Nebraska BSB: Rotation, key stats & players to watch vs. Kansas State

Nebraska baseball has one of its stiffest tests of the season on the way tonight.

The Huskers (17-5) sit at No. 10 in the national RPI rankings with a .773 winning percentage, and they are just outside the top 25 – having received votes in multiple national polls (22 votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll – after winning seven consecutive games and 10 of their last 11 games.

Nebraska will have a shot at turning some more voter heads tonight when it hits the road to face No. 23-ranked Kansas State (17-6) tonight.

Below is a preview of what's on tap for Nebraska with the starting pitching matchup, the most important stats to know, key players to watch against the Wildcats and more.

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WHEN: Tuesday (March 26) – 6:05 p.m. CT

WHERE: Manhattan, Kan. (Tointon Family Stadium)

WATCH: Stream on ESPN+

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

>> 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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LHP Will Walsh (2-0, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Buss (2-0, 0.00 ERA)

NOTES:

>> Walsh is set to toe the rubber tonight. Walsh is 2-0 in five starts, posting a 4.12 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 24 innings.

>> The Leawood, Kan., native is coming off consecutive quality starts in his last two midweek outings.

>> Walsh allowed three runs on six hits in six innings at Wichita State, before striking out a season-high nine batters and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings vs. North Dakota State last week.

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>> Through 290 all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 173-117 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series.

>> Nebraska and K-State meet in a midweek matchup for the third consecutive season after the two teams met on the diamond for one game in Manhattan in 2023.

>> The Huskers have won the last two games over the Wildcats, including a 6-1 victory over K-State in Manhattan last season.

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All game notes courtesy of Nebraska Athletics

Huskers vs. Top 25 opponents during the Bolt Era

>> Nebraska has played at least three games against Top 25 opponents every season since head coach Will Bolt’s first season at Nebraska in 2020.

>> Tuesday night’s matchup with the 23rd-ranked Wildcats is NU’s second game against a ranked foe this season after suffering a 6-3 setback vs. No. 21 Texas Tech on opening weekend.

>> Under Bolt, the Huskers have knocked off a Top 25 foe in every season, excluding the 2022 campaign where the Big Red went 0-3 vs. ranked opponents.

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Huskers riding seven-game win streak

>> Nebraska comes into Tuesday night’s matchup riding a seven-game win streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest win streak for NU in the last 10 seasons.

>> In the seven games, the Husker offense is hitting .319 at the plate and scoring 9.1 runs per game, while the NU pitching staff has compiled a 2.29 ERA and limited opponents to 2.7 runs per game.

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Controlling the basepaths

>> Nebraska comes into the week as one of six teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.

>> The Huskers have limited opponents to just 11 stolen base attempts on the season and are one of five teams to hold opponents to 11 stolen base attempts or less on the year.

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Scoreless streak

>> Over the last four games, Nebraska starting pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 23.1 innings of work, posting 31 strikeouts to just five walks.

>> This season, Husker starters are 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA, posting quality starts in five of their last 10 outings.

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Caron producing in big ways

>> Josh Caron has been a key contributor for the NU offense this season, hitting .296 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored.

>> The junior leads the Big Red with five home runs and eight multi-hit performances this season.

>> Since 2012, Caron is one of four Huskers to drive in 26-plus in Nebraska’s first 22 games to start the season.

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Timely two-out hitting

>> The Husker offense has found success at the plate with two outs this season.

>> Nebraska is hitting .300 (75-for-250) and has recorded 60 of its 149 RBI this season with two outs.

>> There have been 17 Huskers who have recorded a two-out hit through the first 20 games, including six Huskers with at least six hits.

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Top players to watch

>> Rhett Stokes is hitting .382 with seven doubles, nine RBI and 14 runs scored, while Cayden Brumbaugh holds a .339 hitting clip with five doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.

>> Riley Silva leads the Huskers with 22 runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .293 in 21 starts.

>> Joshua Overbeek holds a .325 batting average with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs in 11 starts, while Garrett Anglim is hitting .321 with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 20 games, including 15 starts.

• Cole Evans and Tyler Stone are both hitting .290 at the plate, with Evans recording four doubles, a homer and 13 RBI and Stone tallying three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI this season.

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Huskers in the 'pen

>> Casey Daiss has recorded a team-best four saves in seven relief appearances. The junior has struck out five and compiled a 2.57 ERA across seven innings.

>> Kyle Perry and Tucker Timmerman have made a team-high 10 relief appearances for the Big Red. Perry has three saves in six innings, while Timmerman is 2-0 with a save in 11.1 innings.

>> Kyle Froehlich has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work while making six relief appearances for the Huskers.

>> Evan Borst and Rans Sanders have come out of the pen seven times in their debut with the Big Red. Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while Sanders has tallied a save and struck out five across seven innings.