After snapping a four-game losing streak with an 11-4 victory Wednesday against the University of Cincinnati, Indiana baseball will play a three-game home series against Nebraska this weekend.
Although the Cornhuskers are the reigning Big Ten regular-season champions, they have fallen to the middle of the conference standings in 2022 and are tied for fifth place with a 4-5 conference record.
Nebraska appeared just outside the preseason top-25 hybrid ranking in total points accumulated from seven different preseason polls, according to College Baseball Hub. However, the Cornhuskers are absent from D1Baseball’s and Baseball America's latest top-25 rankings with a 14-21 losing record.
In conference play this season, Nebraska lost a series against Michigan, swept Ohio State and, similarly to Indiana, suffered a sweep at the hands of Rutgers.
Indiana is tied for eighth place in the conference standings and is two games back from Nebraska with a 2-7 record. Overall, the two teams are separated by one game, with the Hoosiers having a 14-22 overall record in 2022.
Indiana's recent win Wednesday concluded a 10-game road trip, where the Hoosiers recorded a 3-7 losing record, dropping the team’s road record to 5-14.
Nebraska identically went 3-7 over its last 10 games and snapped a three-game losing streak with a narrow 4-3 victory against North Dakota State on Wednesday.
Cornhusker utility player Cam Chick has a .260 batting average overall this season but has been on fire in Big Ten play. The senior has a near .380 batting average through nine conference games with two doubles, one triple and one home run.
Nebraska's pitching staff is ranked fourth in the conference with a 4.84 earned run average. On the other hand, Indiana is ranked last with a combined 7.13 ERA through 36 games.
Right-handed upperclassmen starters Jack Perkins and Bradley Brehmer will take the mound for the Hoosiers on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Indiana hasn’t announced which pitcher will start on Sunday.
Still looking for its first conference series win this season, Indiana has an opportunity to overtake Nebraska in the standings with a sweep. Friday will mark the first time the Hoosiers have played an opponent on their home turf at Bart Kaufman Field since April 3.
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
Saturday's game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network+, while Sunday's series finale will be televised on Big Ten Network.
