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Friday, May 1 (3:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (5-6) vs. RHP Magallones (3-3)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Saturday, May 2 (1:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (4-2) vs. LHP Portland (1-6)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Sunday, May 3 (1:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (4-2) vs. LHP Mason (2-7)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Lincoln - Without a road win in league play this season, the Nebraska baseball team (31-16, 6-9 Big Ten) will look to break that streak this weekend with a three-game series in Evanston, Ill., against the Northwestern Wildcats (13-29, 4-11 Big Ten). The series kicks off at Rocky Miller Park on Friday afternoon at 3:05 p.m., while both Saturday and Sunday’s games are both set for 1:05 p.m. starts.
Nebraska enters the weekend in seventh place in the Big Ten with a 6-9 record, including an 0-6 mark on the road. The Huskers have been swept at Maryland and at Iowa, with three of the games decided by one run. In Nebraska’s nine conference losses this season, four have come by one run and three have been extra-inning defeats.
Nebraska has only made one trip to Rocky Miller Park since joining the Big Ten and it didn’t end well. The Huskers took the series opener in 2012, but then dropped the final two games of the series. The Huskers bounced back with a three-game sweep in Lincoln in 2013, but the Wildcats took their second series from the Huskers in three years last season. Northwestern took the first two games of the series in Lincoln in 2014 before the Huskers avoided the sweep with a 10-9 win in the series finale.
The Wildcats sit 11th in the conference standings with a 4-11 mark, including a 0-3 home mark in the league after they were swept by Ohio State last weekend. Northwestern was scheduled to have played two league series at home already, but due to renovations at Rocky Miller Park, its Big Ten home opener against Illinois in early April was moved to the Illini’s home field in Champaign, Ill. The Wildcats played their first 37 games of the year away from home, as they didn’t play their first home game until April 21. Following a 5-4 win over Chicago State on Wednesday night in 10 innings, the Wildcats are 3-3 at home this season.
While the Huskers are in search of their first Big Ten road series win of the season, the Wildcats are looking for their second conference series win overall this year. After starting the season with a 2-1 series victory at Minnesota, the Wildcats have dropped four straight series to Illinois (0-3), Michigan State (1-2), Iowa (1-2) and Ohio State (0-3).
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Lane Grindle and Ben McLaughlin 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
No games this weekend will be carried on TV.
Web Streams
All three games at Northwestern will be streamed live on BTN Plus (subscription required).
20 Two-Baggers
In the history of Nebraska baseball, only 18 players have recorded 20 doubles in a season. Senior Blake Headley enters Friday with 17 doubles on the year and is looking to become the 19th player to join the club before the end of the 2015 season.
Michael Pritchard was the last player to top 20 doubles in a season with 21 doubles in 2014. Cody Asche holds the school record with 27 doubles in 2011.
Rough Road
The Huskers enter Friday 0-6 this year on the road in Big Ten play. Nebraska hasn’t dropped three straight league series since 2011 when NU lost all four of its Big 12 series, including six straight road losses to end the year.
The last time Nebraska lost more than six-straight league road games was 1997, when the NU dropped 14-straight Big 12 games and ended the year with a 7-23 league mark.
Three or Less
In 30 of Nebraska’s 47 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less. The Huskers are 25-5 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, while they are 6-11 on the year when teams score four or more runs.
Nebraska is 3-7 on the year when opponents score five or more runs.
Close the Door
With his 13th save of the season on Tuesday night at Creighton, Josh Roeder not only set a new single-season save mark for himself, but he also tied Brett Jensen for the career record at Nebraska with 31 saves.
Roeder needs one more save this year to take sole possession of the record and also has a shot at the single-season saves record of 16, set by Jensen in 2005.
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, 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.
This season, Roeder has converted 13 saves in 14 chances.
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 102-13 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 106-7 when leading after seven innings and are nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 115-4 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 23-2 25-1 25-0
RPI Watch
The Huskers enter the weekend with a RPI of 12 and a strength of schedule of 10.
D1Baseball’s latest NCAA Tournament projection has the Huskers on the outside looking in and if the numbers hold the Huskers would be the lowest RPI team to not earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Since the tournament went to the Super Regional formant in 1999, only twice has a team with a RPI of 25 or lower not earned an at-large bid.
Virginia missed the tournament in 2003 with a record of 29-25 and a RPI of 22. Wake Forest also missed the postseason in 2006 with a record of 33-22 and RPI of 25.
Tough Schedule
The Huskers enter the weekend with the 10th toughest schedule in the country (WarrenNolan.com) and the Huskers also have arguably the most grueling Big Ten schedule as well.
Entering the weekend the Huskers sit seventh in the Big Ten standing. Nebraska has already or will play series against each of the top five teams in the league and six of the league’s top eight teams. Northwestern is the only other team in the league that will play all five of the Big Ten’s top-five teams.
Among teams sitting in the top five, Maryland plays the other four teams the most with three series.
