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Spring 2009 (see below)

Stories listed in reverse chronological order (newest at top)

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NSAA Official Explains Restrictions Regarding Beginning of Summer Season
Friday, May 8, 2009, updated May 12, 2009, 7:34am

Correspondence from NSAA Assistant Director Jim Angele, who oversees baseball for the organization, was sent out to high school baseball coaches across the state after a phone conversation with the American Legion's Athletic Committee Chairman Don Kiviniemi, Jr. earlier this week to remind them that NSAA rules impose certain date restrictions on when teams and players can start preparing for the summer season.
Prep Hands Westside Second Loss of Week to Claim Don Kraft Championship
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Creighton Prep avenged an early season one-run loss to Westside by shutting out the Warriors to claim an 8-0 victory in the Championship Game of the Millard South Don Kraft Invitational Tournament on Saturday.  The Junior Jays handed Husker signee Chris Williams his first loss of the season by jumping out to a four run lead in the first inning.  Jeff McNichols and Kyle Kubat had the big blows in the inning;  McNichols doubled in a run following an error that would have ended the inning, and Kubat followed with a two-run single.   Starter Ryan Briggs (five innings) and McNichols (two innings) combined for a two-hitter.  Westside committed four errors in the game.  Williams went the distance for the Warriors, striking out ten.  It was the second loss of the week for the #1 ranked Warriors, whose twenty-three game win streak ended with a 1-0 home loss to Papillion LaVista South on Tuesday, and the first shutout of the Warriors on the season. 
Papillion-LaVista South Wins Bellevue West Tourney with Bougher's No Hitter
Saturday, May 2, 2009

The Papillion-LaVista Titans (25-4) claimed the Championship of the 2009 Bellevue West Invitational Tournament Saturday on the strength of two complete game shutout performances by senior pitchers Stephen Bougher and Eli Nelson.  Bougher, a senior righthander, threw his fourth straight shutout in a no-hitter against Class B #1 Elkhorn.  Evan Connell, Brian Donohoe, Eli Nelson, and Stephen Bougher led the offensive attack for the Titans, combining for eight hits and five runs batted in as the Titans blanked the Antlers, 6-0, for the title. 

Southeast Wins Ralston Tournament
Saturday, May 2, 2009

The Lincoln Southeast Knights (17-6) won their second tournament of the spring with a 7-4 win Friday night over Omaha Skutt Catholic in the Championship Game of the Curt Shockey Invitational Tournament hosted by Ralston.

Olsons, McDevitts Inducted into Omaha Sports Hall of Fame
Thursday, April 30, 2009

Two of the greatest names in Nebraska baseball - Olson and McDevitts - were honored at the 3rd Annual Omaha Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Wednesday evening, April 29 at the Durham Museum.  Legendary coach Bill Olson, and his son Gregg, who was one of Major League Baseball's premier relievers during a fourteen-year career, were inducted alongside the first-ever team to enter the hall -- the 1939 Omaha McDevitts.

Beatrice Wins River Cities Conference Tournament

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Antlers, Warriors and Knights Claim Conference Tournament Titles

Sunday, April 19, 2009

In a weekend packed with conference tournament action, Elkhorn won the first-ever Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament with a furious comeback, Westside repeated as the Metro Tournament Champions and Lincoln Southeast avenged an early season loss to crosstown rival Southwest.  And, most importantly, the weather was just good enough to allow the tournaments to be completed on schedule.

Conference Tournaments Get Underway Thursday

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

As a sign that the spring high school baseball season is rapidly advancing (unfortunately, faster than the thermometer), twenty-eight teams will take the field this weekend to compete in three conference tournaments. 

 

The Big Daddy of the weekend is the sixteen-team Metro Conference Tournament which begins tomorrow with eight first-round games at four locations.  Weather permitting, the tournament's nineteen scheduled games will be played over the course of three days --  Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Due to rain, last year's Tournament Championship game was played almost a week after the semifinals.  This year's number one seed, the Westside Warriors, are the defending champs, having defeated Millard West last year to earn the crown. 

