
The UNK Wrestling team claimed their fourth National Championship team title over the past weekend with a dominating performance, scoring the most points in team history in a national tournament. Super senior Matt Malcolm, an individual champion at 165 pounds, added the satisfaction his team felt after all the work they had put in…
The Lopers had wrapped up the national title prior to the finals of the national tournament. UNK outscored the runner-up by 41 points, one of the largest margins of victory ever at the D2 level.
MALCOLM – GLAD I HAD A CHANCE TO END UP ON TOP
UNK Super senior Matt Malcolm was already an individual national champion from 2019 but was looking to edge one more title to his name prior to his final match as a Loper. When Malcolm lost the opportunity to compete for a championship in 2020 at a new weight class due to the pandemic cancellation, the Iowa native knew he would be ready for the next chance…
Malcolm ended his Loper career as a two time national champion in two different weight classes, as well as being the only 5-time All-American in UNK History.
GARRETT NELSON: BUSSIN’ WITH THE BOYS PODCAST COMMENTS:
NELSON – WHAT IT MEANT TO EARN A BLACKSHIRT
Defensive hybrid Garrett Nelson was featured on former Blackshirt Will Compton’s ‘Bussin’ with the Boys’ podcast this week and was asked to describe the emotional moment he learned he had become a Blackshirt himself…
The Scottsbluff native has earned a blackshirt each season, and looks to be one of the key pieces to the Huskers defensive scheme this season as a defensive end and linebacker.
NELSON – NO DEFENSIVE FREAKOUT IN TOUGH SEASON
Garrett Nelson joined former Blackshirt Will Compton’s ‘Bussin’ with the Boys’ podcast this week and spoke about how the defense kept its composure over the course of a tough season last year…
The Blackshirts look to carry that same focus into this season to help aid a new offensive system being implemented for the Big Red.
NELSON – DEFENSE HAS NOW SET THE STANDARD
Defensive hybrid Garrett Nelson joined former Blackshirt Will Compton’s ‘Bussin’ with the Boys’ podcast this week and spoke about the new set standard for defense for Nebraska led by a stellar performance last year…
The Huskers aim to continue that success despite replacing major talent at each level of the defense.
HUSKER WOMEN READY FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT TILT WITH GONZAGA:
The No. 8 seed Nebraska women’s basketball team shoots for an NCAA Tournament win when the Huskers battle the No. 9 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Louisville, Ky.
Tip time for Nebraska’s game with Gonzaga is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday.
The Huskers (24-8, 11-7 Big Ten) are making their second NCAA appearance under sixth-year head coach Amy Williams after earning their 15th overall NCAA bid in program history.
Nebraska finished sixth in the Big Ten Conference standings and No. 23 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. NU’s 24 wins are tied for fourth in school history, and the Big Red’s three wins over AP Top 10 teams during the regular season also match the most in a season in program history.
HUSKER PRACTICE COMMENTS: CASEY THOMPSON:
THOMPSON – OFFENSE IS DIVERSE, AGGRESSIVE
Nebraska transfer quarterback Casey Thompson spoke on the new offensive system put in place by offensive coordinator Mark Whipple last week during spring practices…
The Huskers are still determining their starting quarterback, but will have to wait another week with players excused from practices this past week due to Spring Break.
HUSKER PRACTICE COMMENTS: CHUBBA PURDY:
PURDY – MORE MENTAL REPS THAN ANYTHING
Nebraska received a second quarterback from the transfer portal over the off-season in Florida State transfer Chubba Purdy. Purdy has been out for most of the spring practice sessions so far, but adds he’s been trying to stay ahead as best as he can…
Purdy added that he is expecting to return from his injury after the conclusion of spring break when the Huskers return to the practice field on Monday.
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- GIRLS SOCCER: @ Lincoln Pius X – 5:45 PM
- BOYS SOCCER: v. Lincoln Pius X – 7 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- BOYS SOCCER: v. York
- GIRLS SOCCER: v. York
- UNK:
- N/a
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- SOFTBALL: @ Tucson Invite
- V. Viterbo University – 10 AM (Doubleheader)
- SOFTBALL: @ Tucson Invite
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- T&F: @ UNK Invite
- BASEBALL: v. Lincoln Southeast – 1 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- T&F: @ UNK Invite
- UNK:
- SOFTBALL: @ Fairfield Classic (St. Joseph, MO)
- V. Concordia-St. Paul – 12 PM
- V. Upper Iowa – 2 PM
- SOFTBALL: @ Fairfield Classic (St. Joseph, MO)
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- N/a
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- BOYS SOCCER: Bellevue East Invite
- GIRLS SOCCER: Bellevue East Invite
- BASEBALL: @ Fremont – 12 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- WOMENS TENNIS: v. SW Minnesota St. – 9 AM
- SOFTBALL: @ Fairfield Classic (St. Joseph, MO)
- V. St. Cloud State – 12 PM
- V. Winona State – 4 PM
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- BASEBALL: @ Northwestern College – 1 PM (Doubleheader)
