Preview: No. 24 Nebraska Baseball at Minnesota

Probable Pitchers

Thursday

Nebraska: RHP Carson Jasa, R-Soph. (9-2, 3.31 ERA, 70.2 IP, 94 SO, 41 BB)
Minnesota: RHP Isaac Morton, Jr. (4-2, 3.43 ERA, 57.2 IP, 56 SO, 24 BB)

Friday

Nebraska: RHP Ty Horn, Jr. (2-2, 3.97 ERA, 68.0 IP, 67 SO, 23 BB)
Minnesota: RHP Marcus Kruzan (4-3, 3.24 ERA, 50.0 IP, 49 SO, 15 BB)

Saturday

Nebraska: RHP Gavin Blachowicz, Soph. (4-2, 3.18 ERA, 56.2 IP, 64 SO, 25 BB)
Minnesota: RHP Cole Selvig, Jr. (5-4, 5.40 ERA, 63.1 IP, 56 SO, 23 BB)

Series History

Nebraska leads 41-34-1

• The Huskers took two of the three games in last season's series in Lincoln.

Minnesota Scout

Last Season: 24-28 (10-20 B1G, 16th)
Finish: Did not qualify for the postseason
All-Conference: 1x Second Team,

Head Coach: Ty McDevitt
Year at School: 2nd
Minnesota & Career Record Record: 54-48 (.529)

B1G All-Conference Returners: C/INF Weber Neels (2nd)
Big Ten Preseason Poll: Not listed of top six released
B1G Preseason Players to Watch: C/INF Weber Neels, RHP Cole Selvig, UTL Charlie Sutherland

Key Returners

• Weber Neels | C | Sr. | An All-Big Ten Second Team selection last season, the returning catcher leads Minnesota with a .337 average while wacking 13 homers and 53 RBIs in another standout season.
• Charlie Sutherland | INF/OF | Jr. | A returning starter that hit .290 last season, the Minnesota native has improved his average to .322 with 11 home runs, a team-leading 54 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases.
• Jack Spanier | INF | Jr. | The Minnesota returning starter has boosted his average to .292 with 14 doubles and four triples while being one of four players on the Gophers with double-digit stolen bases (13).
• Easton Richter | OF/RHP | Sr. | A returning two-way player for the Gophers leads the team this season with 14 homers and 18 stolen bases while driving in 44 runs and hitting .261.
• Joe Sperry | RHP/DH | Sr. | A middle relief pitcher that will also hit, Sperry has cut his ERA nearly in half from last season with a 2.81 mark in a team-high 22 outings and 41.2 innings.
• Cole Selvig | RHP | Jr. | Returning starter to the rotation and has produced very similar numbers, including a 5.40 ERA in 13 starts.
• Jack Mosh | INF | Sr. | Limited in his playing time as a junior, Mosh has recorded a .293 average across 37 games and 99 at-bats this season.
• Adam Urban | RHP | Soph. | After a freshman campaign that saw him struggle with a 9.82 ERA, Urban has taken a step forward with a 3.77 ERA across 19 appearances and over 28 innings.
• Luke Ryerse | RHP | Soph | Another returner that took a step after a tough first season, Ryerse has filled the role of swing man with a 3.70 ERA in 14 appearances and four starts.
• Tyler Hemmesch | RHP | Jr. | After a good sophomore season (3.86 ERA), the returning junior has been hit hard for a 7.11 ERA in 19 innings this season.
• Caden Capomaccio | RHP | Sr. | Plagued by injuries during his junior season that saw him pitch in only seven innings, the Green Bay native has made 12 appearances as a senior with a 3.86 ERA across 18 innings.

