Yardbarker
x

In one of the biggest weekends at Haymarket Park in recent memory, the No. 20 Nebraska baseball team delivered on the big stage, setting up a path that could see it host an NCAA Regional back on Hawks Field by season's end.

Taking on No. 12 USC and its superb pitching, the Huskers opened the season-defining, three-game slate by falling behind 5-0 after just three innings. Newly inserted Friday starter Cooper Katskee was chased out by the Trojans after those five runs and 73 pitches. Reliever Jalen Worthly came in to right the ship, posting three scoreless innings as the Huskers' comeback began.

Jett Buck hammered an RBI double for NU's first run in the sixth inning and was immediately followed by Drew Grego's own RBI double to make it 5-2. USC came back with two more runs of their own off Nebraska lefty Grant Cleavinger to push the advantage back to five. Later in the eighth inning with two runners on, Joshua Overbeek sent a 1-0 offering to right center for a game-changing three-run homer.

Trailing 7-5 going to the bottom of the ninth, Buck drove in a run on a sacrifice fly before a wild pitch scored Dylan Carey, sending the series opener to extras. After J'Shawn Unger struck out the side, a Mac Moyer bunt single resulted in another throwing error from the Trojans, scoring Rhett Stokes to send Haymarket Park into pandemonium with an 8-7 victory.

Less drama followed Nebraska into Saturday as the Huskers rode the complete game from starter Carson Jasa — who struck out seven Trojans — and an offense that exploded for a dozen runs in a 12-2 run-rule domination of USC to lock up the series win.

Sunday was a mix of the two previous outings. The Trojans hopped on NU starter Gavin Blachowicz early with a first-inning run, but the Huskers answered by retaking the lead with RBI doubles from both Case Sanderson and Carey. USC punched back in the next inning with a three-run blast, and Augie Lopez's solo home run ended Blachowicz's day with the Trojans ahead 5-2.

Carey's stellar campaign continued with a home run in the third inning to get the Huskers back within two. Moyer followed up with his own three-run home run in the fourth inning, handing NU a 6-5 edge before true freshman Jeter Worthley stretched the lead to 7-5 by scoring off a wild pitch. Lopez sent out his second home run of the afternoon a half inning later, but that would be the last of the USC bats. Grego's sixth-inning grand slam stamped a magical weekend for Nebraska, which ended up sweeping the No. 12 Trojans with an emphatic 16-6 run-rule win after eight innings.

Riding the wave after one of its biggest series wins in the last few seasons, the Huskers will need to stay focused on taking care of business as they aim to host an NCAA Regional. That starts with a showdown against No. 16 Kansas, which represents the final difference-making challenge NU faces before the postseason begins next month.

Here's all you need to know as the Cornhuskers visit the Jayhawks for a ranked Tuesday night showdown.

How to Follow Along

  • Matchup: No. 20 Nebraska (31-9, 15-3 B1G) at No. 16 Kansas (29-11, 14-4 Big 12)
  • When: Tuesday, April 21
  • Where: Hoglund Ballpark, Lawrence, Kan.
  • Time: 6 p.m. CDT 
  • Watch: ESPN+
  • Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Probable Pitchers

Nebraska: RHP Pryce Bender, Soph. (0-0, 6.27 ERA, 18.2 IP, 12 SO, 8 BB)
Kansas: RHP Kannon Carr, Sr. (2-1, 3.48 ERA, 31.0 IP, 29 SO, 14 BB)

Series History

Nebraska leads 151-105-2

  • Kansas has taken control of the series, winning 10 of the last 15 matchups since 2009.
  • The Jayhawks walked into Lincoln and won a tightly-contested 5-3 showdown on April 7 as Nebraska head coach Will Bolt was ejected in the ninth inning after seeing his team strike out 11 times and produce only five hits.

Kansas Scout

Last Season: 43-17 (20-10 Big 12, 2nd)
Finish: 0-2 at Fayetteville Regional
Awards: Big 12 Coach of the Year
All-Big 12: 1x First Team, 3x Second Team, 1x Honorable Mention

Head Coach: Dan Fitzgerald 
Year at School: 4th
Kansas Record: 128-83 (.607)
Career Record: 377-156 (.707)
NCAA Regionals/Championships: 1x NCAA Regional, 1x NJCAA Runner Up, 4x NJCAA National World Series Apps., 5x ICCAC regular season titles, 4x ICCAC tournament
Awards: 1x Big 12 Coach OTY
Previous Head Coach Stops: Des Moines Area CC (JUCO)
Previous Assistant Stops: LSU, Dallas Baptist, Des Moines Area CC (JUCO), Flagler, North Iowa Area CC, Iowa

All-Conference Returners: INF/OF Brady Ballinger (1st), INF Dariel Osoria (2nd), 
Big 12 Preseason Poll: T-5th out of 14 
All-Big 12 Preseason Honors: INF/OF Brady Ballinger, INF Dariel Osoria, SP Dominic Voegele

