Friday, April 2 (6 PM)
Pitching: LHP Cade Povich (2-1) vs. LHP Nate Lavender (3-0)
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network
 
Saturday, April 3 (5 PM) 
Pitching: RHP Chance Hroch (2-0) vs. RHP Ty Rybarczyk (1-2)
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Sunday, April 4 (Noon)
Pitching: RHP Shay Schanaman (2-0) vs. RHP Riley Gowens (1-1)
TV/Streaming: BTN+
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Following a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Golden Gophers last weekend at Hawks Field, the Nebraska baseball team (11-4) heads back on the road this weekend for a three-game series in Champaign, Ill., against the Illinois Fighting Illini (7-8).

The Husker take a six-game winning streak into Friday's series opener, which is set for 6 PM (CT). Saturday's game is scheduled for 5 PM and the series is set to conclude on Sunday at Noon.

The two teams last met in Champaign during the 2018 season, with Illinois winning the first two games before the Huskers avoided a sweep with a win in the series finale.

The Illini also hosted their home opener last weekend, as they welcomed Northwestern to Illinois Field. Illinois took the series opener on Friday, 12-8, but dropped the series with losses on Saturday, 16-14, and Sunday, 12-5. The high-scoring series featured 22 combined home runs, including 14 during game two.

Nebraska is 7-4 away from Lincoln this year, including a 2-1 record in true road games.

All three games this weekend will be carried on BTN+, a online streaming service through the Big Ten Network. 

Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action this weekend on the Learfield/IMG College Husker Sports 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.

Last Time Out
The Huskers are coming off a four-game sweep at home over Minnesota. The Huskers outscored the Gophers 39-12 and took advantage of nine Minnesota errors.

3/26: Nebraska 6 - Minnesota 1
3/27: Nebraska 6 - Minnesota 4 (DH 1 - 7 Innings)
3/27: Nebraska 17 - Minnesota 5 (DH 2 - 7 Innings)
3/28: Nebraska 10 - Minnesota 2

Next Up
Nebraska is back at Hawks Field next weekend for a three-game series against the Maryland Terrapins. The series opener is set for 6:30 PM on Friday, April 9.

4/9: Nebraska vs. Maryland (6:30 PM)
4/10: Nebraska vs. Maryland (2 PM) - on NET
4/11: Nebraska vs. Maryland (Noon)

Leading Off
• The Huskers have won their last six games. Their last loss came in the series opener at Iowa on March 19.

• Nebraska last had a six-game winning streak in 2019, including wins over Air Force (2), Michigan State (3) and Creighton (1).

• Nebraska's last winning streak of more than six games came in 2016 when it won eight straight, including wins over Wichita State (2), Indiana State (2), Purdue (3) and Creighton (1).

• Nebraska's last 10-game winning streak came in 2015 with wins over Northern Colorado (2), Florida Gulf Coast (3), Indiana State (2), Michigan (3) and Cal State Fullerton (1).
  
 - Nebraska had an nine-game unbeaten streak in 2017. The Huskers won five straight, tied Indiana, and then won three straight following the tie.

• Through March 30, Nebraska ranks fifth nationally with a .986 fielding percentage. NU has committed seven errors in 15 games. The next closest Big Ten program is Indiana at 32nd nationally (.978). The national top five includes:

  1. Notre Dame (.991)
  2. Navy (.991)
  3. Oregon (.989)
  4. Oregon State (.988)
  5. Nebraska (.986)

• NU ranks in the top three in the league in multiple offensive categories including: 

  Runs Scored - 1st (111)
  Walks - 1st (77)
  Sacrifice Bunts - 1st (15)
  RBIs - 2nd (95)  -  (Northwestern leads, 97)
  Hits - 3rd (136)  -  (Illinois leads, 149)

• Nebraska's pitching staff also ranks near the top of the conference in multiple categories including:

  Shutouts - T1st (3)  -  (Tied with Michigan State)
  ERA - 3rd (3.74)  -  (Indiana leads, 2.55)
  Fewest Runs Allowed - 3rd (58)  -  (Indiana leads, 39)

• Spencer Schwellenbach ranks second in the Big Ten with 17 runs scored and is tied for second in doubles with seven. Northwestern's Anthony Calarco leads the league in both categories with 20 runs and nine doubles. Schwellenbach is also tied for fourth in the conference in saves with three, while TJ Brock leads the way with six saves.

