Huskers Host Michigan for Regular-Season Finale

Friday, May 28 (Noon)
Pitching: LHP Cade Povich (5-1) vs. LHP Steve Hajjar (4-0)
TV/Streaming: BTN, FOX Sports App
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Saturday, May 29 (Noon)
Pitching: RHP Chance Hroch (5-1) vs. RHP Cameron Weston (6-3)
TV/Streaming: BTN, FOX Sports App
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Sunday, May 30 (Noon)
Pitching: TBA vs. LHP Jacob Denner (4-4)
TV/Streaming: BTN, FOX Sports App
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
The Nebraska baseball team (29-11) captured the 2021 Big Ten regular-season title last weekend in Bloomington, Ind., with 9-0 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday afternoon. The victory capped a 4-0 weekend for the Huskers at the Bloomington Pod, with a pair of wins over both Indiana and Ohio State.
 
There is no Big Ten Baseball Tournament this year, so the Huskers have secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is slated for Monday, May 31, at 11 AM (CT) on ESPN2.
 
With the league title already wrapped up, the Huskers now turn their attention to the end of the regular season with a three-game home series against the Michigan Wolverines (26-15). The series opens on Friday and all three games are set to start at Noon (CT). The Big Ten Network is also set to carry all three games nationally.
 
Nebraska and Michigan have met for a conference series six times since Nebraska joined the Big Ten for the 2012 season. The Huskers have won four of the six series, including the last meeting in 2019 when NU won 2-of-3 games in Lincoln.
 
Nebraska enters Friday on an eight-game winning streak, with its last loss coming on May 9 to Indiana at the Piscataway Pod. It’s the longest winning streak for the program since 2016, when it also won eight straight games. The last time Nebraska won nine-straight games was 2015, when the Huskers reeled off 11-straight wins.
 
Nebraska is 8-4 at Hawks Field this season, with three of the four losses coming to Rutgers.
 
The Wolverines come to Lincoln with a 26-15 record following a 2-1 home series loss to Maryland last weekend. Heading into the series with the Terrapins the Wolverines had won consecutive series, including victories over instate-rival Michigan State and Indiana. Michigan has put together a solid 18-7 record on the road this season, including an 8-3 mark in true road games, but went just 8-8 at the Wilpon Complex in Ann Arbor.
 
All three games this weekend will be carried on national TV, as they will be broadcast on BTN. The games can also be seen on the Fox Sports App.
 
Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe 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 swept four games at the Bloomington Pod, including a pair of wins over both Indiana and Ohio State. Nebraska’s victory on Sunday against Ohio State secured the 2021 Big Ten regular-season title.
 
5/21: Nebraska 8 – Indiana 5
5/22: Nebraska 11 – Ohio State 9
5/22: Nebraska 3 – Indiana 1
5/23: Nebraska 9 – Ohio State 0
 
Next Up
The Huskers have already punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big Ten regular-season title. The NCAA Selection Show is slated for Monday, May 31, at 11 AM (CT) on ESPN2.
 
NCAA Regionals are scheduled to start on Friday, June 4.
 
Big Ten Champs
The Nebraska baseball team capped a 4-0 trip to the Bloomington Pod last weekend with a 9-0 victory on Sunday over Ohio State the secured the 2021 Big Ten regular-season title.
 
• After joining the Big Ten for the 2012 season, the Huskes have now won a pair of Big Ten titles, as they also won the 2017 regular-season crown.
 
• After winning four conference titles as a player at Nebraska, Head Coach Will Bolt secured his first conference title as a head coach in Lincoln in just his second season at the helm of the Husker baseball program.
 
• In program history, Nebraska now has eight conference regular-season titles and four conference tournament titles.
 
• The Huskers were not picked in the top six of the preseason coaches’ poll.
 
Leading Off
• Dating back to a win at Iowa on Saturday, March 20, the Huskers have won 24 of their last 31 games entering Friday.
 
• As of May 25, the Huskers rank in 11th nationally with a .981 fielding percentage. NU has not committed an error in 20 of its 40 games and have committed multiple errors just eight times. Nebraska has yet to commit more than two errors in a game this season. Iowa is the next closest Big Ten school and ranks 47th nationally with a .976 fielding percentage.
 
• Nebraska ranks 23rd in the country in scoring with 7.4 runs per game. The Huskers are 23-2 this year when scoring six runs or more and have been shutout just twice this season.
 
