Minnesota has used a tried and true formula in winning two of the last three Big Ten Conference regular-season baseball titles while compiling a 49-19 league record over that period.

“Good players, play defense, can really pitch,” Nebraska coach Darin Erstad said matter-of-factly.

Toss in an above-average offense, and the Gophers do special things, like season, when they advanced to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament against top-seeded Oregon State.

“They just don’t beat themselves,” Erstad said Wednesday, “and when you do that, you have a chance to win on a consistent basis.”

We bring up Minnesota’s recent success for a couple of reasons. One, the Gophers host Nebraska in a three-game weekend series, beginning Friday.

And two, if you look closely, you’ll see the Huskers have been using the Gophers’ winning recipe during their current six-game winning streak, which includes a 3-0 start to Big Ten Conference play.

“I think defensively, we’re starting to play like we can, and we’ve limited the free passes,” Erstad said, when asked what’s impressed him most during Nebraska’s recent streak. “We’ve figured out how not to create offense for the other team. That’s a big deal.”

No, Erstad admits, the Huskers haven’t been stellar offensively. But they’ve done enough, especially coming off a nine-day layoff because of poor weather.

“Coming off that long break and not showing a ton of rust, I like that,” Erstad said. “Now, hopefully as we continue to get some games on a consistent basis, we can play some consistent baseball.”

Erstad will stick with the pitching rotation of Matt Waldron, Nate Fisher and Reece Eddins against Minnesota. Last weekend, in a home sweep of Michigan State, the trio combined to pitch 21.1 innings while allowing eight hits and only one walk.

Limiting walks not only helps pitchers, it keeps the defense alert, too. And an alert defense is a more dependable one.

“The biggest thing it does, it keeps you in the flow of the game,” Erstad said. “When a pitcher’s working with a good tempo, balls are being put in play and you just get into the flow of the game. Usually a good defense comes with that, and we’ve been able to make some pretty nice plays to stop momentum for the other team.”

Erstad this team is too hungry and too focused to get caught up in a winning streak, thinking it’s arrived when it probably hasn’t.

“Early on, you play some quality teams and you get humbled, and then you play some quality teams and you have some success,” he said. “You understand your lane in this whole thing. We know we’re decent, can get better, but we’re definitely not ‘roll the balls out there and get a win’ kind of team.

“Like I’ve said before, these guys have some fight in them, and they like to get after it and compete.”