The Huskers, who are ranked as high as 12th in this week?s national polls, come into the contest with a 9-2 record and a seven-game winning streak after sweeping Wisconsin-Milwaukee last Friday in the home opener. NU lost the final game of the series to poor weather, as a cold spell hit Lincoln over the weekend, but tempatures are projected in the 50s for Tuesday afternoon matinee.

With a 9-2 mark, the Huskers are off to their best 11-game start since 1992, while a win on Tuesday over UNK would up NU?s mark to 10-2, the school?s best start in 16 seasons, when NU won 11 of its first 12 contests.

The Lopers enter the contest with 4-7 mark after going 0-3 against North Dakota and North Dakota State over the weekend in Emporia, Kan. UNK has been streaky since winning its opener against Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 20. The Lopers dropped their next three contests before rebounding with three straight wins over Panhandle (Okla.) State prior to its current four-game losing streak coming into Tuesday?s matchup.

Nebraska holds a commanding 41-1 all-time against its in-state foe, with the Lopers pulling their only win back on April 19, 1976 - a 1-0 UNK victory. Last season, the Huskers christened Hawks Field with a 23-1 victory over the Lopers, extending its winning streak to 39 straight over Nebraska-Kearney.

Leading Off
? - With the 8-0 win over UW-Milwaukee on Friday, NU has now 25 straight home openers, dating back to a 15-6 loss to St. Cloud State back in 1978.

? - Nebraska?s four hits in Friday?s 8-0 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee was the fewest in a Husker win since NU has three hits in a 3-2 win over UT-San Antonio on Feb. 27, 2000.

? - The Huskers have enjoyed great success with two outs in 2003, batting .338 while scoring nearly half of its runs (49 of 102 runs) in those situations through 11 games. In fact, Nebraska has scored more runs with two outs than opponents have scored all season (49 to 41). Shortstop Joe Simokaitis leads the Huskers with 10 of his 15 RBIs, while batting .471 in those situations, while Jeff Leise has driven in eight of his 12 runs with two outs.

?- The Huskers have used 11 different lineups through the first 11 games of the season. The only players who have been in the same spot for each game are center fielder Jeff Leise in the leadoff spot and shortstop Joe Simokaitis in the ninth spot.

? - Senior All-American Jeff Leise has four career leadoff homers, including his first of 2003 against No. 14 Notre Dame on Feb. 28.

? - Husker pitchers are enjoying a 3.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, striking out 91 and walking just 25 hitters this spring. During one stretch (Feb. 22-March 1), NU pitchers went 27.2 innings without issuing a free pass. The Huskers lead the Big 12 by averaging a league-low 2.3 walks per nine innings.

?- One trend that has carried over from the 2002 season is getting off to a fast start, as the Huskers have scored at least one run in the first inning in six of their first 11 contests. Last season, Nebraska tallied at least one run in the first inning of 39 of 68 games (57 percent).

? - Including this week?s polls, the Huskers have been ranked in at least one of the national polls for the past 54 weeks, dating back to April of 2000.

? -The Huskers have scored runs in bunches, totaling at least three runs in an inning on 14 occasions, including a season-best seven runs in the eighth inning at Louisiana Tech on Feb. 22, and five each against Wake Forest (second inning) and Minnesota (second inning) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (eighth inning)

? - The Huskers have swiped 24 of 32 bases in 11 games, while 13 different players have at least one stolen base. The Huskers stole a total of just 73 bases all of last year, ending a three-year stretch of at least 120 stolen bases per season. On the flip side, opponents are only 6-of-12 on the basepaths after stealing just 29 bases in 2002.

? - With Saturday?s cancellation, NU will play 14 of its first 17 games away from Hawks Field, including matchups with nationally ranked Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Texas A&M and Rice.

? - Nebraska has now scored in 276 straight games, dating back to an 8-0 shutout loss at Texas on May 3, 1998. The streak is the eighth longest in NCAA history, while NU broke the conference record of 269 set by Oklahoma State from 1985 to 1989 against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 22. Husker hurlers have pitched 20 shutouts in the same stretch, including a school-record six by Jamie Rodrigue.

? - The Big 12 has seven of its 10 teams (Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Kansas and Oklahoma) ranked in at least one of the three national polls.

? - Nebraska is scheduled to play games in four major or minor league ballparks this season. The list includes the Dell Diamond (AA Round Rock Express), the Metrodome (Minnesota Twins), Rosenblatt Stadium (AAA Omaha Royals) and the SBC Bricktown Ballpark (AAA Oklahoma Redhawks), which will host the 2003 Big 12 Tournament. In addition, the Huskers? home park - Hawks Field at Haymarket Park - will host the Omaha Royals on May 19, marking the second straight year the facility has hosted a AAA game.

