Around the Horn: Nebraska baseball hosts Northwestern
After picking up a rivalry win over Creighton on Tuesday, Nebraska baseball (17-20, 5-10) welcomes Northwestern (16-18, 7-8) to Haymarket Park this weekend.
The Huskers continue to climb in the RPI, reaching No. 68 despite a contested series loss to Iowa. At No. 130, the Wildcats are among the lowest-ranked Big Ten teams. Northwestern lost its last two conference series and fell in embarrassing fashion to Northern Illinois on Tuesday, 27-11.
Nebraska has an excellent opportunity to pick up its first weekend series sweep against the Wildcats. Including Northwestern, four of the Huskers’ five remaining Big Ten opponents are in the bottom half of the conference standings.
Here’s more on the weekend including an opponent preview, pitching matchups, the biggest storylines and broadcast information:
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Projecting Nebraska’s pitching matchups
Friday at 6 p.m: LHP Will Walsh (4-5, 3.93 ERA, 50.1 IP, 43 K) vs. RHP Sam Hliboki (2-2, 4.08 ERA, 53.0 IP, 43 K)
Saturday at 2 p.m: RHP Ty Horn (0-4, 7.36 ERA, 40.1 IP, 40 K) vs. RHP Matthew Kouser (3-3, 5.72 ERA, 45.2 IP, 21 K)
Sunday at 12 p.m: LHP Jackson Brockett (0-3, 4.68 ERA, 32.2 IP, 21 K) vs. LHP Christian Forniss (1-1, 12.15, 13.1 IP, 8 K)
Weekend storylines to watch
Timmerman gives boost to bullpen
Tucker Timmerman returned to the mound on Sunday after missing nearly two months with a facial injury. The right-hander tossed 2.2 scoreless frames in relief, giving up just one hit and helping Nebraska knock off the Hawkeyes in the series finale.
“His presence and what he did on Sunday at Iowa is something to feed off of and it’s contagious,” head coach Will Bolt said of Timmerman on Thursday.
For a talented but inexperienced Husker bullpen that has collapsed on multiple occasions, Timmerman’s absence stung. He missed Tuesday’s game but will be ready to go against Northwestern.
“The attitude that he brings to the park every day is infectious,” Bolt said. “In the dugout and then just when he takes the mound. He’s a bulldog.”
Bolt said Nebraska lost over 125 innings this year from injuries to Timmerman and Mason McConnaughey. The starting rotation responded well after losing its ace, but Timmerman’s return should be the boost Nebraska’s bullpen desperately needs.
Walsh setting Huskers up for success
Will Walsh has been stellar over the last month, slotting into the Friday starter role with minimal hiccups. He’s lasted at least six frames in six of his last seven starts and is one of 14 Big Ten pitchers with an ERA under 4.00.
Despite throwing seven innings of one-run ball last weekend, Walsh picked up a loss as Nebraska’s bats posted a horrendous outing. He’s primed for another strong performance on Friday. Northwestern’s offense ranks dead last in the Big Ten for total runs and hits.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate to have amazing Friday starters here,” Bolt said. “If [Walsh] can go six or seven, then that sets up the rest of the pen and, if we can score, maybe we don’t have to use our higher leverage guys right away.”
The one-two punch of Walsh and Drew Christo is paying dividends. The two veterans have combined to pitch 33.2 innings over Nebraska’s last four Friday outings. Throw Timmerman into the mix, and Nebraska should be well-equipped to pick up multiple series wins down the stretch.
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“It’s been a great opportunity just to take the ball and really just set the tone for the pitching staff each weekend,” Walsh said on Thursday. “This team has had a lot of adversity throughout the year so it’s just been fun going out there and competing each and every weekend.”
Know the Foe
***Player to watch: Infielder Trent Liolios
Liolios has one of the most powerful bats in the Big Ten. He’s racked up 15 home runs on the year, good for second-most in the conference, and has hit multiple bombs in three different games this season. The junior is one home run shy of breaking the Wildcats’ single-season program record. When he homers, the team is 8-3 on the year.
Liolios leads all Northwestern batters in RBIs (34) and slugging percentage (.761). He is one of just two Wildcats hitting over .300 this season.
***Infielder Owen McElfatrick tallied a multi-home run game of his own on Tuesday. In a crushing loss to Northern Illinois, the junior hit two solo blasts. McElfatrick and Liolios are two of five Wildcats who have hit multiple home runs in a game this season, the most in the Big Ten. McElfatrick leads Northwestern with a .315 batting average.
