The Nebraska volleyball team will enter their first season in the Big Ten as a national title contender. The Huskers rank fifth in the preseason AVCA volleyball coaches poll, released yesterday afternoon. Nebraska is one of three Big Ten teams ranked in the top ten of the poll, joining eighth-ranked Illinois and number one ranked Penn State, winner of the last four national championships. USC, Cal, and Texas round out the top five just ahead of the Huskers, who went 29-3 last season and made it to the NCAA Regional round for the seventeenth consecutive season. Minnesota, Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan also made the top 25 from Nebraska’s new conference. In addition to facing six ranked teams in conference action, the Huskers will play number 15 Colorado State and number 18 Iowa State in non-conference matches.
Category: Sports
Starling Picks Baseball; Signs With Royals For 7.5 Million
It went down to the wire, and then a little bit beyond, but Bubba Starling signed on the dotted line and will play professional baseball, spurning his football scholarship from Nebraska. Starling agreed to a deal with the Kansas City Royals, who made him the fifth overall pick in July’s Major League Baseball Entry Draft. The deal includes a 7.5 million dollar signing bonus that will be spread out over three years. According to the Royals front office, negotiations between the team and Starling didn’t heat up until the last few minutes before the 11 PM central time deadline for teams to come to terms with their draft picks. The signing bonus is the largest ever given to a draft pick by the Royals. Starling’s departure from the Nebraska football program means the Huskers will enter the 2011 season with only two scholarship quarterbacks: Taylor Martinez and Brion Carnes.
Bo Pelini released a statement regarding Starling’s decision:
“Everyone associated with our football program at Nebraska wishes Bubba nothing but the best in his future with the Kansas City Royals organization. I know this decision has been very difficult for Bubba and his family, as it would be for anyone in his position. In the end, Bubba was in a win-win situation regardless of his choice, and we respect the decision he has made. I personally will root for Bubba in every game except when he plays against the Indians!”
Giambi’s Walk-Off Lifts Rockies Over Marlins
The Colorado Rockies had been waiting all season for a walk-off home run. Jason Giambi had been waiting all season to come up big in a clutch-hitting situation. Both moments coincided last night, as Giambi’s three-run homer with two outs in the ninth lifted the Rockies to a 7-4 victory over the Florida Marlins at Coors Field. The Rockies trailed 4-3 when a two-out rally opened with Dexter Fowler’s hit. Carlos Gonzalez doubled in Fowler to tie the game, and after Troy Tulowitzki was intentionally walked, Giambi clouted his 11th homer of the season and first in the pinch. Matt Belisle was the winning pitcher for the Rockies in relief. The Rockies and Marlins play game two of their three-game set in Denver tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action with pregame coverage at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.
Huskers Return to Two-A-Days; Martinez Named to Manning Award Watch List
The Nebraska football team returned to the practice field yesterday for their second two-a-day session of fall camp. The team worked out indoors for the first time at the Hawks Championship Facility. Offensive coordinator Tim Beck spoke to the media after practice, saying while his group is by no means a finished product, they continue to make positive progress. “Guys are playing hard,” Beck said. “I’m really pleased with the effort offensively. We’re obviously still making mistakes; a young football team is going to do that. We’ll keep coaching them hard and keep demanding perfection from them. I think they understand that. They’re working hard and I like what I see so far from them as a group.” Also yesterday, Husker quarterback Taylor Martinez was one of 31 quarterbacks named to the Manning Award preseason watch list.
Decision Day For Bubba Starling
It’s decision day for Bubba Starling. The would-be Nebraska freshman quarterback has until eleven PM tonight to decide whether to accept an offer from the Kansas City Royals, who made him the fifth overall pick in the Major League Baseball Entry Draft this summer, or stay in school and pursue his football career with the Huskers. Details about the negotiations between the Royals and Starling’s agent, Scott Boras, have been scarce, with the few reports that do exist suggesting that Boras is asking for a signing bonus of around 10 million dollars for Starling’s services. Starling has been in Lincoln working out with the Huskers, though he is not eligible to practice with them. The Huskers will return to the practice field today to resume two-a-days while they await Starling’s decision.
