ESPN: Erstad has Huskers in contention in B1G

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Nebraska outfielder Michael Pritchard, who grew up in Omaha rooting for the Cornhuskers, said this weekend's series against No. 17 Purdue is his school's biggest set of games since it last made an NCAA regional in 2008.
"I think we'll get 20,000 fans combined for the three games," said Pritchard of the series, which will be played in Lincoln. "It's going to be out of control. It's going to be fun to play in a series that matters this much."

Third-place Nebraska (25-13, 7-5) would tie Big Ten leader Purdue (29-5, 10-2) if they are able to sweep the series. Then again, Purdue has won nine games in a row and hasn't lost a series all year.

The most interesting matchup will be Purdue's pitching -- best in the conference on the basis of its 2.91 ERA -- against Nebraska's offense, which ranks No. 1 in the league (7.7 runs).

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Good find. Going down further, Walter Villa has this to say:

6. No. 17 Purdue (29-5, 10-2 Big Ten, No. 10 RPI) at Nebraska (25-13, 7-5 Big Ten, No. 71 RPI)
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Haymarket Park, Lincoln, Neb.

When the Cornhuskers went to Ohio State and won two of three, the stakes got raised for this series. Although the Big Red don't have a great RPI, this is their chance to make a huge impression on the selection committee. Two great offenses face off as Purdue hits .324 (No. 6 nationally) and the Huskers hit .317 (No. 10). The pressure falls on Purdue, since mid-major teams aren't given much rope for weekend losses in games they are favored to win.
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The part in bold should hold serve to two things this writer believes--that Purdue is going to win the Big 10, and that Nebraska is still fair game for the selection committee.

The later point seems to be a foreign concept for some of the chicken littles around these parts, so I just wanted to highlight that.

 
RedRedJarvisRedwhine said:
Aren't we making our return trip to Cal anyways next season?
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The contract wasn't a home and home... Cal had terminated the baseball program effective after last season but late last year (early this year) the boosters stepped up and donated a large sum of $$$$$$$$ to keep the program. Therefore Cal scrambled to find games and Erstad and Co. jumped on it.

Now, we may have discussed a return visit but the 2013 schedule hasn't been posted. I'm hoping we can play Cal, Oregon St and Fullerton all three next year. :)

Link to SBNation Article quoted below

California Golden Bears

2011 Record: 38-23, 13-13 Pac-12

2011 ISR: 15

2012 Projected ISR: 6

Coach: David Esquer, 13 years, 354-313-2

Cal comes to Lincoln after being a 2011 College World Series qualifier; this after the program was nearly axed due to budget cuts.

Needless to say, this is the biggest non-conference series of the year for the Huskers. It will be a great early-season challenge for Nebraska.

Why are the Golden Bears coming to Nebraska? Probably because Esquer, who was picked as the 2011 National Coach of the Year, has the same attitude as Nebraska - get as tough a schedule as you can and you'll be rewarded post-season. You have to like the attitude.

Cal lost a lot in the pitching department, returning only one weekend starter in LHP Justin Jones. LHP Kyle Porter should assume a starting weekend role. Their problem will be depth, as they basically missed out a year of recruiting since everyone thought the program would be cut.

Pac-10 Player of the Year Tony Renda returns after hitting .332 last season, along with seven starters.

Baseball America projects them to finish sixth in the tough Pac-12. Want more? Take a look at the 2012 season preview at SB Nation site California Golden Blogs. They'll be previewing the entire team this week.
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