• Cade Povich (3rd - 32) and Shay Schanaman (T6th - 28) both rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in strikeouts. Indiana's McCade Brown has a league-best 43 strikeouts.

• Luke Roskam ranks third in the Big Ten with a .538 on-base percentage. Tyler Snep has a Big Ten-best .564 on-base percentage. 
 
• Cam Chick (4th - 18) and Max Anderson (T7th - 15) both rank in the top 10 in the conference in RBIs. Chris Brito has a league-best 26 RBIs. Chick is also tied for the conference lead in sacrifice flies with three.

• Joe Acker is tied for third in the Big Ten with 12 walks, one behind leaders Bobby Zmarzlak (Maryland) and Skyler Hunter (Purdue). Acker led off the bottom of the first last weekend against Minnesota with a walk in two of the four games.

• Jaxon Hallmark and Griffin Everitt are both tied for the conference lead in sacrifice bunts with three each.

• 11 players have made their Husker debuts this season, including true freshmen  infielders Max Anderson, Brice Matthews and Jack Steil, as well as freshman pitcher Emmett Olson. 

Scouting the Illini
• Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten prior to the 2012 season the Illini hold a 5-3 advantage over the Huskers at Illinois Field.

• Illinois lost 3-of-4 to Ohio State to start the year, then rebounded and took 3-of-4 at Minnesota the following week. Prior to hosting Northwestern the Illini split a pair of games against both Michigan and Michigan State at the Ann Arbor Pod.

• Illini has a potent offense that leads the Big Ten with 149 hits, ranks second in doubles with 32 and is second in average at .284. The Illini also have the second-fewest strikeouts in the league with 119.

• While the Illini offense leads the Big Ten with 149 hits, their pitching staff has also allowed a league-high 155 hits and are tied for the second-most runs allowed at 101.

• Illini ranks second in the conference with 23 home runs allowed, with 15 allowed during its series with Northwestern last weekend.

• Three Illini pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts in last Friday's series opener, including nine from reliever Nathan Lavender over 4.2 innings. 

• Lavender is scheduled to start Friday's series opener and it will be his first start of the season after making four relief appearances. Has a 0.75 ERA and 21 strikeouts to just one walk over 12 innings pitched.

• Northwestern hit nine home runs in last Saturday's game at Illinois, which matched the Illinois Field single-game team home run record. The record was set by Illinois on April 30, 1991 vs. UIC.

• The Illini have five regular starters hitting over .300 on the season, including a team-best .370 average from Branden Comia. The junior infielder also leads the team in runs (15), doubles (5) and HBP (5).

• Dan Hartleb is in his 16th season as head coach at Illinois and 31st season on the Illini coaching staff in 2021. Hartleb entered 2021 with a career record of 454-327-1 (.581). The D1Baseball.com Big Ten Coach of the Decade for the 2010s has won a pair of Big Ten titles (2011, 2015) and owns a conference record of 202-153 (.569).

The All-Time Series with Illinois
• Illinois holds a 12-10 advantage in 22 previous games between the two teams.

• Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten prior to the 2012 season the Illini hold a 11-10 advantage.

• The first time the teams meet was in 1897 and Illinois won 14-9. The two teams didn't meet again until 2012 when Nebraska hosted Illinois for a three-game series at Hawks Field.

• The teams have met for a Big Ten Conference series seven times and Nebraska won the first three series but Illinois has won the past two series. The Illini have also won the past two series in Champaign (2015 & 2018), after Nebraska won during its first visit in 2013.

