Ohio State Series Preview, Pitching Rotation, Key Stats And Players To Watch

Nebraska baseball is back home this weekend looking for a second straight Big Ten sweep to begin its conference slate.

The Huskers (20-6) saw two straight games get canceled but picked up where they left off last weekend with a three-game sweep over Northwestern in the season’s first conference games for both teams.

After being ranked No. 24 in the D1 Baseball national rankings, however, the Huskers faltered in a tough mid-week road game against Creighton (21-4) on Tuesday – one day after earning that ranking.

So, Nebraska will be looking to wipe that bad taste out of its mouth this weekend when it welcomes Ohio State to Haymarket Park in Lincoln.

The Buckeyes (12-12) are coming off a 2-1 series win in their own Big Ten-opening series over Purdue last weekend. They have won two of their last three weekend series (Purdue, West Virginia) before two consecutive cancellations washed out midweek games scheduled against Kent State this week.

Below is a preview of what’s on tap for Nebraska and Ohio State with the starting pitching matchups, the most important stats to know, key players to watch during the series and more.

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WHEN: Friday-Sunday (April 5-7)

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

WATCH: All three games will be streamed live on B1G+ and Saturday’s game will also be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media with Larry Punteney and Jeff Leise on the call.

LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network with Greg Sharpe (play by play) and Ben McLaughlin (color) on the call for the full weekend.

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

Friday, April 5 – 6:05 p.m.

RHP Brett Sears (5-0, 1.36 ERA) vs. LHP Landon Beidelschies (3-4, 3.35 ERA)

Saturday, April 6 – 2:02 p.m.

RHP Mason McConnaughey (2-2, 2.86 ERA) vs. LHP Gavin Bruni (2-0, 5.34 ERA)

Sunday, April 7 – 12:05 p.m.

RHP Drew Christo (1-1, 4.09 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin DeVooght (2-1, 1.15 ERA)

All times Central

NOTES:

>> Sears leads the nation in WHIP (0.67) and ranks among the national leaders in ERA (1.36, 5th), victories (5, T-9th) and hits allowed/9 inn. (4.27, 7th), allowing just six of his 22 hits to go for extra bases.

>> Nebraska is 7-0 this season in games that Sears has started, outscoring opponents 68-12 in those games.

>> In seven starts, Sears is 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and is one of three starting pitchers in DI this season with 40-plus innings pitched, 45-plus strikeouts and seven earned runs or fewer.

>> The Westphalia, Iowa, native allowed just two runs to Northwestern across seven innings in his seventh start last Friday, notching his sixth consecutive quality start for the Huskers.

>> The six straight quality starts are the most by a Nebraska hurler since Matt Waldron recorded six straight in 2019.

>> The right-hander has punched out 47 batters with only nine walks, posting a 5.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio over that span, which ranks third in the conference.

>> Sears has allowed four-or-fewer hits in six of his seven outings, as opponents are hitting just .137 (22-for-161) against the senior.

>> The Huskers hold a 19-13 advantage over the Buckeyes through 32 meetings in the all-time series.

>> Nebraska and Ohio State meet for the first time since the Huskers swept OSU on the road in Columbus during the 2022 campaign.

>> This weekend’s series marks the first meeting between the two programs in Lincoln since the Buckeyes won two of three against the Huskers in 2015.

>> The Huskers appeared in D1Baseball’s Top 25 for the first time since 2021 with a No. 24 ranking. The Big Red last appeared at No. 17 in the final poll of the 2021 campaign after pushing No. 1 Arkansas to the brink in the decisive game seven of the Fayetteville Regional.

>> Nebraska also earned recognition in the national rankings by Baseball America (No. 22), USA Today/Coaches (No. 23) and Perfect Game (No. 25).

>> The Huskers’ last appearance in the national rankings was in the preseason polls in 2022, where the Big Red found themselves ranked in the Baseball America (No. 20), Perfect Game (No. 22) and NCBWA (No. 25) preseason rankings.

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All game notes courtesy of Nebraska Athletics

Sears named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List:

>> Sears was named to the Midseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List on Thursday afternoon.

>> Sears, a senior right-hander from Westphalia, Iowa, holds a perfect 5-0 record with a 1.36 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46.1 innings through his first seven starts of the year. The Husker ace has turned in a team-best six quality starts, including a pair of eight-inning outings.

>> The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of athletes throughout the season, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before the announcement of the semifinalists on May 20.

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Huskers control the running game:

>> The Huskers come into the weekend as one of two teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.

>> Nebraska has limited opponents to just 12 stolen base attempts on the season, joining Coastal Carolina as the only two teams in the country to hold opponents to 12 stolen base attempts or less on the year.

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Evans leads Huskers to Big Ten sweep:

>> Cole Evans led the Huskers to a series sweep at Northwestern last weekend, going 6-for-10 (.600) with a double, home run and seven RBI.

>> The outfielder is one of six Huskers hitting .300-plus at the plate this season, adding five doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI for Nebraska.

>> Evans has appeared in all 25 games for the Big Red so far, leading the conference and ranking 22nd in the country with four sacrifice flies.

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Silva’s shows speed with steals:

>> Riley Silva has posted a .425 on-base percentage for Nebraska this season and is the only Husker to score 25-plus runs (27) through the team’s first 26 games.

>> The Cambridge, Ontario, native has started 25 of the 26 games this season and has posted a 1.000 fielding percentage (61-for-61) in center field for the Huskers.

>> Silva is one of nine DI players to steal 17-plus bases and be caught one-or-fewer times, including one of three Power Five players this season.

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Bats stay hot:

>> Josh Caron is hitting .289 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, a team-high 32 RBI and 20 runs scored.

>> Cayden Brumbaugh leads all qualified Huskers with a .353 batting average, posting hits in five of his last six games.

>> Case Sanderson is hitting .350 with a triple, nine RBI and seven runs scored, while Tyler Stone holds a .308 hitting clip with four doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI.

>> Silva leads the Huskers with 27 runs and 17 stolen bases while hitting .286 at the plate in 25 starts.

>> Evans is hitting .325 with six doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI and 22 runs in 26 games, including 21 starts, while Garrett Anglim holds a .296 batting average with four doubles, two homers, 18 RBI and 15 runs in 19 starts.

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Bullpen rundown:

>> Kyle Perry’s 13 relief appearances lead all NU arms in the bullpen, as the senior is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and three saves. The southpaw is scoreless over his last six outings and tossed a season-high 2.1 innings last Sunday at Northwestern.

>> Casey Daiss and Jalen Worthley have each made nine relief appearances for the Big Red. Daiss has a team-high four saves in 8.1 innings, while Worthley is 2-0 with a save in 12 innings.

>> Evan Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts across 7.2 innings and has held opponents to a .115 batting average this season.

>> Kyle Froehlich has appeared in seven games for the Huskers, punching out seven batters across eight innings.