With Nebraska's prep baseball teams preparing to begin the second half of their seasons, here at MaxPreps we've decided to comb through our baseball database and display what we believe to be the Top 10 single-game pitching performances so far this spring in the Cornhusker State.
And we were not disappointed. To date, there has been a perfect game and a no-hitter through six innings in which the pitcher struck out at least 11 batters.
It all begins in Wayne where Brooks Kneifl has thrown the school's first perfect game in its history. On April 4, Kneifl blanked Guardian Angels Central Catholic/Scribner-Snyder/West Point-Beemer 1-0 by tossing seven innings and not allowing a base runner while fanning 13 batters.
Kneifl also tossed a one-hitter through six innings in a 6-4 win over Douglas County West on March 29. In that outing, he gave up a pair of walks and struck out 14 while facing 21 batters.
Sitting second is Andrew Johnson of Lincoln Christian who didn't allow a run in a 9-0 win over Maxwell April 4. The 5-foot-10-inch senior right hander didn't allow a hit or a walk through six innings of action but did hit three batters while fanning 11 in his 77-pitch outing.
Drew Iverson of Plattsmouth is third this week after throwing a complete game one-hitter in a 7-0 win over Falls City April 1 while Omaha Bryan's Toby Wingender allowed one hit through five innings in an 18-0 win over Omaha Benson March 25 to take over the No. 4 spot.
Carter Noakes of Central City/Fullerton/Centura High School rounds out our Top 5 after allowing two hits and a walk through 6.2 innings in a 3-0 win over Guardian Angels Central Catholic/Scribner-Snyder/West Point-Beemer March 26. The junior's 17 strikeouts in that performance are a single-game best for the Cornhusker State in 2022.
In order to be considered for this week's Top 10, a pitcher had to fan at least 11 batters in an outing.
Nebraska's Top 10 individual pitching performances
1. Brooks Kneifl, Wayne7 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Walks, 13 Strikeouts, 21 Batters Faced, .000 Opponent Batting Average, 85 Pitches in a 1-0 win over Guardian Angels Central Catholic/Scribner-Snyder/West Point-Beemer, April 4.
2. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln Christian (Lincoln)6 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Walks, 3 Hit Batters, 11 Strikeouts, 21 Batters Faced, .000 Opponent Batting Average, 77 Pitches in a 9-0 win over Maxwell, April 4.
3. Drew Iverson, Plattsmouth7 Innings Pitched, 1 Hit, 15 Strikeouts, 22 Batters Faced, .045 Opponent Batting Average, 88 Pitches in a 7-0 win over Falls City, April 1.
4. Toby Wingender, Bryan (Omaha)5 Innings Pitched, 1 Hit, 1 Walk, 11 Strikeouts, 18 Batters Faced, .059 Opponent Batting Average, 1 Wild Pitch, 64 Pitches in an 18-0 win over Omaha Benson, March 25.
5. Carter Noakes, Central City/Fullerton/Centura (Central City)6.2 Innings Pitched, 2 Hits, 1 Walk, 17 Strikeouts, 22 Batters Faced, .095 Opponent Batting Average, 92 Pitches in a 3-0 win over Guardian Angels Central Catholic/Scribner-Snyder/West Point-Beemer, March 26.
6. Alex Ferrin, Omaha Central (Omaha)7 Innings Pitched, 2 Hits, 12 Strikeouts, 22 Batters Faced, .091 Opponent Batting Average, 78 Pitches in an 8-0 win over Omaha South, April 1.
7. Brody Leyboldt, Omaha Northwest (Omaha)5 Innings Pitched, 2 Hits, 1 Run Allowed, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 1 Walk, 11 Strikeouts, 20 Batters Faced, .105 Opponent Batting Average, 84 Pitches in a 5-4 loss to Omaha Concordia/Omaha Brownell-Talbot/Omaha Christian Academy, March 18.
8. Ryan Harrahill, Elkhorn North (Elkhorn)6 Innings Pitched, 3 Hits, 1 Walk, 13 Strikeouts, 23 Batters Faced, .136 Opponent Batting Average, 98 Pitches in a 6-0 win over Platte Valley, April 2.
9. Luke Broderick, Mount Michael Benedictine (Elkhorn)7 Innings Pitched, 3 Hits, 1 Run Allowed, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 2 Walks, 13 Strikeouts, 25 Batters Faced, .130 Opponent Batting Average, 1 Wild Pitch, 99 Pitches in a 6-1 win over Omaha Gross Catholic, April 1.
10. Tadan Bell, Columbus6 Innings Pitched, 4 Hits, 3 Runs Allowed, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 2 Walks, 12 Strikeouts, 24 Batters Faced, .182 Opponent Batting Average, 85 Pitches in an 8-3 win over Bellevue West, March 25.