#1 Westside Sweeps To Wildcat Invite Title

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The top-ranked Westside Warriors combined  pitching, fielding and timely hitting to defeat three Top Ten Class A teams en route to winning the championship of the 2009 Wildcat Invitational.  It wasn't always pretty or perfect, but in the end the Warriors prevailed.

Nebraska City Ace Ehlers Dominates #2 Skutt with Sixteen Strikeout Performance

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Nebraska City southpaw Logan Ehlers threw his third no-hitter of the season as the junior phenom dominated the lineup of Class B #2 Skutt in a 7-0 complete game shutout at Skutt Tuesday evening.  Ehlers struck out sixteen SkyHawks and allowed only two batters to reach base -- both on walks.  Ryan Leonardo drew a second-inning base on balls but was picked off on the next pitch with a quick sidearm throw by Ehlers that led to a 1-3-6 putout.  Jaime Johnson was stranded at first after drawing a one-out walk in the fifth when the next two batters were fanned.  Only three balls were put in play all night by the SkyHawks.  Corey Stringer and John Keck both grounded back to the mound, where Ehlers fielded the ball and threw to first for the out.  A third ball was put into play in the bottom of the seventh, and we are currently running down the name of that hitter.  The Nebraska City defense was perfect behind Ehlers Tuesday evening as the #4 ranked Pioneers improved to 7-1.
Baseball Programs Compete For Players, Respect, Wins

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

After only six freshmen showed up for baseball tryouts earlier this season, Lincoln High Head Coach Todd Sandberg started trolling the hallways of the Star City's oldest high school, looking for recruitment candidates.  The sixth-year coach found three more recruits, one of whom had a broken leg and another who was a girl.    "Our student body here at Lincoln High is becoming much more international with a growing Hispanic population and even a fairly large contingent of Iraqis," observed Sandberg.  "As a result, there seem to be fewer kids coming out for baseball while soccer is doing very well.  This spring , for the first time ever, we actually had more kids at LHS try out for soccer than for baseball."
Wildcat Invite and Gator Classic to Feature Top Teams This Weekend

Monday, April 6, 2009

After cold weather wiped out invitational tournaments the past two weekends, baseball fans are hoping to snap the losing streak this weekend.  With high temperatures in the fifties and sixties for the upcoming weekend, there is a good chance that the Wildcat Invite at Millard West (Thursday - Saturday) and the Lincoln North Star Gator Invite at Sherman Field (Saturday) will go forward as scheduled.  That's good news for fans who are looking forward seeing some of the top-ranked teams go head-to-head during the weekend prior to the midseason Metro Conference Tournament and Heartland Athletic Conference.
Compromise Contest Limits Proposal is Passed by NSAA Representative Assembly

April 3, 2009

According to information received from Omaha World Herald reporter Stu Pospisil, one of only two media members allowed to attend the 2009 Representative Assembly Meeting in Lincoln this morning, the delegates to the Assembly approved compromise legislation that will place a twenty-four "date" limit on the scheduling of baseball games, beginning with the 2010 season.  The proposal that was adopted keeps in placed the maximum of four tournaments, other than districts and state, that may be played by a team.  Thus, the limit will be 24 games, including 4 tournaments. 

 

Immediately after entering the delegate meeting room to observe the Assembly's deliberations on the contest limits proposal, your reporter, who holds NSAA-issued media credentials, was promptly told to leave and was escorted to the lobby on the grounds that "the meeting room was too small to accommodate media other than the Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha World Herald".  Therefore, we have no further details regarding the origins of the compromise proposal and why the hoped for number of votes needed to vote down baseball contest limits did not materialize.  We will provide further information as details become available. 

