NEB BSB: Northwestern Preview & Notes
NEBRASKA vs. NORTHWESTERN
April 18-20
Lincoln, Neb. | Hawks Field at Haymarket Park
Friday, April 18 – 6:02 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (4-5, 3.93 ERA) vs. RHP Sam Hliboki (2-2, 4.08 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers Radio Network, Huskers App
Saturday, April 19 – 2:02 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Ty Horn (0-4, 7.36 ERA) vs. RHP Matthew Kouser (3-3, 5.72 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers Radio Network, Huskers App
Sunday, April 20 – 12:02 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Jackson Brockett (0-3, 4.68 ERA) vs. TBD
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers Radio Network, Huskers App
Follow the Game
• All three games of this weekend's home series against Northwestern can be seen on B1G+.
• Fans can also listen to Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley call the action this weekend on the Huskers Radio Network.
• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.
Nebraska vs. Northwestern
• Through 32 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a 20-12 advantage over Northwestern in the all-time series.
• The Huskers have won nine consecutive games against the Wildcats after sweeping Northwestern in three games last season in Evanston.
• In their last meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska picked up a three-game sweep of Northwestern in 2023 with victories of 8-3, 9-2 and 18-5.
McConnaughey to Miss Remainder of 2025 Season
• Nebraska Coach Will Bolt announced the first week in March that junior right-handed pitcher Mason McConnaughey will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an arm injury against Sam Houston at the Frisco Classic.
• McConnaughey began the season as the first husker named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List since 2016 and earned Preseason All-American recognition from D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
A Look at the Weekend Rotation
• With Brett Sears taken in the 2024 MLB Draft, Drew Christo's transition to the bullpen and Mason McConnaughey's season-ending injury, it's a new-look weekend rotation for the Huskers this year.
• Redshirt senior Will Walsh gets the nod on Friday night and holds a 4-5 record on the season with a 3.93 ERA, 43 punchouts and opposing batting average of .223 in 50.1 innings.
• Sophomore Ty Horn is set to take the mound in game two for the Huskers this weekend. Horn is 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 40.1 innings of work.
• Senior Jackson Brockett is scheduled to start the series finale, holding an 0-3 record with a 4.68 ERA and 21 strikeouts across nine appearances, including eight starts.
Walsh Works Efficiently on the Mound
• Redshirt senior Will Walsh is one of six pitchers nationally—and one of only two from P4 programs—to issue 10 or fewer walks while holding opponents to a batting average below .225 over at least 50 innings this season.
• Walsh has made seven starts this season with three or fewer walks in five or more innings, holding opponents to five or fewer hits in four of those starts.
Lucky Number Six in the Bolt Era
• Nebraska is 120-26 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.
• The Big Red have scored six-plus runs in 16 of the 17 victories this season, defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt (6-4), San Diego State (13-0), Louisiana (6-1), Washington (6-2), Wichita State (10-1), Pepperdine (9-6, 11-4). USC (6-5), Oregon State (7-3, 16-7), Rutgers (8-5, 10-5), No. 22 Kansas (7-5), Iowa (6-4) and Creighton (6-3).
• The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 34 times last season, compiling a 28-6 record.
• Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 33 contests (26-7) in 2023 after tallying at least six runs 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020.
Silva Climbing the All-Time HBP Chart
• Riley Silva has been hit by pitch 41 times in his two seasons as a Husker, which sits sixth all-time in program history.
• Silva is five away from tying Kale Kiser (2009-12) in fifth and six shy of Kash Kalkowski (2009-13) and Bryan Peters (2010-13) in third.
Walsh Among Active Career Leaders in Free Passes
• Redshirt senior Will Walsh comes into the weekend ranked among DI's active career leaders in fewest walks allowed per nine innings, sitting fourth with 1.57 walks per nine innings.
• Walsh has surrendered 28 free passes in 160.2 innings in his time as a Husker and is the only P4 pitcher ranked in the top five.
Buettenback by the Numbers: Last 10 Games
• Sophomore Max Buettenback has led the Husker offense at the plate in Nebraska's last 10 games.
• Buettenback is batting .371 (13-of-35) with three doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored while posting an OPS of 1.094 in the 10-game stretch.
• In the last 10 games, the sophomore is hitting a team-best .478 (11-of-23) with runners on, .545 (6-of-11) with runners in scoring position and .364 (4-of-11) with two outs.
• Buettenback recorded a career-high three hits at Omaha and No. 22 Kansas and delivered the go-ahead hits in the Huskers' late rallies against the 22nd-ranked Jayhawks and Iowa.
