Huskers Open Big Ten Tournament with Illinois

Wednesday, May 20 (5:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (6-7) vs. LHP Duchene (10-1)
TV: Big Ten Network
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go.com and BTN2Go App
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Minneapolis - After the Nebraska baseball team (34-21, 9-14 Big Ten) finished the 2015 regular season at Illinois (45-6-1, 21-1 Big Ten) last week, the two teams will meet again in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The No. 8 seed Huskers and the No. 1 seed Illini are scheduled to play at 5:05 p.m. on Wednesday at Target Field, with the game carried nationally on the Big Ten Network.

The Huskers dropped the first two games of the series last week in Champaign, but had a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth in the finale before it was canceled due to rain. Since the game was only in the fourth inning it was not a complete game and it’s as if the game never happened.

The winner of Wednesday’s opening-round game will play on Thursday at 9 p.m., while the loser will fall into an elimination game at 1 p.m. on Thursday. The winner/loser will meet winner/loser between No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Michigan State, who play at  9:05 p.m. on Wednesday night, and that game will be carried on BTN.

Nebraska comes into the Big Ten Tournament with NCAA Tournament hopes still within reach, but the Huskers need to make a deep run in Minneapolis. Nebraska was great at Hawks Field this season with a 21-6 record, but they have struggled on the road with a 13-15 mark, including a 4-3 record in neutral site games. The Huskers are 9-4 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament, but have never faced Illinois.

The Illini enter the tournament as the No. 5 team in the country (D1Baseball) and are on a 26-game winning streak, the longest in the country this season. Illinois captured its 30th Big Ten title last Thursday with a win  over the Huskers, the Illini’s first since 2011 when they split with Michigan State. The Illini are 6-2 on the year when playing at a neutral site.

The Huskers and Illini have met 12 times since 1897 and the series is tied at 6-6. Illinois’ series win over the Huskers last week marked the first time the Illini have taken a series from Nebraska, as the Huskers had won the first three series between he two teams. Nebraska and Illinois first met in 1897, with the Illini winning 14-9, and the two clubs didn’t meet again until 2012 when Nebraska hosted Illinois for its first ever Big Ten game on March 23, 2012. The Illini won the opener, 11-3, but the Huskers responded with victories in the final two games to win the series.

On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe and 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
Wednesday’s opening-round game will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network.

Web Streams
Every game of the Big Ten will be streamed on either BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go App, or on BTN Plus.

Fourth Straight Year
The Nebraska baseball team is playing in its fourth straight Big Ten Tournament this week at Target Field and the Huskers have finished runner-up each of the past two seasons. The Huskers have qualified for the tournament every year since they joined the league prior to the 2012 season. Nebraska is one of three programs to make the tournament each of the past four seasons, joining Ohio State and Indiana.

Nebraska last qualified for four-straight conference tournaments when they were members of the Big 12, as they made 10 straight tournaments from 1999 to 2008.

Three or Less
In 33 of Nebraska’s 55 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less. The Huskers are 27-6 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, while they are 7-15 on the year when teams score four or more runs.

Nebraska is 4-11 on the year when opponents score five or more runs.

Close the Door
With his 15th save of the season on Saturday, May 9, against Purdue, Josh Roeder added to his career record at Nebraska with his 33rd career save. Earlier this season, Roeder broke Brett Jensen’s previous record of  31 career saves.

While adding to his career mark, Roeder will now try to break Jensen’s single-season record of 16 saves, set 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 15 saves in 16 chances. His only blown save of the year was the result of a unearned run that scored on a two-out error.

20 Two-Baggers for 22
In the history of Nebraska baseball, only 18 players have recorded 20 doubles in a season. Senior Blake Headley enters the Big Ten Tournament with 18 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.

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 (.350), hits (75) and runs (45). Michael Pritchard was the last Husker to score more than 50 runs in a season with 51 in 2012.

Boldt enters the tournament hitting .422 (19-for-45) with seven runs scored over his past 10 games. He’s slugging .444 with an on-base percentage of .469.

Entering the tournament, Boldt’s 75 hits are tied for third in the league with Michigan’s Carmen Benedetti, while  Michigan’s Jacob Cronenworth (78) leads the league and  Maryland’s Brandon Lowe (77) ranks second. Boldt also ranks seventh in the league in batting average and is 10th in runs scored.

Tough Luck for Chance
In 14 starts this season, Chance Sinclair’s walks are down and he’s striking out more batters, but he’s getting far less run support than last season and he sits at 6-7 on the year.

