Indiana Series Preview As Huskers Fight For Big Ten Title — Rotation, Key Stats, Players To Watch

Nebraska baseball has just six games left in the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament begins.

And the Huskers (30-17, 12-6 Big Ten) are coming off their worst loss of the season as the lead-in to perhaps their biggest weekend series of the year.

Nebraska had already owned some backbreaking losses after the bullpen and defense had blown late leads this spring. Losses to Rutgers and Creighton were two of the most prominent defeats, but now the Huskers have an even more head-scratching, inexcusable loss on their résumé — a 10-6 Wednesday night home loss to South Dakota State, which is ranked in the mid 250s in RPI, after the Huskers held a 6-2 lead with one out and the bases empty in the eighth inning.

Instead of breezing through a stress-free win and grabbing some momentum following a series win over Minnesota, the Huskers are now picking up the pieces — once again — after a midweek nonconference loss and before a significant weekend series in the their fight to win the Big Ten regular-season championship.

Now coming to town is Indiana (17-25, 9-13 Big Ten), and the Hoosiers are heading to Lincoln after a series victory at Purdue last weekend, which put them in a three-way tie with both of those clubs for second place in the B1G.

Below is a preview of what’s on tap for Nebraska and Indiana in their Big Ten bout. It includes a look at the starting pitching matchups, the most important stats to know, key players to watch during the series and more.

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WHEN: Wednesday (May 8) at 6:05 p.m. CT

WHERE: Hawks Field at Haymarket Park (Lincoln, Neb.)

WATCH: Available to stream live on B1G+

LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network with Dave Gustafson (play by play) and Ben McLaughlin (color) on the call.

>> Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.

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MATCHUP:

LHP Jackson Brockett (2-0, 2.51 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Clemons (4-3, 5.96 ERA)

NOTES:

>> Junior lefty Jackson Brockett tossed the sixth individual no-hitter in Nebraska baseball history, and the first nine-inning no-hitter since 1954, in Nebraska’s 8-0 win over Kansas State last week at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

>> With the no-hitter, Brockett was named the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Week and earned National Pitcher of the Week recognition from D1Baseball, Perfect Game and NCBWA.

>> It marked NU’s first individual no-hitter since 1981, when Anthony Kelley didn’t allow a hit over seven innings against the Oklahoma Sooners. It was just the second ever nine-inning individual no-hitter, joining Richard Geier’s no-hitter in 1954 against the Kansas Jayhawks.

>> In his first start of the season, Brockett posted a career-high 12 strikeouts on 107 pitches which is the most punchouts by a Husker hurler since Will Walsh last season. The outing was the second complete-game shutout by a Nebraska pitcher this season, joining Brett Sears who tossed a two-hitter against Ohio State earlier this season.

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>> Through 21 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds an 18-3 advantage over South Dakota State in the all-time series.

>> The Jackrabbits visited Lincoln last season and came away with an 8-3 win over the Big Red in a midweek tilt on April 26.

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All game notes courtesy of Nebraska Athletics

Middle-Third production boosts the Big Red

>> Nebraska has been successful the second time through the lineup on the mound and in the batter’s box, outscoring opponents 140-64 in the middle-third innings this season.

>> The Huskers hold a 52-17 advantage in the fourth inning, while outscoring opponents 43-18 in the fifth inning and 45-29 in the sixth inning.

>> The Husker offense is hitting .318 at the plate with 71 extra-base hits and 131 RBI in the fourth through sixth innings, while the NU pitching staff is limiting opponents to a .235 hitting clip and a 3.84 ERA in the middle-third innings.

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Efficient on the basepaths

>> With 79 stolen bases on the season, the Big Red have recorded the most swipes in a season since compiling 85 steals in 2006.

>> The Huskers have been stealing bases with high efficiency this season, recording the eighth-highest success rate by a Husker offense since 2000.

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Sanderson’s early impact at collegiate level

>> Freshman Case Sanderson leads the Huskers with a .352 batting average along with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 16 RBI across 38 games, including 27 starts.

>> The Nevada, Mo., native has reached base in a team-high 18 straight games and is hitting .353 (18-for-51) with five extra-base hits and seven RBI over that span.

>> Sanderson has reached base at a .508 clip this season for the Huskers, which ranks 30th in the nation and third in the Big Ten Conference.

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Bats in the Nebraska lineup

>> Tyler Stone is batting .404 (24-for-60) with an OPS of 1.131 at home for the Big Red, while Ben Columbus has posted a .320 average this season with four doubles, five home runs and 23 RBI.

>> Dylan Carey has hits in 12 of his last 17 games and ranks second on the Big Red with 13 doubles, raising his batting average from .236 to .265 over that span.

>> Cole Evans is hitting .282 with nine doubles, four home runs, and 36 RBI, while Rhett Stokes holds a .321 batting average with nine doubles, a home run and 13 RBI.

>> Garrett Anglim has reached base in seven of his last 11 games, hitting .268 this season with six doubles, two homers and 22 RBI. Joshua Overbeek is batting .286 with seven extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 31 runs scored.

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Bullpen Breakdown

>> Rans Sanders has a 2.77 ERA for the Huskers across 13.0 innings with a pair of saves, allowing just four earned runs this season.

>> Kyle Perry’s 20 relief appearances lead all NU relievers as the senior is 1-1 with a 5.51 ERA and a career-high tying three saves.

>> Evan Borst is limiting opponents to a .150 batting average (6-for-40) this season, posting 14 strikeouts over 11.2 innings of work.

>> Kyle Froehlich has appeared in 15 games for the Huskers, punching out 16 batters while issuing just three walks across 16.1 innings.

>> Tucker Timmerman leads all Nebraska freshman with 14 relief appearances, tossing 15.2 innings for the Big Red.