Huskers Welcome Illinois to Hawks FieldHuskers Welcome Illinois to Hawks Field
Baseball

Huskers Welcome Illinois to Hawks Field

Illinois (26-13, 6-6 Big Ten) at Nebraska (22-14, 11-4 Big Ten)
April 26-28, 2019
Hawks Field at Haymarket Park • Lincoln, Neb.

Friday, April 26 • 7:32 p.m. (CT)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Waldron (5-0) vs. Andy Fisher (4-1)

Saturday, April 27 • 2:02 p.m. (CT)
TV: NET
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Nate Fisher (4-2) vs. Ty Weber (3-1)

Sunday, April 28 • 11:05 a.m. (CT)
Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Reece Eddins (4-2) vs. Cyrillo Watson (4-1)

The Nebraska baseball team (22-14, 11-4 Big Ten) returns home to continue Big Ten play when the Huskers host Illinois (26-13, 6-6 Big Ten) for a three-game series at Hawks Field this weekend. NU is ranked 37th in the latest RPI, while Illinois comes in at the No. 23 spot.

The Huskers and Fighting Illini square off Friday at 7:32 p.m. (CT) on the Big Ten Network. The first 1,000 fans into the game will get a “LNK” City Edition baseball cap.

The series continues on Saturday at 2:02 p.m., on NET before Sunday’s finale, set for 11:05 a.m. Sunday marks “Love 4 Laney & Katie Day,” which will include a T-shirt giveaway for the first 1,000 fans. It is also Sunday Family Fun Day at Haymarket Park, which includes a pregame face painter and balloon twister.

Fans can purchase tickets for this weekend by visiting Huskers.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-8-BIGRED.

Last Time Out
The Huskers fell to Creighton, 2-1, in the series rubber match on Tuesday night at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. 

Next Up
The Huskers visit Evanston, Ill., for a three-game series against Northwestern next weekend. The games are scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT), Sunday at 1 p.m., and Monday at 3:30 p.m.

How to Listen/Watch the Huskers

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

• Every game this season can be heard on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices. All three games this weekend 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.

• Friday night’s game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with Brandon Gaudin and Jeff Leise calling the action.

• Saturday’s game will be televised on NET with Larry Punteney and Jeff Leise calling the action.

Scouting the Illinois Fighting Illini

• Illinois leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 10-9, dating back to the first meeting between the schools in 1897. In Lincoln, the Huskers hold a 6-3 edge over the Fighting Illini.

• Illinois is 26-13 this season with a 6-6 mark in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini enter the weekend on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Penn State last weekend and defeating Bradley on Tuesday night.

• Head Coach Dan Hartleb is 436-314-1 in his 14th season overall at Illinois. He is assisted by Drew Dickinson, Adam Christ and Curt Courtwright.

• Players to Watch

  • No. 27 Grant Van Scoy (Senior INF): Team-high .353 batting average with 41 hits, six doubles and 14 RBIs
  • No. 6 Michael Massey (Junior INF): Batting .343 with 48 hits, nine doubles, four home runs and 20 RBIs
  • No. 18 Kellen Sarver (Redshirt Freshman C/1B): Hitting .297 with 38 hits, five doubles and 18 RBIs

“Love 4 Laney & Katie Day” Set for Sunday

• Sunday’s ceremonial first pitches will be thrown by Laney Ledbetter and Katie Jewell as well as Jaxson and Nick Goudy as part of Organ Donor Awareness Day. The day will honor those who are in need of or have received an organ transplant.

• Ledbetter is the daughter of Volunteer Assistant Curtis Ledbetter and his wife, Monica. Jewell serves as the baseball team’s academic counselor.

Huskers Second in Big Ten Standings

• The Huskers enter the weekend with an 11-4 record (.733 winning percentage) in Big Ten play, which puts them in second place in the league standings.

• Indiana leads the Big Ten with a 9-3 record (.750), while Michigan rounds out the top three at 8-3 (.727). The top eight teams make the Big Ten Tournament.

• At home, the Huskers have swept Michigan State (March 22-24) and Purdue (April 5-7). On the road, NU swept Penn State (April 12-13). The Huskers won 1-of-3 at Minnesota (March 29-31) and 1-of-3 at Iowa (April 19-21).

• Nebraska has three conference series remaining this season, including this weekend when the Huskers host Illinois. Michigan also comes to Hawks Field, May 16-18. The Huskers travel to Northwestern (May 4-6).

• Nebraska, in its eighth season as a member of the Big Ten, finished in the top two of the regular-season standings in four of its first six seasons in the conference before finishing 10th in 2018. NU won the regular-season crown in 2017 after finishing second in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Gomes a Two-Way Force for the Big Red

• Freshman Colby Gomes has seen time both at the plate and on the mound during his first season at Nebraska.

• Gomes has made 26 starts this season, 23 of which have been at first base. He is batting .226 with 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored and six doubles.