 

| Summary of Action Taken Regarding Contest Limits Proposal |

NSAA Representative Assembly To Vote Friday on Baseball Contest Limits

April 2, 2009

The Nebraska School Activities Association Representative Assembly will meet on Friday, April 3, in Lincoln to consider various proposals that have advanced through a preliminary legislative process in the six NSAA Districts during the past several months.  On the Agenda for consideration by the forty-nine delegates who are expected to attend the meeting is a proposal which seeks to impose a cap on the maximum number of dates on which baseball games can be played during the spring high school season.  If passed by a 3/5th majority of the delegates (30) during voting on Friday, the proposal would go into effect for the 2009-2010 school year. 

Southwest Squeezes Southeast in Sherman Showdown

April 1, 2009

Lincoln Southwest Head Coach Doug Kaltenberger didn't hesitate.  "I didn't think twice," he said after the game.  With one out in the bottom of seventh, the game tied at one apiece and Dustin Bloch standing at third base, representing the winning run for the Silver Hawks, "Coach K" called on sophomore Taylor Doggett to get a bunt down on a Josh Scheffert fastball as he sent Bloch racing towards home on a suicide squeeze.  His young rightfielder executed the bunt perfectly, pushing it towards the first base line. Bloch slid home safely for the winning run as the throw from Scheffert came in late.  Southwest 2, Southeast 1. (click link above for the rest of the story)

Season's Second Full Week Starts with Exciting Games

March 30, 2009

Sandwiched between last weekend's weather-related cancellations and Tuesday's forecast for more cold weather, Monday's contests glittered with promise of what baseball fans hope to see more of once the weather conditions improve.   The gem that shone most brightly on Monday was a pitchers' duel at Westside where two of the state's top senior righthanders, the Warriors' Chris Williams and Millard South's Dylan Vogt, went head-to-head.  (click link above for the rest of the story)

Westside Sophomore Danny Dunn Stars in Prep Shootout

March 26, 2009

Sprinting towards third in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 4-4 ballgame against Prep after ripping a line drive past a diving Kyle Kubat in left field, Westside sophomore Danny Dunn saw third base coach Bob Greco  swinging his arm wildly in big circles, waving the young ballplayer home in an effort to win the ballgame -- right here, right now.   (click link above for the rest of the story)

Winners in Both Dugouts as New Teams Take the Field

March 24, 2009

Despite the 4-3 final score in favor of Waverly, both the Vikings and Yutan Chieftains were winners Tuesday afternoon at Itan Park in Yutan.  Players blew on tingling red fingers to warm them on a chilly, gray March afternoon, then took the field to compete for their high schools for the third time this season, a routine act that most spring season ballplayers and their families take for granted.  But for Waverly and Yutan players every game of the 2009 season is the result of a hard-earned victory that has already been recorded in the scorebook.  (click link above for the rest of the story)

Ehlers Throws Perfect Seven-Inning Game in Season Opener

March 20, 2009

After bursting onto the Nebraska high school baseball scene with a state-leading 112 strikeouts as a sophomore, big things were expected from  Nebraska City lefthander Logan Ehlers this season.  But, throwing a perfect seven-inning ballgame with fifteen strikeouts against a quality Lincoln Pius team  in the Pioneers' season opener probably surpasses what anyone expected of the young man, especially considering that he is just coming off  a long basketball season.  Nevertheless, that's exactly what the junior southpaw did Friday evening at Densmore Park in Lincoln as the Pioneers recorded a 1-0 win over the Thunderbolts.  (click link above for the rest of the story)

Welcome to the Spring Edition!

 

Here's a quick guide to how things will be organized this season.  Click on the Baseball Today link to get your daily dose of schedule information and scores.  As each day passes, the game information for that day is moved to the "Baseball Today Archives" which can be accessed from the Baseball Today page. 

 

To access schedules, rosters and season previews for each team, use the "Teams" link and select a team from the list. 

 

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Baseball Nebraska, Inc.

Jack Mayfield, Executive Director

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