Huskers take hot streak through meat of schedule

Fresh off series wins over Maryland and Indiana, the Nebraska baseball team continues its stretch against top-half Big Ten competition for the third straight week.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (20-11, 3-3) come to Lincoln this weekend looking to test a Nebraska team that has cemented itself in the NCAA tournament conversation in the second half of the season. The Huskers (20-11-1, 4-1-1) will look to turn around a trend of recent struggles with Iowa after losing six of the last seven games in the series.

After sitting at just 5-8 with an RPI hovering near triple digits heading into a series finale against Western Carolina, the Huskers have completely turned around their season. A 10-0 blowout over the Catamounts to salvage the series has propelled Nebraska to a 15-3-1 record since March 11.

"I don't think we're doing anything we're not capable of - I actually think we're capable of more," head coach Darin Erstad said. "We're going to play good defense, limit the free passes, and try to get as many baserunners on base as we can. Right now we're finding some holes and getting some timely hits."

That hot streak at the plate has seen the emergence of players like freshman Luke Roskam and sophomore Angelo Altavilla, along with the re-emergence of seniors Ben Miller and Jake Schleppenbach. A dominant pitching staff has completed the package for the Huskers in the midst of the streak.

A series win this weekend could set the Huskers up for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in Minneapolis next week. Both Nebraska and Minnesota are currently at least two games clear of the field in the loss column of the Big Ten standings.

While jockeying for position in the conference, the Huskers are receiving some national recognition. The Huskers are currently projected by College Sports Madness as the 2-seed in top-ranked Oregon State's Corvallis Regional and the 3-seed in fifth-ranked Texas Tech's Lubbock Regional by Baseball America.

Friday, April 14 (6:35 p.m.): Nebraska RHP Jake Hohensee (4-2, 2.16 ERA, 41.2 IP, 28K) vs. Iowa RHP Nick Gallagher (4-1, 2.15 ERA, 46.0 IP, 41 K)

Saturday, April 15 (6:05 p.m.): Nebraska RHP Derek Burkamper (2-2, 3.64 ERA, 29.2 IP, 26 K) vs. Iowa LHP Ryan Erickson (0-1, 3.67 ERA, 27.0 IP, 19 K)

Sunday, April 16 (2:02 p.m.): Nebraska LHP Jake Meyers (5-1, 2.25 ERA, 44.0 IP, 27 K) vs. Iowa RHP Cole McDonald (2-2, 5.34 ERA, 32.0 IP, 31 K)

*** After hitting .786 in the Maryland series, Ben Miller followed up his Big Ten player of the week performance with another solid outing against Kansas State, smacking two doubles on the Wildcat defense. Miller also locked it down on the mound Tuesday, allowing just one hit over three innings.

"It's definitely tough hitting while you're pitching," Miller said. "When it's my turn to bat, I'll be focused on that, but I'm more locked in on the pitching."

Miller said playing two ways has given him an appreciation for what Jake Meyers has been able to do in compiling a 5-1 record on the mound. He said the mental side of it is where Meyers has a clear edge.

*** Senior pitcher Derek Burkamper echoed Miller's comments about Meyers, adding that he has huge confidence in the junior lefty whenever he takes the mound.

"Honestly, when I wake up on Sunday morning, I just think, 'Okay, here's a win,'" Burkamper said. "For whatever reason, I just have so much confidence in him, and he just goes out there and does his thing and executes."

"It's a credit to him playing Friday and Saturday and still having the strength to find a way to get it done on the mound Sunday, and hitting as well," Erstad said of Meyers. "He competes and gives us a chance to win, and that's all we ask him to do."

*** Outside of Meyers and Miller, other Husker pitchers have been historically dominant in 2017. The current level of production draws a few statistical parallels to the 2005 staff that led the team to the College World Series, and Burkamper said this staff is the deepest since he's been here. Newcomers to the mound like Luis Alvarado have been as dominant as the starters, as fifth-year pitching coach Ted Silva has coached up a deep staff of pitchers that can "eat up" innings.

*** Iowa is just 3-7 in true road games this year following a series loss to Northwestern (RPI 266). The Hawkeyes' road record includes a series loss at Kansas State, a team Nebraska swept this season with two blowout wins. For all their struggles away from home, Iowa has protected its own turf, going 11-1 in Iowa City this season.

*** Iowa head coach Rick Heller has never lost a series to Erstad since his debut in 2014. He's also one of the most experienced coaches in the Big Ten with over 30 seasons under his belt and has guided four schools to the NCAA tournament.

*** Junior first baseman Jake Adams leads the Big Ten with 13 home runs on the year, but also leads the Hawkeyes with 27 strikeouts. When he makes contact, Adams gets the ball in play, boasting a .421 on-base percentage. Sophomore Robert Neustrom leads the team in batting average with a .351 mark on the year.

*** While the Hawkeyes don't have a particularly dominant starter, reliever Zach Daniels leads the conference in wins with a 6-2 record in 13 appearances. As the setup man, Daniels has given up just five extra-base hits on the year and struck out 31 batters in less than 30 innings. Daniels did not pitch in the Hawkeyes' mid-week win over Western Illinois, so expect him to be available early in the weekend.