The top six teams in the Big Ten face each other in the penultimate weekend of conference play. This weekend’s slate pits Iowa (13-8) against Illinois (13-5), Purdue (12-6) against Michigan (11-7) and Indiana (12-6) against Nebraska (12-6) at Haymarket Park in Lincoln. With six teams within 1.5 games of first place, the conference title race is still wide open.
After languishing at Purdue in the series opener May 3, Indiana rallied to take the rivalry series in dramatic fashion over the Boilermakers. The Hoosiers, with five days’ rest after a rainout Tuesday, will be tested by the Big Ten’s best pitching staff as they look for their sixth-consecutive conference series win. Nebraska’s 4.51 team ERA is top in the conference, as is its 1.27 WHIP and 2.9 walks per nine innings. In its series win over Purdue, Indiana benefited heavily from walks and other pitching miscues.
Facing Indiana southpaw Ty Bothwell (6-2, 5.46 ERA) in his first Friday start since April 12, Nebraska righty Brett Sears (7-0, 2.18 ERA) will start for the Huskers in the series opener at 7:05 p.m. Friday on Big Ten Plus. Widely regarded as the best pitcher in the Big Ten, Sears leads the conference in ERA and WHIP (0.84) and is second only to teammate Will Walsh in walks per nine innings (1.7). Bothwell is coming off a five-inning relief outing May 4 in which he allowed one unearned run in five innings, setting the table for an emphatic comeback win.
Sears was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Pitcher of the Week on April 9, following a two-hit shutout versus Ohio State. Since that dominant performance, he has shown signs of regression, with teams scoring more runs against him in each successive outing. He allowed five runs —four earned —on six hits across five innings at Minnesota on May 3, including a pair of homers.
Indiana is tied for third in the Big Ten with 64 home runs and sits alone in third with a .895 team OPS — its offense is more than capable of producing. The Hoosiers’ offensive attack is spearheaded by outfielder Devin Taylor. Since moving to the leadoff spot April 26 versus Rutgers, Taylor is 12-for-26 (.462 AVG) with four home runs, seven RBIs and nine runs scored. Most of his outs have been hit right at opposing fielders.
Fellow outfielder Nick Mitchell has been as consistent as they come, posting a 1.031 OPS and filling the cleanup role well in the absence of infielder Brock Tibbitts, who hit safely in all three games at Purdue after missing a month due to a lower-body injury. Shortstop Tyler Cerny leads Indiana with 52 RBIs and outfielder Carter Mathison and Taylor are tied for the team lead with 12 home runs. While Indiana’s offense occasionally runs into a buzzsaw, it has proven difficult to shut down for an entire weekend.
Indiana ace Connor Foley (4-1, 4.53 ERA) will face Nebraska righty Mason McConnaughey (6-3, 3.19 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network. After missing two weeks with back tightness, Foley turned in four innings of one-run ball at Purdue on May 4 while on a pitch limit. He threw just 58 pitches, well below his season average of 91.
If Foley is still limited, Indiana has plenty of bullpen options to use against one of the deepest lineups in the Big Ten. Nebraska has used 19 different players in its lineup this season, led by infielder Case Sanderson (.362 AVG) and catcher Josh Caron (8 HR, 48 RBI). Compared to other teams in the Big Ten, the Huskers are average offensively. They rank seventh in batting average (.294) and eighth in OPS (.850).
Indiana’s bullpen threw 20 1/3 of the team’s 26 innings at Purdue from May 3-5, allowing just five earned runs. Righties Drew Buhr (1-1, 3.13 ERA) and Jacob Vogel (1-0, 0.51 ERA) combined with Bothwell for 13 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. Right-handers like Aydan Decker-Petty (1-1, 5.88 ERA) and Brayden Risedorph (2-6, 7.96 ERA) will also be called upon once again this weekend.
The series finale, set for 1 p.m. Sunday on Big Ten Network, will likely be a bullpen day for both teams — starters are to be determined. Indiana has never visited Nebraska under head coach Jeff Mercer, last playing at Haymarket Park in 2018 where the Hoosiers won the Saturday and Sunday games to clinch a series where all three games were decided by three-or-fewer runs.
Indiana won two out of three when the teams squared off in Bloomington in 2022, while Nebraska won three out of four games and clinched the 2021 Big Ten title against Indiana in Bloomington.
Sitting at 60th in the RPI as of May 9, Indiana can heavily improve its chances of receiving an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament with a series win at Nebraska, which had its RPI drop nine spots after a 10-6 upset loss versus 232nd-ranked South Dakota State University on May 8. The Huskers allowed three runs in the eighth inning and five runs in the ninth to lose. Despite this gaffe, Nebraska is likely to receive an at-large bid.
Friday and Saturday’s games are slated for 7:05 p.m. and Sunday’s series finale begins at 1:05 p.m. The series opener will be streamed on Big Ten Plus and the final two games of the series will be featured on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Nick Rodecap (@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
