Huskers Head to East Coast to Face Indiana and Rutgers

Saturday, May 8 (2 PM) vs. Indiana
Pitching: LHP Cade Povich (4-1) vs. TBA
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Sunday, May 9 (10 AM) vs. Indiana
Pitching: TBA vs. RHP Gabe Bierman (4-2)
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Sunday, May 9 (2 PM) at Rutgers
Pitching: TBA vs. RHP Brent Teller (3-2)
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Monday, May 10 (10 AM) at Rutgers
Pitching: TBA vs. TBA
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Following its first series loss of the season last weekend to Rutgers at Hawks Field, the Nebraska baseball team (20-10) now heads to Piscataway, N.J., for pod play at Bainton Field. The Huskers will play two game each against the Indiana Hoosiers (20-9) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights (17-13).
 
Since it is currently Finals Week on UNL’s campus, the Huskers will play Saturday-Sunday-Monday in New Jersey. Nebraska’s weekend kicks off on Saturday at 2 PM (CT) with the first meeting of the season between the Huskers and Hoosiers. The Huskers then play two games on Sunday, with another game against the Hoosiers at 10 AM, followed by a meeting with the Scarlet Knights at 2 PM. Nebraska concludes play on the east coast at 10 AM on Monday against Rutgers, the fifth game between the two schools in 11 days.
 
Rutgers swept the Huskers last weekend in Lincoln, marking NU’s first series loss of the season after winning a program-record seven-straight series to star the year. It was also the first time Nebraska had been swept at home in conference play since 2009 when Missouri took three games from the Huskers in early May. This week the Huskers fell out of the top spot in the Big Ten Conference and now trail Indiana and Michigan by 0.5 game for the conference lead.
 
Rutgers returns home after winning consecutive series at Michigan and Nebraska. With their win last weekend in Lincoln, the Scarlet Knights have now won four straight road series this year, including wins at Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan and Nebraska. While Rutgers has posted an impressive 13-7 record on the road this season it is only 4-6 on its home turf at Bainton Field.
 
Indiana is back on the road after playing the past two weekends in Bloomington, posting a 5-1 record. The Hoosiers swept Minnesota two weeks ago and took 2-of-3 from Iowa last weekend. Iowa won the series opener, 6-5, but Indiana responded with a 12-6 victory on Saturday and a 12-8 win on Sunday to take the series. The Hoosiers head to Piscataway tied with Michigan for the top spot in the league, as both teams have a 20-9 record.
 
All four games this weekend will be carried on BTN+, an online streaming service through the Big Ten Network.
 
Fans can listen to Nick Handley and Ben McLaughlin call the action this weekend on the Learfield/IMG College Husker Sports Network. Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.
 
Last Time Out
Nebraska lost its first series of the 2021 season last weekend, as it was swept by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It marked the first time since 2009 that the Huskers have been swept by a conference team at home and the first time in the Big Ten era. Missouri swept the Huskers in Lincoln in 2009 when both teams were in the Big 12 Conference.
 
4/30: Rutgers 9 – Nebraska 4
5/1: Rutgers 6 – Nebraska 5
5/2: Rutgers 6 – Nebraska 0
 
Next Up
Nebraska is back at Hawks Field next weekend to host the Northwestern Wildcats. It will mark the fourth time the teams have met in Lincoln for a conference series, with the others taking place during the 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons.
 
The series opener is set for 6:30 PM on Friday, May 14. NET is scheduled to carry Saturday’s 2 PM contest and the series concludes on Sunday at Noon.
 
5/14: Nebraska vs. Northwestern (6:30 PM)
5/15: Nebraska vs. Northwestern (2 PM)
5/16: Nebraska vs. Northwestern (12 PM)
 
Leading Off
• Dating back to a win at Iowa on Saturday, March 20, the Huskers have won 15 of their last 21 games entering Saturday.
 
• The Huskers rank in the top-15 nationally in fielding percentage at .980. The Huskers have not committed an error in 15 of their 30 games and have committed multiple errors just seven times. NU has yet to commit more than two errors in a game this season. Iowa is the next closest Big Ten school and is tied for 67th nationally with a .973 fielding percentage.
 
• Nebraska had a seven-game winning streak earlier this season. It was the longest winning streak since 2016 when the Huskers won eight straight, including wins over Wichita State (2), Indiana State (2), Purdue (3) and Creighton (1).  – Nebraska had an nine-game unbeaten streak in 2017. The Huskers won five straight, tied Indiana, and then won three straight following the tie.
 
