BSB Preview: at Charleston

NEBRASKA AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Feb. 29 – March 3, 2024
Patriots Point | Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Thursday, Feb. 29 – 1 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Drew Christo (1-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. LHP Hayden Thomas (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
TV/Streaming: FloBaseball
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Friday, March 1 – 3 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Brett Sears (1-0, 0.79 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Brink (2-0, 0.75 ERA)
TV/Streaming: FloBaseball
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Saturday, March 2 – 5 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (0-0, 5.19 ERA) vs. RHP Aidan Hunter (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
TV/Streaming: FloBaseball
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Sunday, March 3 – 12 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Caleb Clark (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. LHP Connor Campbell (2-0 0.66 ERA)
TV/Streaming: FloBaseball
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Follow the Game
• Every game of this weekend’s four-game set at College of Charleston can be seen on FloBaseball.
• Fans can also listen to Dave Gustafson and Ben McLaughlin 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. College of Charleston
• Through six all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 4-2 advantage over the Cougars in the all-time series.
• Nebraska ventured east for a three-game road series at Charleston in 2016, while the Cougars returned a three-game series in 2017. 
• The Huskers have won the last three games in the all-time series after sweeping the Cougars in 2017 in Lincoln. The Big Red dropped a three-game series at Charleston in 2016, winning just one game in 2016.

Bolt Collects 100th Career Win at Nebraska
• With Nebraska’s 11-1 win at Grand Canyon in game two of last weekend’s series, head coach Will Bolt recorded his 100th career victory with the Huskers.
• With the series win at GCU, Bolt became the sixth coach to reach the century mark in wins in program history.

Weekend Rotation for the Big Red
• With two weekend starters taken in the 2023 MLB Draft, it’s a new-look weekend rotation for the Huskers this year. 
• Junior Drew Christo takes the mound Thursday after making his first start of the season at Grand Canyon last weekend. The Elkhorn, Neb., native is 1-0 on the season with a 3.38 ERA and six strikeouts in eight innings of action.
• Brett Sears is set to toe the rubber on Friday afternoon. Sears is 1-0 in two starts, posting a 0.79 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings, while holding opponents to a .125 hitting clip.
• Will Walsh is scheduled to get the ball on Saturday night for the NU pitching staff. The redshirt junior has yet to record a decision in two starts and has a 5.19 ERA with six punchouts in 8.2 innings.
• Caleb Clark gets the nod for the third time in a series finale this season. The sophomore has struck out five batters and compiled a 6.75 ERA in 6.2 innings without a decision.

Sears Shines in Starting Role
• Brett Sears held Grand Canyon to just two hits in his second start last weekend and has allowed just seven batters to reach base this season (5 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP).
• The right-hander has struck out seven-plus batters in back-to-back starts to begin the season, with opponents hitting just .125 (5-for-40) against Sears.
• Sears is one of six starting pitchers in DI this season with at least 14 strikeouts, while allowing one earned run or less and five hits or fewer in 11.1-plus innings of work.

Christo’s Career Outing in the Desert
• Drew Christo made his first start of the season for the Huskers in the series opener at Grand Canyon on Thursday night.
• The Elkhorn, Neb., native pitched a career-high six innings and recorded his first win of the season in NU’s 7-2 win over the Lopes.
• Christo’s quality start (6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 K) was the first by a Nebraska native since Shay Schanaman vs. Michigan State on May 19, 2022 (6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER).
• Across two appearances this season, the right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA and six strikeouts to just three walks.

Caron’s RBI Production Through Seven Games
• Josh Caron has been a key piece to the NU offense through the first two weekends, hitting .333 at the plate with a triple, three home runs, 11 RBI and six runs.
• Since 2003, Caron is one of seven Huskers to drive in 10-plus runs in Nebraska’s first seven games to start the season. Caron’s 11 RBI are tied for third-most, trailing Alex Gordon (2004) and Brandon Fusilier (2003).

Silva’s Speed on the Basepath
• Riley Silva is one of nine DI players this season with at least 10 runs scored and five-plus stolen bases without being caught through the second weekend of the season. 
• Silva leads the Huskers in multiple offensive categories, including on-base percentage (.484), hit-by-pitch (6), sacrifice bunts (2), runs (10) and stolen bases (5).

Worthley Collects First Win in Series Finale
• Jalen Worthley recorded the first win of his collegiate career in the series finale at Grand Canyon last weekend.
• The Lincoln, Neb., native tossed a career-high three scoreless innings and retired nine of the 11 batters he faced against the Lopes.
• Sunday’s outing marked Worthley’s sixth career scoreless appearance and the fourth career multi-inning performance in his time with the Huskers.

Leading Off with Brumbaugh
• Cayden Brumbaugh has been a force in the leadoff spot for the Huskers, posting a .367/.382/.782 slash line across the first seven games this season.
• Brumbaugh has secured multi-hit efforts in his last three games, going 7-for-14 (.500) over that stretch with three runs and four RBI.
• The Edmond, Okla., native leads the Big Red with 11 hits this season, already eclipsing his previous high of seven set as a freshman at Oklahoma State in 2022.

Timely Two-Out Hitting for the Huskers
• Through the first two weekends of the season, the NU offense has found success at the plate with two outs.
• Nebraska is hitting .322 (28-for-87) and has recorded 18 of its 36 RBI this season with two outs.
• 11 Huskers have recorded a two-out hit through the first seven games, including four Huskers with at least four hits.

Small-Ball Approach Added to Big Red Offense
• After bashing a school-record 97 homers last season, the Husker offense has shifted to a small-ball approach to begin the 2024 campaign.  
• Cayden Brumbaugh and Riley Silva have laid down a team-high two sacrifice bunts, while Silva has swiped a team-leading five stolen bases through seven games.
• The Big Red are one of four teams nationally to steal 11 bases and lay down nine sacrifice bunts entering the third weekend of the season.