Huskers Open April at Kansas StateHuskers Open April at Kansas State
Baseball

Huskers Open April at Kansas State

Nebraska (13-9) at Kansas State (12-16)
Tuesday, April 2 • 6 p.m. (CT)
Tointon Family Stadium • Manhattan, Kan.
Video Stream: ESPN3
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Kyle Perry (1-0) vs. Joey Martin (2-0)

The Nebraska baseball team (13-9, 4-2 Big Ten) squares off with a familiar foe on Tuesday night when the Huskers visit Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State. 

The match-up, scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at Tointon Family Stadium, will be streamed on ESPN3. Fans can also listen to the game on the Husker Sports Network.

The Wildcats enter the contest with a 12-16 record, which includes a 1-5 mark in Big 12 play. The two teams will meet again this season on April 16 at Hawks Field.

Nebraska, who has won seven of its last nine games, enters the week ranked 46th in the RPI, released by the NCAA on Monday. The Huskers’ strength of schedule is 55th nationally, according to WarrenNolan.com.

The trip to Manhattan concludes a stretch of five consecutive games away from Lincoln for the Big Red. Nebraska has gone 2-2 during its trips to Omaha and Minneapolis after winning each of its first five home games at Hawks Field.

Last Time Out
The Huskers went 1-2 during their Big Ten road trip to Minnesota over the weekend. 

Nebraska lost Friday’s series opener, 5-2, on a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. After Saturday’s game was postponed due to cold temperatures, the two teams split Sunday’s doubleheader. NU won Game 1 by a 10-1 margin before falling in Game 2 by a 3-2 decision.

Next Up
The Huskers host Purdue for a three-game series at Hawks Field this weekend. NU and the Boilermakers play Friday at 6:35 p.m. (CT), Saturday at 2:05 p.m., and Sunday at 12:05 p.m. 

Friday’s game will be televised on NET and Sunday’s game will be on ESPNU. Saturday’s game will be streamed on BTN Plus, with a paid subscription required to watch.

How to Listen/Watch the Huskers

• Fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action on Tuesday night on the Learfield/IMG Husker Sports Network.

• Tuesday night’s game can be heard on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.

• It will be carried on TuneIn.com and the TuneIn App on the Husker Sports Network channel.

• Fans in Lincoln can listen on 1400 AM and fans in Omaha can listen on 590 AM.

• The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.

Scouting the Kansas State Wildcats

• Nebraska leads the all-time series against former conference foe Kansas State, 172-114, dating back to the first meeting in 1898. NU holds a 78-71 advantage at Kansas State.

• Last season, the two teams split the series, with the road team winning each game. NU won an 11-9 decision on April 10 in Manhattan before the Wildcats responded with a 4-3 win on April 17 in Lincoln.

• This season, Kansas State is 12-16 overall with a 1-5 record in Big 12 play. The Wildcats defeated No. 10 Texas Tech, 5-4, on Sunday in their most recent outing to snap a six-game losing streak.

• Head Coach Pete Hughes is 12-16 in his first season at Kansas State. He is 664-508-3 in his 22nd year overall as a head coach. Hughes is assisted by Austin Wates, Cord “Buck” Taylor and Shane Conlon.

• Players to Watch

  •     » No. 28 Zach Kokoska (Sophomore OF/LHP): Offensively, has a team-high .348 batting average with 17 RBIs, 19 runs scored and three home runs
  •     » No. 18 Will Brennan (Junior OF/LHP): Offensively, hitting .324 and leads the team in runs scored (20) and doubles (12)
  •     » No. 3 Cameron Thompson (Junior INF/OF): Hitting .301 with 34 hits and 15 RBIs

Strong Starts Set the Tone

• Nebraska’s starting pitchers have paved the way for the team’s success in each of the last nine games. NU’s starters have gone 5-0 during that stretch.

• During the nine-game span, Nebraska’s starters have combined to pitch 55.0 innings, an average of more than 6.0 innings per start.

• The starters have allowed only nine runs (an average of one run per game), while amassing 50 strikeouts and only seven walks.

• Over his last two starts, Matt Waldron has thrown 17.0 innings and allowed only three runs, while striking out 13 batters and given up one walk.

• In Nate Fisher’s last two starts, he has compiled 15.1 innings and 10 strikeouts, while allowing two runs and one walk.

• Reece Eddins has made three starts during the nine-game stretch and compiled 15.0 innings. He has allowed two runs, while striking out 14 batters and walking three.

• Freshman Kyle Perry earned nine strikeouts in 4.0 innings as the starter on March 20 against Air Force and gave up only one run. Last Tuesday at Creighton, he gave up one run in 3.2 innings and tallied four strikeouts.

