Nebraska

Nebraska Baseball Weekend Preview: Michigan State

Published

3 days ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Baseball Weekend Preview: Michigan State

Series Preview

Michigan State Spartans (3-8) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-5)

Location: Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, Lincoln, NE

Dates: March 6th-8th

Times (all CT): Friday @ 2pm, Saturday @ 1pm, Sunday @ 12pm

Head Coaches: Jake Boss Jr. (18th season, 496-450) & Will Bolt (7th season, 177-131-1)

TV/Stream: B1G+

Radio: All Nebraska games on Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska baseball goes into conference play having won both of its mid-week games since returning home to Haymarket Park. It’s riding the hot bats of Dylan Carey, and Mac Moyer. Carey is fresh off a 5 for 5 game, the first 5 hit game for a Husker since Gunner Hellstrom in 2018. Carey is leading all Big Ten batters in both hits (28) and doubles (8) and is 2nd in avg. (.509). He is piling up the RBIs with Moyer reaching base at a .592 clip. He is tied for the Big Ten lead with 13 walks.

Nebraska should also be getting Will Jesske back after a week off due to feeling a twing in his hamstring Friday night at Auburn. Husker coach Will Bolt said he was going to pinch hit if needed the last inning against South Dakota State, but didn’t want him playing the field yet with the cold weather. Jesske has 3 home runs on the year, but with the amount of hits on the barrel he has had at some giant ballparks, he could be close to the Big Ten lead if he played all his games at a place like Haymarket Park.

The Spartans had the biggest upset of the first week of the season, taking the series from then #8 Louisville by winning the first 2 games 4-3 and 13-4. They have struggled mightily since, going 1-8 against a pretty rough schedule. They went from Louisville to #3 Texas and were swept by a combined score of 15-2 in 3 games.

They have a yearly “residency” as they call it, in Greenville, South Carolina early every year, thanks to a big alumni base in the area. They struggled to put up runs in those 2 weeks, never putting up more than 4. Their lone win was a 4-1 victory over Albany, and they ended the residency on a sour note, with a 7 inning run rule loss to #10 Clemson, 12-1. Husker pitchers will need to limit walks and hit batters, and should be able to manage the lineup if they can.

Pitching Probables

Game 1: RHP Ty Horn (0-0, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Aidan Donovan (0-1, 3.95 ERA)

Game 2: RHP Carson Jasa (1-1, 7.71 ERA) vs. RHP Carter Monke (1-1, 2.35 ERA)

Game 3: RHP Gavin Blachowicz (1-1, 2.31 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Pikur (0-2, 7.30 ERA)

It was a rough weekend for Husker starting pitching. In fact, in 2026 no weekend starter has turned in a quality start. Ty Horn started strong, piling up strikeouts in the first couple innings before a couple hits and an error jump started the Tigers’ offense. Still looking for him to work on getting through the order a couple times in a more efficient fashion. It would really behoove Friday starters to go longer so the bullpen is more available the next two days. That is just as big of a deal as being dominant for 5 innings.

Really nothing went right on Saturday for Carson Jasa. Well, he could locate his fastball for strikes, but that was about it, and Auburn quickly realized it. 2 walks and a hit batter went a long way to giving up 4 earned runs in his lone inning of work, but Auburn learned to just sit and hunt his fastball, and when you connect with a 97 mph fastball, it tends to go a long way. Regaining a feel for his cutter/change and slider is really all he can do.

Even the most steady of the starters for the first 2 weeks had a rough go. Gavin Blachowicz seemed to get out of an issue with minimal damage in the 2nd inning against Auburn in which an error led to a run being scored, but a wild pitch and then giving up a no doubter 3 run home run, opened the game up. Rather than let him work out of it, Nebraska had a couple strong options in the bullpen to turn to, so they let Kevin Mannell come out and get some work in to try and regain his confidence. Blachowicz needs to work on not letting a mistake turn into a big inning, and he should regain his form.

MSU had 2 starting pitcher and kinda filled in the Sunday position last season. They lost Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Joseph Dzierwa, and their Saturday guy was moved to a long relief role. Aidan Donovan was mostly a mid-week starter last season, but has moved into the Friday role. He showed a lot of promise as a freshman in 2025, with a 2-3 record and 4.70 ERA. He pitched well against Louisville and Texas, but struggled in his last outing against Illinois. Don’t look for him to pile up strike outs or go deep into the game, his season high is 5 innings and he has 10 strikeouts in his 13.2 innings so far.

