Husker baseball fans celebrate Erstad, Komine, Gordon at jersey retirement ceremony

Ordinarily, a March night baseball game at Haymarket Park wouldn’t have fans buzzing before first pitch.

Friday was no ordinary day, though. It marked a significant moment for both the Nebraska baseball program and its fans, as three of NU’s greatest players had their jerseys retired in a pregame ceremony before the Huskers’ game against Illinois.

Darin Erstad, Shane Komine and Alex Gordon became the first players in the team’s 117-year history to have their jerseys retired.

“It’s really cool to see all these legends in person and see the history of the program,” said Anthony Alfieri, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student and Husker baseball fan. “Hopefully, it helps to inspire some of the future of the program, too.”

Erstad starred for the Huskers in 1993-95 and ended his collegiate career as the program’s all-time leader in hits. He went on to have a successful professional career before returning to coach the Huskers from 2011-19.

Komine is widely regarded as one of the best pitchers in school history. He went 41-8 in his Husker career (1999-2002), with a 2.84 earned-run average. Komine, who was the first two-time first-team All-American in NU history, also enjoyed a stint in the majors.

He came all the way from his hometown of Honolulu to attend Friday’s ceremony, which fans like Jeff Tedder, a teacher from Omaha, appreciated.

“For them to be here is really cool and we’re happy to honor them as best as we can,” Tedder said.

Both Tedder and Alfieri said Gordon, who played for NU from 2003-05, was their favorite player of the trio — both are fans of the Kansas City Royals, who Gordon spent his entire 14-year professional career with.

“Gordon was a Husker and a Royal, and with them being my two favorite teams it definitely hit close to home,” Tedder said. “Seeing him play in college and watching his whole career in Kansas City was really awesome.”

For Alfieri, deciding to see Gordon’s jersey retirement in person was an easy choice.

“I go to a good chunk of Nebraska baseball games, but I definitely felt that I had to come to this one for the festivities,” he said. “Didn’t wanna miss it.”

As the ceremony began, fans stood and applauded as Erstad, Komine and Gordon were presented with a framed jersey. In the meantime, a montage played on the big screen documenting their career highlights.

Their numbers were also displayed in their permanent location along the left-field wall.

Tedder said Friday’s ceremony was a long time coming.

“I didn’t realize that their jerseys weren’t already retired,” Tedder said. “It’s pretty cool to come out and be a part of history.”