2019 - Illinois won, 2-1 (Lincoln)
2018 - Illinois won, 2-1 (Champaign)
2016 - Nebraska won, 2-1 (Lincoln)
2015 - Illinois won, 2-0 (Champaign) - Game 3 canceled due to rain
2014 - Nebraska won, 2-1 (Lincoln)
2013 - Nebraska won, 2-1 (Champaign)
2012 - Nebraska won, 2-1 (Lincoln)

• The teams have met once during the postseason, with Illinois winning, 3-2, at Target Field during the 2015 Big Ten Tournament.

2021 TV Schedule
Nebraska baseball's 2021 TV schedule was released earlier this week.

Saturday, April 10 – 2 PM – Maryland (NET)
Friday, April 23 – 4 PM  – at Michigan State (BTN)
Saturday, May 15 – 2 PM – Northwestern (NET)
Friday, May 21 – 7 PM – at Indiana (BTN)
Saturday, May 22 – 5:30 PM – at Indiana (ESPNU)
Friday, May 28 – Noon – Michigan (BTN)
Saturday, May 29 – Noon – Michigan (BTN)
Sunday, May 30 – Noon – Michigan (BTN)

Nebraska Heads to Rutgers This Weekend

The Nebraska softball team travels to Piscataway, N.J., this weekend for a four-game Big Ten Conference series with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The teams will open the series with a single game Friday at 2 p.m. (Central) before playing a doubleheader on Saturday at Noon (Central). The series finale is set for 10 a.m. (Central) on Sunday. All four games will be available to watch online for subscribers to Big Ten Network+.

Nebraska (9-7) has won six of its last eight games. The Huskers are in sixth place in the Big Ten standings, and Nebraska has won two straight conference series.

With its nine wins, Nebraska has already matched its highest Big Ten win total since 2018. The Huskers also won nine Big Ten games during a 22-game conference schedule in 2018 and a 23-game slate in 2019. Nebraska's 9-7 record could be even better, as three of the Huskers' four losses have come in extra innings. Overall, five of the Huskers' seven losses have been by two runs or less.

Nebraska nearly pulled off the first four-game conference series sweep in program history last weekend. The Huskers won the first three games against Penn State by a combined score of 27-4, including their first two run-rule victories of the season. Nebraska then rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the series finale and had the bases loaded with only one out in the bottom of the seventh inning before losing in eight innings, snapping a four-game winning streak.

Quick Hitters

• Nine of Nebraska's 16 games have been decided by two runs or less, and five of the Huskers' seven losses have come by either one or two runs.
• The Huskers have already played four extra-inning games this season. Nebraska has not played five extra-inning games in a season since 2016 (6).
• Nebraska has used a different batting lineup in all 16 games this season. In fact, the Huskers have started at least three different players at each spot in the lineup.
• The Huskers are batting .341 and averaging 6.0 runs per game over the last eight games.
• Nebraska has outscored its opponents 15-1 in the second inning this season.
• NU ranks second in the Big Ten with eight home runs this season, five of which have come in the past four games.
• The Huskers' .977 fielding percentage is currently on pace to break the school record of .973 set in 2006.
• Tristen Edwards enters this weekend with 46 career doubles, two shy of the Husker career record of 48 doubles.
• Billie Andrews is hitting .522 (12-for-23) this season with runners on base and .615 (8-for-13) with runners in scoring position.

Andrews Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Shortstop Billie Andrews was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday following a big weekend in the Huskers' series victory over Penn State. 

• Andrews produced multiple hits in each of the four games against the Nittany Lions. She finished the series 10-for-15 (.667) with a 1.133 slugging percentage. Andrews scored six runs, drove in five and produced the first two triples and first home run of her career.
• In the series opener, Andrews went 2-for-3 with a triple, producing her first career multi-hit game. In a doubleheader the next day, Andrews was 5-for-7 with another triple, a homer, four runs scored and four RBIs. She set career highs with three hits, two extra-base hits, three RBIs and two runs in the first game. Andrews was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in the series finale, including a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning.
• Andrews is batting .302 this season, and she leads the Huskers with 16 hits, two triples, 12 runs and 12 RBIs. Among all Big Ten hitters, Andrews ranks second in triples, fourth in RBIs and eighth in runs scored.

