Lincoln, NE (U-WIRE) -- Alex Gordon has hit plenty of home runs in his lifetime.

But few, if any, can compare to the monstrous blast Nebraska's star third baseman hit in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Kansas.

It may not have been a game-winning homer or even came at a pivotal moment in NU's 9-3 win, but it's one that those still in attendance at Hoglund Ballpark won't forget anytime soon.

Even Gordon said he took a peek at his solo shot that went a mile high to dead center, clearing the trees beyond the outfield fence and finally coming down some 450 feet from where it made contact with the All-American's bat.

"It's one of the balls when you hit it, you know it's gone," the junior graduate of Lincoln Southeast High School said.

Everybody else at the game, including the KU players on the field, knew it was gone, too.

"They were all standing and watching it," NU Coach Mike Anderson said.

The home run put an exclamation point on an already stellar day for the reigning Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. In the first game of the doubleheader, Gordon was 2 for 2 with two homers and two walks. But it wasn't enough as the Huskers lost 7-6.

Gordon finished the day 4 for 7 with three home runs, three walks and six runs scored. He nearly had a fifth hit on a grounder to short that he appeared to beat out as he slid into first, causing Anderson to argue the call.

But it was Gordon's towering home run on the first pitch of the eighth inning that caught everybody's attention.

"He doesn't surprise me," Anderson said. "A lot of memories are made from that (home run). But the thing I liked the most was the hustle play where he slid into first."

Kansas Coach Ritch Price offered high praise for Nebraska's future first-round draft pick.

"He's one of the best offensive players in college baseball I've ever seen," said Price, who compared Gordon with Jason Giambi in college. "If you don't locate against him, he'll hurt you."

Gordon certainly has been hurting his opponents lately.

Since starting the season hitting .265 in NU's first 10 games, Gordon has seen his batting average jump to .429 after Sunday's 0-for-2 performance.

On the year, he has a .905 slugging percentage and a .579 on-base percentage. His 10 homers were tops in the conference going into Sunday's series finale. Gordon also has 38 runs scored and 26 walks in 24 games.

Despite Gordon's success in NU's Big 12 opener, the Jayhawks kept pitching to the junior left-handed hitter - at least in the second game of the double header.

"We're going to pitch to him," Price said. "Obviously we're going to change some things in a close game. But I don't believe he should play 56 college baseball games and get walked three times a game."

On Sunday, Gordon was walked three times on 12 pitches. He also struck out twice.

With the way he's has been playing lately, Anderson said it's important that the Huskers don't start to rely on Gordon to do everything, which he nearly did in the first game Saturday. Gordon crossed the plate three times himself and drove in another run.

"If he has an off day," Anderson said, "We'll need other guys to step up."

(C) 2004 Daily Nebraskan via U-WIRE