Waldron Racking Up Strikeouts

• Senior right-hander Matt Waldron, who has made four starts and six appearances overall, leads the Huskers with 39 strikeouts this season.

• Waldron has allowed only three walks, and his 13.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks first in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation.

• Waldron leads the Husker pitching staff in ERA (1.95) and innings pitched (37.0). He is 3-0 this season, one shy of the team high (4), set by Nate Fisher.

• Waldron has 199 career strikeouts, which ranks ninth in program history. Jamie Rodrigue (200) ranks eighth on the Nebraska’s career strikeouts list.

Palensky Powers Husker Offense

• Sophomore Aaron Palensky, a junior college transfer, has made a big impact as a newcomer for the Huskers this season.

• Palensky has at least one hit in 20 of 22 games this season, including eight multi-hit efforts, second-most on the team.

• Palensky’s .337 batting average ranks second on the team and 11th in the Big Ten.

• Palensky leads the Husker offense in hits (29), doubles (7) and triples (2). His two triples share the conference lead with nine other players.

• Palensky ranks second on the team in runs scored (16) and tied for third on the team in RBIs (14).

• Palensky opened the year on an 11-game hitting streak, the longest by a Husker in 2019.

Acker Enjoying Breakout Season

• Junior Joe Acker has been red-hot at the plate, and leads the Huskers with a .365 batting average, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.

• Acker has a team-high nine multi-hit efforts this season.

• Acker has two hits in five of his last six games. During that stretch, he is 11-for-25 with five RBIs, two doubles, one triple, four runs scored and five stolen bases.

• Acker entered the season with 12 career hits in 39 games. This season, he has 23 hits in 17 games.

There’s No Place Like Home

• Nebraska is off to a perfect 5-0 start at home after sweeping Air Force and Michigan State two weeks ago at Hawks Field.

• Nebraska played its long-awaited home opener on March 19 after each of the first eight scheduled home games had either been canceled, postponed or moved to a new location due to weather and/or field conditions.

• It marked Nebraska’s latest home opener since 1978 when the Huskers first played a home game that season on March 28. The 1978 squad played 17 games away from Lincoln before its home opener. This season, the first 13 games were played away from home.

• The Omaha game, originally scheduled as the home opener for March 5, was postponed. The North Dakota State game, scheduled for March 13, was also postponed. The teams are looking for a date later in the season to make up those games.

• The Baylor series, March 8-10, was moved from Lincoln to Waco, Texas due to cold weather and snowy conditions.

• The New Mexico State series, originally slated for March 15-17, was canceled due to field conditions.

Huskers Scheduled to Make Eight TV Appearances

• The Huskers are scheduled to make eight television appearances across five different networks during the 2019 regular season.

• NU will be on NET three times this season, including April 5 (Purdue), April 27 (Illinois) and May 10 (Arizona State).

• The Huskers will make two appearances on the Big Ten Network, including April 20 (Iowa) and April 26 (Illinois).

• Nebraska’s lone ESPNU showing will be April 7, when Purdue visits Hawks Field.

• The two remaining match-ups with Creighton this season will be televised. The April 9 game at Hawks Field will be on Fox Sports 1, while the April 23 match-up will be on CBS Sports Network.

• Seven of NU’s TV games will take place in the month of April before its one scheduled TV appearance in May.

Newcomers Making Their Mark

• Nebraska’s nationally ranked recruiting class has played a key role for the Huskers so far this season.

• One-third of the Huskers to register at-bats this season are newcomers (6-of-18). In addition, five newcomers have made pitching appearances.

• D1 Baseball ranked NU’s class 16th nationally and the best among all Big Ten teams, six spots ahead of second-best Illinois.

• Baseball America tabbed the group among its top-35 recruiting classes. After announcing its top 25, Baseball America released its “Next 10” in alphabetical order. Nebraska was one of two Big Ten teams on the list, along with No. 24 Illinois.

• Rawlings/Perfect Game ranked Nebraska’s recruiting class 37th nationally and third in the Big Ten, behind No. 32 Purdue and No. 36 Indiana.

• The Huskers welcome 15 newcomers to the roster this season, including 11 freshmen, as the entire recruiting class made it to campus.

• Two newcomers - Spencer Schwellenbach and Bo Blessie - were drafted in June 2018, but chose to come to Nebraska to play college baseball. Schwellenbach was selected in the 34th round by the Cleveland Indians, while Blessie was drafted in the 36th round by the Washington Nationals.

