It has been quite the pattern for Nebraska baseball lately — dropping the Friday night opener and taking the final two of the weekend — but they’re getting it done.
After taking two of three over Minnesota, the Huskers now sit at No. 11 in the Big Ten, right by the cutoff line to make the conference tournament. The Big Red is heating up at the right time of year.
Looking into what’s next, Nebraska (24-24, 11-13) will host Creighton (31-13, 12-3 Big East) at Haymarket Park on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. The in-state showdown series is tied at one apiece this season — the Bluejays taking game one 9-5 and the Huskers coming out victorious in game two 6-3 — it should be quite the rubber match.
Here’s a quick preview:
A bit of a surprise, but left-hander Will Walsh (4-6, 5.37 ERA) is in line to make the midweek start from the bump. The regular Friday starter has faced significant challenges in his past three outings, only posting 10 total innings on the mound.
His recent struggles have been out of character from what we saw in the senior during the first half of the season. Right-hander Tucker Timmerman (1-1, 4.42 ERA) dealt three savvy innings on Saturday to shut down the Golden Gophers. Anticipate him now getting a weekend start with Walsh pitching Tuesday.
What’s the status for right fielder Max Buettenback — he crashed hard into the wall on Friday and missed the past two contests for being “under the weather.” Injury or illness, getting him back in the lineup is paramount as the regular season finish line approaches.
“That’s a good question,” head coach Will Bolt said postgame on Sunday. “I’m not sure — we’ll have to find that out.”
If Buettenback is out against Creighton, anticipate Case Sanderson taking the duties in right field against the Bluejays’ righty Ian Koosman (5-3, 5.40 ERA), making the start.
Prediction: Nebraska 7, Creighton 3 — Walsh finds his changeup.