After a seemingly momentum-building series win over No. 5-ranked Oregon State last weekend, the Nebraska baseball team showed what it has been all year thus far – inconsistent and flawed.

The Huskers (12-17, 2-7 Big Ten) won two of three over the Beavers but then dropped two straight in-state rivalry games to Creighton (9-5 loss at home) and Omaha (11-9 loss on the road) in back-to-back days.

Now, head coach Will Bolt's team welcomes Rutgers (14-15, 4-5) to town as the Huskers seek their first Big Ten series victory. Nebraska has dropped all three series to Washington, UCLA and USC, and it now switches coastal opponents by facing the Scarlet Knights – who have won three straight and four of the past five, including a series win over Washington last weekend.

Below is a breakdown of the key stats, players to know and more, provided by Nebraska Athletics.

FRIDAY

Time: 6 p.m. CT

Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (3-4, 3.76 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Shadek (0-3, 6.91 ERA)

TV/Streaming: Nebraska Public Media/B1G+

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

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SATURDAY

Time: 2 p.m. CT

Pitching: RHP Ty Horn (0-4, 7.39 ERA) vs. RHP Landon Mack (3-2, 3.15 ERA)

TV/Streaming: B1G+

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

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SUNDAY

Time: 12 p.m. CT

Pitching: LHP Jackson Brockett (0-2, 4.68 ERA) vs. TBA

TV/Streaming: B1G+

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

>> All games will be played on Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln

>> Friday's series opener can be seen on Nebraska Public Media, with Larry Punteney and Jeff Leise on the call. The final two games of the series on Saturday and Sunday can be seen on B1G+.

>> Fans can also listen to Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley call the action this weekend on the Huskers Radio Network.

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

>> Through 24 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a 13-11 advantage over Rutgers in the all-time series.

>> The Huskers and Scarlet Knights met three times last season in Piscataway, N.J., where Rutgers took the series with a pair of wins.

>> In their last series in Lincoln, Rutgers swept the three-game series over Nebraska in 2022.

>> Redshirt senior Will Walsh has stifled opponents on the mound this season, limiting opposing hitters to a .218 hitting clip in 38.1 innings of work this season.

>> Walsh's .218 opposing batting average is the seventh-lowest by an NU pitcher with at least 35 innings pitched since the Huskers' transition to the Big Ten in 2012.

>> The southpaw comes into the weekend ranked 24th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.17) and 28th in walks allowed/9 inn. (1.41).

>> Nebraska is 115-25 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.

>> The Big Red have scored six-plus runs in 11 of the 12 victories this season, defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt (6-4), San Diego State (13-0), Louisiana (6-1), Washington (6-2), Wichita State (10-1), Pepperdine (9-6, 11-4). USC (6-5) and Oregon State (7-3, 16-7).

>> The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 34 times last season, compiling a 28-6 record.

>> Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 33 contests (26-7) in 2023 after tallying at least six runs 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020.

>> Nebraska recorded its first top-five series win since UCLA in 2011 after taking two of three games against No. 5 Oregon State last weekend at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

>> The Huskers opened the series with a 7-3 win on Friday night and suffered a 16-5 setback in seven innings on Saturday, before wrapping up the series with a 16-7 eight-inning win on Sunday afternoon.

>> The Oregon State pitching staff came into the weekend with a 2.81 ERA, before the Huskers plated 28 runs on three doubles, eight homers and a .370 batting average from the NU offense in the three-game series.

>> Riley Silva has been hit by pitch 34 times in his two seasons as a Husker, which is tied for ninth all-time in program history.

>> Silva is two away from tying Jake Mort (2006-09) in eighth and three shy of Alex Gordon (2003-05) and Nick Sullivan (2006-09) in sixth.

>> With a pair of four-hit performances at Kansas State and Omaha in back-to-back weeks, Case Sanderson became the first Husker since Max Anderson (2) and Griffin Everitt (2) in 2022 with multiple four-hit games in the regular season.

>> Sanderson led NU at the plate and fell a triple shy of the cycle at K-State last week after going 4-for-5 with a double, home run, three RBI and a trio of runs scored.

>> The sophomore had a 4-for-6 night with a double, an RBI and a run scored at Omaha on Wednesday night.

>> Sophomore Max Buettenback set career-high totals in hits, RBI and stolen bases in Nebraska's midweek matchup at Omaha on Wednesday.

