NEBRASKA vs. FLORIDA
May 31, 2024
Stillwater, Okla. | O’Brate Stadium
Friday, May 31 – 2 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Brett Sears (9-0, 2.00 ERA) vs. RHP Liam Peterson (2-4, 5.83 ERA)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Follow the Game
• Every game of the NCAA Stillwater Regional can be seen on ESPN+, with Tom Hart and Kyle Peterson on the call all weekend.
• 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. Florida
• Nebraska and Florida meet for the second time on the baseball diamond after facing off in the College World Series in 2005.
• In their lone matchup against each other, the Gators came away with a 7-4 win over the Big Red in a winner’s bracket tilt at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.
Huskers Appear in 18th NCAA Regional
• This weekend marks the 18th NCAA Regional appearance for the Big Red in program history, including the first since NU was selected for the Fayetteville Regional in 2021.
• Nebraska has recorded 28 wins in its first 17 NCAA Regional appearances, reaching three wins in six of the 17 appearances.
• The Big Red have advanced to the regional final six times, while advancing to the Super Regional in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
Historic Run for NU’s Big Ten Tournament Title
• Nebraska became the first team since 1995 to lose their first game and rally to capture the championship, winning five games over five days to secure the Huskers’ first Big Ten Tournament title.
• The second-seeded Huskers suffered a 15-2 setback in seven innings against Ohio State, before picking up wins against Purdue, Ohio State, Indiana (twice) and Penn State.
• The Big Red edged the Nittany Lions 2-1 in a pitcher’s duel that produced the lowest scoring Big Ten Championship in 34 years.
Big Red Set Team Records at Big Ten Tournament
• The Husker offense set a Big Ten Tournament record with 18 doubles in six games, surpassing Michigan (2022) and Indiana (2009) with 16.
• The NU pitching staff recorded 56 strikeouts over six games, setting a new Big Ten Tournament record for most punchouts after passing Minnesota’s 54 strikeouts recorded in 2019.
Sears, Huskers Earn All-Big Ten Accolades
• Brett Sears was a first-team selection and tabbed the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first NU pitcher to be named Pitcher of the Year since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2012.
• Mason McConnaughey was a second-team honoree and is 8-3 this season with a 3.09 ERA, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
• Tyler Stone, a second-team selection, is hitting .297 for the Big Red with eight home runs and 33 RBI, tallying 10 multi-hit games this season, including four three-hit efforts.
• Case Sanderson, a third-team selection and named to the All-Freshman Team, ranks second on the Huskers with a .340 batting average along with five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 22 RBI.
Caron’s Record-Breaking Week in Omaha
• Junior Josh Caron was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament after a record-breaking performance at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha last week.
• Caron hit .409 at the plate with a double, six homers, 11 RBI and eight runs, while boasting a 1.273 slugging percentage across six games.
• The Sun Prairie, Wis., native’s six homers passed Purdue’s Dan Black (5) in 2008 for the most home runs in a Big Ten Tournament.
• Caron’s 28 total bases also set a new tournament record, surpassing Ohio State’s Steve Caravati’s 26 total bases collected in the 2005 tournament.
Swansen Heating up at the Plate
• After a down year in the regular season, junior Gabe Swansen returned to his hot-hitting production last week at the Big Ten Tournament that landed the Johnston, Iowa, native on the All-Big Ten Second Team last season.
• Swansen hit .520 with four doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and drove in a career-high six runs against Ohio State, while recording multiple hits in four of his six starts during the tournament to earn all-tournament recognition.
• The junior delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth in the championship game, powering the Huskers to a 2-1 victory against Penn State.
Strong Starts Carry Huskers to a B1G Title
• Jackson Brockett tossed eight strong innings vs. Penn State in the title game, allowing just four hits and an earned run with five punchouts.
• Across two appearances, Drew Christo allowed one earned run over eight innings with nine strikeouts and just one walk.
• Will Walsh tossed the second complete-game of his career in a 4-2 win over Indiana in an elimination game on Saturday. The Leawood, Kan., native also recorded a complete-game shutout in last year’s Big Ten Tournament against Michigan State.
Stokes Settling in at Second Base
• Rhett Stokes was named to the Big Ten All- Tournament Team as a second baseman, going 7-for-15 (.467) with three doubles and a pair of RBI.
• Stokes leads the Huskers with a .353 average on the season and recorded multiple hits in three of his five starts during the Big Ten Tournament.
Husker Duo Climb Strikeout List in Big Ten Era
• Brett Sears and Mason McConnaughey rank among leaders in single-season strikeouts by an NU pitcher since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2012.
• Sears has 97 strikeouts this season, passing Matt Waldron for the most by a Husker in the Big Ten era.
• McConnaughey ranks fourth on the list with 81 strikeouts this year, seven shy of tying Cade Povich in third.
• It marks the first time since 2005 that Nebraska has had two pitchers with 80-plus strikeouts in a single season, joining Joba Chamberlain and Zach Kroenke with 130 and 88 strikeouts, respectively.
Eight-Plus Wins for NU’s 1-2 Starting Punch
• Brett Sears (9) and Mason McConnaughey (8) are the first Husker pitching duo with eight-or-more wins in a season since Tony Watson (10) and Johnny Dorn (9) in 2006.
• Nebraska is one of 12 teams in the country with a pitching duo to post eight-or-more wins this season, including one of eight teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Sanderson’s Early Impact at Collegiate Level
• Freshman Case Sanderson has a .340 batting average this season for the Huskers along with five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 22 RBI across 51 games, including 40 starts.
• Sanderson has reached base at a .472 clip this season for the Huskers, which ranks fifth in Division I among all freshmen.
• The Nevada, Mo., native has hits in 26 of his last 31 games and is batting .337 (34-for-101) with seven extra-base hits and 13 RBI over that span.
Worthley, Daiss Holding Down the Husker Bullpen
• NU’s set-up man, Jalen Worthley, is 3-0 with a 3.94 ERA and four saves across a bullpen-high 32.0 innings. The southpaw has made a team-high 11 multi-inning relief appearances for NU and punched out 31 batters while issuing just eight walks.
• The Huskers’ closer, Casey Daiss, leads the Big Red in saves (5) and boasts a 4.15 ERA across 21.2 innings of work. Daiss has held opponents scoreless in 15 of his 20 appearances this season for the Big Red.
Bats in the Nebraska Lineup
• Ben Columbus has posted a .307 average this season with four doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBI, while Tyler Stone is batting .297 with eight home runs and 33 RBI for the Big Red.
• Cole Evans is hitting .256 this season with 11 doubles, five home runs, and 41 RBI, while Cayden Brumbaugh is hitting .309 with 11 doubles, three triples and 19 RBI.
• Dylan Carey is hitting .251 and leads the Big Red with 17 doubles and has started a team-high 58 of 59 games for the Huskers this season.
• Garrett Anglim holds a .259 batting average this season with eight doubles, two homers and 23 RBI. Joshua Overbeek is batting .281 with 14 extra-base hits, 25 RBI and 38 runs scored.
Huskers in the Pen
• Rans Sanders has a 3.86 ERA for the Huskers across 14.0 innings with a pair of saves, allowing six earned runs this season.
• Kyle Perry’s 24 relief appearances lead all NU relievers as the senior is 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA and a career-high tying three saves.
• Evan Borst is limiting opponents to a .182 batting average (8-for-44) this season, posting 15 strikeouts over 12.1 innings of work.
• Kyle Froehlich has appeared in 19 games for the Huskers, punching out 20 batters while issuing five walks across 20.1 innings.