Husker BSB series preview: Rotation, key stats, players to watch vs Indiana

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 the Huskers now own an even more head-scratching, inexcusable loss on their résumé — a 10-6 Wednesday night home loss to South Dakota State, an 18-25 team that is sub-.500 in the Summit League (9-13) and is ranked in the mid 250s in RPI. The Huskers held a 6-2 lead with one out and the bases empty in the eighth inning but surrendered eight runs over the final two frames, including a pair of three-run home runs to the same player.

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 (29-17-1, 12-6 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.

Updated through Thursday, May 9

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WHEN: Friday-Sunday (May 10-12)

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

WATCH: Friday’s series opener can be seen on Nebraska Public Media/B1G+ while Saturday and Sunday’s games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Larry Punteney (play by play) and Jeff Leise (color analyst) will be on the call for all three games this weekend.

LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network with Ben McLaughlin 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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FRIDAY – 6:02 p.m.*

RHP Brett Sears (7-0, 2.18 ERA) vs. LHP Ty Bothwell (6-2, 5.46 ERA)

SATURDAY – 6:02 p.m.

RHP Mason McConnaughey (6-3, 3.19 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Foley (4-1, 4.53 ERA)

SUNDAY – 12:02 p.m.

TBD vs. TBD

*All times Central

NOTES:

>> Junior LHP Jackson Brockett followed up his historic no-hitter in a win over Kansas State last Wednesday – an 8-0 win in which he threw the Husker program's first individual nine-inning no-hitter since 1954 – by throwing three innings against South Dakota State two nights ago.

>> Brockett surrendered just one run (earned) on two hits with no walks allowed and two strikeouts. He faced just two batters over the minimum (11) across those three frames. He gave up a two-out RBI single after having allowed a two-out double on a 1-2 count to SDSU's Wednesday night hero Thatcher Kozal* who then came around to score on a two-out RBI single. Those were the only blemishes throughout Brockett's 36 pitches on the night.

>> The Huskers' starting pitcher for the Sunday Game 3 finale is officially listed as "TBD," as is Indiana's Game 3 starter. Brockett could perhaps earn the Sunday start after two performances that ranged from solid to historic, so it will be interesting to see if head coach Will Bolt and pitching coach Rob Childress turn to Brockett or Will Walsh for what could prove to be the series decider on Sunday.

*Kozal – a native of Waverly, Nebraska – went 4-for-5 out of the DH spot against Nebraska. He finished with six RBI and three runs scored on a single, double and a pair of three-run HRs. The Jackrabbits' six-hole hitter doubled his RBI total (now 12 on the season), nearly doubled his HR total (5) and increased his batting average by 60 points (.260) after having entered the game 9-for-45 (.200) this season.

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>> Through 31 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a 16-14-1 advantage over Indiana in the all-time series.

>> The two teams last met in a weekend series in Bloomington in 2022, where the Hoosiers took two of three games against the Big Red.

>> This weekend’s series is Indiana’s first trip to Lincoln since 2018.

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Brockett's no-hitter

>> 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 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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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 143-65 in the middle-third innings this season.

>> The Huskers hold a 53-17 advantage in the fourth inning, while outscoring opponents 44-19 in the fifth inning and 46-29 in the sixth inning.

>> The Husker offense is hitting .316 at the plate with 72 extra-base hits and 134 RBI in the fourth through sixth innings, while the NU pitching staff is limiting opponents to a .234 hitting clip and a 3.82 ERA in the middle-third innings.

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"Mr. Steal Your Base"

>> With 81 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 seventh-highest success rate by a Husker offense since 2000.

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Sanderson's early-impact season as true freshman

>> Freshman Case Sanderson leads the Huskers with a .362 batting average along with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 16 RBI across 39 games, including 28 starts.

>> The Nevada, Mo., native has reached base in a team-high 19 straight games and is hitting .370 (20-for-54) with five extra-base hits and seven RBI over that span.

>> Sanderson has reached base at a .519 clip this season for the Huskers, which ranks 14th in the nation and second in the Big Ten Conference.

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Silva nearing 30 stolen bases

>> Riley Silva is one of 11 D1 players to steal 29-plus bases and be caught three-or-fewer times, including one of two Power Five players this season.

>> Silva is the 10th NU player since 2000 to swipe at least 20 bases, and the first Husker to steal 29-or-more bases in a season since Jamal Strong (35) in 2000.

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Silva's been "wearing it" all season

>> Silva has been hit by pitch 22 times this season, which is third-most in program history.

>> Silva is two away from tying Corey Miller (1996) in second and six shy of the program record of 28 set by Daniel Bruce in 2002.

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Worthley and Daiss out of the 'pen

>> NU’s set-up man, Jalen Worthley, is 3-0 with a 3.58 ERA and four saves across a bullpen-high 28.1 innings. The southpaw has made a team-high 10 multi-inning relief appearances for NU and punched out 27 batters while issuing just four walks.

>> The Huskers’ closer, Casey Daiss, leads the Big Red in saves (5) and boasts a 3.72 ERA across 19.1 innings of work. Daiss has held opponents scoreless in 13 of his 17 appearances this season for the Big Red.

>> Worthley threw 1.1 perfect innings (no baserunners allowed) with two strikeouts on 17 pitches against SDSU.

>> Daiss, however, struggled in his most recent outing. He took the loss against SDSU after being tagged for four runs (all earned) on four hits with one strikeout across 21 pitches. Daiss entered with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth inning – after Rans Sanders had surrendered Kozal's first three-run bomb to cut the Husker lead to 6-5 – and fired an inning-ending strikeout. After recording the first out of the ninth inning, though, Daiss gave up four consecutive singles to give the Jackrabbits a 7-6 lead. He was replaced by Grant Cleavinger, who surrendered the game-breaking Kozal three-run HR in the ninth.

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Top bats in the Husker lineup

>> Tyler Stone is batting .391 (25-for-64) with an OPS of 1.105 at home for the Big Red, while Ben Columbus has posted a .338 average this season with four doubles, five home runs and 24 RBI.

>> Dylan Carey has hits in 12 of his last 18 games and ranks second on the Big Red with 13 doubles, raising his batting average from .236 to .259 over that span.

>> Rhett Stokes holds a .333 batting average with 10 doubles, a home run and 14 RBI, while Cole Evans is hitting .282 with nine doubles, four home runs, and 36 RBI.

>> Garrett Anglim has reached base in eight of his last 12 games, hitting .260 this season with six doubles, two homers and 22 RBI. Joshua Overbeek is batting .285 with eight extra-base hits, 16 RBI and 33 runs scored.

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Bullpen Breakdown

>> Sanders has a 4.05 ERA for the Huskers across 13.1 innings with a pair of saves, allowing six earned runs this season.

>> Kyle Perry’s 21 relief appearances lead all NU relievers as the senior is 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA and a career-high tying three saves.

>> Evan Borst is limiting opponents to a .171 batting average (7-for-41) this season, posting 15 strikeouts over 12.0 innings of work.

>> Kyle Froehlich has appeared in 16 games for the Huskers, punching out 17 batters while issuing just three walks across 17.0 innings.

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