>> The Lincoln native went 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.

>> Buettenback scored at least two runs for the third time this season, while the sophomore's three-run homer was his fourth of the year and fifth in his two seasons as a Husker.

>> Nebraska has seen a significant rise in offensive production lately, as the Huskers are scoring 7.1 runs per game and hitting .296 as a team in the last 10 games.

>> The Husker offense began the season hitting .247 and scoring 5.3 runs per game through the first 19 games of the year.

>> The Big Red have homered 14 times in the last 10 games, doubling the season total after recorded 14 homers in the first 19 games.

>> With the turnaround in the last 10 games, the Husker offense has seen a 17-point jump in batting average, 28-point spike in slugging percentage and a leap of 18 points in on-base percentage for the season.

>> Devin Nunez is batting a team-best .314 at the plate with three homers, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored in 24 games this season.

>> Case Sanderson comes into the weekend hitting .305 with a team-leading .468 on-base percentage after posting career-high four-hit games at Kansas State and Omaha in the last two weeks.

>> Riley Silva's batting average has climbed to .302 on the season after turning in back-to-back three-hit performances against No. 5 Oregon State and Creighton. The senior is second on the team with a .439 on-base percentage and five stolen bases this season.

>> Max Buettenback holds a team-leading 1.003 OPS with three doubles, four homers, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored in 18 games, including 11 starts this season.

>> Dylan Carey has slugged a team-best five home runs and 25 RBI on the season and is second in the lineup with eight doubles and 21 runs scored in 29 starts.

>> Cayden Brumbaugh has scored a team-high 23 runs and leads the NU offense with nine doubles and seven stolen bases in 29 starts this season.

>> Tyler Stone has slugged six doubles and four homers for 14 runs driven in and 11 runs scored, while Will Jesske has three doubles, a triple, a home run and seven RBI in 21 games this year.

>> Cael Frost has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games and has four contests with two-plus RBI, while Gabe Swansen is third on the team with 17 RBI on five doubles and two homers.

>> Robby Bolin holds a .317 batting average in 41 at-bats this season and has reached base safely in 12 of his last 13 appearances, while Hogan Helligso has driven in seven runs and picked up his first homer as a Husker vs. No. 5 Oregon State on Sunday.

>> Joshua Overbeek and Rhett Stokes have split time at third base in the lineup, combining for four doubles, a triple, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored with four stolen bases.

>> Redshirt senior Will Walsh gets the nod on Friday night and holds a 3-4 record on the season with a 3.76 ERA, 37 punchouts and opposing batting average of .218 in 38.1 innings.

>> Sophomore Ty Horn is set to take the mound in game two for the Huskers this weekend. Horn is 0-4 with a 7.39 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 31.2 innings of work.

>> Senior Jackson Brockett is scheduled to start the series finale, holding an 0-2 record with a 4.68 ERA and 17 strikeouts across seven appearances, including six starts.

>> Luke Broderick is 2-0 with four saves and a 3.48 ERA in nine appearances this season, picking up victories against USC and No. 5 Oregon State.

>> Drew Christo and Caleb Clark have appeared in a team-high 12 relief appearances on the season.

>> Casey Daiss has allowed two runs in 8.2 innings across seven appearances against K-State (twice), Washington, Pepperdine, USC, No. 5 Oregon State and Omaha.

>> Jalen Worthley has posted a 1-0 record and is third on the team with 10 appearances after a career-high three innings against Creighton Tuesday.

>> Carson Jasa and TJ Coats have shared time as midweek starters and relievers out of the bullpen on the weekend. Jasa is 2-2 with 23 strikeouts in 18 innings, while Coats has totaled 12 punchouts in 9.1 innings across six appearances.

>> Gavin Blachowicz has been the top freshman arm for the NU pitching staff this season, holding 2-0 record with a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings of action in eight appearances this season.

>> True freshmen Pryce Bender, Colin Nowaczyk and Blake Encarnacion have combined for 20 innings in 21 relief appearances on the mound in their debut season at Nebraska.

>> Grant Cleavinger and Ryan Harrahill have taken the mound seven and six times for the NU pitching staff, respectively. The duo has combined for 10 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

>> Aiden White and J'Shawn Unger made their collegiate debut on Wednesday at Omaha, making one-inning appearances on the mound.

All stats & info provided by Nebraska Athletics