• NU ranks in the top five in the Big Ten in multiple offensive categories, including a No. 1 ranking in four categories
 
  Sacrifice Bunts – 24 (1st)
  Stolen Bases – 46 (1st)
  Batting Avg. – .274 (3rd)  (Illinois, .286)
  On-Base Percentage – .384 (2nd)  (Michigan, .394)
  Walks – 155 (4th)  (Michigan, 169)
  Slugging Percentage – .442 (4th)  (Northwestern, .494)
  Home Runs – 38 (5th)  (Northwestern, 54)
  RBIs – 183 (5th)  (Michigan, 221)
 
• Nebraska’s pitching staff ranks near the top of the conference in multiple categories including:
 
  Fewest Walks Allowed – 95 (1st)
  Shutouts – 4 (T1st with Michigan)
  ERA – 3.99 (2nd)  (Indiana, 2.97) 
  Fewest Runs Allowed – 128 (2nd)  (Indiana, 105)
  Fewest Hits Allowed – 247 (3rd)  (Indiana, 194)
  Fewest Doubles Allowed – 48 (3rd)  (Indiana, 39)
 
• Two Huskers rank in the top 10 in the league in runs scored, including Joe Acker with his conference-best 37 runs. Spencer Schwellenbach is tied for sixth with 30 runs. Both Huskers also rank in the top 10 in walks, with Acker tied for third (21) and Schwellenbach tied for sixth (20). Acker is also tied for fifth in the league with 10 doubles.
 
• Jaxon Hallmark ranks third in the Big Ten with 42 hits, is tied for fourth in stolen bases with 10 and ranks ninth in average at .344.
 
• Cam Chick is tied for fifth in the Big Ten with 28 RBIs and is tied for third in the conference with three sacrifice flies.
 
• Luke Roskam is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with a .458 on-base percentage.
 
• Cade Povich is fourth in the Big Ten with a 3.16 ERA.
 
• Chance Hroch has issued just nine walks this year, the third fewest by a Big Ten pitcher.
 
• 12 players have made their Husker debuts this season, including true freshmen  infielders Max Anderson, Brice Matthews and Jack Steil, as well as freshman pitcher Emmett Olson.
 
Common Foes – Rutgers
Nebraska and Rutgers have played six common opponents this year (Maryland, Iowa, Ohio State, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue). The Huskers are 16-5 against those six teams, while the Scarlet Knights are 9-10.
 
Nebraska (16-5)
Purdue (3-1)
Ohio State (1-1)
Iowa (3-2)
Minnesota (4-0)
Maryland (2-1)
Penn State (3-0)
 
Rutgers (9-10)
Minnesota (1-1)
Maryland (2-2)
Ohio State (2-1)
Purdue (2-1)
Penn State (1-2)
Iowa (1-3)
 
Common Foes – Indiana
Nebraska and Indiana have played eight common opponents this year (Rutgers, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa). The Huskers are 18-9 against those eight teams and the Hoosiers are 18-8.
 
Nebraska (18-9)
Rutgers (0-3)
Minnesota (4-0)
Penn State (3-0)
Purdue (3-1)
Michigan State (2-1)
Ohio State (1-1)
Illinois (2-1)
Iowa (3-2)
 
Indiana (18-8)
Rutgers (1-1)
Minnesota (5-0)
Penn State (4-0)
Purdue (2-1)
Michigan State (2-1)
Ohio State (0-4)
Illinois (2-0)
Iowa (2-1)
 
Win the Weekend
Nebraska won seven straight conference series to start the 2021 season (the Minnesota Pod is not included since it was two games each against Iowa and Ohio State).
 
• Prior to this season, Nebraska had never won seven straight conference series to start a season.
 
• The seven-series winning streak was snapped when Nebraska was swept at home by Rutgers. It was the first time Nebraska had been swept at home during the Big Ten era and the first time it had happened during a conference series since 2009 when NU lost three straight to Missouri during the Big 12 era.
 
• During the Big Ten era, the Huskers previously had never won more than three straight conference series to start a season (2013 and 2016).
 

• Prior to this season, Nebraska won six straight conference series to start the 2006 season, before dropping 2-of-3 at Oklahoma State. The 2006 Huskers started the year with conference wins over Kansas (2-1), Kansas State (2-1), Missouri (3-0), Texas A&M (3-0), Texas (2-1) and Texas Tech (3-0).
 
• This season the Huskers have secured a series victory with a win on Sunday five times – Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State.
 
• This season Nebraska has dropped the series opener three times – Purdue, Iowa and Rutgers.
 
2021 Series Wins
vs. Purdue (3-1)
at Iowa (2-1)
Minnesota (4-0)
at Illinois (2-1)
Maryland (2-1)
at Penn State (3-0)
at Michigan State (2-1)
 
The All-Time Series with Rutgers
• Nebraska holds an 9-6 advantage in 15 previous games between the teams. The teams have met 12 times since Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference and the teams are tied, 6-6.
 
