With the win, SMS improved to 38-24 on the season and claimed the first NCAA Regional title in school history. The Huskers finished the season with a 47-18 record and fell one win short of its fourth straight Super Regional.

The Bears will advance to next weekend�s Super Regional series with the Ohio State Buckeyes, who swept through the Auburn Regional with a 9-7 win over the Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon. The site of that Super Regional series will be determined on Monday by the NCAA.

Zimmermann�s masterful performance stunned the 7,456 fans at Hawks Field, who saw the Huskers get shut out for the first time at home since May 14, 1994 (Iowa State, 2-0 at Buck Beltzer Stadium), and the first time in 331 games dating back to May 3, 1998 at Texas (8-0) that the Huskers had been shut out in any game. Nebraska�s streak of 330 games without being shut out was the fourth-longest scoring streak in NCAA history.

Nebraska�s only legitimate scoring threat came in the eighth inning, as Daniel Bruce led off with a single before John Grose followed with a one-out single to give the Huskers runners at first and third. But Jake Mullinax fouled out to the first baseman and Jeff Leise grounded out to short to end the threat. Bruce was the only Husker base runner to reach beyond first base in the game for the Huskers.

Zimmermann improved to 5-3 on the season, striking out seven Huskers without issuing a single walk in a 121-pitch performance. The Creve Coeur, Mo., native was also named the NCAA Lincoln Regional Most Valuable Player.

While Zimmermann silenced the NU bats, the SMS offense found production up and down the lineup. Eight Bear hitters recorded at least one hit, led by a 3-for-4 effort at the plate by Shaun Marcum and a 3-for-5 game for Brooks Colvin. Marcum (shortstop/pitcher) and Colvin (third base) both joined Zimmermann on the all-tournament team.

Tony Piazza provided the biggest blow for the Bears with his solo home run to lead off the sixth inning to cap his perfect 2-for-2 game at the plate. Piazza, who was named to the all-tournament team as a catcher, added a sacrifice fly to drive in the Bears� first run of the game in the second inning. He also scored the Bears� fourth run of the game after leading off the fourth inning with a single, and was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning.

Center fielder Dant�e Brinkley, pitcher Brad Ziegler and designated hitter Clay Wheeler rounded out SMS�s representatives on the all-tournament team.

Husker starter Phil Shirek took the loss on the mound, surrendering three earned runs on four hits in just 2.2 innings of work. Shirek fell to 5-3 on the season.

The Bears scratched together their first run in the second inning off Shirek, as Wheeler and Marcum singled, before advancing on Greg Mathis� sacrifice bunt. Piazza followed with a sacrifice fly to center to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

SMS added a pair of runs in the third inning off Shirek, as Scott Nasby led off with a single. Shirek struck out Brinkley and Colvin, before walking Rick Wilson and hitting Wheeler to load the bases. Marcum then greeted reliever Steve Hale with a two-out RBI single from Marcum.

Hale struck out Mathis to end the inning, but the Bears struck for two more runs in the fourth, as Piazza and Adam Pummill started things off with singles before advancing on Nasby�s sacrifice bunt. Brinkley drove in Piazza with a groundout to shortstop, and Colvin followed with an RBI single to give the Bears a 5-0 lead.

Grose was the only Husker to record two hits off Zimmermann, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Joe Simokaitis, Matt Hopper and Bruce were the only other Huskers to manage hits. All five NU hits were singles.

Hopper (first base) and Bruce (outfield) led NU�s four-player contingent on the all-tournament team. They were joined by Mullinax (second base) and Curtis Ledbetter (outfield).

GAME NOTES

• *The Huskers got shut out for the first time at home since May 14, 1994 (Iowa State, 2-0 at Buck Beltzer Stadium), and the first time in 331 games dating back to May 3, 1998 at Texas (8-0) that the Huskers had been shut out in any game. Nebraska�s streak of 330 games without being shut out was the fourth-longest scoring streak in NCAA history.

• Nebraska falls to 22-17 in eight NCAA postseason appearances.

• Nebraka�s 47 wins tied for the sixth-highest total in school history and marked the fourth straight year that NU has won 47 or more games in a season.

• The Husker senior class of Jeff Leise, Matt Hopper, Steve Hale, Jamie Rodrigue and Josh Birmingham (2002-03) won a school-record 195 games over the past four years

• Matt Hopper finished his career holding school and Big 12 record in hits (338), runs scored (246), homers (64) and RBIs (271).

