Two Husker baseball players earned spots on the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team announced yesterday. Left-handed pitcher Kyle Kubat was one of 32 pitchers honored. Kubat became the Huskers ace in the latter part of the season, finishing his year with a 5-1 record and 2.63 ERA. Second baseman Pat Kelly was also honored, one of four at his position. Kelly batted .313 with 8 home runs and 37 RBI. Both Kubat and Kelly had previously received third-team All-Big Ten recognition.

The Colorado Rockies are set to bring back an old fan favorite. Left-handed pitcher Jeff Francis is expected to make his signing official before starting Saturday’s game. Francis has pitched for AAA Louisville in the Cincinnati Reds system this season. He last pitched in the major leagues for Kansas City in 2011, making 31 starts and going 6-16 with a 4.82 ERA. Over six seasons with the Rockies, Francis posted a 55-50 record and a 4.77 ERA. He won 17 games for the 2007 National League Champions.

Among the players drafted on the final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft were five current Huskers, one ex-Husker, and one Husker recruit. Matt Strahm, a left-handed pitcher out of Neosho County Community College who had committed to Nebraska, went in the 21^st round to Kansas City. Travis Huber was the first current Husker off the board when the junior right-handed pitcher went in the 23^rd round to Minnesota. He was quickly followed by two more Huskers in the same round. Senior outfielder Kale Kiser was picked by the Chicago White Sox, and junior catcher Richard Stock was selected by Cleveland. Junior outfielder Chad Christensen heard his name called by Miami in the 35^th round. Khiry Cooper, a former two-sport athlete at Nebraska who did not play baseball this past season, was drafted in the 25^th round by Boston.

(by Hilary Winter, Nebraska Sports Information)

Des Moines, Iowa- Chad Wright led the Huskers on the first day of competition at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, as he earned the NCAA title in the men’s discus. Wright’s accolades were accompanied by two other Huskers, seniors Tyler Hitchler and Morgan Wilken, earning All-America honors on the day.

Wright completed his sophomore season in stunning fashion with his first NCAA Championship. He made Husker history with a winning throw of 206-0 (62.79) on his fifth attempt of the competition, setting a personal best and moving to second all-time in the Husker record books.

With the title, Wright becomes Nebraska’s 18th men’s outdoor national champion.

Wright was joined by Hitchler, who earned his third-straight All-America honors in the men’s discus. He finished sixth on the day with a mark of 193-10 (59.08).

Morgan Wilken was the third Husker to notch All-America accolades on the day as she finished eighth in the women’s discus with a throw of 178-5 (54.39).

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Cleveland at Detroit 6:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at N-Y Yankees 6:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Boston 6:10 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City 7:10 p.m.
Toronto at Chi White Sox 7:10 p.m.
Seattle at L.A. Angels 9:05 p.m.
Texas at Oakland 9:05 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

San Francisco at San Diego 5:35 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Washington 6:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami 6:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 6:10 p.m.
St. Louis at Houston 7:05 p.m.
Chi Cubs at Milwaukee 7:10 p.m.
Colorado at Arizona 8:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410 – pregame at 8:05)

NBA PLAYOFFS

San Antonio at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.

NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS

New Jersey at Los Angeles 7:00 p.m.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 4 Detroit 2
N-Y Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 0
Baltimore 8 Boston 6, 10 Innings
Kansas City 1 Minnesota 0
Toronto 9 Chi White Sox 5
L.A. Angels 6 Seattle 1
Texas 6 Oakland 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers 2 Philadelphia 1
Washington 7 N-Y Mets 6, 12 Innings
Atlanta 11 Miami 0
Pittsburgh 8 Cincinnati 4
Houston 9 St. Louis 8
Chi Cubs 10 Milwaukee 0
Arizona 10 Colorado 0
San Diego 6 San Francisco 5

NBA PLAYOFFS
Boston 94 Miami 90 (Boston takes 3-2 series lead)

The North Platte First Nationals seniors blanked Kearney 1-0 at Bill Wood Field last night. Kade Folchert tossed a gem for the First Nationals, and Jamie McKain drove in the game’s only run in the third inning. The victory moves the seniors to 9-7 on the season. They host a tournament at Bill Wood Field this weekend, starting with a game against Ogallala on Thursday night at 7:30. The First Nationals also play Laramie, Wyoming and Dodge City, Kansas in the tournament.

Another stinkbomb of an outing from Jeremy Guthrie and a complete lack of offense doomed the Colorado Rockies in a 10-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night in Phoenix. Guthrie failed to make it out of the fourth inning, allowing seven runs on eleven hits, including a pair of two-run home runs. The Rockies’ opening day starting pitcher saw his ERA for the season soar to 6.35. On the other side, Guthrie’s mound counterpart, Arizona’s Ian Kennedy, was utterly dominant, scattering five hits and striking out 12 hitters over his six shutout innings of work. The Rockies and Diamondbacks play the rubber game of their three-game set tonight in Phoenix, with Josh Outman taking the mound for the Rockies against Arizona’s Wade Miley. ESPN Radio has the action with pregame coverage at 8:05 and first pitch at 8:40.