Key Returners

  • Brady Ballinger | INF/OF | Jr. | After an All-American campaign that saw him hit .353 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI last year, Ballinger has struggled with a .287 average, five homers, and 32 RBIs so far this season.
  • Dariel Osoria | INF | Sr. | The second of two all-conference returners for KU, the New York City native has also struggled with a .208 average and just 25 hits in 120 at-bats. 
  • Kannon Carr | RHP | Sr. | Projected to start on Tuesday after facing Nebraska last time out, the KU returner has stepped back into a bullpen role this year after 10 starts last season; the senior has recorded a 3.48 ERA in 31 innings across 16 outings and four starts. 
  • Manning West | RHP | R-Jr. | Another returning swing starter, the former Oklahoma State transfer has made all 17 of his appearances from the bullpen, resulting in a 4.30 ERA across 23 innings.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

  • Cade Baldrige | INF/OF | Jr. | A standout at Cowley County CC for two seasons (2024-2025), the Oklahoma native is second on KU in average (.323), but leads in hits (53) while totaling six home runs and 29 RBIs in his first Division I season.
  • Jordan Bach | OF/C | Gr. | Ranks fourth on Kansas with a .315 slash line, including five home runs and a team-leading 37 walks following seasons at Southern Illinois Carbondale, Northeast Oklahoma A&M, and Saint Xavier.
  • Dylan Schlotterback | INF | Jr. | A JUCO All-American at Paris Junior College, the Texas native doesn't provide much power, but he's hitting .311 in 132 at-bats. 
  • Tyson LeBlanc | INF/OF | Jr. | A MLB prospect after transferring from LSU Eunice, the junior is fifth in the Big 12 with 15 home runs and leads the team with 44 RBIs and OPS (1.088) while hitting .321. 
  • Augusto Mungarrieta | C | Jr. | The power-hitting transfer from Northwest Florida State is the second part of KU's big duo with 11 homers, 1.047 OPS, and a team-leading .328 average. 
  • Tyson Owens | OC/C | Soph. | An all-conference performer at Cochise College in 2025, the Las Vegas native owns a .248 average with five homers in 34 games.
  • Josh Dykhoff | 1B/RHP | Sr. | After a three-year career at Minnesota Crookston, the two-way player sports a .272 average with seven home runs, but has only appeared on the mound once. 
  • Riane Ritter | RHP | Soph. | The All-Summit League Second Team pick at St. Thomas has made the most appearances of any Kansas pitcher with 24 and a 4.98 ERA in over 43 innings pitched. 
  • Toby Scheidt | RHP | Sr. | The three-year transfer from Bryant owns a 4.82 ERA in 18.2 innings and 19 appearances this season. 
  • Caleb Deer | LHP | Jr. | The lefty transfer from Kansas City CC has been rocked for a 12.10 ERA and 13 earned runs in 9.2 innings. 
  • Boede Rahe | RHP | R-Jr. | A JUCO All-America Honorable Mention last year at Kirkwood CC, Rahe has seen that translate to a solid 3.45 ERA in 15 appearances and two starts.
  • Carter Fink | RHP | Gr. | After earning All-SoCon First Team honors last year at East Tennessee State, the four-time transfer has been hit with a 7.30 ERA in 11 appearances, one start, and 12.1 innings pitched.

Outlook

Both No. 20 Nebraska and No. 16 Kansas have continued their standout seasons after the former Big 12 foes battled in one of the most tightly contested of their seasons on April 7 when KU came out with a 5-3 victory.

The Huskers ended up with a series loss to Oregon that next weekend, but bounced back with a comeback win over rival Creighton and sweeping No. 12 USC. Kansas rode that momentum to a series sweep of No. 12 UCF to mark four-straight ranked wins. After beating Wichita State in their lone midweek matchup, the Jayhawks took two of three at Oklahoma State to put them at 29-11 entering Tuesday's contest against NU.

The pitching staff for KU mostly excelled in that eight-game stretch, limiting the Knights to only seven runs in the three-game series while surrendering just two in the 5-2 victory over the Shockers. The Cowboys were able to produce some offense, highlighted by their 13-2 run-rule win in the series opener, but it was the Kansas bats who came alive in the back-to-back 13-3 and 9-6 wins to clinch the series.

Kannon Carr is projected to make his second-straight start against the Huskers and he'll want to do better this time after allowing two runs in his two innings versus NU on April 7. Nebraska will want to focus on its discipline against the Jayhawks, who struck out the Huskers 11 times, highlighted by Boede Rahe's three-inning save. Projected NU starter Pryce Bender will want a better outing on Tuesday. The 6-foot-4 sophomore was hammered for three runs in just one inning of work in his start against Creighton last week.

I think as long as Nebraska can get off to a good start from the pitching side of things, I like the Huskers to take out the Jayhawks on the road and split the season series.


This article first appeared on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.