No. 18 Nebraska Visits No. 17 Maryland

Friday, April 3 (1:05 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (4-3) vs. RHP Shawaryn (6-0)
TV: BTN (Tape Delay at 6 p.m. CT)
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go (Live)
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Saturday, April 4 (1:05 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (4-0) vs. LHP Stiles (2-2)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Sunday, April 5 (11:05 a.m. CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (4-1) vs. TBA
TV: BTN (Tape Delay at 2 p.m. CT)
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go (Live)
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Lincoln - The No. 18 Nebraska baseball team (23-7, 3-0 Big Ten) will play its first Big Ten road series of the season this weekend three-games against the No. 17 Maryland Terrapins (19-7, 4-2 Big Ten) in College Park, Md. Friday night’s series opener will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

The series opens at 6:05 p.m. (CT) on Friday night and will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network. The teams are then scheduled to play at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday before wrapping on the series on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. Sunday’s finale will also be show on BTN, but will be broadcast on tape delay at 2 p.m. Fans can watch Sunday’s game live on BTN2Go.

The Terrapins were the preseason favorite to win the conference by the league’s coaches, while the Huskers were picked second. The Huskers enter the weekend atop the conference standings with a 3-0 conference record, while Maryland is in a four-way tie for third place with a 4-2 league record.

Nebraska is 9-1 over its last 10 games and has posted a 18-3 record since the start of March. Maryland enters the weekend a perfect 7-0 at Bob Smith Stadium this season, including a series sweep of Minnesota in its first ever Big Ten series two weeks ago. The former ACC member was on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., last weekend and dropped a series against Michigan, 2-1.

Friday night will see a showdown between two of the league’s top pitchers in Nebraska senior Chance Sinclair and Maryland sophomore Mike Shawaryn. Sinclair is 7-0 all-time in nine Big Ten starts and has won each of his last three starts entering Friday. A freshman All-American by multiple publications last season, Shawaryn is 6-0 this season in seven starts with a 2.11 ERA. The Carneys Point, N.J., product has struck out 54 and walked just seven over 47.0 innings of work.

Saturday’s 1:05 p.m. meeting with be between a pair of lefties, with senior Kyle Kubat scheduled to start for Nebraska against Maryland sophomore Tayler Stiles. Kubat will be in search of his 20th career win and is coming off of consecutive starts where he totaled nine strikeouts. Stiles is a 6-2 native of Bowie, Md., and is 2-2  on the year with a 3.81 ERA. In 26.0 innings he has allowed 26 hits, walked five and struck out 25.

Nebraska sophomore Derek Burkamper is scheduled to start on Sunday, while Maryland has yet to annouce a starter. Burkamper is 4-1 on the season and has won each of his past three starts. The Muscatine, Iowa, native is coming off a career-long 8.1 innings outing against Texas, where he also struck out a career-high six batters.

On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe Lane Grindle call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln - and live on Huskers.com, the Official Husker App or the TuneIn Radio App.

TV Coverage
Friday’s series opener was moved to 1:05 p.m. because of weather and will be shown on tape delay on BTN at 6 p.m. The game will be shown live on BTN2Go. Sunday’s game will also be on BTN, but will be shown on tape delay at 2 p.m. (CT). Sunday’s game can be seen live on BTN2Go.

Web Streams
Both Friday’s and Sunday’s games can be streamed live on BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go App.

Rest the Pen
Nebraska’s weekend rotation of Chance Sinclair, Kyle Kubat and Derek Burkamper have done their jobs this year by pitching late into games and have posted a 12-4 record.

In 20 combined starts, the trio has only one outing off less than 5.0 innings, while they have combined to go at least 6.0 innings 15 times. On average, the trio is throwing just over 6.2 innings per start.

Like Your Chances with Sinclair
Even though Chance Sinclair has taken three losses this season, after losing just one game last season, fans should feel confident with him on the mound Friday night.

A third-team All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Sinclair has a career record of 13-4, including a perfect 7-0 record during Big Ten play following a win over Michigan this season.

During his career, the right-hander has gone 6.0 or more innings in 17 of his 23 starts, including 12 outings of at least 7.0 innings or more. He has gone 8.0 innings or more twice, including a 9.0-inning complete game against Ohio State in 2014.

