The 2008 baseball season is only a couple of months old, and Nebraska is already nitpicking.
But the Cornhuskers have their reasons. Like their upcoming showdown with No. 13-ranked Texas this weekend.
The No. 15 Huskers (19-3-1) begin a three-game series in Austin, Texas, today against the nationally-touted Longhorns (17-6). First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Despite winning 18 of its last 20 games, Nebraska isn't going in flawless. Players and coaches have been critiquing every last detail in recent outings.
Last week it was finishing games. This week it's avoiding sluggishness. Whatever gets in the
way of the Huskers' pursuit of perfection on the field.
"We play nine innings," said NU senior catcher Mitch Abeita, "and there are some times when we let up on an inning, and we don't stay with the same approach as we want every inning. Sometimes we don't know what we're doing."
Emphasis on "sometimes." NU hasn't revealed many flaws in the first months of the season, rolling through all but one series as of this week. The exception came during the first weekend of the year, when Stanford won two of three games on its home field.
That was in late February, when question marks were expected. NU's recent hot streak erased many of those blemishes.
Or so it seemed. After the Huskers fell behind 2-0 in Wednesday's game against Northern Colorado, NU Coach Mike Anderson sounded both surprised and disappointed.
And that was despite the fact that NU went on to win 9-4
"We kind of have avoided (early deficits)," Anderson said. "We've had little things. But when they have popped up, they've cost us games."
Yet the Huskers have steered clear of falling behind opponents. On March 21, they tripped into a 2-0 deficit against Oklahoma before eventually winning 4-2.
You have to go back to March 4 before finding another early hole by the Huskers. That's when Nebraska-Kearney escaped the first inning with a 2-1 lead over its in-state rival.
The advantage didn't last long, as the Huskers went on to an 11-2 win.
"For the most part, we've handled ourselves pretty good in situations," Abeita said. "But there are the points that kind of remind us, 'Hey, this is something we have to keep working on.'"
His coach is quick to explain some of those areas: solid pitches, fundamental fielding - anything that comes naturally with a little bit of focus.
Fighting adversity qualifies for that list, which is one reason the Huskers have avoided trouble when they've actually hit a rut.
"It's something we plan for, getting down early like that," said NU junior outfielder Nick Sullivan. "You got to know there's a lot of ballgame left. A lot can happen. You just got to stay calm, stay relaxed, just kind of go about your business the way you would in a tie game."
Such a mentality could be useful this weekend. Texas has the second-best hitting average in the Big 12 Conference (.325), while Nebraska ranks only sixth (.294). The Longhorns, though, have had some trouble fielding.
They've committed a league-worst 39 errors so far.
But the Huskers aren't obsessing about opponent statistics. They have their own numbers to worry about and their own areas to improve.
And it's better to start earlier than later.
"We can't just sit back and win," Abeita said. "We have a process we go through to win - make plays, get hits, make pitches. The whole thing."
michaelmchale@dailynebraskan.com
