Summary
Covers last weekend's Nebraska baseball series and puts a bow on it while also moving onto the upcoming series against South Alabama.
Thirty-three. The number of runners the huskers left on base this past weekend was 33. The game of baseball is unforgiving to teams that hand out free bases, miss opportunities and lack the luxury of having quality arms to get out of jams. The Huskers certainly put all those deficiencies and more on full display against a San Diego team that appreciated every bit of help they could get. Nebraska’s pitching staff walked or plunked 30 batters over four games.
When asked during a press conference Wednesday about his message to the pitching staff Bolt said, “I didn’t think we were very competitive.” San Diego scored 38 runs total on the weekend. Twenty-six of those runs came across against bullpen arms for the Huskers, who seemed to have lost a feel for where the strike zone was.
Bolt continued to say, “I know what’s inside those guys. I know they have the ability to do it. I’ve seen it before.” The staff will have to find a solution to its pitching woes soon.
I wouldn’t hit the panic button yet on this pitching staff. Especially with Rob Childress, a highly respected figure throughout the college baseball world, on staff. While the early results on the mound have certainly not been great, having a guy like Childress could be exactly what the Huskers need to help these pitchers figure it out sooner rather than later. College baseball is a gauntlet at the best of times and can be downright cruel to teams at their worst. Like last season, the team cannot afford to scuffle out of the gates.
Nebraska’s next set of games takes them to Mobile, Alabama, where they will face off against the South Alabama Jaguars. Which might have seemed like a favorable matchup for the Cornhuskers a week ago is now seen as an early season test to see what this team is made of.
While many do not count the teams they have faced so far amongst the sport’s powerhouses, South Alabama’s start this season is impressive nonetheless.
The Jaguars are 4-1 on the young season. Including an impressive 26-6 win against Eastern Kentucky. Over the first five games, South Alabama has posted 61 strikeouts as a staff. The number one team in the country, LSU, has only posted 46 through four games. It will be interesting to see how the Husker bats fare against this intriguing group of arms they will face this weekend.
Freshman Dylan Carey was a bright spot in the lineup and at third base. It did not take him long to settle into the new scenery. “I grounded out to the second baseman. It was kind of a longer at-bat, and after that I was like, ‘Alright. I’m good. I’m good now.'” Carey said.
The Huskers certainly hope he can continue to hit this weekend in a similar fashion to last. Carey hammered his first two career home runs, and slashed .471 at the dish. He leads the team in both categories. Max Anderson and Garrett Anglim also got off to good starts at the plate. The team will need all three at their best this weekend in Mobile.