Rockies Set Record For Sunday Futility With Another Loss
The Colorado Rockies’ Sunday futility has reached historic proportions. The Rockies lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 in St. Louis last night, their seventeenth consecutive loss on a Sunday. That sets an all-time Major League record for Sunday defeats, breaking the record set by Philadelphia Phillies teams in 1927, 1928, and 1960. The Rockies took an early 2-0 lead after a solo homer by Mark Ellis and RBI single by Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning, but the Cardinals responded with four runs in their half of the first inning and never trailed again. Esmil Rogers gave up four runs in his five innings of work to take the loss. The Rockies return to Denver tonight to open a three-game series against the Florida Marlins. ESPN Radio 1410 has Rockies baseball tonight with pregame coverage starting at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.
Husker Women’s Basketball Wraps Up Scandinavian Tour
The Nebraska women’s basketball team wrapped up their tour of Scandinavia with a 101-87 victory over the Danish National Team yesterday, their third win in four games on the trip. Sophomore Jordan Hooper led the way for the Husker ladies with 33 points and eight rebounds. The forward from Alliance averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game in the four games played. Junior point guard Lindsey Moore chipped in 12 points, nine assists and three steals, while freshmen Tear’a Loudermill and Brandi Jeffrey each scored nine points. Freshman Emily Cady, from Seward, had four points and seven rebounds. She was the Huskers’ other double-figure scorer on the trip, averaging 14 points per game. The Husker women open their season with a home game on Saturday, November 12.
Huskers Begin Two-A-Days
Two-a-days have begun for the Nebraska football team. The Huskers practiced for two hours this morning for their first practice of the day. Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini spoke to the media after practice and says he’s encouraged by the progress of his players. “We’ve got our whole package in,” Pelini said. “In different days, (we’re) trying to focus on different aspects of it, maybe lean toward a certain place, but it’s all in and just honing it up now. We’re probably a week ahead of where we’ve ever been at this point. But the guys, they know the system better, they’re more experienced with it and they picked it up fast and they’re handling it pretty well. (There are) still some busts out there, but we’d rather correct it full speed than teach it on the chalkboard.” Pelini said he instructed his players to be very physical in the day’s first workout and that they will probably dial it back to less than full speed in the afternoon session. Nebraska wraps up their first full week of fall camp on Saturday, three weeks away from their season opener.
Rockies Open Series In St. Louis (TONIGHT on ESPN 1410 AM)
The Colorado Rockies continue their road trip through the midwest with a stop in St. Louis this weekend for a three-game series against the Cardinals. It’s the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Rockies are coming off a four-game series split in Cincinnati that saw them win the first two games before losing the final two. The Cardinals lost two of three to the Milwaukee Brewers and trail the Brewers by four games in the National League Central race. Aaron Cook is on the mound for the Rockies tonight. Cook has pitched well lately but the Rockies haven’t scored a run while he’s been on the mound in his last two starts. Kyle Lohse takes the ball for St. Louis. Hear the action between the Rockies and the Cardinals tonight on ESPN Radio 1410. Pregame coverage starts at 6:30 with the first pitch at 7:15.
Husker Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Released
The Nebraska men’s basketball program released their 11-game non-conference schedule today, a slate that features eight home games and three tilts against Big Six conference teams. The marquee visitors to the Devaney Center include Wake Forest, who take on the Huskers on November 30 as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and Oregon, who makes the trek to Lincoln on November 23. Oregon is coached by former Creighton boss and Wilber native Dale Altman. Nebraska will also host South Dakota, their season-opening opponent on November 11; Rhode Island, South Dakota State, Florida Gulf Coast, Alcorn State, and Central Michigan. Nebraska’s biggest road game is a trip to USC on November 14. The Huskers will also visit Creighton and TCU. Nebraska will play 18 games inside the Big Ten this season.