Home Sweet Home for Huskers
The return to Bowlin Stadium last weekend for the first home games in nearly two years sparked big performances for several Huskers. As a team, Nebraska hit .370 in its four-game series with Penn State and averaged 8.0 runs per game. Defensively, the Huskers posted a .982 fielding percentage and 2.52 ERA, while limiting Penn State to a .207 batting average.

• As noted above, Billie Andrews was impressive last weekend, going 10-for-15 with multiple hits in all four games en route to being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. 
• Freshman Sydney Gray also put up big numbers before suffering an injury late in the final game last weekend. Gray went 7-for-12 (.583) in the Penn State series with five RBIs and six runs scored. She had at least one extra-base hit in all four games, finishing with three doubles and her first career home run.
• Junior Anni Raley made the most of her two starts at catcher last weekend, producing a pair of three-hit games. Raley went 4-for-5 on the weekend with a triple, two RBIs and three runs scored. Raley was 2-for-2 in the opener with Penn State, setting career highs with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.
• Junior Peyton Glatter made the most of her at bats against Penn State. Glatter collected her first hits of the season, going 3-for-6 with a three-run homer.
• Senior Cam Ybarra hit .462 (6-for-13) in the four games last weekend with two doubles and her first home run as a Husker. She scored her first four runs of the year and added four RBIs.
• Freshman Kaylin Kinney also hit her first career home run last weekend, while senior Rylie Unzicker posted a .400 average (2-for-5) and a .571 on-base percentage, reaching base in four of her seven plate appearances against Penn State.
• Senior right-hander Olivia Ferrell went 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA over three appearances and 14.0 innings against the Nittany Lions. Ferrell was 2-0 and did not allow an earned run in her two starts last weekend, both of which were complete games. She threw a three-hit shutout in game one and tossed a one-hitter in game three. 

Digging In On Defense
Nebraska's defense has been impressive this season, as the Huskers boast a .977 fielding percentage that is on pace to be the top mark in program history.

• Nebraska has played more than one-third of its scheduled games, and its .977 fielding percentage would currently rank as the top season fielding percentage in school history. 
• The Huskers rank 21st nationally in fielding percentage and 11th in double plays per game (0.56).

Big Red Bats Coming Alive
Nebraska's offense got off to a slow start this season, which should not have come as much of a surprise considering it had been almost a year since hitters had faced an opposing pitcher and considering the Huskers have started multiple freshmen in the lineup every game. But the bats have begun to come alive, helping NU to a 6-2 record over its last eight games.

• Nebraska is batting .341 and averaging 6.0 runs per game over its last eight contests after hitting just .145 and averaging only 2.5 runs per game over its first eight games.
• The Huskers are averaging 9.3 hits per game over the last eight games, including five contests with double-digit hits. In the first eight games this season, Nebraska had only one game with double-digit hits and averaged just 3.8 hits per game.
• Nebraska has hit five home runs in the past four games, helping the Huskers rank second in the Big Ten with eight home runs this season. NU also ranks fourth in the league in runs (68) and RBIs (60) and fifth in slugging percentage (.380).

Husker Pitching Staff Showing Improvement
Nebraska's pitching staff has been much improved this season. Through 16 games, the Huskers boast a 2.48 ERA, have allowed only three home runs and have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 2-to-1.

