Nebraska baseball started the year with a bang, and now the Huskers are searching for answers as conference play begins.

Nebraska (4-6) entered the season ranked in the national Top 25 and moved up one spot after upsetting Top-15 club Vanderbilt as part of a 2-1 start. Since then, the Huskers have lost five of their last seven games – including dropping four of the past five – and are now shifting the starting rotation upon losing Friday ace Mason McConnaughey for the season.

NU star pitcher McConnaughey suffers season-ending arm injury

Fortunately for the Huskers, next up on the board are their first home games this weekend, and they will be welcoming a similarly struggling team in the Washington Huskies.

Washington (5-8) has won two straight games, but the Huskies were on a skid prior to that after losing two consecutive games and dropping six of their previous seven games – defeats at the hands of No. 15 Texas, Illinois (which did not count as a conference game) and a four-game sweep at Stanford.

Here is a look at this weekend’s matchups between the Huskers and Huskies in the Big Ten opening series for both clubs.

SATURDAY – GAME 1

Time: 1 p.m. CT

Pitching: RHP Ty Horn (0-1, 5.52 ERA) vs. RHP Jackson Thomas (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

TV/Streaming: B1G+

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

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SATURDAY – GAME 2

Time: Approx. 45 minutes after Game 1

Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (2-1, 2.77 ERA) vs. RHP Reilly McAdams (0-1, 6.75 ERA)

TV/Streaming: B1G+

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

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Sunday, March 9

Time: 12 p.m. CT

Pitching: LHP Jackson Brockett (0-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. RHP Tommy Brandenburg (0-1, 6.28 ERA)

TV/Streaming: B1G+

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

All games played at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln

>> All three games of this weekend’s series against Washington can be seen on B1G+.

>> Fans can also listen to Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley 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.

>> Through nine all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a 6-3 advantage over Washington in the all-time series.

>> The Huskers and Huskies last met in the 2014 Aramark Pac 12/Big Ten Challenge in Surprise, Ariz., where the Big Red picked up a 13-3 win against Washington.

>> Nebraska has won the last two matchups against Washington, recording victories over the Huskies in 2014 and 2011.

>> This weekend’s series marks the first time the Huskers and Huskies won’t face off in neutral-site matchup after playing at a neutral site in each of the first nine all-time meetings.

>> With Brett Sears taken in the 2024 MLB Draft, Drew Christo’s transition to the bullpen and Mason McConnaughey’s season-ending injury, it’s a new-look weekend rotation for the Huskers this year.

>> Ty Horn takes mound for the series opener against Washington after holding down the No. 2 spot in the weekend rotation this season. The sophomore is 0-1 with a 5.52 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 14.2 innings on the year.

>> Redshirt senior Will Walsh is set to take the mound on game two for the Huskers. Walsh is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA and 14 punchouts in 13 innings and is coming off a relief outing with four perfect innings and six strikeouts in a win vs. Sam Houston last weekend.

>> Senior Jackson Brockett is scheduled to start the series finale, holding an 0-1 record with a 5.00 ERA and eight strikeouts in three appearances this season, including starts against Grand Canyon and Kansas State.

>> Nebraska is 48-7 in its home openers since the 1970 campaign.

>> Since the opening of Haymarket Park in 2002, the Huskers are 20-2 in home openers.

>> The Big Red have won four of its last five home openers after falling 11-3 to South Alabama last season.

>> Nebraska coach Will Bolt announced Wednesday that junior right-handed pitcher Mason McConnaughey will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an arm injury against Sam Houston last weekend.

>> McConnaughey began the season as the first Husker named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List since 2016 and earned Preseason All-American recognition from D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

>> Freshman Devin Nunez was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week after leading the Huskers at the Frisco Classic last weekend.

>> The Navasota, Texas, native hit 7-of-14 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in three games while tallying a .714 slugging percentage and a .533 on-base percentage.

>> In Nebraska’s 8-3 win against Sam Houston, Nunez was 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, a run scored and a walk. The designated hitter had a 3-for-5 night with a pair of runs scored against No. 2 LSU on Saturday.

>> Nunez wrapped up last weekend’s action at the Frisco Classic with a 2-for-5 performance against Kansas State, including a two-run inside-the-park home run for his second homer of the season.

>> Will Walsh comes into the weekend as one of 24 pitchers nationally to record at least a 14-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and surrender sub-0.70 walks/9 innings on the season.

>> The southpaw has recorded a pair of appearances with six punchouts against UC Irvine and Sam Houston while allowing just one walk on the season through 13 innings.

>> Walsh is one of seven P4 players with at least a 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and less than 0.70 walks allowed per nine innings this year.

>> As of March 6, the Huskers are ranked 11th nationally with a .986 fielding percentage, including one of two P4 teams with a .985-plus fielding percentage and five-or-fewer errors on the season.

>> The NU pitching staff has seen four true freshmen put up strong outings to begin their time at Nebraska on the mound in the first three weeks of the season.

>> Pryce Bender, Colin Nowaczyk, Gavin Blachowicz and Blake Encarnacion have combined to deal 8.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits with six punchouts and four walks.

>> Nebraska is 108-23 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.

>> The Big Red have scored six-plus runs in all four victories this season, defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt (6-4), San Diego State (13-0), Louisiana (6-1) and Sam Houston (8-3).

>> The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 34 times last season, compiling a 28-6 record.

>> Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 33 contests (26-7) in 2023 after tallying at least six runs 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020.

>> Devin Nunez is slashing .500/.571/.833 with a pair of homers, four RBI and six runs scored in six appearances, including four starts this season.

>> Will Jesske is second on the team in hitting with a .316 batting average in seven games played. The sophomore has two doubles, a triple, two RBI and three runs while holding a perfect 2-for-2 mark in stolen bases.

>> Cayden Brumbaugh leads the Huskers with four multi-hit games and three multi-RBI performances while serving primarily as the Huskers’ leadoff hitter this season.

>> Joshua Overbeek holds a .286 batting average with three doubles and a triple in eight games, followed by Dylan Carey with a .256 hitting clip, three doubles, a homer and eight runs driven in this year.

>> Cael Frost has homered twice and driven in five runs in eight starts, while Riley Silva has five hits, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases in eight games.

>> Gabe Swansen leads the Husker offense with nine RBI through 10 games, and Case Sanderson has drawn a team-leading six walks on the year.

>> Luke Broderick has appeared in three games for the NU bullpen, including a one-inning save in 6-4 win against No. 16 Vanderbilt.

>> Jalen Worthley is 1-0 on the season and has made a team-high four relief appearances, holding 1.69 ERA and three punchouts in 5.1 innings of work.

>> Pryce Bender has pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and is holding opponents to a .167 batting average across three appearances, while Colin Nowaczyk hasn’t allowed a run in two innings of action.

>> Grant Cleavinger and Caleb Clark have each made three appearances on the mound, while Ryan Harrahill has toed the rubber twice for the NU pitching staff this season.

>> Casey Daiss made his season debut last weekend vs. K-State, dealing 1.2 scoreless frames with just one hit allowed and a strikeout against the Wildcats.

>> Carson Jasa has totaled five strikeouts across 3.2 innings in three appearances, while Drew Christo has taken the mound a team-high four times through the first 10 games.

>> TJ Coats and Gavin Blachowicz have made two relief appearances for the Huskers on the mound this season, while Blake Encarnacion made his collegiate debut against No. 2 LSU last weekend.

All stats & info provided by Nebraska Athletics