Lincoln ? Nebraska?s incoming baseball recruiting class earned the program?s highest ranking in school history, as the 15-member class was rated 23rd nationally by Collegiate Baseball. The 2002 class features six junior college standouts, including four players who were previously drafted. Highlighting the list is junior college All-American Quinton Robertson (Richland, Miss.), who was selected by the New York Yankees in the 17th round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. Other players selected in either the 2001 or 2002 drafts include outfielder Brandon Fusilier (Coppell, Texas), infielder Joe Gullion (Overland, Park, Kan.) and right-handed pitcher John Brownell (Omaha, Neb.).

Four of the nine high school products in the class were first-team all-state selections, including infielder Alex Gordon, who was the Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002. Other first-team all-state honorees include right-handed pitchers Rob Morrissey (Omaha, Neb.) and Tim Schoeninger (Denver, Colo.) and southpaw Zach Kroenke (Omaha, Neb.).

Nebraska was one of four Big 12 teams in the 2002 rankings, joining Texas (sixth), Baylor (13th) and Oklahoma State (22nd). Georgia Tech claimed the top honor by Collegiate Baseball, followed by Cal State Fullerton and LSU, while Florida State and Clemson rounded out the top five.

Fans will get their first opportunity to see many of the new Huskers in action next week, as Nebraska will close fall camp with the annual Red-White World Series beginning Monday, Oct. 7. The best-of-seven series is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. each day at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, and all games are free of charge and open to the public.