Northwestern Preview & Notes

NEBRASKA at NORTHWESTERN

March 29-31, 2024

Evanston, Ill. | Rocky and Bernice Miller Park

Friday, March 29 – 3 PM CT

Pitching: RHP Brett Sears (4-0, 1.14 ERA) vs. LHP Nolan Morr (1-3, 6.39 ERA)

TV/Streaming: B1G+

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Saturday, March 30 – 1 PM CT

Pitching: RHP Drew Christo (1-1, 4.13 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Potthoff (2-0, 2.28 ERA)

TV/Streaming: B1G+

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Sunday, March 31 – 1 PM CT

Pitching: RHP Mason McConnaughey (2-2, 1.65 ERA) vs. TBD

TV/Streaming: B1G+

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Follow the Game

• All three games of this weekend’s Big Ten series at Northwestern can be seen on B1G+.

• Fans can also listen to Greg Sharpe 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. Northwestern

• Through 29 all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 17-12 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series.

• Nebraska and Northwestern meet for the second consecutive season after the Big Red swept the Wildcats in Lincoln last year.

• The Huskers have come away victorious in the last six meetings with the Wildcats, going back to NU’s last roadtrip to Evanston in the 2019 campaign.

Weekend Rotation for the Big Red

• With two weekend starters taken in the 2023 MLB Draft, it’s a new-look weekend rotation for the Huskers this year.

• Brett Sears is set to toe the rubber in the series opener on Friday afternoon. Sears is 4-0 in six starts, posting a 1.14 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 39.1 innings, while holding opponents to a .119 hitting clip.

• Junior Drew Christo takes the mound on Saturday afternoon for his sixth start of the season. The Elkhorn, Neb., native is 1-1 on the season with a 4.13 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.

• Sophomore Mason McConnaughey gets the nod for his first start in the weekend rotation after dazzling in his first career start against Omaha last week. McConnaughey is 2-2 on the season with a 1.65 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16.1 innings of work.

Huskers Control the Running Game

• Nebraska comes into the week as one of six teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.

• The Huskers have limited opponents to just 11 stolen base attempts on the season and are one of five teams to hold opponents to 11 stolen base attempts or less on the year.

Scoreless Streak From NU Starting Pitchers

• Over the last four games, Nebraska starting pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 23.1 innings of work, posting 31 strikeouts to just five walks.

• This season, Husker starters are 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA, posting quality starts in five of their last 10 outings.

Sears Shines in Starting Role

• Brett Sears leads the nation in WHIP (0.58) and ranks among the national leaders in ERA (1.14, 8th), and hits allowed/9 inn. (3.66, 3rd), allowing just four of his 16 hits to go for extra bases.

• Nebraska is 6-0 this season in games that Sears has started, as the right-hander hasn’t allowed a run across in his last 15 innings on the mound.

• In six starts, Sears is 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA and is one of four starting pitchers in DI this season with 30-plus innings pitched, 40-plus strikeouts and five earned runs or fewer.

Sears With Quality Starts

• The Westphalia, Iowa, native allowed just two hits to New Mexico State across eight innings in his sixth start last Friday, notching his fifth consecutive quality start for the Huskers.

• The five straight quality starts are the most by a Nebraska hurler since Matt Waldron recorded six straight in 2019.

• The right-hander has punched out six-plus batters in all six of his starts to begin the season, already setting a career-high with 43 strikeouts over that span.

• Sears has allowed four-or-fewer hits in all of his outings, as opponents are hitting just .119 (16-for-135) against the senior.

McConnaughey’s Move to the Weekend Rotation

• Mason McConnaughey made his first start of the season last Tuesday vs. Omaha, tossing five shutout innings and punching out a career-high nine batters in the Huskers’ 11-5 win against the Mavericks.

• McConnaughey hasn’t allowed a run across his last five outings, totaling 12.1 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts to just six walks.

• Over seven appearances this season, the Topeka, Kan., native is 2-2 with a 1.65 ERA, as opponents are hitting just .190 against the sophomore.

Caron’s RBI Production Through 22 Games

• Josh Caron has been a key contributor for the NU offense this season, hitting .296 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored.

• The junior leads the Big Red with five home runs and eight multi-hit performances this season.

• Since 2012, Caron is one of four Huskers to drive in 26-plus runs in Nebraska’s first 22 games to start the season.

Timely Two-Out Hitting for the Huskers

• The Husker offense has found success at the plate with two outs this season.

• Nebraska is hitting .300 (75-for-250) and has recorded 60 of its 149 RBI this season with two outs.

• 17 Huskers have recorded a two-out hit through the first 20 games, including six Huskers with at least six hits.

Bats in the Nebraska Lineup

• Rhett Stokes is hitting .382 with seven doubles, nine RBI and 14 runs scored, while Cayden Brumbaugh holds a .339 hitting clip with five doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.

• Riley Silva leads the Huskers with 22 runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .293 in 21 starts.

• Joshua Overbeek holds a .325 batting average with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs in 11 starts, while Garrett Anglim is hitting .321 with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 20 games, including 15 starts.

• Cole Evans and Tyler Stone are both hitting .290 at the plate, with Evans recording four doubles, a homer and 13 RBI and Stone tallying three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI this season.

 Huskers in the Pen

• Casey Daiss has recorded a team-best four saves in seven relief appearances. The junior has struck out five and compiled a 2.57 ERA across seven innings.

• Kyle Perry and Tucker Timmerman have made a team-high 10 relief appearances for the Big Red. Perry has three saves in six innings, while Timmerman is 2-0 with a save in 11.1 innings.

• Kyle Froehlich has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work while making six relief appearances for the Huskers.

• Evan Borst and Rans Sanders have come out of the pen seven times in their debut with the Big Red. Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while Sanders has tallied a save and struck out five across seven innings.