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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports baseball

Three things to know for Nebraska

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It’s been a rough month for the IU baseball team.

The Hoosiers (31-14, 9-8) have lost eight of their last 10 games, including each of their last four contests. Now, the Hoosiers will look to bounce back this weekend against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-24, 6-10) on the road.

Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, its games with IU have been competitive. Nebraska currently leads the series 9-6-1, and the Cornhuskers have had the edge in recent years, winning five of the last seven matchups.

Here are three things to keep in mind before the two teams take the field at Haymarket Park this weekend.

Husker Power

If there’s one thing Nebraska does well, it’s hitting the long ball. The Cornhuskers currently sit fourth in the Big Ten in home runs, with 40 on the season, trailing IU’s total of 48. There are also plenty of players that could potentially go yard for the Huskers, as they’ve had nine different batters hit at least one homer this season.

Back and Better

Scott Schreiber was taken in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays last summer and decided to return for his senior season as a Cornhusker, a decision that has paid off for both Schreiber and his team. As a senior, the outfielder has been the driving force behind the Nebraska offense and one of the best hitters in the conference. He currently leads the Big Ten in hits with 73, runs with 56 and home runs with 18. He is also hitting .382 and has driven in 46 runs on the season.

A season after going 4-14 with an RBI double and a trio of strikeouts against IU in Bloomington, the outfielder could be a huge factor in this weekend’s series.

Pitching Problems

Nebraska scores its fair share of runs, but it gives up a lot of runs as well. The Cornhuskers currently lead the Big Ten in runs allowed, having given up 291 in 46 games. 248 of those were earned. This should bode well for the Hoosiers, as their offense has struggled to convert opportunities into runs recently. If anything, they should get opportunities to score runs against Nebraska this weekend.

The Hoosiers and Cornhuskers will start the series Friday at 7:35 p.m. 

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