• Four newcomers - Aaron Palenksy (Southeast CC), Trey Kissack (UNC Greensboro/Southeast CC), Ty Roseberry (Nebraska-Kearney) and Gareth Stroh (Purdue/Coffeyville CC) – bring previous college baseball experience to NU’s roster. Stroh and Kissack will sit out this season.

Closing Time

• One of Nebraska’s strengths under Head Coach Darin Erstad has been the bullpen. This season, the Huskers have recorded five saves, led by Colby Gomes, who has four saves individually.

• Last season, Nebraska earned 16 saves, marking the eighth consecutive season the Huskers have recorded double-digit saves.

• Nebraska has had a pitcher earn 10 or more saves in each of the last five seasons after no Husker pitcher reached the 10-save milestone during the previous seven seasons (2007-13).

Nebraska’s Record with the Lead Since 2012

  • » After six innings: 195-20 (9-0 this season)
  • » After seven innings: 210-10 (13-0 this season)
  • » After eight innings: 222-6 (13-0 this season)

Huskers Working Through Rigorous Schedule

• Nebraska has the No. 55 strength of schedule in the nation, according to WarrenNolan.com.

• Nebraska played eight of its first 13 games against top-25 opponents away from home. Five of those games were against 2018 College World Series teams (Oregon State and Texas Tech).

• As a whole, Nebraska’s schedule features games against five NCAA Tournament qualifiers from last season, including two College World Series participants.

• Before cancellations, Nebraska was scheduled to play 2018 CWS qualifier Mississippi State (March 3) and 2018 NCAA Tournament team New Mexico State (March 15-17), which would’ve given NU a schedule with seven NCAA teams, three of which made the CWS last season.

• The Huskers also face each of the top four teams from last year’s Big Ten standings. Over the weekend, Nebraska won 1-of-3 at Minnesota, a team which advanced to Super Regionals last season after winning the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.

• The other 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers on Nebraska’s schedule are Baylor and Purdue. NU won 2-of-3 against Baylor, March 8-10, in Waco, Texas. The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten regular-season standings and took runner-up honors at the conference tournament.

• Michigan and Illinois, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten last season each visit Hawks Field this season.

• Nebraska’s penultimate regular-season series is against Arizona State (May 10-12) at Hawks Field. The series history between the Huskers and Sun Devils includes NU’s first win in a College World Series game in 2005.

• The Big Ten teams not included in Nebraska’s 2019 regular-season schedule are Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State and Rutgers.

• The conference tournament returns to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, May 22-26, after previously hosting the event in 2014, 2016 and 2018. The Big Ten Tournament will return to TD Ameritrade Park from 2020 to 2022.

Erstad Among Winningest Coaches in NU History

• Head Coach Darin Erstad (248-178-1) became the fourth-winningest head coach in program history last season after reaching the 200-win milestone in 2017. He is two wins away from the 250th win of his career.

Most Wins by a Head Coach in Nebraska Baseball History

  1. John Sanders: 767 wins (1978-97; 20 seasons)
  2. Tony Sharpe: 399 wins (1947-77; 31 seasons)
  3. Mike Anderson: 337 wins (2003-11; 9 seasons)
  4. Darin Erstad: 248 wins (2012-present; 8th season)
  5. Dave Van Horn: 214 wins (1998-2002; 5 seasons)

• Erstad, the 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year, holds a conference record of 100-70-1 as the head coach at Nebraska. He picked up his 100th conference win on March 31, when the Huskers topped Minnesota in the first game of a doubleheader.

Nebraska Coaches with More Than 100 Conference Wins

Hawks Field Celebrates 18th Year in 2019

• The 2019 campaign marks Nebraska’s 18th year playing home games at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The Huskers moved to Hawks Field in 2002 after playing at Buck Beltzer Stadium for 23 years from 1979 to 2001.

• Nebraska holds a 357-133-1 record at Hawks Field, which includes a 5-0 mark this season. NU has posted a winning record at home in each of the last 17 seasons.

• Nebraska has won 60 percent or more of its home games 14 times over the last 17 seasons.

• Since Head Coach Darin Erstad took over in 2012, the Huskers are 128-55 at Hawks Field. He has posted 20-win seasons at home in three of his first seven years at Nebraska, including 21-win seasons at home in 2015 and 2016.

• Nebraska has ranked in the top 30 nationally in average attendance in each of the past 17 years. Last season, the Huskers ranked 12th in the nation with an average of 4,203 fans per home game (over a span of 25 games).

• In 2017, the Huskers welcomed an average of 5,395 fans per home game, which ranked sixth in the nation. NU also ranked sixth nationally in 2016 when a school-record average of 5,423 fans attended home games for the Huskers.