Weekend Preview: Nebraska baseball visits Illinois for critical series

After a crushing series loss to Minnesota last weekend, Nebraska baseball (19-27, 7-11 Big Ten) heads on the road for the second week in a row. Illinois (26-19, 12-6 Big Ten) awaits the Huskers in Champaign and is tied with Iowa for the No. 3 spot in the conference standings.

The series begins with a 6:00 p.m. tilt that will be televised on ESPNU. On Saturday, first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. and can be streamed on BTN+ while Sunday's finale starts at 2:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. It's the first time Nebraska has been on the ESPN network of channels this season after two stints on streaming service ESPN+ earlier this season.

Nebraska desperately needed to win the series against Minnesota last week. Disaster struck before even a pitch had been thrown. Shortstop Brice Matthews suffered a knee injury during pregame warmups that kept him off the field for the entire series. Core Jackson moved over to shortstop while Max Anderson filled Jackson's hole at second base.

The Huskers powered through for a 12-5 win on Friday but things spiraled from there. First it was a 9-8 extra-inning loss after Nebraska held a 8-5 lead in the eighth. That debacle was followed by a 3-1 defeat on Sunday. The 1-2 weekend dropped the Huskers to 10th in the Big Ten.

Illinois has not played a conference game in nearly two weeks after hosting non-conference foe Miami Ohio last weekend and midweek opponent Indiana State.

The last time out for conference action was in Bloomington where the Fighting Illini lost two of three to the Indiana Hoosiers. Illinois recovered this week by sweeping their four-game non-conference slate capped with a 6-2 win over Miami (OH) on Sunday.

It's been a roller coaster season for the Fighting Illini that bears some similarities to Nebraska's. Illinois picked up an early ranked win when they took down No. 25 West Virginia 6-2 in the first week of March. That was the only real highlight of a brutal non-conference season in which the Fighting Illini lost three of four to Kansas and a series with Southern Illinois.

The difference is that Illinois has had its best success during Big Ten play.

There the Fighting Illini have sweeps of Purdue and Northwestern as well as a series win over Iowa. But there have plenty of valleys to go along with those peaks. Illinois pummeled No. 24 Maryland 19-1 in the weekend opener on April 22 before losing the next two and the Indiana series the week after.

Which Nebraska and Illinois teams show up will go a long way in determining the outcome in Champaign.

Friday, 6:00 p.m.: RHP Shay Schanaman (2-7, 4.26 ERA) vs. LHP Cole Kirschsieper (6-2, 2.93 ERA)

Saturday, 3:00 p.m.: LHP Emmett Olson (2-3, 2.75 ERA) vs. RHP Riley Gowens (5-2, 4.97 ERA)

Sunday, 2:00 p.m.: TBA vs. TBA

What began as Nebraska's greatest strength in February is now the teams greatest weakness in May. The Huskers have lost six arms throughout the course of the season. Seven counting two-way player Colby Gomes who hoped to fill the closer role at the beginning of the 2022 campaign and has dealt with injuries all season.

Thursday's announcement of Tyler Martin's dismissal from the team makes for the second pitcher removed from the roster this season. Freshman Jaxon Jelkin was also sent away for violations of team rules.

Kyle Perry's season ending injury forced the elevation of Emmett Olson who has fit nicely into Nebraska's starting rotation. Freshman Jackson Brockett was thought to be a two-year project but he has been called upon to fill long-reliever/starting roles. He too has risen to the occasion. Olson and Brockett have 2.75 and 5.19 ERAs and have a combined strikeout-walk ratio of nearly 3:1.

The Husker bullpen has survived all season without likely its best reliever in senior Jake Bunz whose 2.20 ERA in 2021 was second only to Spencer Schwellenbach's 0.57 ERA. Transfers Dawson McCarville and Mason Ornelas have each struggled with ERAs above 6.00.

So what (or whom) does Nebraska have left in the tank this season?

Look for increased outings from closer Braxton Bragg, Ornelas and McCarville. Those three will have to go longer especially if the starters can't get it done. Brockett and Koty Frank are in discussions to get the ball for Sunday's start. The one who doesn't get the nod will be the primary reliever on the weekend.

In addition, CJ Hood, Ethan Bradford, Drew Christo and Chandler Benson could all see more action.

It's no secret that losing Brice Matthews is a big deal. Husker head coach Will Bolt confirmed on Thursday that the only potential action for Matthews against the Fighting Illini would be pinch hitting appearances.

The sophomore hadn't had his best season by any means. Many even have referred to it as a slump. Yet in recent weeks, the struggles had begun to turn into a boom of success. In his last eight games, Matthews is batting .384 with a double, four homers, 10 RBIs and a hit in each contest.

All of this had come after an astounding 0-19 stretch with 11 strikeouts in the previous six games before the hitting streak began. The other bugaboo for Matthews was errors. During his last eight games, he has just a single error.

The changes for the Husker infield are serious too. Prior to the Minnesota series, Nebraska had won four of its last six games with an infield that featured Efry Cervantes at third, Matthews at shortstop, Core Jackson at second base and Max Anderson at first. That group had but one fielding error in those six games for a team that averaged 1.3 errors per contest in its last 37 games.

The new lineup most notably saw Anderson at second base and the reinsertion of Colby Gomes in the defensive array. The Huskers infield accounted for three of the teams four errors in the Minnesota series. Cervantes, Anderson and Jackson were all charged with one.

The Matthews injury was a devastating loss for the Nebraska defense and it was even more crushing for a young athlete whose tide seemed to have finally turned.

It's a winding road to get to Omaha. For many teams that road is associated with the College World Series. For Nebraska, that road leads to the Big Ten tournament and is represented by a 90-degree climb that's uphill both ways.

The top eight finishers in the Big Ten standings advance to the tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. In eighth place sit the Purdue Boilermakers at 7-9. Just behind them at ninth are the Northwestern Wildcats at 7-11. Those two teams go toe to toe in Evanston, Illinois this week.

While the Northwestern-Purdue series is arguably the most important series to watch for the Husker's postseason hopes, there are others with key stakes.

Here are some others to keep an eye on:

Indiana (No. 7) Vs. Minnesota (No. 13)

Iowa (No. 3) Vs. Michigan State (No. 11)

Penn State (No. 6) Vs. Ohio State (No. 12)

***The Fighting Illini boast several big hitters. Cam McDonald (.371, 14 doubles, six homers and 48 RBI), Jacob Campbell (eight home runs, 42 RBI), Branden Comia and Justin Janas (six home runs each).

***McDonald has a 56-game on-base streak that dates back to May 8, 2021. The streak is second in Illinois history and McDonald is a game away from tying the record.

***Dan Hartleb is in his 17th season as head coach at Illinois. He owns a 502-368-1 record at the helm of the Fighting Illini program.

***Hartleb picked up his 500th win last weekend against Miami (OH).

***Illinois leads the all-time series 13-12 and holds a 6-5 record against the Huskers in Champaign.

***The Fighting Illini are 14-3 at home this season.

***Illinois is averaging 7.15 runs per game in 45 games this season

***Nebraska won two of three in Champaign last season.