Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.LINCOLN — Nebraska junior Chad Christensen will move back to the infield this weekend while freshman Pat Kelly recovers from a hamstring injury.
Kelly started the season's first two games at short, but left early in Saturday's 10-8 loss to Gonzaga. His timetable for recovery is unclear at this point.
Christensen, who moved to right field during the offseason, was back taking grounders this week for the first time since the fall. He started all 55 games at shortstop last year.
"It wasn't the plan, but a guy goes down and we don't have depth in the infield," coach Darin Erstad said. "Sometimes you've got to make adjustments. His attitude's just been phenomenal."
The Huskers are set to face Utah twice and play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UNLV once each at this weekend's Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Niederklein will try to earn spot in rotation
The experimental role change for junior Tyler Niederklein is over. He'll soon be competing for a starting job once again.
Niederklein, moved to the bullpen before the season, blew a save Saturday, allowing five runs in one-third of an inning. The right-hander had been struggling a bit with the relief routine in practice, too, according to Erstad.
"It wasn't just one outing," Erstad said. "It just never got comfortable for him."
Niederklein won't start this weekend, but he is already able to throw about 60 pitches in relief, according to Erstad. The former Millard West standout recorded a 4.20 ERA during his 13 starts last season.
"Everyone's pretty open-minded here," Niederklein said. "We'll do whatever to help the team win."
Kalkowski misses practice with injury
Junior Kash Kalkowski is day-to-day after suffering a groin injury during practice Tuesday. He sat out of Wednesday's practice.
Kalkowski, a designated hitter and a first baseman, hit a home run and had a team-high three RBIs during the three-game series against Gonzaga.
"We'll see how he is (Thursday) and go from there," Erstad said.
Lemke set to start, will be on pitch count
Junior right-hander Tom Lemke is scheduled to start for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery to remove blood clots in August.
Lemke pitched 2.1 innings against Gonzaga on Sunday and was responsible for two earned runs.
Lemke said he's been pleased with his progress, though he admitted that it does take a bit longer to recover after outings.
"Sunday I was throwing pretty hard and it felt good," he said. "My stuff's probably the best it's ever been."
Lemke, slated to start against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday, will be on a pitch count, according to Erstad. He should be full strength by the conference season in a month.
— Jon Nyatawa
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