run. Duensing and Jensen combined on a three-hit shutout to give NU a 1–0 win over the Bears and the Huskers’ fourth Big 12 Tourney crown since 1999 and winning the regular-season and tournament titles in the same season for the second time in school history (2001). Never was the Huskers’ true spirit more evident than on college baseball's grandest stage – the College World Series in Omaha. Trailing 5–3 in the ninth inning, the Huskers were down to their last at-bat, looking to extend the most successful season in school history. As they had done 20 times during the season, Nebraska began to rally, opening the inning with two hits before Alex Gordon's RBI single pulled NU within 5-4. Two batters later, freshman Andy Gerch provided one of the most memorable moments in school history, sending an 0–2 pitch into the left-field bleachers, giving the Huskers a 7–5 lead. Alas, the lead was short-lived, as Arizona State scored twice in the bottom of the ninth – including a game-tying homer by Jeff Larish – before ending one of the most memorable games in recent CWS history two innings later for an 8–7 ASU win. For Head Coach Mike Anderson, the heart shown by the Huskers was a characteristic that he saw develop throughout the year. "This was a resilient group all year long," Anderson said. "We fought and fought, and it didn’t surprise me at all that we scored those runs in the ninth." While its resiliency allowed the Huskers to never be out of a contest, Anderson credited the team's selflessness as the catalyst for going from eighth to first in the Big 12 and returning to the College World Series for the first time since 2002. For Nebraska's eight seniors, 2005 capped a remarkable five-year run in which NU won 237 games, claimed three Big 12 titles and made three College World Series appearances. "We’re at the World Series this year because we had a group of young men that gave of themselves for their team," Anderson said. "It's the most unique group of young men that I’ve ever been around. They bought into the team concept. They understood the team concept and got to where they are at because of the team concept. I can’t say how proud I am of them." A total of six Huskers were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player