?- Nebraska is one of five teams nationally, and the only Big 12 team, to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Regional in each of the past three seasons, joining Stanford, Florida State, Southern California and LSU.

? -The Husker baseball program has enjoyed stability over the years, as first-year Coach Mike Anderson is only the program?s fifth skipper since World War II.

Tuesday?s Starter
Quinton Robertson makes his Hawks Field debut against the Lopers on Tuesday. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander from Richland, Miss., is 2-0 with a 4.22 ERA in three appearances, covering a total of 10.2 innings. He comes off his longest outing as a Husker, throwing six innings of one-run ball in NU?s 15-2 win over Minnesota on March 2. In that performance, he scattered two hits and struck out three in his first collegiate start. A 17th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2001, Robertson spent the previous two seasons at Texarkana College, going a combined 15-3 with a 3.18 ERA. Last season, he was 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA, striking out 31 and walking 10 in 34 innings of work. Robertson was a second-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman, going 9-0 with a 3.45 ERA, helping Texarkana College to the 2001 NJCAA World Series. He is one of several Huskers expected to take the hill against the Lopers.

Scouting UNK
The Lopers come to Lincoln with a 4-7 record after dropping three games over the weekend. UNK lost two games to North Dakota (7-4, 6-3) and one 10-inning contest to North Dakota State. Under the direction of second-year coach Tony Murray (20-45), the Lopers were picked seventh in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll. UNK returns six starters from a year ago, including outfielder Eric Molina, who is batting a team-best .386 with nine runs scored. First baseman Eric West is the Lopers? big hitter, leading the team in homers (3), RBIs (12) and runs scored (10), while batting .333. Sophomore left-hander Andy Wernke is expected to make his fourth start of the year against the Big Red. On the year, the 6-4, 220-pounder is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA, holding opponents to a .114 batting average.

Last Season?s Matchup with UNK
Jeff Blevins went 3-for-4 and tied his career high with five RBIs, as Nebraska opened up Hawks Field with a 23-1 victory over Nebraska-Kearney on March 5, 2002. Blevins also belted the first homer in Hawks Field history, a three-run shot in the fourth inning, as the Huskers broke open a 2-1 contest with six runs in the fourth and 11 more in the fifth, capitalizing on 13 walks by UNK pitching. The Huskers pounded out 18 hits, including three each by Jed Morris and Brandon Eymann, while Morris and right fielder Drew Anderson drove in four runs apiece in the win. Six Husker pitchers combined to throw a two-hitter and strike out 13 in the win NU allowed only one run, Eric West?s RBI double in the fourth inning. Sophomore Dustin Timm picked up his first career win, throwing two innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts to improve to 1-1 on the season. After West?s double, Husker hurlers retired the last 15 Lopers in order in lowering their team ERA to 2.54. Nebraska?s 23 runs was its highest single-game total since scoring an NCAA record 50 runs against Chicago State in 1999.

Weekend Rewind
After playing its first nine games on the road, the Huskers returned to the cozy confines of Hawks Fields, sweeping NCAA qualifier Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a doubleheader on Friday. With the wins, NU, which improved to 31-5 in two seasons at home, jumped out to its best start in 11 seasons.

Game 1 (Nebraska 8, UW-Milwaukee 0): Aaron Marsden and Tim Schoeninger combined on a four-hit shutout, as Nebraska won its 25th straight home opener with an 8-0 triumph. Marsden improved to 2-0 on the season, hurling 7.2 shutout innings, scattering four hits and striking out eight before Schoeninger recorded the final four outs to pick up his second save. NU had just four hits, but made the most of them, as Joe Simokaitis had a two-run single in the fifth before John Grose?s RBI single in the eighth highlighted a five-run eighth inning.

Game 2 (Nebraska 9, UW-Milwaukee 6): Junior college transfer Joe Gullion?s eighth inning three-run homer broke a 6-all deadlock, as Nebraska rallied for a 9-6 victory to complete the sweep. The Huskers pounded out 11 hits, including homers by Gullion and Matt Hopper, who scored three times, while Brandon Fusilier drove in a pair of runs with a two-run double and scored twice as NU won its seventh straight game. Jason Burch earned the win in relief, allowing one hit in 2.1 innings, while Pat O?Neil, the sixth Husker pitcher of the game, threw a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Friday?s Starter
Junior Aaron Marsden will take the hill in Friday?s Big 12 opener against the Aggies. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound left-hander comes off a pair of strong outings, allowing one earned run in his last two outings, covering a total of 15.2 innings. He hurled 7.2 shutout innings, scattering four hits with eight strikeouts in NU?s 8-0 win over UW-Milwaukee on March 7. Marsden had best outing of the year, throwing eight innings of one-run ball in the Huskers? 7-1 win over No. 14 Notre Dame on Feb. 28. Marsden, who is rated 69th on Baseball America?s list of the top-100 college prospects for the 2003 MLB Draft, is 2-0 on the season with a 1.69 ERA in four starts this spring. Against the Fighting Irish, he struck out a career-high 10 batters and scattered five hits in picking up his first win since the 2002 Big 12 Tournament opener against Baylor last May 22. In his only appearance against Texas A&M, he threw a complete-game one-hitter in NU?s 10-0 win over the Aggies, striking out nine in his first career start.