Jesske One of Toughest Sophomores to Strike Out
• Will Jesske enters this weekend's series vs. Northwestern as one of 12 sophomores nationally, including one of five P4 sophomores, to average 10.5-or-more at-bats per strikeout this season.
• Jesske has struck out just seven times in 75 at-bats this season while hitting .240 with three doubles, a triple, three homers, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored in 28 games played this season.
Lockdown Luke: Broderick Among Saves Leaders
• Junior Luke Broderick goes into the weekend tied for seventh nationally and is one of 14 closers with at least eight saves on the season.
• Broderick holds a 2-1 record and eight saves with a 4.00 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 18 innings across 15 appearances this season.
• The Omaha, Neb., native's eight saves are the most by a Husker reliever since Spencer Schwellenbach (10) in 2021.
• Broderick is two saves shy of reaching ninth on the single-season charts at NU and becoming the 12th Husker reliever in program history to reach double-digit saves in a season.
Boost on the Bump: Timmerman Returns
• Sophomore Tucker Timmerman returned to the mound last weekend at Iowa for the NU bullpen after being sidelined from an injury suffered on opening weekend against No. 16 Vanderbilt.
• Timmerman matched his career high with 2.2 innings pitched in his return at Iowa on Sunday. The Beatrice, Neb., native allowed just one hit and struck out three Hawkeyes while tossing 2.2 scoreless frames in Nebraska's 6-4 win in the series finale.
• Against No. 16 Vanderbilt on opening weekend, the sophomore allowed one run on two hits and struck out a pair in 2.1 innings of work in Nebraska's 6-4 win against the Commodores.
• On the season, Timmerman holds a 1.80 ERA and five strikeouts while allowing just one run on three hits across five innings.
Bats in the Nebraska Lineup
• Case Sanderson leads the Big Red with a .307 batting average and .441 on-base percentage while recording five doubles, a triple, one home run, 13 RBI and 20 runs scored.
• Devin Nunez is batting .300 with three homers, 15 RBI and 14 runs scored over 26 games this season.
• Cayden Brumbaugh is hitting .295 and leads the team with 30 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 36 starts this season.
• Max Buettenback holds a team-best .969 OPS and has totaled six doubles, five homers, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored in 26 games this year.
• Dylan Carey has driven in a team-high 31 runs and leads the team with 11 doubles and six homers in 37 starts, while Riley Silva is batting .260 and is second on the team with a .432 on-base percentage.
• Tyler Stone is hitting .253 with eight doubles, six home runs and 20 runs driven in, while Cael Frost has slugged four doubles and six home runs and is second on the team with 22 RBI this season.
• Joshua Overbeek is up to 10 extra-base hits and swinging .271 at the plate this season, while Will Jesske has recorded three doubles, a triple, three home runs, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored in 28 games.
Huskers in the Pen
• Luke Broderick has earned two wins and eight saves in 15 appearances, totaling 24 punchouts in 18 innings.
• Drew Christo has pitched in a team-high 17 games with a 1-1 record and a save, recording a 6.35 ERA over 28.1 innings. He has struck out 32 batters and walked 13 while holding hitters to a .257 hitting clip.
• Casey Daiss has pitched 12 innings in 11 relief appearances with a 1.50 ERA, allowing just two earned runs on 12 hits with 11 strikeouts.
• Grant Cleavinger has made 11 relief appearances, picking up 13 punchouts in 6.2 innings of work.
• Caleb Clark has logged 12 innings in 13 relief outings with 10 strikeouts and five walks.
• Jalen Worthley has a 2-0 record in 12 appearances over 16.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, while Carson Jasa is 2-2 in 18.2 innings over 11 outings with 24 punchouts.
• TJ Coats has tossed 10.1 innings with 14 strikeouts in seven appearances, including three starts.
• Tucker Timmerman has made two appearances out of the bullpen, allowing one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and no walks across five innings.
• Gavin Blachowicz has made 10 appearances with a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings of work. The freshman has struck out 14 and allowed six earned runs on 13 hits.
• Pryce Bender is 2-0 in 15 innings across 11 relief appearances, while Colin Nowaczyk has struck out seven in seven innings of action across seven relief outings.
• Gavin Blachowicz has made 10 appearances with a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings of work. The freshman has struck out 14 and allowed six earned runs on 13 hits.
• Blake Encarnacion has thrown 3.0 scoreless innings over seven relief outings, allowing no hits and striking out four.