A 19th-round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals, Komine elected to come back to NU for his final season to improve his draft status and complete his degree in sociology. The nation?s returning leader in wins (14) and strikeouts (157), Komine has been a bulldog, going seven or more innings in 25 of his last 30 starts dating back to 2000, while posting 18 career double-figure strikeout performances, highlighted by a school-record 17 strikeouts against Kansas as a sophomore. He has struck out more than 150 hitters in each of the last two years, the only time a Husker has recorded consecutive 100-strikeout seasons.

?Not many programs can say they have someone who can dominate a game on Friday?s like Shane can,? pitching coach Rob Childress said. ?He is one of those few guys who can lock horns with an opponent?s No. 1 starter and can consistently come away with wins. We?ve been fortunate to have him in our program for three years, and I feel that this can be his best season yet.?

Since his arrival on campus in the fall of 1998, Komine has gained two inches and 40 pounds, bulking up to his current 5-10, 175-pound frame. While the additional muscle has increased the velocity of his fastball to the low 90s, he still enjoys pinpoint control and is able to throw four pitches (fastball, curve, slider and split-finger fastball) for strikes at nearly any point in the count.

He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in early September and missed all of fall practice, but began throwing in early November, and the coaching staff is optimistic that he?ll be ready for the start of spring drills.

2001 - Junior
Komine followed up his sophomore season with an equally impressive junior campaign, compiling a 14-2 record with a 3.35 ERA, setting school records for wins and innings pitched (131.2) and leading the conference in strikeouts (157), complete games (seven) and starts (18). He enjoyed a nearly 4.5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, while his 157 whiffs were two off his own school record set in 2000. He ranked seventh nationally in wins and third nationally in strikeouts. For his performances, he was a first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News, the ABCA and Baseball America.

Nebraska?s nominee for Big 12 Male Student-Athlete of the Year, Komine was tabbed as the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year for the second-straight season. Against conference foes, he went 8-0, while heading all league pitchers in strikeouts (84), strikeouts per nine innings (10.22) and games started (10). In addition, he was second in complete games (five) and third in innings pitched (74), while posting a 3.65 ERA against the conference. NU was a perfect 10-0 in Big 12 games he started in 2001.

During the postseason, Komine shined, as the Huskers reached the College World Series for the first time. Against top-seeded Cal State Fullerton, the right-hander allowed three first-inning runs to the Titans, but settled down to allow one earned run the rest of the way, while striking out nine en route to the only complete game during the College World Series. Although the loss snapped a school-record 14-game winning streak, Komine kept the Huskers within striking distance before falling 5-4. He may have enjoyed his finest hour against Rice in the Super Regional opener, striking out 12 in a 162-pitch masterpiece. He allowed three hits and allowed one runner to reach third in improving to 16-0 in his career at Buck Beltzer Stadium. In the Huskers? NCAA opener against Northern Iowa, he struck out nine and allowed a pair of earned runs in eight solid innings. Six days after a hip injury limited him to two innings at Iowa State, Komine earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Tournament team, as he handcuffed Oklahoma State, throwing eight innings of six-hit ball, while tying a tournament record with 12 strikeouts in the Huskers? 7-1 win.

After losing his opener against No. 1 ranked Georgia Tech on Feb. 11, the right-hander did not taste defeat during the regular season, winning 11 of his school-record 14 consecutive decisions during the regular season. Against 2000 CWS qualifier Louisiana-Lafayette, Komine began a stretch of working seven of more innings in 11 straight starts. The streak was highlighted by wins over Texas Tech on March 2, where he allowed two runs and struck out 10 in a 3-2 win, and No. 9 Baylor, when he outdueled Bear ace Steven White and struck out 11 in a 6-4 win. In both outings, he was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. He had 10 or more Ks six times, including a season-high 12 at Northwestern State on March 15. Against Kansas on April 20, Komine threw eight innings of shutout ball, striking out 10 and did not allow a fly ball (10K, 11 GO, 1CS, 2DP) in a 9-0 win.

2000 - Sophomore
Fully recovered from the back problems that plagued him in 1999, Komine emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in collegiate baseball. A consensus first-team All-American, he finished the season with an 11-4 record and a 2.24 ERA. His ERA ranked 13th nationally, while his win total tied for third in the Big 12. He established NU single-season records for strikeouts (159), games started (17) and innings pitched (124.2), leading the Big 12 in strikeouts and ranking second nationally in that category en route to earning unanimous Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Year honors. He owned an impressive 5.1-to-1 strikeout-to walk ratio while also holding opposing hitters to a .200 average. A finalist for the Dick Howser Award, he recorded nine double-digit strikeout performances and tied Brent Friehauf?s school record with 17 strikeouts against Kansas on April 8.

