Honors & Awards

• 2004 MLB 44th-round Draft Pick (Cleveland)
• 2004 Husker Power Lifter of the Year Finalist
• 2004 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
• 2002 Collegiate Baseball Honorable-Mention Freshman All-American
• 2002 Big 12 All-Freshman Team
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Spring 2003; Fall 2003; Spring 2004)

2005 Outlook: Senior Phil Shirek (pronounced SHEAR-ik) is one of the veterans of the Husker staff entering the 2005 campaign • Enjoyed a solid junior season, going 5-1 and ranking seventh in the Big 12 with a 3.07 ERA in 70.2 innings • Was selected in the 44th round by Cleveland, but elected to return to Nebraska for his senior season • Did not miss a start in 2004 and made great improvement in spotting pitches and using the entire zone • Had surgery to remove a bone spur over the summer and did not pitch in the fall • Has the ability to overpower hitters with a fastball that is consistently clocked in the lower 90s • Is looked to by his fellow pitchers and coaches for leadership as the most experienced pitcher on the Husker staff • Tops all current Husker pitchers in wins (14) and starts (29), as he is 14-6 in 51 career appearances over the past three seasons, striking out 138 in 179.2 career innings • Is tied for ninth in school history with 29 starts and is four wins away from NU’s top-10 list • Is joined on the Husker staff in 2005 by his younger brother Charlie, marking the first brother duo under Pitching Coach Rob Childress.

2004: Shirek was a mainstay in the Huskers’ weekend rotation, serving as Nebraska’s No. 2 starter for the second half of the season • Went 5-1 with a 3.07 ERA in 15 appearances, including 11 starts • Ranked seventh in the Big 12 in ERA, as he held opponents to a .266 average and allowed 14 extra-base hits in 70.1 innings • Allowed three runs or less in nine of his 11 starts, including five of his last six in Big 12 play • Went 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA in nine Big 12 appearances, but was hampered as NU scored just 10 runs in his final five league starts • Made his first three appearances in relief, earning the win against West Virginia on March 7 after not allowing an earned run in 4.2 innings of relief • Performed well in his first start of the year, allowing two runs on six hits over 6.2 innings in a win over San Diego State at Petco Park on March 14 • Improved to 3-0 on the year with a win over Boston College on March 21, allowing one run and scattering six hits over six innings of work • Fired the first complete game of his career against Kansas on March 28, fanning a career-high 10 Jayhawks in a 13-3 win that was shortened to seven innings • Earned his fifth win in as many decisions with five-plus shutout innings in a 4-0 win over Kansas State on April 3, allowing three hits to help NU post its fourth straight shutout • Turned in a strong outing at top-ranked Texas on April 24, taking a shutout into the sixth, but allowed two runs on three hits and did not factor into the decision in a 4-2 loss • Suffered his lone loss of the year against No. 10 Texas A&M on May 1, allowing four runs on eight hits over four innings • Threw well in no-decisions against No. 21 Oklahoma State and Baylor before turning in the best performance of his career against No. 18 Oklahoma on May 21 • Went a career-high nine innings against the Sooners, allowing no runs on six hits and striking out four, but did not pick up the win, as NU broke the scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the 11th • Struck out five Longhorns in five innings against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, but did not factor into the decision.

2003: Shirek enjoyed a solid sophomore season, going 5-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 18 appearances, spanning 62.1 innings • Was third on the team in appearances (18) innings pitched (62.1), starts (10) and strikeouts (48) • Posted a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and held opponents to a .227 average • Began the year in the bullpen, allowing three hits in his first 10 innings of work, including a four-strikeout performance over three no-hit innings at Sam Houston State on March 19 • Moved into the No. 4 spot in the rotation, earning three wins in his first four starts • Tossed five shutout innings and fanned four against Western Illinois on April 1 • Scattered three singles in seven shutout innings in a win over McNeese State on April 15 • Came out of the bullpen in league play, making solid appearances against Missouri and Texas • Enjoyed his best effort of the year against Creighton on April 29, hurling eight shutout innings and allowing one runner into scoring position in an 8-0 shutout of the Bluejays • Moved into the weekend rotation the following week, and finished the year in NU’s No. 3 spot • Captured his first Big 12 win against Oklahoma State on May 12, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings to cap a series sweep over the Cowboys • Suffered the loss against Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament, allowing a season-high five runs in 2.1 innings • Was the losing pitcher in NU’s NCAA Regional title game against Southwest Missouri State, allowing three runs over 2.2 innings to the Bears • Spent the summer pitching for Harwich in the Cape Cod League, going 0-2 with a 1.67 ERA in 10 appearances, as he struck out 43 in 32.1 innings of work.

2002: Shirek enjoyed a strong freshman campaign, earning a spot on Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-America team • Recorded a 4-2 mark with a save and a 3.45 ERA in 18 appearances • Showed excellent control, striking out 47 and issuing 14 walks in 47 innings while holding foes to a .246 average • Made eight starts, as the Huskers’ primary midweek starter while working out of the bullpen in conference play • Shined in his collegiate debut against No. 13 Wake Forest, fanning six in 3.1 shutout innings on Feb. 17 • Picked up his first win as a Husker against Western Illinois on March 27, allowing one run on four hits over four innings • Enjoyed a five-appearance stretch where he went 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA in five starts • Earned wins against UW-Milwaukee, scattering two hits over five shutout innings, and Minnesota, where he allowed one run over six innings • Collected his first save against Creighton in front of 18,758 at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium on May 15, striking out a season-high seven hitters and allowing two hits over four innings of work • Pitched twice in relief during the Big 12 Tournament, allowing three runs on five hits, but did not pick up a decision • Tossed a perfect inning of relief against Southwest Missouri State in the regional title game • Took the loss in relief against Clemson in the College World Series opener, allowing the final run in an 11-10 slugfest.

Minot High School: Shirek was one of the top multi-sport athletes in the upper Midwest at Minot High School in North Dakota • Started three seasons for Coach Pete Stenberg, earning first-team all-state honors as a senior in 2001, going 3-1 with two saves and a 2.93 ERA • Chosen as the Gatorade State Player of the Year after fanning 82 hitters in just 40.2 innings • Dominated during the American Legion season as a senior, going 12-2 with 179 strikeouts in 96 innings • Broke a national American Legion Tournament record with a 20-strikeout effort in the regional semifinals, bettering the mark of 19 set by Baltimore Oriole great Dave McNally • Was a two-way performer who also hit .425 with 20 homers and 96 RBIs • Compiled a 5-1 mark with a 0.37 ERA during his junior year, striking out 55 in 38.1 innings • Played baseball, football and basketball at Minot High School • Named the Gatorade Player of the Year in football in 2000, after earning first-team all-state honors at quarterback his last two years at the school • Selected Nebraska over Minnesota, North Dakota and North Dakota State.

Personal: Born on Feb. 5, 1984, in Minot, N.D. • Parents are Randy and Joy Shirek • Has one brother (Charlie) • Majors in biological sciences at Nebraska.

Year       ERA   W-L   App  GS  CG SHO/CBO  SV    IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO
2002....  3.45   4-2    18   8   0   0/0     1  47.0   45   31   18   14   47
2003....  3.90   5-3    18  10   0   0/1     0  62.1   48   28   27   23   48
2004....  3.07   5-1    15  11   1   0/2     0  70.1   70   29   24   34   43
TOTAL...  3.46  14-6    51  29   1   0/3     1 179.2  163   88   69   71  138