If the standings hold the rest of the season, top-seeded Illinois will play only one series against a team in the top five of the league (Ohio State) and only three of the league’s top eight teams (Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State). Five of the Illini’s eight series will/have taken place against the league’s bottom five teams (Northwestern, Purdue, Indiana, Penn State, Rutgers).
Standings Series Against B1G Top 8
1. Illinois 3 (Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska)
2. Iowa 4 (Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota)
3. Ohio State 4 (Michigan State, Nebraska, Illinois, Maryland)
4. Maryland 5 (Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State)
5. Michigan 4 (Nebraska, Maryland, Minnesota, Iowa)
6. Michigan State 3 (Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota)
7. Nebraska 6 (Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Iowa, Illinois)
8. Minnesota 5 (Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State)
Get the Hits
Last season the Huskers produced double-digit hits in 30 of their 62 games, including 14 of their 27 home games. The Huskers were 25-5 when notching double-digit hits last season.
Through 47 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 18 times and are a perfect 18-0 in those games.
The Huskers are 22-2 this year when out-hitting their opponent. The only losses came against LSU and Cal State Fullerton.
Last season, Nebraska was 32-3 when they out hit their opponent, with losses coming against Oregon State, as well as both of NU’s losses to Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA Tournament.
200 and Counting
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska’s 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby become the program’s 23rd member on Saturday, April 4 at Maryland with a one-out single in the seventh inning. Darby enters Friday ranked 20th in school history with 217 career hits.
Darby is the fourth Husker to join the club 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. 217 Austin Darby 2012-present
21. 212 Pat Kelly 2012-14
22. 203 Ken Harvey 1997-99
23. 201 Francis Collins 1995-97
Get Chance Some Support
This season in 11 starts, Chance Sinclair’s walks are down and he’s striking out more batters, but he’s getting more run support than last season, and he sits at 5-6 on the year.
Last season though 11 starts Sinclair had 1.66 ERA and a 6-1 record. This season, Sinclair has a 3.12 ERA and a 5-6 record.
Even though he’s giving up more runs, Sinclair has been better on the mound. While he has allowed seven more hits this season (73 to 66), Sinclair has issued fewer walks (14 to 21) and struck out 20 more hitters (51 to 31).
The biggest difference is that Sinclair is getting nearly two less runs a game from his offense. Last season, Nebraska scored an average of 5.5 runs in Sinclair’s first 11 starts of the year, but this season they are scoring 3.7 runs per game. In Sinclair’s 11 starts this season, Nebraska has scored three runs or less eight times.
Going for 20
Senior Kyle Kubat enters the weekend with a 19-5 career record and is trying to become just the 11th player in program history to notch 20 wins during their career.
Since picking up his 19th career win against Michigan on March 21, Kubat has two losses and three no decisions in his past five starts.
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.
Start with Boldt
After earning Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors last season, Ryan Boldt has avoided a sophomore slump. The Red Wing, Minn., native leads the Huskers in average (.345), hits (61) and runs (40).
The NU leadoff hitter has displayed a great eye at the plate with 24 walks to 21 strikeouts, while he also leads the team with a .438 on-base percentage.
Through Wednesday, Michigan’s Jacob Cronenworth is the only Big Ten play with more hits than Boldt with 62. Boldt also ranks fourth in the league in runs scored and is ninth in batting average.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has 11 starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday at Northwestern with 39 career starts on the mound, which ranks eighth on NU’s career list. Zach Kroenke, Josh Bullock and John Lepley are each tied for fifth on the all-time list with 41 starts.
After staring 28 games during this first three seasons, Kubat’s 12th start in 2015 will cement him as the first Husker since Johnny Dorn in 2008 to make 40 career starts. Dorn ranks second all-time at Nebraska with 58 career starts from 2005 to 2008.
Since 2000, only four pitchers at Nebraska have made at least 40 career starts, including Shane Komine (59), Dorn (58), Jamie Rodrigue (53) and Kroenke (41).
Topping the Century Mark
On Sunday, April 12, senior Austin Darby collected his 100th career RBI to become the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs in their career. After producing 15 RBIs as a freshman, Darby topped the 30-RBI during both his sophomore and junior years with 33 and 36 RBIs, respectively. Through 47 games this season, Darby has 20 RBIs.
With a team-high 34 RBIs in 2015, Blake Headley (92 career RBIs) is also on pace to join the club this season.
Headley has improved his RBI total every year at Nebraska. After notching six as a freshman in 2012, he produced 25 in 2013, topped that number with 27 in 2014 and has already set a single-season high with 34 this season.
Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 career RBIs.
Pound the Zone
The Husker pitching staff has racked up 309 strikeouts this year, while issuing 118 walks, for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.62-to-1.
The Huskers haven’t had a strikeout to walk ratio of 2-to-1 or better since 2008 when they finished the year with 491 strikeouts to 192 walks for a ratio of 2:56-to-1
Four times in 47 games this season the Husker pitching staff has completed a game without walking a single batter. Last season the Huskers didn’t walk a batter in six of their 62 games.
The Huskers walked in their first run of the season on Sunday, April 12, in the top of the fourth inning against Minnesota, their 37th game of the season.