Nebraska baseball selected as No. 2 seed in Stillwater Regional

It’s official. Nebraska baseball (39-20) is NCAA Regional bound for the first time since 2021 when the Huskers took No. 1-seeded Arkansas to the brink in Fayetteville.

The NCAA Selection committee announced Will Bolt’s Nebraska squad as the No. 2 seed in the Stillwater Regional. Big 12 Tournament Champion Oklahoma State (40-17) is the host and No. 1 seed while Florida (28-27) and Niagra (38-15) are the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds.

Sunday’s 2-1 Big Ten Tournament Title victory over Penn State secured the Huskers spot in the tournament via an acquired bid. But, Nebraska was likely already safe with over 35 wins on the year and the No. 12 nonconference strength of schedule in the country.

“There was a little bit of a build up because we were one of the later teams to be selected,” Carey said. “It was awesome. All the guys jumped up, clapped and we’re ready to go. Excited for the opportunity and (we’re) ready to get to work.”

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A date with the Gators on Friday at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) awaits.

Florida enters the tournament with a 28-27 record (13-17 in SEC play) and the No. 30 RPI in the country. Two-way star Jac Caglione (4.35 ERA/.415 batting average) headlines a Gators squad that was the No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament and fell to Vanderbilt 6-3 in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has won nine of its last 10 games including three straight to win the Big 12 Tournament. Niagara claimed the MAAC crown with a 3-0 run in its conference tournament. The Purple Eagles won 10-6 over top-seeded Fairfield and finished the year with a 38-15 record.

The stars will be out in Stillwater. Christo says the Huskers will fall back on its season-long mantra of consistency.

“We try not to look at the name brand and get too psyched out by that,” Christo said. “We have a lot of confidence in our team and our abilities. The opponent, we’ll play anybody in the country. It’s not going to change our approach. We’re going to show up and do the same thing and be the same team every day.”

Nebraska won five straight elimination games to claim the first Big Ten Tournament crown in program history. It represents Bolt’s second conference title after the Huskers topped the Big Ten standings in 2021. No team had won the Big Ten Tournament after losing its first game since Ohio State in 1995. Stellar starting pitching and a tournament record-setting six home runs from Josh Caron bolstered the run.

The team’s current winning streak is the longest since Nebraska won 10 in a row at the end of March.

“The way we won it was probably the best possible scenario for us to win because we got to stay there so long and play so many games,” Bolt said. “You learn so much about your team each time you take the field. Having to start so many different pitchers in that tournament and having them all throw so well, they’re all taking with them that confidence and that experience, that postseason feel.”

Two other Big Ten teams earned at-large berths in the Indiana Hoosiers (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Illinois Fighting Illini (Lexington, Kentucky).

BIG RED ROAD TRIP. 🤠

See y’all in Stillwater Husker Nation! pic.twitter.com/4yDumr7eLa

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 27, 2024

Nebraska began its season at the Shriners Children’s College Classic in February and went 1-2 against Baylor, Texas Tech and now-No. 8 Oklahoma. Then came weekend series wins at regional qualifier Grand Canyon and the College of Charleston. The Huskers hit several snags in midweek play, but won every Big Ten series except Rutgers to finish 16-8 in regular season conference play.

Co-aces Brett Sears (2.00 ERA) and Mason McConnaughey (3.09 ERA) were critical keys to the Huskers’ success. Nebaska’s pitching staff finished with the lowest team ERA in the Big Ten (4.40) and posted the fewest walks per nine innings (2.9).

Bolt’s squad has the most wins for a Nebraska team since the 2014 Huskers finished 41-21 and went 1-2 in the Stillwater Regional.

Nebraska owns a 29-25 record in NCAA Regionals and will make its 18th regional appearance in program history this weekend.

“Yes, Big Ten Tournament, winning that, awesome,” Carey said. “Great opportunity to do that, but we’re still playing baseball so there’s more work to be done. So we woke up this morning ready to find out who we’re playing and that team’s Florida. We’re excited to play them and take on that opportunity.”

WINNERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. pic.twitter.com/4xaykBLYS9

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 26, 2024