(Lincoln, NE) – For the first time in Nebraska baseball history, they were able to capture their first Big Ten Conference title and fifth overall team championship with a 2-1 win over Penn State on Sunday in Omaha.
The Huskers relied on Jackson Brockett who threw in eight innings for the Huskers while allowing four hits and one earned run. He also struck out five batters and walked just one. Former Harlan Cyclone Brett Sears came in to close things out in the ninth inning to secure the first save of his collegiate career. This came after he threw 99 pitches on Wednesday and came in to close things out for the team.
Leading for the Huskers was Gabe Swansen who went 2-4 at the plate with an RBI double which marked his fourth multi-hit game of the tournament. Husker Josh Caron was able to launch a home run for the third consecutive game and both Joshua Overbeek and Case Sanderson earned the other two hits of the ballgame for the Big Red.
This victory marks the fifth conference championship in Huskers’ history with victories in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2005 when Nebraska was in the Big XII. Josh Caron’s six home runs marked the most home runs in the Big Ten Tournament which passed Dan Black of Purdue who had five homers.
The Huskers’ pitching staff also recorded 56 strikeouts over a total of six games setting a new tournament record. Nebraska also set another record with 17 doubles in six games which surpassed Michigan and Indiana who each had 16.
With this victory, Nebraska will be moving on to the NCAA Tournament. They’ll see who to take on this Monday, May 27th at 11:00 a.m.
(Information provided by huskers.com)
