SportsLine.com staff

Rice vs. Nebraska
Host: Nebraska Stadium: Buck Beltzer Stadium(4,900) Super Regionals hosted: 1 (2001)
How they got here: Won Houston regional Overall record: 47-18 WAC record (rank): 26-10 (1st) Tournament appearances: 7 Last appearance: 2000 Best finish: Fifth, CWS (1999) Coach: Wayne Graham Career record, years at Rice: 426-196, 10 years	How they got here: Won Lincoln regional Overall record: 48-14 Big 12 record (rank): 20-8 (1st) Tournament appearances: 7 Last appearance: 2000 Best finish: Super Regional (2000) Coach: Dave Van Horn Career record, years at Nebraska: 165-69, 4 years
Regional rundown: Rice blew a 9-0 lead to Baylor and fell 11-10, forcing it to win two games on Sunday and one on Monday to claim its second regional title in three years. The Owls scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a throwing error, a wild pitch on an intentional walk and a base hit by star shortstop Eric Arnold, giving them a 5-4 championship game win over the Bears.	Regional rundown: Nebraska hit seven home runs, two each by John Cole and Jeff Leise, en route to a 36-run outburst against Northern Iowa and Rutgers pitching over a three-game stretch. Leise earned MVP honors, fueling the Huskers' attack in both the leadoff spot and at the bottom of the order.
Best-case scenario: Rice's Kenny Baugh silences Nebraska's sizzling bats in the opening game, sending them into a series-long slump. The Owls, having already stared elimination right in the face, play loose in front of a hostile crowd and spoil 'Husker plans for a walk over to Omaha.	Best-case scenario: Nebraska overwhelms Rice with an offensive arsenal the Owls aren't used to seeing in the WAC and its own pitching problems become a non-issue. With a sea of red expected at Buck Beltzer, the Huskers won't lack motivation to bury the Owls quickly.
Worst-case scenario: Rice's problems against Baylor stemmed primarily from four errors in an 11-10 loss that sent it to the loser's bracket. Sloppy play won't get Rice very far in Lincoln, as Nebraska's offense doesn't need the help. Giving the Huskers extra outs to play with is a bad idea.	Worst-case scenario: Aside from Komine, Nebraska doesn't have the arms needed to survive close contests against college baseball's best. If Rice manages to scrape out a victory against Komine in the opener, the Huskers will have no room for error with an error-prone pitching staff.
Probable pitching rotation: Jon Skaggs (9-3, 2.34, 106 Ks) Kenny Baugh (13-2, 1.96, 152 Ks) Steven Herce (6-1, 2.37, 63 Ks) Bullpen: Philip Barzilla (3-3, 3.10, 10 saves) Philip Tribe (4-2, 3.21, 79 Ks) Jonathan Gonzalez (5-1, 3.17, 45 Ks)	Probable pitching rotation: Shane Komine (13-1, 3.53, 136 Ks) R.D. Spiehs (8-3, 4.86, 75 Ks) Brian Rodaway (4-2, 5.37, 30 Ks) Bullpen: Thom Ott (4-2, 4.08, 11 saves) Steve Hale (5-0, 4.30, 2 saves) Jamie Rodrigue (6-3, 6.46, 59 Ks)
Probable lineup: Austin Davis, LF (.355, 6 HR, 29 RBI) A.J. Porfirio, CF (.339, 9 HR, 52 RBI) Eric Arnold, SS (.333, 15 HR, 65 RBI) Hunter Brown, 3B (.344, 7 HR, 44 RBI) Phillip Ghutzman, C (.268, 4 HR, 34 RBI) Jesse Roman, 1B (.293, 6 HR, 67 RBI) Billy Jacobson, DH (.315, 0 HR, 6 RBI) Mike Lorsbach, RF (.282, 4 HR, 29 RBI) Matt Fox, 2B (.271, 2 HR, 21 RBI)	Probable lineup: John Cole, LF (.421, 9 HR, 55 RBI) Adam Stern, RF (.302, 5 HR, 41 RBI) Matt Hopper, DH (.370, 11 HR, 83 RBI) Dan Johnson, 1B (.364, 24 HR, 84 RBI) Jeff Blevins, 3B (.320, 2 HR, 44 RBI) John Hesse, 2B (.298, 1 HR, 19 RBI) Jed Morris, C (.362, 6 HR, 41 RBI) Will Bolt, SS (.266, 2 HR, 29 RBI) Jeff Leise, CF (.387, 7 HR, 46 RBI)