Last season in eight starts during league play, Sinclair went less than 6.0 innings just once, while going at least 7.0 innings six times.

Going for 20
Senior Kyle Kubat improved to 19-3 during his career in 5-1 victory over Michigan on March 21.

Kubat is now trying to become just the 11th player in program history to notch 20 wins during their career.

If Kubat reaches 20 wins, he would tie Zach Kroenke (2003-05) and Jim Sandstedt (1946-49) for ninth place in the NU’s career record book.

Shane Komine holds the school record for wins with 41 during his career from 1999 to 2002.

Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has seven starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday against Maryland with 35 career starts on the mound, which ties him for 9th all time at NU with Tony Watson (2005-07) and Cliff Faust (1977-80).

His 36th career start will him into a tied for 8th on the career list with Phil Shirek (2002-05).

After staring 28 games during this first three season, Kubat needs 12 starts in 2015 to become the first Husker since Johnny Dorn to make at least 40 career starts. Dorn ranks second all-time at Nebraska with 58 career starts from 2000 to 2003.

Since 2000, only four pitchers at Nebraska have made at least 40 career starts, including Shane Komine (59), Dorn (58), Jamie Rodrigue (53) and Zach Kroenke (41).

Feeling 22
The Huskers ended the month of March with a 22-7 record, the most wins by a Husker team before the month of April since 2005 when NU started the season 22-3.

Cruise with Chesnut
Not only does Omaha native Jeff Chesnut have one of the best mustaches in college baseball, but he has also been nearly flawless out of the bullpen in 2015.

Chesnut is 4-0 on the year and holds a 0.83 ERA over 21.2 innings in a team-high 15 appearances. He has allowed two runs on the year, with 14 strikeouts to two walks.

Confidence in the Pen
During Darin Erstad’s tenure at Nebraska, the Husker bullpen has done its job when it has a lead.

Led by pitching coach Ted Silva, the Huskers are 97-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 100-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 109-4 record.

Year  Lead after 6     After 7      After 8

2012              31-5         29-3          31-2

2013              20-3         25-2          28-1

2014              28-3         27-1          31-1

2015              18-0         19-0          19-0

Three or Less
In 25 of Nebraska’s 30 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less.

The Huskers are 23-2 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, but are 0-5 on the year when teams score four or more runs.

Keep Them on Base
The Husker bullpen has inherited 42 runners this season and only six have scored.

Junior Jeff Chesnut leads the way with 17 runners inherited, and only one has scored. Fellow junior Colton Howell has inherited seven runners and none have scored.

Start with Boldt
Since moving Ryan Boldt back to the leadoff spot, the Huskers are 10-1 on the season. Boldt hit third in 15 of NU’s first 19 games and the Huskers were 9-6.

A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season, Boldt leads the Huskers with a .339 batting average, leads the team with 28 runs scored and  is tied with fellow sophomore Ben Miller for the team lead in hits with 37.

Last season with Boldt in the leadoff spot the Huskers were 22-7.

Early Leads
After scoring just 38 first-inning runs last season in 62 games, the Huskers have gotten their starting pitchers leads early and often in 2015.

Through 30 games, the Huskers are outscoring the opposition 29-9 in the first inning of games this season.

Last season the Huskers outscored their opponents 123-95 in the first three innings of games, while this year NU holds a commanding 64-19 advantage.

Topping 100
Senior Austin Darby is two RBIs away from becoming the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs for their career.

With a team-high 25 RBIs so far in 2015, Blake Headley (83 career RBIs) also has a chance to join the club this year, needing 17 more RBIs in 2015. Headley produced a career-high 27 RBIs last season.

Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs, while Michael Pritchard fell four RBIs short of 100 career RBIs.

Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 career RBIs.

198 and Counting
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska’s 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is two hits away from becoming the program’s 23rd member.

If he joins the club, Darby would be the fourth Husker to join over the past three seasons, as Chad Christensen ended his career with 247 hits in 2013.

Prior to Christensen, Jake Opitz was the last Husker to join the club in 2008.

Matt Hopper holds the school record with 338 career hits and is one of just two players in school history to have topped 300 hits.

