BSB Preview: vs. Washington

NEBRASKA vs. WASHINGTON
March 8-9, 2025
Lincoln, Neb. | Hawks Field at Haymarket Park

Saturday, March 8 – 1 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Ty Horn (0-1, 5.52 ERA) vs. RHP Jackson Thomas (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Saturday, March 8 – Approx. 45 minutes after Game One
Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (2-1, 2.77 ERA) vs. RHP Reilly McAdams (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Sunday, March 9 – 12 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Jackson Brockett (0-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. RHP Tommy Brandenburg (0-1, 6.28 ERA)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Follow The Game
• All three games of this weekend’s series against Washington can be seen on B1G+. 
• Fans can also listen to Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley 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. Washington
• Through nine all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a 6-3 advantage over Washington in the all-time series.
• The Huskers and Huskies last met in the 2014 Aramark Pac 12/Big Ten Challenge in Surprise, Ariz., where the Big Red picked up a 13-3 win against Washington.
• Nebraska has won the last two matchups against Washington, recording victories over the Huskies in 2014 and 2011.
• This weekend’s series marks the first time the Huskers and Huskies won’t face off in neutral-site matchup after playing at a neutral site in each of the first nine all-time meetings.

Huskers in Home Openers
• Nebraska is 48-7 in its home openers since the 1970 campaign.
• Since the opening of Haymarket Park in 2002, the Huskers are 20-2 in home openers.
• The Big Red have won four of its last five home openers after falling 11-3 to South Alabama last season.

A Look at the Weekend Rotation
•With Brett Sears taken in the 2024 MLB Draft, Drew Christo’s transition to the bullpen and Mason McConnaughey’s season-ending injury, it’s a new-look weekend rotation for the Huskers this year.
• Ty Horn takes mound for the series opener against Washington after holding down the No. 2 spot in the weekend rotation this season. The sophomore is 0-1 with a 5.52 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 14.2 innings on the year. 
• Redshirt senior Will Walsh is set to take the mound on game two for the Huskers. Walsh is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA and 14 punchouts in 13 innings and is coming off a relief outing with four perfect innings and six strikeouts in a win vs. Sam Houston last weekend.
• Senior Jackson Brockett is scheduled to start the series finale, holding an 0-1 record with a 5.00 ERA and eight strikeouts in three appearances this season, including starts against Grand Canyon and Kansas State.

McConnaughey to Miss Remainder of 2025 Season
• Nebraska Coach Will Bolt announced Wednesday that junior right-handed pitcher Mason McConnaughey will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an arm injury against Sam Houston last weekend.
• McConnaughey began the season as the first Husker named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List since 2016 and earned Preseason All-American recognition from D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Nunez Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week
• Freshman Devin Nunez was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week after leading the Huskers at the Frisco Classic last weekend.
• The Navasota, Texas, native hit 7-of-14 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in three games while tallying a .714 slugging percentage and a .533 on-base percentage.
• In Nebraska’s 8-3 win against Sam Houston, Nunez was 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, a run scored and a walk. The designated hitter had a 3-for-5 night with a pair of runs scored against No. 2 LSU on Saturday.
• Nunez wrapped up last weekend’s action at the Frisco Classic with a 2-for-5 performance against Kansas State, including a two-run inside-the-park home run for his second homer of the season.

Walsh Among Nation’s Most Efficient Pitchers
• Will Walsh comes into the weekend as one of 24 pitchers nationally to record at least a 14-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and surrender sub-0.70 walks/9 innings on the season.
• The southpaw has recorded a pair of appearances with six punchouts against UC Irvine and Sam Houston while allowing just one walk on the season through 13 innings.
• Walsh is one of seven P4 players with at least a 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and less than 0.70 walks allowed per nine innings this year.

Flashing the Leather
• As of March 6, Nebraska is 11th nationally with a .986 fielding percentage, including one of two P4 teams with a .985-plus fielding percentage and five-or-fewer errors on the season.   

Youth Movement on the Mound
• The NU pitching staff has seen four true freshmen put up strong outings to begin their time at Nebraska on the mound in the first three weeks of the season. 
• Pryce Bender, Colin Nowaczyk, Gavin Blachowicz and Blake Encarnacion have combined to deal 8.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits with six punchouts and four walks.

Lucky Number Six in the Bolt Era
• Nebraska is 108-23 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.
• The Big Red have scored six-plus runs in all four victories this season, defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt (6-4), San Diego State (13-0), Louisiana (6-1) and Sam Houston (8-3). 
• The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 34 times last season, compiling a 28-6 record.
• Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 33 contests (26-7) in 2023 after tallying at least six runs 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020.

Bats in the Nebraska Lineup
• Devin Nunez is slashing .500/.571/.833 with a pair of homers, four RBI and six runs scored in six appearances, including four starts this season.
• Will Jesske is second on the team in hitting with a .316 batting average in seven games played. The sophomore has two doubles, a triple, two RBI and three runs while holding a perfect 2-for-2 mark in stolen bases.
• Cayden Brumbaugh leads the Huskers with four multi-hit games and three multi-RBI performances while serving primarily as the Huskers’ leadoff hitter this season.
• Joshua Overbeek holds a .286 batting average with three doubles and a triple in eight games, followed by Dylan Carey with a .256 hitting clip, three doubles, a homer and eight runs driven in this year.
• Cael Frost has homered twice and driven in five runs in eight starts, while Riley Silva has five hits, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases in eight games.
• Gabe Swansen leads the Husker offense with nine RBI through 10 games, and Case Sanderson has drawn a team-leading six walks on the year.

Huskers in the Pen
• Luke Broderick has appeared in three games for the NU bullpen, including a one-inning save in 6-4 win against No. 16 Vanderbilt.
• Jalen Worthley is 1-0 on the season and has made a team-high four relief appearances, holding 1.69 ERA and three punchouts in 5.1 innings of work. 
• Pryce Bender has pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and is holding opponents to a .167 batting average across three appearances, while Colin Nowaczyk hasn’t allowed a run in two innings of action.
• Grant Cleavinger and Caleb Clark have each made three appearances on the mound, while Ryan Harrahill has toed the rubber twice for the NU pitching staff this season.
• Casey Daiss made his season debut last weekend vs. K-State, dealing 1.2 scoreless frames with just one hit allowed and a strikeout against the Wildcats.
• Carson Jasa has totaled five strikeouts across 3.2 innings in three appearances, while Drew Christo has taken the mound a team-high four times through the first 10 games. 
• TJ Coats and Gavin Blachowicz have made two relief appearances for the Huskers on the mound this season, while Blake Encarnacion made his collegiate debut against No. 2 LSU last weekend.