• On the mound, Gomes has made 11 appearances (two starts) and leads the team with eight saves. His ERA is 3.29 in 13.2 innings pitched.

• Gomes is one of three Huskers to see time both on the mound and at the plate this season, along with Jaxon Hallmark and Ben Klenke.

Schwellenbach Finding Rhythm

• Freshman Spencer Schwellenbach has smashed three home runs in his last five games after not hitting a home run in his first 20 games at Nebraska.

• Schwellenbach started each of the first 15 games of the season before suffering an ankle injury on March 20. He sat out 11 games before returning to the lineup on April 9. Schwellenbach has started each of the last 10 games for the Huskers since that time. He is on a five-game hitting streak.

Strong Starts Set the Tone in Big Ten Play

• Nebraska’s trio of weekend starters have combined to go 9-1 in Big Ten games. Matt Waldron, Nate Fisher and Reece Eddins have helped the Huskers to an 11-4 record in conference play through 15 games.

• Nebraska’s starters during Big Ten play have amassed 97.2 innings, an average of more than 6.0 innings per start. They have combined for 73 strikeouts and only 14 walks.

Waldron Continues Superb Senior Season

• Senior right-hander Matt Waldron, who has made seven starts and nine appearances overall, is among the best pitchers in the Big Ten this season.

• Waldron’s team-best 1.84 earned-run average ranks second in the Big Ten, behind only Penn State’s Dante Biasi (1.75).

• Waldron has 56 strikeouts and only four walks this season. His 14.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks first in the Big Ten and third in the nation, behind Elon’s George Kirby (15.20) and Davidson’s Casey Sutherland (14.33).

• Waldron is 5-0 this season, the most wins on the team.

• Waldron has thrown a team-high 58.2 innings this season. He has gone at least 7.0 innings in six consecutive appearances, including a complete game against Michigan State on March 22.

• In Big Ten play, Waldron is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA in five starts. He has recorded 30 strikeouts and two walks in 38.2 innings.

• Waldron has 216 career strikeouts, which ranks seventh in program history. Josh Bullock (225) ranks sixth on Nebraska’s career strikeouts list.

• Over the weekend, Waldron entered Nebraska’s top-10 career innings pitched list. He has pitched 258.2 innings in his career, which ranks ninth in program history.

Palensky Powers Husker Offense

• Sophomore Aaron Palensky, a junior college transfer, leads the Huskers with a .333 batting average this season, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten.

• Palensky, who has started all 36 games, leads the Huskers in hits (49), runs scored (28), doubles (11) and triples (2).

• Palensky has at least one hit in 31 of 36 games this season, including a team-high 15 multi-hit efforts.

There’s No Place Like Home

• Nebraska is 8-2 at home this season with sweeps against Air Force, Michigan State and Purdue.

• 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 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.

Newcomers Making Their Mark

• Nebraska’s nationally ranked recruiting class has accounted for 37 percent of the Huskers to make plate appearances (7 of 19 players) this season. 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 welcomed 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.

Huskers Working Through Rigorous Schedule

• Nebraska’s non-conference strength of schedule is 10th nationally, according to WarrenNolan.com. Overall, Nebraska’s strength of schedule is ranked 67th in the nation.

• 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. Earlier this season, 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.

• Nebraska went a combined 5-1 against 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Baylor and Purdue. NU won 2-of-3 against Baylor, March 8-10, in Waco, Texas. The Huskers swept Purdue, 2018 Big Ten runner-up, earlier this season at Hawks Field.

• 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.

Closing Time

• One of Nebraska’s strengths under Head Coach Darin Erstad has been the bullpen. As a team, Nebraska has earned 11 saves, marking the ninth consecutive season the Huskers have recorded double-digit saves.

• Individually, Colby Gomes leads the team with eight 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: 202-20 (16-0 this season)
  • » After seven innings: 217-10 (20-0 this season)
  • » After eight innings: 231-6 (22-0 this season)

Erstad Among Winningest Coaches in NU History

• Head Coach Darin Erstad earned his 250th career win on April 5.

• Last season, Erstad became the fourth-winningest head coach in program history when he passed Dave Van Horn with his 215th win on Feb. 23, 2018. Erstad reached the 200-win milestone on April 25, 2017.

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: 257 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 107-72-1 as the head coach at Nebraska. On March 31, He became the fourth head coach in program history to surpass 100 conference wins.

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.

• Since moving there in 2002, Nebraska has played 496 games all-time at Hawks Field and has nine more scheduled home games this season.

• In 2019, NU has averaged 4,290 fans per home game (through 10 home games), which ranks 10th in the nation and leads the Big Ten by a wide margin. Indiana ranks second in the conference in attendance with an average of 1,676 per home game.

• Nebraska holds a 360-135-1 record at Hawks Field, which includes an 8-2 mark this season. NU has posted a winning record at home in each of the last 17 seasons.