• The teams have split six previous meetings in Piscataway, 3-3. The Huskers took the first ever series between the two teams, 2-1, in 2016, while the Scarlet Knights won 2-of-3 during the 2018 season.
 
• Nebraska is 5-3 all time in Lincoln against Rutgers, including 3-3 at Hawks Field. The Huskers swept a three-game series in 2017, while Rutgers swept the Huskers this season.
 
• The first game between the two teams took place at Buck Beltzer Stadium during the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Nebraska advanced to the regional final with a 5-4 victory on May 26. Rutgers battled back through loser’s bracket to reach the final and saw its season come to an end with a 14-10 loss to the Huskers. Nebraska went on to beat Rice in the Super Regional, earning its first-ever trip to the College World Series.
 
• The last non-conference game between the teams took place at the TD Ameritrade Classic in Omaha during the 2013 season and Nebraska won, 3-1.
 
• Nebraska and Rutgers have never met at the Big Ten Tournament.
 
Conference Series History
2021 – Rutgers won, 3-0 (Lincoln
2018 – Rutgers won, 2-1 (Piscataway)
2017 – Nebraska won, 3-0 (Lincoln)
2016 – Nebraska won, 2-1 (Piscataway)
 
The All-Time Series with Indiana
• Nebraska holds an 12-11-1 advantage in 24 previous games between the teams. The teams have met 19 times since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference and the teams are tied, 9-9-1.
 
• The teams first met in 1899 and Indiana won 5-4. They met four more times over the next seven seasons, including 1900 (NU won, 7-6), 1901 (IU won, 5-4), 1905 (NU won, 5-0) and 1906 (NU won, 5-0). The teams then didn’t meet again for 106 years until the 2012 season when Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
 
• The teams have met four times on a neutral field, all at the Big Ten Tournament, including twice in the title game, and the Hoosiers hold a 3-1 advantage.
 
• The teams have met for a conference series five times and the Hoosiers have won three of the series, including the last meeting in Lincoln during the 2018 season.
 
Conference Series History
2018 – Indiana won, 2-1 (Lincoln)
2017 – Nebraska won, 2-0-1 (Bloomington)
2016 – Nebraska won, 3-0 (Lincoln)
2013 – Indiana won, 2-1 (Bloomington)
2012 – Indiana won, 2-1 (Bloomington
 
Super Schwelly
Junior Spencer Schwellenbach is making is case for Big Ten Player of the Year with his play at the plate, in the field and on the mound.
 
• Schwellenbach is hitting .289 and has been NU’s No. 3 hitter in all 30 games this season. He is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 30 runs, is just outside the top 10 with nine doubles and is third on the team with 24 RBIs.
 
• Has drawn 20 walks and has been hit-by-pitch six times, while striking out just 25 times.
 
• Enters the weekend with a 1.08 ERA over 10 appearances out of the bullpen. Is 1-1 and has five saves in 16.2 innings of work and didn’t allow an run over his first nine appearances. Notched 20 strikeouts and three walks – didn’t issue a walk over his first eight appearances.
 
• Committed just two errors this season in 115 chances.
 
Swiss Army Knife
Senior outfielder Jaxon Hallmark has been a tough on opposing defenses this year both at the plate and on the base paths.
 
• Hallmark is ninth in the Big Ten with a .344 average and is third in the league with 42 hits. He has also laid down five sacrifice bunts on the year, which is tied for third in the league.
 
• On the base paths he has swiped 10 bases, which is tied for fourth in the Big Ten.
 
Leading Man
Joe Acker moved to the lead-off spot in the Husker lineup for the series opener at Iowa.
 
• Over the last 22 games Acker has reached base in his first at-bat of the game 14 times, including eight walks, one hit-by-pitch and a home run.
 
• Acker leads the Big Ten with 37 runs scored and leads Nebraska with 21 walks.
 
• In 2021, Acker has posted a .426 on-base percentage. His previous season-highs for on-base percentage were .364 in 2020 (15 games) and .345 in 2019 (46 games)
 
Let Him Out of the Pen
Elkhorn native Jake Bunz transferred to Nebraska after spending two seasons at Hutchinson Community College. The 6-5 lefty has been a vital arm for the Huskers in 2021, as he has made 12 appearances – including three starts.
 
• Has a 1.52 ERA with four runs allowed over 23.2 innings. Three runs came in a start against Iowa in Minneapolis and he has allowed just one run in 12.2 innings of relief over nine appearances.
 
• In his nine relief appearances has 31 strikeouts to just six walks.