***Friday starter Sam Hliboki began the year as a reliever before quickly slotting into the starting rotation. He’s been used liberally in mid-week outings as well, racking up the third-most innings pitched in the Big Ten.
Hliboki is Northwestern’s most consistent starter by a significant margin. He has lasted at least five frames in his last six starts, including a strong 6.1-inning performance against Michigan State last Friday and five innings of one-run ball against Iowa two weeks ago.
***Saturday starter Matthew Kouser also threw five frames against Iowa, allowing one run, but has been up and down this season. He gave up seven runs and 10 hits to Maryland following a three-game losing streak in which he allowed 15 runs and 21 hits.
***Outfielder Jack Lausch was Northwestern football’s starting quarterback for 10 games in 2024, throwing for 1,714 yards and seven touchdowns. As a former Top 250 MLB Draft Prospect, the junior made his collegiate baseball debut this season. He’s hitting .229 on the year with 12 RBIs and two home runs.
***The Wildcat offense has struggled this year, even against some of the Big Ten’s worst pitching staffs. Northwestern ranks dead last in the conference for runs, hits, stolen bases and on-base percentage. Nebraska has an opportunity to post a dominant weekend on the mound.
Around the Big Ten
Here are a few Big Ten series to keep tabs on this weekend as well as the conference standings. Records are as of Thursday evening:
Series:
UCLA (28-8, 12-3) @ Oregon (25-10, 12-6)
Iowa (23-11, 14-4) @ Michigan (23-14, 8-7)
Illinois (21-13, 9-6) @ Washington (19-19, 9-6)
Standings:
| Team | Conference Record | PCT | Overall Record | PCT | Home | Away | Neutral | L10 | Streak |
| UCLA | 12-3 | .800 | 28-8 | .778 | 21-6 | 5-2 | 2-0 | 7-3 | L1 |
| Iowa | 14-4 | .778 | 23-11 | .676 | 11-2 | 10-5 | 2-4 | 8-2 | L1 |
| Oregon | 12-6 | .667 | 25-10 | .714 | 18-6 | 7-3 | 0-0 | 5-5 | W1 |
| USC | 11-7 | .661 | 23-14 | .639 | 12-7 | 11-6 | 0-0 | 8-2 | L1 |
| Illinois | 9-6 | .600 | 21-13 | .618 | 12-2 | 5-5 | 4-6 | 7-3 | W2 |
| Washington | 9-6 | .600 | 19-19 | .500 | 9-5 | 7-10 | 3-4 | 7-3 | W1 |
| Indiana | 10-8 | .556 | 20-17 | .541 | 10-6 | 5-7 | 5-4 | 5-5 | L2 |
| Penn State | 10-8 | .556 | 22-13 | .629 | 7-8 | 13-4 | 2-1 | 5-5 | L3 |
| Michigan | 8-7 | .533 | 23-14 | .622 | 9-5 | 8-5 | 6-4 | 8-2 | W7 |
| Northwestern | 7-8 | .467 | 16-18 | .471 | 4-7 | 9-10 | 3-1 | 4-6 | L3 |
| Michigan State | 6-9 | .400 | 20-15 | .571 | 5-5 | 4-7 | 11-3 | 4-6 | W3 |
| Rutgers | 6-9 | .400 | 17-20 | .459 | 10-5 | 7-15 | 0-0 | 5-5 | L1 |
| Minnesota | 5-10 | .333 | 18-17 | .514 | 10-10 | 7-5 | 1-2 | 7-3 | W7 |
| Nebraska | 5-10 | .333 | 17-20 | .459 | 7-5 | 7-12 | 3-3 | 5-5 | W2 |
| Purdue | 5-10 | .333 | 23-13 | .639 | 9-8 | 3-4 | 11-1 | 3-7 | W1 |
| Maryland | 4-11 | .267 | 17-21 | .447 | 7-9 | 6-10 | 4-2 | 3-7 | W2 |
| Ohio State | 2-13 | .133 | 9-24 | .273 | 8-7 | 0-12 | 1-5 | 2-8 | W1 |
Broadcast Information
TV: Big Ten Plus: HERE
Radio: Huskers Radio Network (Radio simulcast found HERE)
