Here's a preview from Evan Bland on Nebraska baseball's weekend series at Northwestern to open Big Ten play.
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Nebraska at Northwestern
Where: Rocky Miller Park, Evanston, Illinois
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Video stream: B1G+
3 p.m. Friday: RHP Brett Sears (4-0, 1.14 ERA) vs. LHP Nolan Moor (1-3, 6.39)
1 p.m. Saturday: RHP Drew Christo (1-1, 4.13) vs. RHP Kyle Potthoff (2-0, 2.28)
1 p.m. Sunday: RHP Mason McConnaughey (2-2, 1.65) vs. TBD
Scouting Nebraska (17-5, 0-0)
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Conference play has arrived, which means a fresh task for the Huskers. NU doesn’t want to change its approach — the team is riding a seven-game win streak, tied for its fifth longest in the Big Ten era — yet recognizes the league race is at the starting line. “I think we’re really excited about what we’ve done so far but none of that matters,” third baseman Josh Overbeek said. “It’s a new season. It’s a clean slate and we’ll be ready to go.”
Nebraska’s league finishes under coach Will Bolt have been first, ninth and fourth last year. Christo was part of the last two and said Big Ten offenses tend to employ more small-ball tactics — steals, bunts, hit and runs — than nonconference foes. “I think the weather is part of that,” Christo said. “The weather is not the best for slugging — especially right now — so you’ve got to find different ways to score runs.”
The Huskers continue to feature elite pitching numbers headlined by a 3.80 earned-run average (15th nationally) while the offense (7.5 runs/game, 88th) is scoring more than nine runs per try during the win streak. Defense (.967 fielding percentage, 154th) settled in during the homestand as Overbeek returned to third base and Rhett Stokes manned second. “I still think that’s an area where we can become an above-average team,” Bolt said. “We’re not there yet but we can continue to strive to get there.”
Scouting Northwestern (10-12, 0-0)
This season is already an improvement for the Wildcats, who have already matched the win total of last year’s 10-40 showing. The program has long struggled — its last winning spring was 2000 and its only NCAA tournament appearance was 1957 — but even more so lately with its fourth skipper in four years. Coach Ben Greenspan takes over now after spending most of his career as an assistant under Tracy Smith at Indiana, Arizona State and Michigan.
And the Wildcats’ start has been…pretty good. Despite just two home games and a top-75 schedule, Northwestern is close to .500 with an RPI of 68 after salvaging single wins over decent squads like Tulane, Louisville and McNeese. Fielding has been steady, but the offense (6.2 runs/game, 187th nationally) and pitching (6.65 ERA, 192nd) is performing average at best. Wildcat hurlers don’t pile up strikeouts (6.7 per nine innings, 279th) and a lefty-heavy lineup doesn’t hit for power (.371 slugging, 243rd). “You don’t look at many of their numbers and say that maybe any of them really jump off the page at you offensively, on the mound or anything like that,” Bolt said. “But their record says they play well together and that they’re really well managed as a group.”
Catcher Bennett Markinson leads the team with a .360 average to go with a pair of home runs and Owen McElfatrick (.322) joins him above .300. Former Missouri transfer Potthoff is among the hottest Big Ten pitchers despite a 14-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 2/3 innings and eight appearances (six starts).
Dugout chatter
» Is Nebraska on pace to host an NCAA regional for the first time since 2008? Five Big Ten teams have done so since the Huskers joined the league. These were their records entering league play: 14-3 (2012 Purdue), 15-3 (2013 Indiana), 10-8 (2014 Indiana), 18-5-1 (2015 Illinois), 14-8 (2018 Minnesota) and 20-5 (2022 Maryland). NU’s nonconference strength of schedule (No. 27) rates better than any of the three most recent examples.
» Overbeek said his right ring finger is feeling “great” since he returned two weeks ago from breaking it in mid-February. Overbeek, who is hitting .325 in 11 games, traveled with the team even when out to be a vocal supporter during games.
“The coaches saw that I could be a loudmouth in the dugout for good — for energy, for picking up teammates and lifting them up,” said Overbeek, a juco transfer. “This game, it’s contagious. Hits are contagious; playing good defense is contagious. But also attitude and effort is contagious.”
» Bolt said the desire is “high” to make up three games cancelled by weather — College of Charleston, New Mexico State and Kansas State — but opportunities are dwindling. Nebraska prefers not to play on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays during league play and has other midweek contests scheduled between now and mid-May. “Finding a replacement game in there is going to be difficult, unfortunately,” Bolt said.
» At least four players are likely to redshirt this season, pending major injuries ahead of them. One is freshman outfielder Matt Evans, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery and wasn’t ready to throw when the year began. Others are freshman pitchers in left-handers Ian Regal and Brooks Kneifl and righty Carson Jasa. “I’m excited about all of them,” Bolt said. “They all bring something a little bit different to the table. I would say we pretty much made decisions on most of those guys but you never know what might happen.”