Team Feature: Nebraska Cornhuskers

One team that has been a big surprise during the 2008 season has been the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Huskers saw a talented team tank late last season, and there were a lot of question marks headed into the 2008 campaign. Those questions appear to have been answered, as the Huskers are playing very well and look to be a regional host and a potential top-eight seed for the NCAA tournament.

At 36-8-1, the Huskers have won 12 of their last 14 and had a 14-game winning streak early in the year after opening with a series loss at Stanford. They have posted some impressive series wins over teams like UC Riverside, Texas, Creighton and Baylor, and will get a big test this weekend when they host Big 12 Conference leader Texas A&M.

The Huskers have done it with solid pitching and timely hitting this year. On the mound, the Huskers are led by senior Johnny Dorn, who has a 5-1 record with a 2.69 ERA and a team-best 84 strikeouts. Thad Weber (8-2, 3.75) has been a pleasant surprise for coach Mike Anderson, and the Huskers found a couple of dependable starters in Aaron Pribanic and Dan Jennings, who has gone 5-0 with four saves this year.

Offensively, the Huskers have several players they can rely on, including catcher Mitch Abeita, who leads the team with a .360 average and seven home runs. Other solid performances have been turned in by people like Jake Opitz (team-leading 40 RBI's), Nick Sullivan, Bryce Nimmo and Craig Corriston.

The Huskers have played the last couple of weeks without Corriston at first base, who was sidelined for a few weeks for arthorscopic knee surgery. Anderson feels he will be back for the Big 12 tournament later this month, and will certainly be available for regional play at the end of the month.

The Huskers haven't been to the College World Series since 2005, but with their close proximity to Rosenblatt Stadium, you can bet the place will be buzzing if Nebraska can get through regionals and super regionals and make their fourth trip to the College World Series later this summer.