NU 200-Career Hit Club

 

1.   338    Matt Hopper      2000-03

2.   305    Jeff Leise          2000-03

3.   281    Will Bolt            1999-02

4.   261    Darin Erstad      1993-95

5.   251    Michael Pritchard 2011-14

6.   250    Paul Meyers      1984-86

7.   249    Joe Simokaitis  2002-05

8.   248    Jed Dalton        1992-95

9.   247    Chad Christensen 2010-13

10. 246    Darin Petersen   1992-95

11. 242    Mark Kister        1985-87

12. 240    Alex Gordon      2003-05

13. 238    DJ Belfonte       2007-10

14. 234    Todd Sears       1995-97

15. 231    Daniel Bruce      2002-05

16. 229    Ken Ramos       1987-89

17. 227    Jake Opitz         2005-08

18. 223    Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05

19. 222    John Cole         1999-01

20. 212    Pat Kelly           2012-14

21. 203    Ken Harvey       1997-99

22. 201    Francis Collins   1995-97

Tanner Heating Up
Tanner Lubach didn’t get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start the season. Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.

In his 20 games since, Lubach is hitting .355 (22-for-62) with three doubles, two home runs and eight multi-hit performances.

More importantly, Lubach has struck out eight times over his past 20 games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.

Close the Door
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU’s bullpen.

During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.

With nine saves in nine chances this season, Roeder enters Friday ranked second in NU history with 27 career saves and needs five more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen’s school record of 31 saves.

Howell Dialed in
After struggling with control in his first two seasons, Colton Howell has found the zone in 2015 and has been a terror to opposing batters late in games. The junior right hander has notched 21 strikeouts in 17.0 innings over 13 appearances, while walking only six batters.

Last season, Howell struck out 19, but walked 10 over 19.2 innings after recording 12 walks to nine strikeouts as a freshman in 2013.

Miller’s Time
Sophomore Ben Miller has been a key cog in NU’s offense this season. A left-handed hitter from Clive, Iowa, Miller is tied for the team lead in hits with 37 and ranks second on the team with 23 RBIs.

Husker Nation Packs the Park
During NU’s 16-game homestand, Husker Nation once showed why they are best fans in the country. Fans set two of the top three marks for attendance during a non-conference series at Hawks Field and on Tuesday produced the largest crowd since the 2008 NCAA Lincoln Regional with 7,319 fans coming out for NU’s 5-1 win over Creighton.

Fans posted a three-day attendance of 17,083 during NU’s series with Florida Gulf Coast, which easily broke the previous facility record of 14,885 for a non-conference series at Hawks Field. Then last weekend 14,866 fans came out over three days during NU’s series with Texas, setting the third-largest non-conference attendance mark in facility history. 

During the 16-game homestand the Huskers posted an attendance mark of 66,641 (avg. 4,135). Last season over 25 dates the Huskers posted a home attendance of 81,044 (avg. 3,241).

Of the top 15 single game home crowds in the Big Ten this year, the Huskers represent the top 12 spots, while Indiana holds the other three spots in the top 15.

Top-15 Single Game Home Crowds in the Big Ten this Season

Rank    Date            Teams                                      Location   Attendance

1          March 31      Nebraska vs. Creighton              Lincoln, Neb.       7,319

2          March 14      Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb.       6,223

3          March 31      Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb.       6,062

4          March 28      Nebraska vs. Texas                   Lincoln, Neb.       5,852

5          March 29      Nebraska vs. Texas                   Lincoln, Neb.       5,793

6          March 15      Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb.       4,798

7          March 21      Nebraska vs. Michigan               Lincoln, Neb.       4,551

8          March 10      Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb.       4,121

9          March 22      Nebraska vs. Michigan               Lincoln, Neb.       3,918

10        March 20      Nebraska vs. Michigan               Lincoln, Neb.       3,809

11        March 27      Nebraska vs. Texas                   Lincoln, Neb.       3,221

12        March 11      Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb.       3,067

13        March 15      Indiana vs. Cal State Fullerton    Bloomington, Ind. 2,911

14        March 24      Indiana vs. Louisville                  Bloomington, Ind. 2,456

15        March 11      Indiana vs. Eastern Michigan      Bloomington, Ind. 2,243

Get the Hits
Through 30 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 11 times and are a perfect 11-0 in those games.