Houston in the first game of a doubleheader; Houston head coach Lovette Hill earned his 300th victory in the second game, also 4–3. Sharpe retired in 1977 following a 29–13 season that was the program's best in decades. John Sanders was named Sharpe's replacement after serving for two seasons as an assistant coach. Athletic director Bob Devaney credited Sanders for revitalizing Sharpe's program, which finished 1977 with a school-record twenty-nine wins. Sanders's tenure began in the same way Sharpe's did; the Cornhuskers twice appeared in the NCAA Tournament and won the Big Eight Conference in 1980. NU finished the 1980 season ranked fourteenth in the inaugural year of the Baseball America weekly poll. In Nebraska's May 3, 1980 victory over Kansas, pitcher Cliff Faust retired all twenty-one Jayhawks batters who came to the plate, the second perfect game in school history. Faust allowed only five balls hit out of the infield, including a sinking line drive that became the final out of the game when left fielder Joe Scherger made a diving catch. Sanders was very well-liked by players and supporters, and was sometimes known as "Big Red" due to his imposing stature and red hair. Following his death in 2022, Sanders was praised by former player Jeff Rhein, an African-American, for his support following a 1991 incident in which several Huskers were the target of racial slurs. Under Sanders, Darin Erstad became the No. 1 selection in the 1995 MLB Draft. Despite his popularity and passion for baseball, Sanders's program stalled after a promising start in the same way his predecessor Sharpe's did. After winning the Big Eight in 1980, Nebraska finished nationally ranked three more times under Sanders and appeared in the 1985 NCAA Tournament, but never won another conference championship. Sanders was fired following Nebraska's first season in the Big 12 Conference, departing the school with a 767–453–1 record across twenty years. He had only two losing seasons, including his final one. Sanders's 767 wins stood as a school record for any sport until softball coach Rhonda Revelle won her 768th game in 2013. Rise to national prominence Northwestern State head coach Dave Van Horn was hired to replace Sanders just thirty-five days before the 1998 season. In his second season, the Cornhuskers won the program's first conference tournament title, and first championship of any kind since 1950. NU reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time