• Jeff Leise finished his career second in hits (305), runs scored (210) and triples (20).

• Jamie Rodrigue�s win earlier today was his 23rd of his career, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on NU�s career wins list. The senior from St. Clair, Mo., finished his career ranked second in innings pitched (.296.2) and starts (53) and sixth in strikeouts (200).

• Nebraska hitters were hit a school-record 103 times this season, the sixth-highest total in NCAA history, as five players (Jake Mullinax, 17; Daniel Bruce 14; Alex Gordon, 11; Brandon Fusilier 11 and Joe Simokaitis) all reached double figures in that category.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson
"First and foremost I want to say congratulations to Southwest Missouri State. They were outstanding today. Zimmermann was great. I�m not sure the last time we were shutout, let alone shut out at home. He pitched first-pitch strikes and got ahead of us. My hat goes out to him and to Keith Guttin. In order to win a regional, you have to go in and take it, and they did.

On NU�s game plan against Zimmermann "The first five innings we tried to attack early. He was throwing first-pitch fastballs and doing a great job at that. Once they got a lead, we went back into our other game plan of make him throw strikes and get his pitch count up, but he was in control."

On Nebraska�s four seniors
"The four seniors in this program have done so much for us. They have done nothing but act in a classy way with integrity, and have played the game hard. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this team - their class, their integrity, their work habits, and their intensity. What this program needs every year is to put ourselves in position to go to Omaha. By winning the conference championship and getting ourselves a regional at home, we did that. But in the game of baseball, you�re not going to win every single game. But we just need to keep ourselves in that position. It�s a tough loss. It�s a tough loss at home. But these kids put this team in a position to do that."

Nebraska outfielder Daniel Bruce
On SMS pitcher Bob Zimmermann
"He threw well and had good command of his stuff. He was in the zone a lot and got ahead of a lot of hitters. We hit some balls hard, and we didn�t get a lot of breaks. I don�t want to take anything away from his performance. Zimmermann was very deserving of the award he was given."

Nebraska first baseman Matt Hopper
On the end of his collegiate career
"It�s very frustrating to know that it was a do or die game, and we gave great effort, but we didn�t give them much of a game. We couldn�t put runs on the board; we couldn�t put any innings together. It was just kind of frustrating that it was our last attempt, and that is what we have to go out with."

Nebraska pitcher Jamie Rodrigue
On losing the regional final game at home
"It�s always tough to lose a regional, especially at home when you fight back through the losers bracket, which is very difficult to do. You�re one game away, and yet I want to give Zimmerman a lot of credit. He threw very well, but it�s difficult for our team, knowing that if we would have played just a little bit harder and gotten a few more breaks, that we might have won."

On his performance in game one
"My goal for today was just to go up there and compete as hard as I could. If this was going to be my last day, just go up there and give it all that I had. I gave up five runs, but I know in my heart that I gave it all that I had. I�m proud of this team and of the players and coaches on this team. It was a great experience."

On playing his last game today
"I was sitting out there in the bullpen in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings and watching. It didn�t really hit me, and I don�t think it will until tomorrow when I turn in my uniform. For Daniel Bruce and the younger guys, they�ll have their day. Today was mine, and I leave knowing that I�m still a Husker."

Nebraska outfielder Jeff Leise
On the end of his collegiate career
"A loss is a loss. Our season is done. My career is done. It�s tough to take right now."

SMS Coach Keith Guttin
Opening statement
"I think we maybe played our finest game of the year in this particular game. We had to beat a great team twice this weekend on their home field, and that was difficult to do and a great accomplishment for our players."

SMS pitcher Bob Zimmermann
On his performance today "I hope I get to do it again next weekend and be able to top it. It was a fun evening for me. I felt like I was hitting my spots good, but after the first inning, I didn�t think I would be able to go much longer because my arm hurt, but then it stopped hurting, and I just kept pitching.I was just hoping to go out there and get five or six innings for us. I was just going with what he (SMS catcher Tony Piazza) called."

SMS catcher Tony Piazza
On Zimmermann�s pitching today
"He doesn�t have too much besides a great fastball, so we just tried to mix both sides of the plate well. I just showed him my glove, and we played catch out there. He probably only threw about 15 off-speed pitches, so he was just working both sides of the plate really well, and with his good fastball, he was very effective.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.