NEB BSB: Chapel Hill Regional Preview & Notes
NCAA CHAPEL HILL REGIONAL
May 30 – June 2, 2025
Chapel Hill, N.C. | Boshamer Stadium
Friday, May 30 – 4 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Jackson Brockett (4-3, 3.41 ERA) vs. RHP Malachi Witherspoon (3-8, 5.53 ERA)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Follow the Game
• Every game of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional can be seen on ESPN+, with Wes Durham and Danan Hughes on the call all weekend.
• Fans can also listen to Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley call the action this weekend on the Huskers Radio Network.
• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
• Through 251 all-time meetings, Oklahoma holds a 147-102-2 advantage over Nebraska in the all-time series.
• Friday's meeting is the first between the former conference foes since the two teams met at the Shriners Children's College Showdown at Globe Life Field on opening weekend in 2024.
• In their last meeting, the Sooners came away with a 7-6 victory over the Huskers with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning.
McConnaughey to Miss Remainder of 2025 Season
• Nebraska Coach Will Bolt announced the first week in March that junior right-handed pitcher Mason McConnaughey will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an arm injury against Sam Houston at the Frisco Classic.
• McConnaughey began the season as the first Husker named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List since 2016 and earned Preseason All-American recognition from D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Huskers Appear in 19th NCAA Regional
• This weekend marks the 19th NCAA Regional appearance for the Big Red in program history, including the first back-to-back appearances since the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
• Nebraska has recorded 29 wins in its first 18 NCAA Regional appearances, reaching three wins in six of the 18 appearances.
• The Big Red have advanced to the regional final six times, while advancing to the Super Regional in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
Historic Run for NU's Big Ten Tournament Title
• Nebraska went 2-0 in pool play and added two more wins in the semifinal and championship rounds to become the lowest seed to ever win the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Huskers are also the first team since Indiana in 2013-14 to repeat as tournament champions, extending their win streak in Omaha to nine games in the Big Ten Tournament over the last two years.
Broderick, Nunez Earn All-Big Ten Accolades
• Junior Luke Broderick was named All-Big Ten Second Team, while Devin Nunez was selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team last week prior to the Big Ten Tournament.
• Broderick is 4-2 on the season in 26 relief appearances and leads the Big Ten with 12 saves, which is tied for eighth nationally.
• The junior has totaled a 3.41 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 34.1 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .232 batting average.
• Nunez has appeared in 38 games, including 29 starts, and is hitting a team-best .319 at the plate for the Huskers this season.
• The freshman has tallied four doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI and scored 20 times to go with 11 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI contests in his first season with the Huskers.
Big Red vs. Ranked Foes in 2025
• Nebraska has played eight games against six different ranked opponents this season after the Huskers' wins against No. 4 Oregon and No. 13 UCLA last week at the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Big Red are 6-2 against ranked teams this year after facing No. 16 Vanderbilt, No. 2 LSU, No. 5 Oregon State (3x), No. 22 Kansas, No. 4 Oregon and No. 13 UCLA.
Four Walk-Off Wins Since April 29
• The Huskers have posted four walk-off victories in their last 15 games, dating back to a midweek matchup against Kansas State on April 29.
• Gabe Swansen delivered the walk-off three-RBI double in a midweek matchup against Kansas State on April 29, before Robby Bolin lined an RBI single through the right side in the bottom of the ninth to even the series with Minnesota in a 5-4 victory on May 3.
• Case Sanderson drilled a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the series vs. Michigan with a 5-2 win over the Wolverines on May 10.
• Bolin picked up his second walk-off hit for the Huskers this season with a walk-off single to center field in the bottom of the 10th against Michigan State on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament to give the Big Red a 5-4 win against the Spartans.
Brockett's Breakout: 1.93 ERA Over Last Six Starts
• Since dealing five shutout frames against Northwestern on April 19, senior Jackson Brockett is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his last six starts.
• Brockett's season ERA has dropped to 3.41 after sitting at 4.68 prior to his five shutout innings against the Wildcats.
• The senior fueled the Huskers to a 7-3 win over No. 4 Oregon last week with six one-run innings against the Ducks at the Big Ten Tournament.
• Brockett allowed one run across six hits and struck out four while allowing just two baserunners to reach third base.
• Brockett tossed a pair of scoreless frames in a scheduled shortened start at Purdue on May 17, surrendering two hits and striking out a pair with one walk.
• The southpaw tossed 5.1 strong innings against Michigan on May 11, limiting the Wolverines to just one run across two hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
Shutdown Relief: NU Bullpen Posts 1.88 ERA in Last 10
• The Husker bullpen has been a large contributor in Nebraska's 8-2 mark in its last 10 games, posting a combined 1.88 ERA across 43 innings of work.
• NU relievers have held opponents to a .233 batting average against and posted a 2.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last 10 games, recording 47 strikeouts to just 17 walks.