• The Huskers have allowed two or fewer runs 10 times in 16 games this season. In the previous two seasons, Nebraska allowed two or fewer runs only 19 times in 75 games (13 times in 52 games in 2019; 6 times in 23 games in 2020).
• Nebraska has allowed fewer than two runs five times in 16 games this season. In the previous two seasons, the Huskers allowed fewer than two runs only seven times in 75 games (6 times in 52 games in 2019; 1 time in 23 games in 2020).
• NU is limiting opposing hitters to a .239 batting average. That is on pace to be the lowest opponent batting average since 2014, when Nebraska made an NCAA Super Regional.
• Nebraska is averaging just 2.0 walks per game this season after averaging at least 3.2 walks per game each of the previous six seasons. 
• The Huskers have allowed only three home runs in 16 games and 406 opponent at bats. Opponents are averaging one home run every 135 at bats this season. In the shortened 23-game season last year, opponents homered an average of every 23 at bats.
• Senior Olivia Ferrell is leading the way with a 5-5 record and a 1.96 ERA. Ferrell has pitched in 10 of Nebraska's 16 games with eight starts. She ranks fifth in the Big Ten in wins, seventh in strikeouts (51), eighth in innings pitched (50.0) and ninth in opponent batting average (.208). Ferrell has now allowed one earned run or fewer in each of her last five starts.
• Junior Courtney Wallace has also appeared in 10 games this season, while starting six contests. Wallace is 4-2 with a 2.63 ERA and one save in 45.1 innings. Wallace ranks fourth in the Big Ten in saves and 10th in wins.
• Freshman Kaylin Kinney has appeared in eight games with two starts. She has excelled in relief, posting a 2.62 ERA with two saves in six relief outings. Kinney is tied for the Big Ten lead and ranks 21st nationally in saves.
• Junior Karlee Seevers and freshmen Caitlynn Neal have each thrown 1.0 scoreless inning this season.

Close Calls
Nebraska has been accustomed to playing close games so far this spring, as nine of the Huskers' 16 contests have been decided by either one or two runs.

• Nebraska is 4-5 in games decided by two runs or less this season, including 2-1 in one-run games and 2-4 in two-run games. In 23 games last year, the Huskers played only six games decided by two or fewer runs (3-3 record in those games).
• Ten of Nebraska's 16 games have been either a tie, one-run or two-run game entering the sixth inning. The Huskers are 5-0 when leading after five innings, 0-6 when trailing after five innings and 2-1 when tied after five innings.
• NU has played four extra-inning games this season, posting a 1-3 record in those games.
• Five of Nebraska's seven losses have been by either one or two runs. Nebraska had the tying runner in scoring position in its final at bat in three of those five losses.

Edwards Nears Nebraska All-Time Doubles Record
Tristen Edwards had two doubles in the four-game series with Penn State last weekend. The senior outfield now owns 46 career doubles, two shy of the school record.

• Edwards ranks fourth in school history with her 46 career doubles. The record of 48 doubles is shared by three-time All-American Ali Viola (1995-98), two-time All-American Tobin Echo-Hawk (1993-96) and All-American Kim Ogee (2000-03).
• Edwards also enters this weekend with 92 career extra-base hits. Three-time All-American Jennifer Lizama ranks third in Husker history with 93 career extra-base hits and Tristen's older sister Taylor, a two-time All-American, ranks second with 95 career extra-base hits. Three-time All-American Ali Viola owns the school record with 105 career extra-base hits.

Cheramie Earns Three All-America Awards

Nebraska's Emily Cheramie became the first shooter in school history to earn three All-America certificates in a single-season, as the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) announced its 2021 All-America teams on Wednesday.

Cheramie collected All-America awards in the smallbore (second team), air rifle (honorable mention) and the aggregate (third team), as she led the Huskers in smallbore (584.44), air rifle (591.44) and aggregate (1175.88) during the 2020-21 season. It marked the first All-America honors of her career, as she joined Kristina Fehlings (2005), Lauren Phillips (2014), Denise Martin (2014) and Rachel Martin (2015) in earning multiple All-America honors in a season.

"Emily thrived in a year full of hardships and unknowns, Martin said of the Husker senior. "She is the first Husker to make NCAA finals since myself back in 2017. I am very proud of her and the work that she has put in this year."

Cheramie's second-team certificate in the smallbore is the highest recognition a Husker shooter has received since Denise Martin (smallbore) and Katelyn Woltersdorf
(air rifle) were second-team All-Americans in 2013.

Today's honors capped a strong 2021 campaign for Cheramie, who led the Huskers to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. She qualified for the NCAA finals in smallbore, where she finished eighth nationally, and was named Great American Rifle Conference Senior of the Year.