In conference play, Komine led all Big 12 pitchers in strikeouts (106) and ranked second in wins (7) and complete games (5), as opponents hit a league-low .193. His mastery of Texas on May 6 in a six-hit shutout earned him Collegiate Baseball?s Louisville Slugger National Pitcher-of-the-Week and Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week honors. Komine?s shutout of the No. 6 Longhorns marked his second consecutive complete game shutout, after holding Iowa State scoreless on seven hits while striking out 12 on April 28. After allowing three earned runs in 4.2 innings in a 4-2 loss at Baylor on March 31, Komine surrendered just six earned runs with 65 strikeouts and seven walks in 50 innings for a 6-0 record and a 1.08 ERA before the Big 12 Tournament. In his only appearance in the Big 12 Tournament, he was touched for seven earned runs, including three homers, in 4.2 innings in Nebraska?s 12-10 loss to Missouri. Before being roughed up in Oklahoma City, Komine had been nearly untouchable, yielding just two runs in his last 26.2 innings during the regular season. In his last regular-season start against Fresno State, Komine notched his seventh consecutive victory, allowing two runs in eight innings. He tied a school record with 17 strikeouts in a win over Kansas, and followed with 16 strikeouts in a complete-game win over Missouri on April 14. Following his school-record performance against Kansas, Komine was named Collegiate Baseball?s National Pitcher of the Week and the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. He claimed his first conference pitcher-of-the-week award after striking out 13 Texas Tech hitters in eight innings of an 11-0 win.

He earned a spot on the NCAA Minneapolis All-Regional team by throwing a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts through 7.1 innings to pick up a 2-1 win over Butler before being hit by a jaw-shattering line drive. Despite having his jaw broken in two places, Komine retrieved the ball and recorded the out before leaving the contest. His resolve was put to the test pitching at the Super Regional at Stanford just eight days after suffering a broken jaw in NU?s NCAA Tournament opener. Pitching with a titanium plate in his jaw after losing 10 pounds because of the injury, Komine allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits in seven innings of work to suffer his first loss since late March. He struck out five Cardinal hitters, as the teams were tied at 1-1 entering the sixth.

1999 - Freshman
Komine had one of the best seasons ever for a Husker freshman, going 6-2 with a team-low 3.58 ERA in 18 appearances. On the year, he struck out a team-high 79 batters, a total that ranks 10th on NU?s single-season charts. He was stingy in allowing extra-base hits, giving up just six home runs, including just two round trippers in his final 56.2 innings. Komine posted impressive numbers in league play, holding a 2.23 ERA with nine appearances. He went 3-2 and struck out 50 batters in 48.1 innings.

For his efforts, he was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors from league coaches and the Dallas Morning News. He was also named a first-team freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was named to Baseball America?s Second-Team Freshman All-America Team.

Komine started quickly, winning his first five decisions in his first nine appearances, capped by two innings of relief work in a 9-8 come-from-behind win over Texas. He threw the first of two straight complete games against eighth-ranked Texas A&M, striking out three in a 9.2 inning performance, but suffered his first career loss in a 3-2 setback to the Aggies. Seven days later, he rebounded against No. 23 Oklahoma State, striking out six in a 15-7 Husker win. Although he was a regular in the Husker rotation, Komine was called on often in the Husker bullpen. In seven relief appearances, he compiled a 2-1 record, had two saves and a near-untouchable 0.39 ERA in 23 innings. He struck out 27 batters, allowed just 19 hits and walked only nine batters.

His most impressive outing came out of the bullpen in a 6-5, 16-inning loss at Iowa State. In 9.2 innings, Komine struck out 16 Cyclones, the most ever by a Husker reliever, and did not allow an earned run, en route to earning Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors, as Iowa State scored an unearned run in the bottom of the 16th. In his two losses, Komine had a sterling 0.94 ERA. Komine suffered back spasms through the second half of the 1999 season, limiting him to just 4.1 innings in Nebraska?s postseason run (2.1 vs. Oklahoma, 0.1 vs. Texas A&M and 1.2 vs. Mississippi State). Against the No. 1 ranked Aggies, Komine earned his second save of the year, striking out Chad Hudson with the tying run on third in the 8-7 victory.

Kalani High School
Komine was named the OIA East Player of the Year and was named an honorable-mention All-American by USA Today. Playing for coach Shannon Hirai at Kalani High School, he was 6-1 with a 0.84 ERA as a senior, striking out 90 hitters in 50 innings. In the state tournament, Komine, who played outfield when not on the mound, struck out 17 in a seven-inning game against Roosevelt. He had 54 strikeouts in 26 innings during his junior season and was named to the OIA East Baseball First Team.