Two days and 15 rounds of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft are complete, and while no Huskers have been selected, one high-profile Husker recruit will be skipping college for a professional payday. Justin Black, an outfielder from Billings, Montana who was ranked as one of the top high school prospects in the nation, was picked in the fourth round by the Atlanta Braves. Black told head coach Darin Erstad yesterday that he’ll be passing up his Nebraska scholarship for a 300,000 signing bonus from the Braves. One other player with ties to the state did hear his name called yesterday. Creighton University pitcher Ty Blach was selected in the fifth round by the San Francisco Giants. The lefty was the ace of the Blue Jays this past season and finished his career with the second-best ERA in school history.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki leads all National League shortstops in All-Star game balloting so far. Tulowitzki is currently on the disabled list, recovering from a groin strain, but has batted .287 with 8 homers and 27 RBI in 47 games this season. His lead over St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal is just over 20,000 votes. No other Rockie ranks in the top five in votes at their position, though Carlos Gonzalez is thirteenth among all outfielders.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

FIRST BASE
Prince Fielder, Tigers: 1,027,070
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 697,602
Paul Konerko, White Sox: 671,430
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 618,226
Albert Pujols, Angels: 478,020

SECOND BASE
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 1,447,171
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 1,164,448
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 699,422
Robert Andino, Orioles: 317,434
Chris Getz, Royals: 278,585

THIRD BASE
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 1,179,864
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 886,365
Evan Longoria, Rays: 789,434
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 657,315
Mike Moustakas, Royals: 432,379

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 1,698,777
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,033,986
J.J. Hardy, Orioles: 489,941
Alcides Escobar, Royals: 392,195
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 344,065

CATCHER
Mike Napoli, Rangers: 1,224,565
Matt Wieters, Orioles: 713,469
Joe Mauer, Twins: 637,364
Russell Martin, Yankees: 431,435
A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox: 424,646

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 1,204,904
Michael Young, Rangers: 1,049,170
Raul Ibanez, Yankees: 492,183
Billy Butler, Royals: 477,257
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: 391,131

OUTFIELDERS
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 2,587,991
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 1,406,128
Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 992,992
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 930,814
Adam Jones, Orioles: 857,543
David Murphy, Rangers: 652,379
Nick Swisher, Yankees: 624,215
Brett Gardner, Yankees: 437,126
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 433,899
Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 422,304
Austin Jackson, Tigers: 389,664
Nick Markakis, Orioles: 384,390
Alex Gordon, Royals: 378,459
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 346,774
B.J. Upton, Rays: 277,173

NATIONAL LEAGUE

FIRST BASE
Joey Votto, Reds: 1,314,516
Lance Berkman, Cardinals: 634,473
Freddie Freeman, Braves: 576,255
Bryan LaHair, Cubs: 391,497
Adam LaRoche, Nationals: 331,772

SECOND BASE
Dan Uggla, Braves: 872,136
Brandon Phillips, Reds: 586,835
Omar Infante, Marlins: 512,049
Rickie Weeks, Brewers: 512,021
Jose Altuve, Astros: 472,292

THIRD BASE
David Wright, Mets: 856,887
David Freese, Cardinals: 824,801
Chipper Jones, Braves: 727,719
Pablo Sandoval, Giants: 648,303
Aramis Ramirez, Brewers: 386,013

SHORTSTOP
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies: 823,708
Rafael Furcal, Cardinals: 803,254
Starlin Castro, Cubs: 526,811
Jose Reyes, Marlins: 425,682
Alex Gonzalez, Brewers: 399,218

CATCHERS
Yadier Molina, Cardinals: 1,100,048
Buster Posey, Giants: 1,072,464
Brian McCann, Braves: 707,508
Carlos Ruiz, Phillies: 562,021
Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers: 457,590

OUTFIELDERS
Matt Kemp, Dodgers: 1,952,910
Carlos Beltran, Cardinals: 1,212,030
Ryan Braun, Brewers: 1,112,971
Andre Ethier, Dodgers: 827,262
Melky Cabrera, Giants: 714,642
Matt Holliday, Cardinals: 667,544
Jason Heyward, Braves: 515,340
Michael Bourn, Braves: 498,070
Jay Bruce, Reds: 460,853
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates: 457,223
Hunter Pence, Phillies: 446,460
Corey Hart, Brewers: 417,929
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies: 386,860
Jon Jay, Cardinals: 373,833
Shane Victorino, Phillies: 373,034