NU Welcomes Illinois State for Three-Game Series

NEBRASKA vs. ILLINOIS STATE
March 10-12, 2023
Hawks Field | Lincoln, Neb.
 
Friday, March 10 – 4:05 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Emmett Olson (1-1, 4.32 ERA) vs. RHP Derek Salata (2-0, 1.72 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Saturday, March 11 – 2:05 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Jace Kaminska (2-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Tyrelle Chadwick (0-1, 8.49 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Sunday, March 12 – 1:05 p.m. CT
Pitching: TBD vs. RHP Thomas Harper (0-0, 8.44 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska continues its homestand this weekend, welcoming Illinois State to Hawks Field for a three-game series.
 
The series opener is set for 4:05 p.m. on Friday, while first pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. The two teams wrap up the series on Sunday in the series finale at 1:05 p.m.
 
All three games can be seen on B1G+. Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call action the action on the Huskers Radio Network. The three games can be heard on KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln and KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha. 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. Illinois State
• Nebraska is unbeaten against Illinois State, holding a 4-0 all-time record against the Redbirds.
• The Huskers are 2-0 against ISU at Hawks Field, with wins of 10-7 and 12-6 in a midweek series in 2006.
• NU has a pair of victories over the Redbirds in neutral-site games, recording wins in Fresno, Calif., (1994) and Arlington, Texas (2007).

Familiar Faces in the Dugout
• In his second season on the ISU coaching staff, former Husker R.D. Spiehs returns to Lincoln this weekend as the Redbirds' pitching coach.
• Spiehs was a teammate of head coach Will Bolt and was a member of Rob Childress' pitching staff as a three-year starter in 1999-01.
• The former Husker compiled a 21-6 overall record at NU, which ranks eighth all-time in program history for career wins.
• Spiehs was a key member of the NU pitching staff that boasted the lowest ERA in the country in 2000 (3.14), and was Nebraska's starting pitcher for the program's first CWS appearance in 2001.
 
Huskers Ride Rare 11-Game Home Run Streak
• Nebraska enters this weekend's series having homered in 11 consecutive games.
• The 11-game streak ties the 2004 team for the longest streak in program history since 1992.
• NU has totaled 24 homers in the 11-game stretch this season, while the Huskers had 16 homers in the 11-game streak in 2004.
 
Going Streaking
• Brice Matthews reached base in both games against Northern Colorado this week to extend his on-base streak to 15 games, while also holding a seven-game hit streak.
• Josh Caron enters the weekend having reached base safely in 13 straight games, including a 10-game hitting streak.
 
Anderson Continues Hot Stretch at the Plate
• Despite an 0-for-7 start to the season at the plate, Max Anderson is hitting a blistering .489 to lead the Husker offense through 12 games.
• Overall, the Omaha native has seven doubles, a triple, home run and 13 RBI.
• In NU's last five games, Anderson is hitting a scorching .556 (10-for-18) at the plate, while holding a .619 on-base percentage and .944 slugging percentage.
• Anderson enters the weekend with an 11-game hitting streak, including six consecutive games with a double.
 
Flashing the Leather
• Through their first 12 games this season, the Huskers have committed just five errors and rank eighth nationally with a .987 fielding percentage.
 
Extra-Base Hits Fuel NU Offense
• Through its first 12 games, the NU offense is hitting .333 with 36 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs and a .600 slugging percentage.
• It took the Huskers 23 games to reach 36 doubles and 12 more games to reach 24 home runs as a team in 2022.
• In 53 games last season, the Huskers totaled 79 doubles, 51 homers and a .400 slugging percentage.
 
Numbers to Know
4-  Nebraska is one of four teams (NC State, Virginia Tech, Florida) with at least 36 doubles and 24 home runs on the season.
13 – The Husker offense ranks 13th nationally with a batting average of .333 through its first 12 games this season, including eight Huskers hitting above .300 on the year.
9 – The Big Red are scoring nine runs per game this season and have plated 12 or more runs in five games.
5 – With three strikeouts last weekend, Shay Schanaman is five strikeouts away from tying Zach Kroenke for 10th-best in program history with 196 career strikeouts.
2 – The NU offense belted five homers in a game for the second time since 2009 in a 14-3 run-rule win vs. Northern Colorado on Wednesday afternoon.