Impact Newcomers/Transfers

• Isaac Morton | RHP | Jr. | Initially drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 19th round out of high school, Morton decided to attend Texas A&M, where he was effective in short spurts across two seasons; transferred to Minnesota, where he leads the weekend rotation with a 3.43 ERA in 12 starts and over 57 innings.
• Marcus Kruzan | RHP | Jr. | A First Team All-Summit pick from St. Thomas last season, the Wisconsin native has thrived in the move up to the Big Ten as he owns a 3.24 ERA in 50 innings as the Gophers' Saturday starter.
• Davis Hamilton | INF | Sr. | After ranking second in every offensive category for North Dakota State last year, Hamilton transferred to Minnesota, where he's third on the Gophers with a .304 clip and 15 swiped bags, which is second on the team.
• Brandon Jaenke | RHP | Sr. | A school record holder for Viterbo, Jaenke has enjoyed a stellar senior season at Minnesota with a 3.08 ERA in over 26 innings with a team-high four saves.
• Ty Allen | OF | Jr. | Tallied 48 RBIs and a .323 average last season at Belmont and has added eight home runs and a .260 average across 169 at-bats.
• Jack Bello | INF | Sr. | Posted a .361 average last year at Butler before making his way to Minneapolis, where he's hitting .252 in 43 games, including eight homers.
• Ben Gregory | RHP | Sr. | A First Team All-GLVC performer at Maryville, the Indiana native transferred to Minnesota, where he's eaten up 36 innings in 14 appearances (four starts) for a 4.50 ERA.
• Josh Kirchhoff | RHP | Sr. | A three-time transfer that has spent time at Mizzou and Iowa Central CC, the senior has logged a team-low 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings.

Outlook

Despite what will be a similar conference record in his second season leading the program, Minnesota head baseball coach Ty McDevitt has already secured the team's first winning season since 2019 with a 30-20 mark entering the weekend.

Don't let the 11-16 Big Ten mark fool you about the Gophers — they're dangerous all across the board. The offense possesses a power-speed combo that can swing a game in an instant. Returning All-Big Ten catcher Weber Neels continues to lead the way with a .337 average, 13 home runs, and 53 RBIs in what will be another all-conference campaign. Returning starter Charlie Sutherland (.322) contributes 11 homers and a team-high 54 RBIs, while Eastern Ritchter has cranked a team-leading 14 homers and 16 doubles while adding a team-high 18 stolen bases.

With Belmont transfer Ty Allen (8 HRs) and former Butler slugger Jack Bello (8 HRs) in the group, Minnesota has power all throughout its lineup. The hitters are disciplined with the third-fewest strikeouts in the Big Ten and earn the second-most walks. Plus, they lead the league in stolen bases, fifth in home runs (72), sixth in doubles (103), and sixth in runs scored.

The Minnesota pitching staff is also strong, and now ranks third in the conference with a 4.11 team ERA, which is higher than Nebraska's 4.76 (5th in B1G). The weekend rotation is spearheaded by the duo of Isaac Morton and Marcus Kruzan. Despite being drafted out of high school, Morton flashed at Texas A&M for two seasons before transferring to Minnesota, where he's posted a 3.43 ERA in over 57 innings. Kruzan was a First Team All-Summit League performer at St. Thomas and now owns a 3.24 ERA as the Saturday starter.

Senior Cole Selvig (5.40) rounds out a solid trio, but the Gophers have plenty of reinforcements behind the three. Middle reliever and two-way player Joe Sperry leads the bullpen with a 2.81 ERA across a team-high 22 appearances and 41.2 innings, which is the most of any Minnesota reliever. Closer Brandon Jaenke has found success after stepping up from the NAIA and Viterbo by recording four saves and a 3.08 ERA in 26.1 innings. The bullpen has depth with Josh Kirchhoff (1.88 ERA), Luke Ryerse (3.70), Adam Urban (3.77), Cade Capomaccio (3.86), and Ben Gregory (4.50), each being solid options to make it a seven-deep group.

On paper, this Minnesota team should be a lot better than what their record indicates. The pitching staff has the third-lowest ERA in the conference, and its offense is in the top half in most categories. However, the biggest downfall has been the lack of ability by the Gophers to win close games. In contests decided by three or fewer runs, Minnesota has a 7-16 record, which includes a sweep at the hands of No. 1 UCLA in which all games were decided by three or fewer runs.

The Cornhuskers can't afford to have a sense of security going into this series because Minnesota definitely has the talent to make it a very miserable weekend. With that said, give me Nebraska to win two out of the three games to lock up a runner-up finish in the Big Ten.