• NU ranks in the top five in the Big Ten in multiple offensive categories, including a No. 1 ranking in three categories
 
  Batting Avg. – .282 (1st)
  Sacrifice Bunts – 31 (1st)
  On-Base Percentage – .387 (T1st with Michigan)
  Stolen Bases – 62 (2nd)  (Maryland, 64)
  Runs – 295 (2nd)  (Michigan, 302)
  RBIs – 258 (2nd)  (Michigan, 275)
  Hits – 390 (3rd)  (Illinois, 398)
  Home Runs – 50 (4th)  (Northwestern, 62)
  Slugging – .448 (4th)  (Northwestern, .484)
  Walks – 200 (4th)  (Iowa, 211)
 
• Nebraska’s pitching staff ranks near the top of the conference in multiple categories including:
 
  Fewest Walks Allowed – 132 (1st)
  Shutouts – 5 (1st)
  Fewest Runs Allowed – 171 (2nd)  (Indiana, 161)
  ERA – 3.93 (2nd)  (Indiana, 3.14)
  Fewest Doubles Allowed – 60 (3rd)  (Ohio State, 56)
  Opponent Batting Average – .247 (4th)  (Indiana, .203)
  Fewest Home Runs Allowed – 34 (5th)  (Michigan State, 25)

  Saves – 11 (5th)  (Iowa & Rutgers, 13)
 
• Nebraska is on an eight-game winning streak, matching an eight-game streak by the 2016 team that included wins over Wichita State (2), Indiana State (2), Purdue (3) and Creighton (1). Earlier this season, Nebraska had a seven-game winning streak.
 
• The last time Nebraska won nine straight games was 2015, when the Huskers reeled off 11 straight wins. – Nebraska had an nine-game unbeaten streak in 2017. The Huskers won five straight, tied Indiana, and then won three straight following the tie.
 
• Three Huskers rank in the top 10 in the league in runs scored, including Joe Acker, who ranks second with 43 runs. Jaxon Hallmark ranks third with 42 runs and Spencer Schwellenbach is fifth with 40 runs.
 
• Joe Acker is tied for second in the Big Ten with 14 doubles. Indiana’s Paul Toetz leads the way with 16 doubles.
 
• Along with ranking fifth in runs scored with 40, Spencer Schwellenbach is tied for fifth in the league in both RBIs (35) and walks (27).
 
• Freshman Max Anderson and senior Jaxon Hallmark are tied for the Big Ten lead with 57 hits each. Hallmark is seventh in the league with a .343 average and Anderson is one spot behind with a .341 average.
 
• Luke Roskam leads the Huskers and is seventh in the Big Ten with a .455 on-base percentage. He is also tied for ninth in RBIs with 33 and is tied for second in the league with 29 walks.
 
• Jaxon Hallmark is tied for the Big Ten lead with 57 hits, is third in stolen bases with 15, is tied for third in sacrifice bunts with six and is seventh in batting average at .343.
 
• Cade Povich ranks seventh in the Big Ten with a 3.12 ERA and tied for seventh in wins with five.
 
• Chance Hroch has issued just 13 walks this year, tied for the fourth fewest by a Big Ten pitcher. Hroch ranks ninth in the league with 68.1 innings pitches and is tied for seventh in wins with five.
 
• 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.
 
Win the Weekend
Nebraska won seven straight conference series to start the 2021 season (the Minnesota, Piscataway and Bloomington Pods are not included).
 
• 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)
Northwestern (2-0)
 
Senior Class
• Nebraska will honor its nine-member senior class prior to Sunday’s game.
 
• Four seniors returned for another senior season following last year’s shortened year due to COVID-19, including Joe Acker, Logan Foster Mojo Hagge and Luke Roskam.
 
• Acker, Hagge and Roskam have now won two Big Ten titles at Nebraska, as they were all freshmen on the 2017 team as well.
 
Joe Acker (OF) – Waukesha, Wis.
Logan Foster (OF) – Lincoln, Neb.
Mojo Hagge (OF) – Omaha, Neb.
Jaxon Hallmark (OF/RHP) – Midland, Texas
Gunner Hellstrom (C) – Simi Valley, Calif.
Chance Hroch (RHP) – Temecula, Calif.
Trey Kissack (RHP) – Grand Island, Neb.
Luke Roskam (C/INF) – Chaska, Minn.
Max Schreiber (RHP) – Cardington, Ohio
 
Control the Bases
• Nebraska is the top team in the Big Ten at limiting stolen bases as opponents are converting a steal just 56% of the time (15-27).
 
• Michigan has allowed 31 steals in 47 attempts (66%).
 