Carter Monke is a grad transfer from Illinois State. He started 14 games in his 2 years at ISU, and had a 6.16 ERA, striking out 67 in 83 innings of work. Despite those numbers, he has pitched very well to start 2026. He started 2 of their 3 wins, and in his loss only gave up 1 earned run in 6.1 innings against Texas. Logan Pikur led the team in appearances the past 2 seasons, but has really struggled moving into the starting rotation. He has a career ERA over 7.00 and career batting average against of .315. Nebraska’s offense should be ready to roll Sunday.

Scouting Report

The Spartans returned a lot of position players, but from an offense that really struggled in 2025. They have far and away the fewest hits of any Big Ten team currently, a combo of their offensive struggles and their incredible strength of schedule. They have only 62 hits on the year. The next lowest is 83, and Nebraska by contrast, has 132. They have scored only 33 runs on the season. Nebraska is below average in the B1G, but still has scored 78 runs.

Everything starts with returning 2nd Team All-Big Ten second baseman Ryan McKay. Like everyone, he’s had a rough start to the year. A .250 average and only 1 double from a guy that hit .306 with 20 home runs a season ago. He epitomizes the team’s philosophy of working deep into counts, but not striking out. He has as many walks in his career as strikeouts. He also likes to run, already with 4 stolen bases despite the limited opportunities.

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Nebraska

Carey’s Two Home Runs Help Nebraska Baseball Stomp Michigan State, Sweep Weekend Series

Published

11 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Carey’s Two Home Runs Help Nebraska Baseball Stomp Michigan State, Sweep Weekend Series

The first Big Ten Conference series of the year for NU ends in a sweep.

Nebraska baseball pounded Michigan State in Sunday’s series finale at Haymarket Park, 12-2, in seven innings. The Huskers improved to 10-5, while the Spartans fell to 3-11.

With Sunday’s victory, NU moves to 3-0 in the league.

The Game
The Stats
What’s Next
Nebraska Baseball’s 2026 Schedule

The Game

Down 2-0 in the series, Michigan State needed a spark early to try to salvage at least one win in Lincoln. In the top of the first inning, first baseman Randy Seymour took a 3-1 pitch from Gavin Blachowicz to right center and over the fence.

But, for the Spartans, that spark was quickly extinguished.

Nebraska loaded the bases with no outs on a walk, a single, and a single. Case Sanderson then doubled to score them all. He would cross home plate two batters later when Preston Freeman smacked a 1-0 pitch down the left field line for a two-run homer.

Case Sanderson gloves the ball for an out at first base. | Amarillo Mullen

Already up 5-1, Dylan Carey lifted a two-run home run in the second inning. The Huskers would tack on one run in the third, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one more in the sixth. At the end of the game, Nebraska scored in every inning in which it went to the plate.

Blachowicz sat down 11 batters from the second through fifth innings. A leadoff double in the sixth inning helped Michigan State add one more run to its tally.

In the top of the seventh inning, with a 10-run rule waiting to be enacted, the Spartans got a one-out single before being put down via a fly out and a fielder’s choice to end the game.

The Stats

Blachowicz pitched the entire 7.0 innings Sunday afternoon. He allowed two earned runs on three hits, walking one and striking out 11.

The Huskers, who rattled off 11 hits, were aided by five Spartan errors. That helped bring home extra runs, with four of the 12 runs scored being unearned.

The Nebraska baseball dugout looks on against Michigan State at Haymarket Park. | Kenny Larabee, KLIn

Carey led the way at the plate for the Big Red. The shortstop went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two home runs, and three runs scored.

Nebraska left seven runners on base, while Michigan State stranded just two.

What’s Next

Nebraska’s nine-game homestand continues with a midweek contest against North Dakota State.

The Bison are 1-14 on the year and coming off a sweep at Vanderbilt. The lone victory was 5-1 over Monmouth at the Stetson Tournament on Feb. 21.

First pitch from Haymarket Park on Wednesday is slated for 6 p.m. CDT. The game will be streamed on B1G+.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

