Nebraska baseball will return to Haymarket Park this weekend to host Purdue in a three-game series on Military Appreciation Weekend. The Huskers are sitting at 14-9 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten Conference play.

Last weekend, the Huskers dropped their series against Minnesota in Minneapolis. The first game resulted in a 5-2 loss in 10 innings, before NU bounced back strong to win Game 2, 10-1. In game three, Nebraska had a chance to take the series, but instead, lost 3-2 on a walk-off.

Following the loss, NU traveled to Kansas State University on Tuesday night to secure a 7-0 win in the midweek game.

Big Ten opponent, Purdue, holds a record of 10-17 and is 4-1 in conference play. The Boilermakers are coming off a Wednesday night loss to Indiana State. Last weekend, the team took two games against Penn State, before the third was cancelled due to weather conditions.

The Huskers and the Boilermakers first pitch of the series is set for 6:35 p.m. on Friday evening and they will play Game 2 at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday. The series will finish out on Sunday with a 12:05 p.m. start at Haymarket Park.

Friday, 6:35 p.m.: RHP Matt Waldron (1.95 ERA, 3-0) vs. LHP Patrick J. Smith (3.24 ERA, 3-1)

Saturday, 2:05 p.m.: LHP Nate Fisher (2.29 ERA, 4-1) vs. RHP Andrew Bohm (4.91 ERA, 0-3)

Sunday, 12:05 p.m.: RHP Reece Eddins (5.09 ERA, 1-2) vs. LHP Ryan Beard (5.90 ERA, 0-3)

***All three games will air on BTN Plus and can be heard on Husker Sports Network.

Weather concerns: The Huskers have had several weather related cancellations and postponements this season, and have played numerous double headers because of dicey weather conditions. This weekend might be more of the same. Friday night's forecast is just right for baseball, but Lincoln could see thunderstorms rolling into the area late Friday night into Saturday. Sunday looks relatively clear, but the possibility of a doubleheader is prevalent heading into the weekend.

Strong finishes: Looking back at the Huskers weekend in Minneapolis, their inability to finish off games resulted in two heartbreaking losses that came in the final plays. In Game 1, Nebraska lost in 10 innings on a walk-off home run. In the final game of the series, the result wasn't much better. It wasn't a home run, but a wild pitch that allowed the Gophers to bring a runner across home plate to beat NU, 3-2. This weekend, Nebraska will look to it's strong starting pitchers for success, but will also rely on its relievers to help secure the series against Purdue.

Matt Waldron: The right-handed pitcher leads the Huskers in strikeouts this season with 39. Not only that, but Waldron's ERA ranks best on the team with a 1.95 over 39 innings pitched. Look for the senior to start off the series strong for Nebraska, as he will make his fifth start of the season on Friday night against Purdue.

***Purdue had a successful 2018 campaign when it finished second in the Big Ten Conference behind Minnesota with 17 wins and six losses. The team's overall record last season was 37-19, good for a winning percentage of .661.

***The Boilermakers last met the Huskers in 2017, which ended in a 15-9 win in favor of Nebraska. The matchup between the two wasn't in the regular season game, but was in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

***Purdue has had a rough start to the 2019 season, losing nine out of its first 10 games. Since then, the Boilermakers have found more success, starting out Big Ten Conference play 4-1 after series wins against both Northwestern and Penn State.

***The Boilermakers and Huskers have played 20 games against each other, the first of which was played in 1899. Nebraska leads the all-time series, 11-9, with its most recent win coming the last time the two teams met in 2017.