• Nebraska’s offense is second in the league with 62 steals in 75 tries this year, while the Wolverines are third with 53 steals in 73 attempts.
 
Common Foes – Michigan
Nebraska and Michigan have each played the other 11 teams in the league this year and here are each team’s records in those series.
 
Nebraska (29-11)
Iowa (3-2)
Purdue (3-1)
Illinois (2-1)
Michigan State (2-1)
Penn State (3-0)
Northwestern (2-0)
Maryland (2-1)
Ohio State (3-1)
Minnesota (4-0)
Rutgers (2-3)
Indiana (3-1)
 
Michigan (26-15)
Iowa (3-1)
Purdue (4-0)
Illinois (3-3)
Michigan State (3-2)
Penn State (2-1)
Northwestern (1-1)
Maryland (2-3)
Ohio State (2-1)
Minnesota (3-0)
Rutgers (1-2)
Indiana (2-1)
 
The All-Time Series with Michigan
• Nebraska holds an 14-12 advantage in 26 previous games between the teams. The teams have met 22 times since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference and the Huskers hold a 13-9 advantage.
 
• The teams have played six series since Nebraska joined the Big Ten for the 2012 season, with three each in Lincoln and Ann Arbor. Nebraska has won four of the six series, including the last meeting in 2019.
 
• Nebraska is 6-3 all time at home against Michigan.
 
• Michigan’s lone series win in Lincoln came in 2013 when the Wolverines won 2-of-3.
 
• The teams met four times prior to Nebraska joining the Big Ten, including the first meeting in the 1980 NCAA Tournament. The teams met at the Midwest Regional in Ann Arbor and the Wolverines won, 7-0. Nebraska then beat BYU for the second time in the tournament, 12-4, to advance to the regional final and was again beaten by the host Wolverines, 12-3.
 
• The Huskers notched their first win in the series with a 7-4 victory on March 15, 1982. NU lost to the Wolverines later in the 1982 season, 4-1.
 
• The teams met for their first Big Ten series at the end of the 2012 season and Nebraska took 2-of-3 in Ann Arbor. Nebraska won the first-ever conference game between the programs, 15-2.
 
• The teams have met four times in the Big Ten Tournament and the Huskers won the first three meeting. Michigan won the last postseason contest, 18-8, at the 2019 Big Ten Tournament in Omaha.
 
• This weekend’s series will mark the fourth time the Huskers have ended the regular-season against Michigan since joining the Big Ten, the most times it has done that against any other team. The Huskers have ended the regular season against Illinois three times, as well as once against both Indiana and Penn State.
 
Conference Series History
2019 – Nebraska won, 2-1 (Lincoln)
2016 – Michigan won, 3-0 (Ann Arbor)
2015 – Nebraska won, 3-0 (Lincoln)
2014 – Nebraska won, 2-1 (Ann Arbor)
2013 – Michigan won, 2-1 (Lincoln)
2012 – Nebraska won, 2-1 (Ann Arbor)
 
Leading Man
Joe Acker moved to the lead-off spot in the Husker lineup for the series opener at Iowa.
 
• Over the last 32 games Acker has reached base in his plate appearance of the game 18 times, including nine walks, one hit-by-pitch and a home run.
 
• Acker ranks second in the Big Ten with 43 runs scored and is third on the team with 24 walks.
 
• In 2021, Acker has posted a .394 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 14 appearances – including three starts.
 
• Has a 2.03 ERA with seven runs allowed over 31.0 innings. Three runs came in a start against Iowa in Minneapolis. He has allowed just four runs in 20.0 innings of relief over 13 appearances.
 
• In his 13 relief appearances has 27 strikeouts to nine walks.
 
In the Polls
On Monday, April 26, the Nebraska baseball team was ranked by D1Baseball (#22), Baseball America (#24) and Perfect Game (#19). It was the first time during the 2021 season that the Huskers were ranked by D1 Baseball or Baseball America, while Nebraska had continued to climb the Perfect Game rankings since entering that poll on April 12.
 
• The Huskers were then swept by Rutgers the following weekend and were not ranked by any of the three polls on May 3, 10 or 17.
 
• After going 4-0 in the Bloomington Pod and winning the Big Ten regular-season title the Huskers were back in the polls on Monday, May 24.
 
• Entering the series with Michigan this weekend the Huskers are ranked 19th by Baseball American and 20th by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game.
 
• Prior to this season, Nebraska was last ranked at the end of the 2017 season when Baseball America had the Huskers tabbed #25 in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament. That year the Huskers were a No. 2 seed in the Corvallis Regional.