Nebraska Baseball’s 2026 Schedule

Feb. 13 Nebraska 12, UConn 2 [7 inn.] (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 14 Nebraska 7, Northeastern 4 (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 15 Nebraska 9, Grand Canyon 1 (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 16 Stanford 11, Nebraska 6 (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 20 Louisville 4, Nebraska 2 (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series)
Feb. 21 Kansas State 3, Nebraska 3 FloCollege (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series)
Feb. 22 Nebraska 10, Florida State 1 (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series)
Feb. 27 Nebraska 9, Auburn 8 [10 inn.]
Feb. 28 Auburn 15, Nebraska 4 [7 inn.]
Mar. 1 Auburn 12, Nebraska 3
Mar. 3 Nebraska 8, Omaha 5
Mar. 4 Nebraska 5, South Dakota State 4
Mar. 6 Nebraska 5, Michigan State 4 [10 inn.]
Mar. 7 Nebraska 3, Michigan State 1
Mar. 8 Nebraska 12, Michigan State 2 [7 inn.]
Mar. 11 vs. North Dakota State 6 p.m.
Mar. 13 vs. Maine 6 p.m.
Mar. 14 vs. Maine 2 p.m.
Mar. 15 vs. Maine 12 p.m.
Mar. 17 at Wichita State 6 p.m.
Mar. 18 at Wichita State 2 p.m.
Mar. 20 at Michigan 3 p.m.
Mar. 21 at Michigan 1 p.m.
Mar. 22 at Michigan 12 p.m.
Mar. 24 at Kansas State 6 p.m.
Mar. 27 vs. Indiana 6 p.m.
Mar. 28 vs. Indiana 2 p.m.
Mar. 29 vs. Indiana 12 p.m.
Mar. 31 at Creighton 6 p.m.
Apr. 3 vs. Penn State 6 p.m.
Apr. 4 vs. Penn State 2 p.m.
Apr. 5 vs. Penn State 12 p.m.
Apr. 7 vs. Kansas 6 p.m.
Apr. 10 at Oregon 7 p.m.
Apr. 11 at Oregon 4 p.m.
Apr. 12 at Oregon 2 p.m.
Apr 14 vs. Creighton 6 p.m.
Apr. 17 vs. USC 6 p.m.
Apr. 18 vs. USC 2 p.m.
Apr. 19 vs. USC 12 p.m.
Apr. 21 at Kansas 6 p.m.
Apr. 24 at Illinois 6 p.m.
Apr. 25 at Illinois 3 p.m.
Apr. 26 at Illinois 1 p.m.
Apr. 28 vs. Kansas State 6 p.m.
May 1 at Ohio State 5 p.m.
May 2 at Ohio State 2 p.m.
May 3 at Ohio State 12 p.m.
May 8 vs. Iowa 6 p.m.
May 9 vs. Iowa 2 p.m.
May 10 vs. Iowa 1 p.m.
May 12 at Creighton 6 p.m.
May 14 at Minnesota 6 p.m.
May 15 at Minnesota 6 p.m.
May 16 at Minnesota 1 p.m.
May 19-24 Big Ten Tournament

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Secures a ‘Grand’ Sweep in Front of Sold Out Crowd

Published

23 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Secures a ‘Grand’ Sweep in Front of Sold Out Crowd

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Press release courtesy of LOVB Nebraska:

The state of Nebraska once again proved why it’s the Volleyball Capital of the U.S. as a sold-out Heartland Events Center played host to a LOVB Nebraska sweep of LOVB Salt Lake (29-27, 25-16, 25-22) on Saturday night in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Outside hitter Jordan Larson shined once again for Nebraska (5-7), recording her third-straight match with 15+ points. The Hooper, Nebraska, native tallied 14 kills on a season-high .385 hitting efficiency, tacking on 13 digs for her second double-double in three matches.

“I think I’ve always kind of played like this,” said Larson. “You never know when the last could be, and so to me it’s just like how can I continue to leave it all out there. How do I continue to show up and let my body do it? I’m really trying to enjoy this as much as I can.”

The other half of Nebraska’s dominant outside hitting tandem, Anne Buijs, was close behind Larson, securing 13 points on 13 kills. Opposite hitter Kimberly Drewniok rounded out a trio of Nebraska athletes in the double figures for points and kills, also scoring 13 points on 13 kills.

The true highlight of the match were the fans that filled the Heartland Events Center. Central Nebraska showed up and made it known, creating a tough environment for Salt Lake while continuously energizing the home bench.

“We’re thrilled to be in Grand Island. That’s the best crowd we’ve had all season,” said Nebraska head coach Suzie Fritz.

“You could feel the energy. I think they helped us with a couple points. They really do make a difference and it’s really impactful for us to hear that and be a part of it,” said Larson.

“When Jordan got announced in the starting lineup, I told her I got goosebumps because the fans were just so amazing,” said Drewniok.

Salt Lake (8-6) continues having midseason struggles, extending its losing streak to five matches and now falling one game back of first place. Outside hitter Claire Hoffman led all athletes on the floor tonight with a match-high 16 points and 15 kills.

“Unfortunately, really frustrated after the match,” said Salt Lake head coach Tama Miyashiro. “We gotta look forward and no one’s feeling sorry for us. We’re going to try to get back to work and fix a couple things.”

LOVB Nebraska will look to continue its hot streak next Thursday, March 12, against LOVB Madison for a 7 p.m. Central first serve at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The contest will stream on ESPN+.

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