Smith Takes Early Lead at Augusta

Nebraska's Kate Smith blitzed the first 11 holes to the tune of four-under-par in the opening round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur on Wednesday. 

Smith, a Husker senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., ended the day at the top of the leaderboard when play was suspended due to inclement weather at Champions Retreat in Georgia at 3:32 p.m. (CT). 

The Big Ten Conference's Mary Fossum Award winner in 2020, Smith was one of the last golfers off the tee Wednesday morning and began with a par on No. 1 before carding her first birdie of the day on No. 2. She posted three straight pars before getting her second birdie on the par-3 No. 6. After pars on No. 7 and 8, Smith closed the front nine at 33 (-3) with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.

Smith then made it back-to-back birdies with another birdie putt on the par-4 No. 10. Play was suspended for the day after she added a par on No. 11.

"I am just super grateful for the opportunity to play in this event, so I just went out there and tried to enjoy the day," Smith said. "I am going into tomorrow with the same mindset, and I am excited for the week to come.

At four-under, Smith owns a three-stroke lead over five golfers. Two players finished the round at 71 (-1) - Ana Pelaez Trivino and Rose Zhang, while three others Karen Fredgaard (15), Kiira Riihijarvi (13) and Linn Grant (12) were one-under-par. Eight other golfers were at even-par when play was suspended.

The top 30 golfers at the end of 36 holes in the 82-player field will advance to the championship round at Augusta National on Saturday. First and second-round play will resume tomorrow at 6:45 a.m.

Huskers Seeded Second For NCAA Championships

Lincoln - The Nebraska bowling team is seeded second for the NCAA Championships, beginning on April 7 at AMF Pro Bowl Lanes in Kansas City, Missouri.

"We are pleased to see that the team was awarded the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Postseason," Head Coach Paul Klempa said. "Their strong performances in several tournaments recently was not overlooked by the voting committee and we are thankful. The committee had a difficult job this year with shortened schedules and limited cross-region competition that made the RPI not of much help. I applaud them for doing their best to get the seeding correct in spite of the challenges. The field for this year is filled with quality competition- both perennial teams and some hungry newcomers. Should be a lot of fun next week to see how it all plays out. Our team is excited and ready for the competition next week."

Nebraska is the only program to qualify for the NCAA Championships every year since the NCAA has sanctioned bowling.

Joining NU will be top-ranked McKendree, No. 3 North Carolina A&T, No. 4 Louisiana Tech, Roberts Wesleyan, Duquesne, Sacred Heart, Medaille, Vanderbilt, Mount St. Mary's, Prairie View A&M, Arkansas State, Delaware State, Youngstown State, Farleigh Dickinson and Sam Houston State.

Nebraska finished the regular season with a record of 43-18, winning 70% of all its matchups. The Huskers finished second at both the Music City Classic and the Mid-Winter Invitational with a pair of third-place finishes at the Columbia 300 Saints Invite and Prairie View A&M Invitational.

Several Huskers finished the regular season with an average over 200, highlighted by Crystal Elliott averaging 216.36. Elliott bowled in 30 games through the season, finishing with a score of 6,491. Kayla Verstraete is second on the team, participating in 24 games and scoring 5,180 for an average of 215.83. Cassidy Ray averaged 208.00 having bowled in all 30 games, racking up a score of 6,239.

Regionals will begin Wednesday, April 7 at 9:00 a.m. with round one with round two following at 3:00 p.m. Rounds three, four and five will be on April 8 at 9:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and following the fourth match if necessary.

Region Matchups

Region 1
No. 1 McKendree
Roberts Wesleyan
Duquesne
Sacred Heart

Region 2
No. 2 Nebraska
Medaille
Vanderbilt
Mount St. Mary's

Region 3
No. 3 North Carolina A&T
Prairie View A&M
Arkansas State
Delaware State

Region 4
No. 4 Louisiana Tech
Youngstown State
Farleigh Dickinson
Sam Houston State