Nebraska baseball hits the road after back-to-back victories against Wichita State at Haymarket Park, 10-1 Tuesday and 5-4 Wednesday. Add a win in the final game of their Big Ten-opening series against Washington Sunday and the 7-8 Huskers head to southern California on a three-game winning streak.
They’re slated to play eight games in the Los Angeles area, including Big Ten weekend series against UCLA and USC as well as two mid-week games against Pepperdine. Then they’re scheduled to play a game at Kansas State before a three-game, weekend series at home against Oregon State, beginning March 28.
“You know what, I think we’re excited,” Coach Will Bolt said following Wednesday night’s victory before 5,406 at Haymarket Park. “I know we’re excited about it because we’ve got some momentum going into the trip. It’s a trip where we’re going to be gone for 10 days.
“So it’s a chance to galvanize the team even further, just being together on the road, in the hotel, on the bus, and just continuing to play good baseball.”
First up is a three-game series at UCLA. The 13-4 Bruins have been offensive to this point, hitting .285 as a team with 20 home runs. Four Bruins are hitting over .300, led by sophomore Roch Cholowsky, .329 with six home runs and 24 runs-batted-in. Sophomore Mulivai Levu is hitting .314, with seven home runs and 25 RBIs, both team highs. The Bruin pitching staff has an ERA of 4.38.
Nebraska showed its grit Wednesday. After a four-run first inning, beginning with the final two outs in the inning, only one Husker reached base in the next 20 at-bats into the seventh inning. Sophomore pinch-hitter Max Buettenback hit a one-out home run in the fifth, which proved to be the game-winner.
The pitch was a high slider. “Off the bat, I knew it was out,” said Buettenback, who has struggled at the plate and was hitting only .160. “Great feeling, I mean, doing it for the guys.”
The home run was his second of the season.
“This game felt way different,” Buettenback said. “I mean, the energy was amazing. It was awesome.”
Despite the losing record, the Huskers haven’t lost their determination, their hunger to succeed. “Absolutely. I’ve seen a major difference in terms to having each other’s back,” Bolt said. “I mean, that’s really the main thing. You have to pick each other up in this game.
“It can be individualized at times because you’re the one in the box, or the one on the mound. But there’s a lot of guys that need to be pulling in the same direction for us to be able to play off each other. We’ve done a lot better at that the last three games.”
Nebraska used six pitchers Wednesday. Freshman Gavin Blachowicz earned the win, his first decision. Luke Broderick, a junior transfer from Iowa Western Community College, earned the save, his third, striking out the last two with the tying run at third base.
UCLA has scored 11 or more runs in eight games, including a 22-5 victory against Michigan. The Bruins also defeated Michigan State 15-9, opening Big Ten play winning two-of-three at Maryland. The Michigan and Michigan State games weren’t conference-scheduled.
Nebraska and UCLA have played two common opponents. The Huskers defeated Vanderbilt; UCLA lost to the Commodores. The Huskers lost to UC Irvine; UCLA defeated the Anteaters.
Friday’s opener is slated for an 7 p.m. CDT start.
“We’re ready. We’re always ready for a fight, no matter who it is,” said Buettenback. “We’re all pretty excited to get out there for a couple of days and see what it’s like.
“I mean, it’s great weather here, but California? Pretty excited.”