• Junior Luke Broderick is 2-0 with three saves and a 0.90 ERA in a team-high 10 innings, while Drew Christo has allowed two earned runs in 9.1 innings and holds a 2-1 record in five relief outings.
• In Nebraska's run to the Big Ten Tournament title last week, the Husker bullpen allowed just two earned runs in 17.2 innings of action.
Horn Finding Success on the Hill
• Sophomore Ty Horn played a key role in Nebraska capturing the Big Ten Tournament title and winning its last five conference series to end the regular-season slate.
• In his last seven starts, Horn is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA in 38 innings of work while limiting opposing hitters to a .229 batting average.
• The sophomore picked up his fourth quality start of the season with a career outing against No. 13 UCLA in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Horn blanked the 13th-ranked Bruins and allowed just three hits in a career-high eight innings. The right-hander struck out six and issued three walks while allowing just one baserunner to reach third base.
• Horn held a 7.36 ERA and a .301 opposing batting average prior to the last seven starts, but the sophomore has seen his season totals dip to a 5.29 ERA and .267 opposing batting average over the last six weeks.
Lockdown Luke: Broderick Among Saves Leaders
• As of May 27, junior closer Luke Broderick comes into the week tied for eighth nationally and is one of 12 closers with at least 12 saves on the season.
• Broderick holds a 4-2 record and 12 saves with a 3.41 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 34.1 innings across 26 appearances this season.
• Broderick is the 12th Husker reliever in program history to reach double-digit saves in a season and is one shy of tying Colby Gomes (2019), Jake Hohensee (2018), Chad Luensmann (2016) and Brett Jensen (2006) in third with 13.
Youth Movement on the Mound Since April
• True freshmen Blake Encarnacion, Gavin Blachowicz and Pryce Bender have put up strong numbers since the start of April for the NU bullpen.
• The trio have totaled a combined 3.24 ERA, allowing nine earned runs across 25 combined innings of work in 25 total appearances.
• Bender picked up the first two wins of his career in Nebraska's midweek matchups against No. 22 Kansas and Creighton, while Blachowicz improved to 3-0 on the season in NU's win vs. K-State on April 29.
• On the season, Blachowicz is one of 18 freshman pitchers nationally with a sub-3.10 ERA and an opponent batting average of .230 or lower, having pitched at least 20 innings this season.
NU's Situational Southpaws
• Left-handers Grant Cleavinger and Caleb Clark have been primarily used in high-leverage situations with runners on base this season.
• Since April 6, the duo has totaled 17 combined strikeouts to just four walks while not allowing an earned run on seven hits across 13 innings of work.
Six-Man Surge: Huskers Batting .300-Plus Since April 26
• Six Huskers in the everyday lineup have hit at least .300 and helped Nebraska to a 13-4 record in its last 17 games since April 26.
• Case Sanderson has led the Huskers with a .349 batting average and is second on the team with a .431 on-base percentage and 17 runs driven in.
• Cayden Brumbaugh is batting .347 with five doubles, a home run, eight RBI and team-high 15 runs scored, while Riley Silva leads the team with a .439 on-base percentage and is hitting .340 at the plate with four doubles.
• Dylan Carey is hitting .338 with a team-best eight doubles, two homers and nine RBI, and Joshua Overbeek has driven in 10 runs with four doubles, two home runs and a .302 batting average.
• Gabe Swansen is batting .300 at the plate with a team-high four home runs and 22 runs driven in NU's last 17 games since April 26.
Carey Climbing the All-Time Doubles Chart
• Dylan Carey has doubled 47 times in his three seasons as a Husker, which is tied for fifth all-time in program history.
• Carey has 20 doubles this season as a junior after recording 18 doubles last season and doubling nine times as a freshman in 2023.
• Carey is six away from tying Alex Gordon (2003-05) in fourth with 53 career doubles.
Swansen Stands out Nationally w/ 11 2B's & 7 HR's
• Senior Gabe Swansen is one of 16 players nationally with at least 11 doubles and seven homers in 150 at-bats or lower this season.
• The outfielder has totaled 11 doubles, seven home runs and a team-high 44 RBI in 49 games, including 39 starts this season.
Lucky Number Six in the Bolt Era
• Nebraska is 129-28 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.
• The Big Red have scored six-plus runs in 25 of the 32 victories this season, defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt (6-4), San Diego State (13-0), Louisiana (6-1), Washington (6-2), Wichita State (10-1), Pepperdine (9-6, 11-4). USC (6-5), Oregon State (7-3, 16-7), Rutgers (8-5, 10-5), No. 22 Kansas (7-5), Iowa (6-4), Creighton (6-3), Northwestern (14-4), Maryland (7-2, 21-5), Kansas State (7-6), Minnesota (8-3), Purdue (11-9, 14-2), Oregon (7-3) and Penn State (6-3).
• The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 34 times last season, compiling a 28-6 record.
• Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 33 contests (26-7) in 2023 after tallying at least six runs 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020.