Huskers Tabbed Big Ten Favorite

The Nebraska baseball team was selected as the preseason favorite in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the league office announced Thursday.

The Huskers look to defend their 2021 regular-season title after going 34-14 (31-12 Big Ten) and advancing to the regional final in the Fayetteville Regional last season.

Nebraska was selected in the top spot, followed by Michigan in second and Iowa in third. Maryland was selected fourth, while Ohio State and Indiana round out the preseason poll in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Seniors Kyle Perry and Shay Schanaman and sophomore Max Anderson were named to the Big Ten’s Preseasons Honors List.

Perry made four starts on the mound in 2021, while coming back from injury. The Omaha, Neb., native went 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA. Perry tossed 10.1 innings and totaled 15 strikeouts on the year. The senior had seven strikeouts, while dealing a season-high 4.1 innings at No. 1 Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional.

Schanaman went 5-2 on the mound with a 5.08 ERA in 13 appearances, including 12 starts for the Huskers last season. Schanaman tallied 72 strikeouts on the year, while pitching the third-most innings last season for the Big Red with 67.1 innings of work. The Grand Island, Neb., native had two games with at least 10 strikeouts. Schanaman threw a career-high 7.1 innings with 10 strikeouts in a win vs. Minnesota.

Anderson put together one of the top freshman seasons at Nebraska in recent history. The Omaha native was named a second-team freshman All-American by D1Baseball and Perfect Game/Rawlings and a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Anderson was second on the team with a .332 average and 61 hits on the year, including seven home runs and 32 RBI in 45 games. Anderson produced 19 multi-hit games in 2021, including a team-best nine three-hit games and tied for the team lead with a pair of four-hit performances.

2022 Big Ten Baseball Preseason Poll

1. Nebraska

2. Michigan

3. Iowa

4. Maryland

5. Ohio State

6. Indiana