Last season, Marsden earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, going 8-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his first season as a Husker. The Grand Forks, N.D., native made 20 appearances, including 13 starts, and threw 100.0 innings in 2002. Over the summer, he pitched in the Northwoods League, going 8-2 with a league-low 1.60 ERA and was chosen as the league?s best overall prospect. He also earned second-team Summer All-America honors from Baseball America.

Getting Out of the Blocks
The Huskers have opened the Mike Anderson era with an impressive 9-2 mark over the first three weeks of the season. The start is the best since the 1992 squad also began the year with an 9-2 mark and only the sixth time since 1983 that NU has opened with a nine or more wins through the first 11 contests.

This season 29 games are scheduled at Hawks Field, including a pair of games against defending NCAA champion Texas in mid April, as well as Big 12 series against Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Baylor. Tickets remain for each Husker home game and can be purchased by logging on to Huskers.com or calling the Nebraska Ticket Office at (800) 8-BIGRED.

Back Home in Omaha
Nebraska will visit Omaha?s Rosenblatt Stadium twice during the 2003 regular season, playing host to defending NCAA champion Texas on April 20, before returning for the annual intrastate game against Creighton on May 13. The game against the Longhorns is the first Husker home game played outside the city of Lincoln in over 30 years. In 1972, poor weather in Lincoln forced the Husker to play a three-game series against Colorado at Ryder Park in Grand Island. Tickets are available for the matchup between the Big 12?s two heavy hitters by calling the NU Ticket Office at (800) 8-BIG RED.

Despite going winless in two College World Series appearances, Nebraska has gone a perfect 4-0 during regular-season games at Omaha?s Rosenblatt Stadium. A crowd of 18,758 ? the third-largest regular-season crowd in NCAA history ? watched NU?s 9-1 win over Creighton last spring, while the 2000 and 2001 matchups between the teams drew the largest regular-season crowds in college baseball for those seasons.

Leise is the Center (fielder) of Attention
The Huskers have the benefit of one of the nation?s top leadoff hitters in senior All-American Jeff Leise. The Omaha, Neb., native returned for his senior season after being selected in the seventh round by the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Leise?s return to NU for his senior season marked the highest selected draftee to return to Nebraska since Gene Stohs was selected in the third round of the 1972 Draft.

Leise, a preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America, got off to an uncharacteristically slow start, going 4-for-22 in his first five contests before breaking out with a four-hit game against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 22.

Over the last six games, Leise is batting .483 (14-for-29) with two homers, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored and four stolen bases. Two weeks ago, he was selected as the MVP of the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic, hitting .467 with two homers, two triples, six RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.

Last season, Leise earned first-team All-America honors from the ABCA, batting .371 with 12 homers, 51 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, while committing three errors in 168 total chances in the field. In the classroom, he is just as impressive, as he was selected as the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2002 with a 3.85 GPA in psychology. He joins junior right-hander Aaron Marsden on Baseball America?s top-100 draft-eligible players list for the upcoming draft.

Hopper Bids to Become Husker Home Run King
One of the major cataylsts of the Huskers? early season offensive output has been the return of first baseman Matt Hopper to the lineup.

After missing the opening week of the season, Hopper needed only two pitches to make his impact felt, belting his first homer of the year. Against Louisiana Tech, the 6-4, 220-pound first baseman went 6-for-9 (.667) with three homers, six RBIs, seven walks (four intentional) and seven runs scored, finishing the series with an on-base percentage of .812 and a slugging percentage of 1.667. In his first day back, he reached base all 10 times in a doubleheader split, driving in five runs to become NU?s all-time RBI leader, breaking the mark of 209 held by Paul Meyers. Two weeks ago, Hopper continued his early season tear, going 6-for-14 with four runs scored to earn a spot on the Dairy Queen Classic all-tournament team. Against Minnesota on March 2, Hopper?s homer gave him the school mark for total bases with 449, breaking the mark held by former NU All-American and current Anaheim Angel Darin Erstad, who had 446 total bases from 1993 to 1995. Hopper had only three official at-bats against UW-Milwaukee, but made the most of them, going 2-for-3 with a homer - his fifth of the season - two RBIs and four runs scored in the sweep of the Panthers. Hopper, who needs one homer to tie Bobby Benjamin?s school record of 48 set between 1988 and 1990, was also walked four times and was hit by a pitch against UWM.

