Nebraska’s affiliation with the Big Ten Conference means more televised sporting events on the conference’s television outlet, Big Ten Network. The Nebraska volleyball team will reap those benefits this coming season, as five of their matches will be televised. Nebraska’s first ever conference match, against four-time defending national champion Penn State at the NU Coliseum, will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network on September 21^st. The Huskers’ home matches against Minnesota and Illinois, and road matches at Minnesota and Penn State, will also be broadcast. ESPN2 will carry a pair of Husker volleyball matches as well, on October 2^ndat Michigan and October 9^thagainst Indiana. The Husker volleyball team made just two appearances on national television all of last season.

Current Nebraska head basketball coach Doc Sadler and former coach Danny Nee are among a long list of college coaches that had financial ties to a Houston man who was found dead of an apparent suicide on Sunday. David Salinas, an investment advisor and founder of a prominent summer basketball program in the Houston area, was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraudulent practices that may have cost his investors, many of whom were prominent head basketball coaches, millions of dollars. CBS Sports has confirmed the ties between Sadler and Nee and Salinas, as well as involvement from other coaches including former Arizona head coach Lute Olson and Texas Tech coach Billy Gillespie. Sadler signed Antonio Edwards out of Salinas’ Houston Select program in 2008. He has thus far declined comment.

The Colorado Rockies stars shone brightest at Coors Field last night as they ripped the Atlanta Braves 12-3 to snap a three-game losing streak. Troy Tulowitzki got the offense going with a three-run home run in the first inning, and Carlos Gonzalez added a two-run homer in the second inning to help the Rockies off to a fast start. The two big flies provided plenty of offense for Ubaldo Jimenez, who worked six and two thirds innings, allowing two runs and striking out nine for his third straight victory and sixth of the season. Dexter Fowler added a three-run triple to help the winning cause. The Rockies beat the Braves for the first time in six tries with the win. They play game three of their four game set in Denver tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action with pregame coverage at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.

The Nebraska baseball program has their second commitment to Darin Erstad’s first recruiting class. Justin Black, a center fielder from Billings, Montana, will be a part of the Husker baseball class of 2012. There is no spring baseball season in Montana, but Black has shone bright this summer in Legion competition for the Billings Scarlets, batting .462 with six home runs and 21 steals. Black was one of 144 players invited to try out for Team USA this summer. He had also drawn interest from Arizona, UCLA, Virginia Tech and Oregon State. The previous commitment to Erstad’s squad had a change of heart from his original school and sport. Quentin Urban, an outfielder from Millard North High School, declined a scholarship to South Dakota State for football in order to pledge to Husker baseball.

The Colorado Rockies 2011 season is spiraling ever downwards, and the Atlanta Braves are a big part of the reason why. The Rockies have lost nine of their last thirteen games, including five to the Braves, with last night’s 7-4 defeat in Denver the latest setback. Tonight the Rockies and Braves play game two of their four-game series at Coors Field. Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound looking for his second win since the All-Star break and his third home victory of the season. The Braves will start Brandon Beachy. The rookie righthander faces the Rockies for the first time. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in his last nine outings. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action between the Rockies and Braves tonight. Pregame coverage starts at 7:05 with the first pitch at 7:40.

Preseason honors keep piling up for the Nebraska football team. Yesterday, Jared Crick was named to the Walter Camp Award watch list. The defensive tackle from Cozad is one of only ten defensive players to be named to the watch list for this award, given to the country’s best player. Crick returns after an All-American junior campaign that saw him record 70 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and nine and a half sacks. Three other Huskers have taken home the Walter Camp Award – Eric Crouch in 2001, Mike Rozier in 1983, and Johnny Rogers in 1972. Crick has now been named to the preseason watch lists for five postseason trophies, including the Bednarik, Outland, Lombardi and Nagurski Trophies. A total of eight Huskers have been named to the preseason watch lists for 12 postseason awards.

The Colorado Rockies are sick at the sight of Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves. The 21 year-old first baseman had three hits and three RBI as the Braves topped the Rockies 7-4 in Denver last night for their fifth win in five matchups this season. Freeman is now 11-20 against the Rockies this season. Jason Hammel allowed six runs, four earned, in five innings of work to earn the loss. Offensively, Todd Helton drove in two of the Rockies four runs, and Troy Tulowitzki and Chris Iannetta had two hits apiece. The Rockies are now a season-high 10 and a half games off the pace in the National League West. The Rockies and Braves play game two of their series in Denver tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 has the call with pregame coverage starting at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.

The second season for the Omaha Nighthawks is in jeopardy, as is the future of their league. The UFL announced last night that it would be pushing back the start of their 2011 season on hold, pushing back the start of training camps one month and delaying the start of their season until early September. Training camps had been scheduled to open today but now will be held back until August 15th, with the regular season beginning play on September 10th. The National Football Post last night reported that financial problems are to blame for the delay of the start of training camp and that teams were beginning to send players home from their camps. The league still plans to play a full eight-game schedule in what is set to be their third season of operation.