Nebraska baseball (26-26, 13-14) kept its momentum rolling last weekend after winning five of its last six Big Ten series by taking two of three over Michigan.
The Huskers enter its final conference three-game series tied at No. 9 — avoiding an end-of-season crash at Purdue (30-21, 10-17) is crucial — only the top 12 ballclubs will punch tickets to Omaha.
This week’s series will begin on Thursday, so each Big Ten team will have another day to prepare for the tournament.
Here’s a preview for Nebraska’s challenge on the mound:
Purdue has talent at the plate, headlined by Logan Sutter. The senior slugger carries a .375 batting average with 14 homers and 61 RBIs. His production speaks for itself — one of the best hitters in the Big Ten.
Sutter isn’t the only power threat that the Boilermakers present. Infielders Aaron Manias and Brandon Anderson also can hit nukes, each with eight apiece.
Lukas Cook and Ty Gill are also impact players — two contact machines for Purdue. In 132 at-bats, Cook has smacked 53 hits for a .402 average. Gill’s 36 hits for a .295 average are lower, yet he’s a force on the basepaths — stealing 13 bases in 14 attempts. They aren’t home run hitters, but retiring Cook and Gill is paramount.
As a team, the Boilermakers hold a .289 average — limiting the crooked inning is ultra-important in this series.
Right-hander Tucker Timmerman (3.55 ERA) will open up the series on the mound. The sophomore pitcher dealt quite the outing in his first weekend start, posting seven innings, five strikeouts, allowing one earned run off five hits last Friday.
Timmerman’s rise since returning from the facial injury has significantly benefited Nebraska. And although senior lefty Will Walsh is not in the mix as a weekend starter anymore, he delivered in the Huskers’ 5-2 walk-off win on Saturday, retiring all seven Wolverines faced out of the bullpen, including three by strikeouts.
Sophomore right-hander Ty Horn (5.97 ERA) gets the nod for Friday’s matchup. Senior left-hander Jackson Brockett (3.76 ERA) will start the series finale on Saturday. Timmerman, Horn and Brockett have been exceptional of late; if their outings are similar to last week, Nebraska will be in a great position.
First pitch for Thursday and Friday is set for 5 p.m. CT. Saturday’s series finale will start at 1 p.m. CT. Each contest will be streamed on B1G+ or heard on the Huskers’ radio network.
Schneider is a sports journalist who covers Nebraska baseball and football. Follow him on X @bschneider33 for more coverage.