A two-time All-Big 12 selection and first-team All-American in 2001, Hopper missed all of the fall after off-season shoulder (right) and hand surgeries (left) and has been working out with the team since the start of practice in January. In 2002, Hopper was plagued by injuries, batting .309 with nine homers and 49 RBIs. Originally recruited to Nebraska as a pitcher, Hopper played third base as a redshirt freshman before becoming NU?s DH/first baseman in 2001, backing up fellow All-American Dan Johnson. Hopper shined in his first full season at the position in 2002, committing three errors in 549 attempts for a .995 fielding percentage.

Simokaitis Contines to Simmer
One of the early surprises of 2003 has been the offensive production of shortstop Joe Simokaitis. Already considered one of the best defensive shortstops in Husker history, the St. Louis, Mo., native has become a major contributor at the plate this spring. He enters the week with a .400 average and is second on the squad with 15 RBIs. He is just one RBI shy of his entire 2002 season total, while his four multi-hit games are half of his 2002 total. Ever since snapping an 0-for-24 slump with three hits in the NCAA Regional title game against Southwest Missouri State, Simokaits has hit .417 over his last 17 games dating back to the end of the 2002 season. The sophomore is one of only two Huskers to start all 11 games this spring, joining All-American Jeff Leise as a regular in the NU lineup.

Cleaning Up on the Opposition
Junior college transfer Brandon Fusilier has led a talented group of newcomers throughout the Husker lineup. The outfielder from Coppell, Texas, is hitting .395 with two homers, while pacing the Huskers in RBIs (19), doubles (five), multi-hit games (6) and multiple-RBI games (6). Fusilier, who has found a spot batting fourth in the Husker lineup, has a pair of four RBI games (vs. Cal on 2/16 and at Louisiana Tech on 2/23) and has reached base in nine of his 10 appearances. Two weeks ago at the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic, Fusilier was awarded the Silver Stick ? recognizing the tournament?s top hitter ? batting .500 (7-for-14) with four doubles, six RBIs and three runs scored.

Three Huskers on Smith Award Watch List
Three University of Nebraska baseball players are on the initial watch list for the Rotary Smith Award released earlier this month. Pitcher Aaron Marsden, first baseman Matt Hopper and outfielder Jeff Leise were among the 130 players on the watch list for the annual award presented to the top collegiate player. Over the past four years, a pair of Huskers have been selected as semifinalists ? Ken Harvey in 1999 and Shane Komine last season. Harvey was one of three finalists for the 1999 award, which was won by 2002 National League Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings. Voting to determine the list of 12 semifinalists will begin in mid-May and the list will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season. Three finalists will be announced prior to the start of NCAA Super Regional action, the week of June 6-9.

Leise Looks to Repeat Top Academic Honor
Senior Jeff Leise will try to become the second straight college baseball player to repeat as the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the year on the diamond. The outfielder from Omaha Creighton Prep carries a 3.79 cumulative GPA in psychology and looks to follow in the footsteps of Arizona State?s Casey Myers, who was tabbed as college baseball?s top student-athlete in both 2000 and 2001. Leise will look to become the fourth Husker athlete (among all 23 of NU?s sports) to repeat as Academic All-American of the Year in their respective sports, joining Karen Jennings (1992-1993, women?s basketball), Virginia Stahr (1988-89, volleyball) and Janet Kruse (1990-1991, volleyball).

Draft Dodgers
The 2003 Huskers boast 10 players who have been previously selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. The list is led by junior catcher John Grose, who has been selected on two occasions. Seniors Jeff Leise (7th round by Anaheim in 2002) and Matt Hopper (36th round by San Francisco in 2001) were selected while at Nebraska, but decided to return for the 2003 season. The list also includes four newcomers who were drafted out of junior college, including junior right-hander Quinton Robertson, who was chosen in the 17th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.

Eighteen Huskers Named to Big 12 Honor Roll
One area where the Huskers have enjoyed a lot of success is in the classroom, as Nebraska placed 18 members on the Big 12 Commissioner?s Honor Roll for the recently completed fall semester. The total represented half of the total roster (18 of 36), as the team GPA was nearly above a 3.0 during the fall.