While he has allowed nine more hits this season (89 to 80), Sinclair has issued fewer walks (19 to 24) and struck out 18 more hitters (64 to 46).

The biggest difference is that Sinclair is getting 1.7 less runs a game from his offense. Last season, Nebraska scored an average of 5.8 runs in Sinclair’s first 14 starts of the year, but this season NU’s offense is scoring 4.1 runs per game. In Sinclair’s 14 starts this season, Nebraska has scored three runs or less nine times.

Going for 20
Kyle Kubat enters the Big Ten Tournament with a 19-8 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 five losses and three no decisions in eight starts.

Kubat has done his part by giving up two earned runs or less in five of the eight starts and is allowing an average of 2.65 earned runs over the eight-game stretch.

Kubat needs more support from his offense though, as he has received 2.88 runs per game over his last eight 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.

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 105-13 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 109-7 when leading after seven innings and are nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 118-4 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              26-2         28-1          28-0

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 55 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 23 times and are 21-2 in those games. NU’s lone losses came at Northwestern when the Huskers totaled 11 hits, but were shutout 5-0, at at Illinois when NU totaled 14 hits, but lost 10-9.

The Huskers are 25-4 this year when out-hitting their opponent. The only losses came against LSU, Cal State Fullerton, Northwestern and Illinois.

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.

Minneapolis - After the Nebraska baseball team (34-21, 9-14 Big Ten) finished the 2015 regular season at Illinois (45-6-1, 21-1 Big Ten) last week, the two teams will meet again in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The No. 8 seed Huskers and the No. 1 seed Illini are scheduled to play at 5:05 p.m. on Wednesday at Target Field, with the game carried nationally on the Big Ten Network.

Pound the Zone
The Husker pitching staff has racked up 365 strikeouts this year, while issuing 136 walks, for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.68-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 55 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.

200 and Counting
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska’s 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby became the program’s 23rd member on Saturday, April 4 at Maryland with a one-out single in the seventh inning. Darby enters the Big Ten Tournament ranked 18th in school history with 226 career hits, with one hit he’ll tie Jake Opitz for 17th on the career list.

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, 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. 226    Austin Darby 2012-present

19. 223    Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05

20. 222    John Cole         1999-01

21. 212    Pat Kelly           2012-14

22. 203    Ken Harvey       1997-99

23. 201    Francis Collins   1995-97

Tough Schedule
Entering this season the Huskers had entered the Big Ten Tournament no lower than the No. 4 seed, including a No. 2 seed appearance last season. Nebraska enters this year’s tournament as the No. 8 seed with the 51st toughest schedule in the country (WarrenNolan.com) and the Huskers also played one of most grueling Big Ten schedules as well.

Nebraska played series against five of the other seven teams in this year’s tournament, including each of the top four seeds. Indiana is the only team in the field to play six of the other teams, including each of the top five seeds.

Tournament Seeds        Series Against B1G Top 8

1. Illinois                        4 (Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, Nebraska)

2. Iowa                          4 (Maryland, Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska)

3. Michigan                    4 (Iowa, Maryland, Indiana, Nebraska)

4. Maryland                    5 (Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, Nebraska)

5. Michigan State           3 (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State)

6. Indiana                       6 (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State)

7. Ohio State                 5 (Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Indiana, Nebraska)

8. Nebraska                   5 (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio State)

Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat became the eighth Husker in school history to make 40 career starts on Saturday, May 2, at Northwestern.

Kubat made his 42nd career start last Friday against Illinois to take over fifth place on the career chart from Zach Kroenke, Josh Bullock and John Lepley. Mike Zajeski ranks fourth on the career list with 47 career starts from 1988 to 1992.

Since 2000, only five pitchers at Nebraska have made at least 40 career starts, including Shane Komine (59), Dorn (58), Jamie Rodrigue (53), Kubat (42) 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 55 games this season, Darby has 24 RBIs.

With 39 RBIs in 2015, Blake Headley (97 career RBIs) can also join the club this season with three more RBIs.

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 39 this season.

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

Tanner Tearing It 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 41 games since, Lubach is hitting .348 (55-for-158) with eight doubles, one triple, four home runs and 19 multi-hit performances.

On the year, Lubach is second on the team with a .315 average and is third on the team in RBIs with 25.

Over NU’s last 10 games, Lubach has played in nine and leads on the team with a .467 average (14-for-30).

Most importantly, Lubach has struck out 19 times over his past 41 games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.