Do you believe in magic? Or more likely it was grit, not magic.
But either way, the Nebraska baseball team won its third game in two days, its second against a nationally-ranked opponent, defeating second-seed and 13th-ranked UCLA 5-0 in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament Sunday at Omaha’s Charles Schwab Field before 15,139.
The Huskers advanced by upsetting top-seed and fourth-ranked Oregon 7-3 and nine-seed Penn State 6-3 Saturday. They also won last season’s conference-tournament.
Nebraska, now 32-27, was the eight-seed.
“For me, this was probably the most gratifying championship team,” Coach Will Bolt told Ben McLaughlin on Huskers.com. “I mean, this is probably hyperbole, but the emotion was real. It was raw for me. I’m usually kind of just a fist-pumping, fiery guy. This one brought tears to my eyes because this is so much more than baseball for these guys. This is a lesson in life.”
Nebraska, which was picked to finish second in the Big Ten, struggled when conference play began, losing four of its first five conference series, including being swept by UCLA. In addition, the Huskers dealt with injuries, most significantly, the loss of Friday starter Mason McConnaughey. They lost Joshua Overbeek to injury in the Oregon game, and Tyler Stone was sidelined for the entire tournament.
And Tucker Timmerman, who started the Penn State game, was sidelined for two months.
But the pitching staff stepped up in the tournament. Jackson Brockett pitched six innings against Oregon, allowing six hits and one earned run, with two walks and four strikeouts. Ty Horn, who started the first game in the tournament, pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only three hits, walking three and striking out six. The bullpen also stepped up in the tournament.
“Hats off to Coach (Rob) Childress and his staff, and how hard they work,” Bolt said.
As for offense, just about everyone got into the act. Sunday, Dylan Carey went 2-for-4 with a run-batted-in in a three-run second to set the tone. Rhett Stokes, who was 2-for-3, also drove in a run in the third. Devin Nunez added a two-run home run for insurance in the third. And that was it.
Gabe Swansen, who homered in each game Saturday, and Hogan Helligso both drove in two runs against Penn State, after Swansen and Case Sanderson drove in two against Oregon. Riley Silva was 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Beavers, while Swansen and Cayden Brumbaugh were 2-for-5.
Will Walsh earned the save against Oregon, his first; Luke Broderick earned the save against Penn State, his conference-leading 12th.
As for the magic, recall that in Nebraska’s tournament-opening, 5-4, 10-inning victory against Michigan State Tuesday, the Spartans’ right-fielder dropped what seemed to be a routine fly ball that would have been the third out in the bottom of the ninth, allowing Robby Bolin to tie the score.
Bolt had another explanation. “’Sharpie,’ right there, I mean, I think he knocked the ball out of the right fielder’s glove,” Bolt said of Husker broadcaster Greg Sharpe, who passed away in mid-February. “But yeah, I mean, just a lot of emotion. I think that’s a big part of it as well, is just knowing some of the things we’ve endured throughout the entire year, and just come out as champions.”
Bolt also gave a shoutout to the fans, indicating Nebraska “couldn’t have done it without ‘em.”
As for regional information, that will be announced on ESPN2 at 11 a.m. Monday. “This is not the culmination of our season,” Bolt told McLauglin. “This is, hopefully, a first step. We’ve proven that we can run off some wins in a row; with our pitching staff and our team offense, anything’s possible.”
The Huskers get it done with grit more so than magic, maybe with an assist from “Sharpie.”
