Handley’s Big Red Diamond Cuts
Indiana 31-19 (15-6 Big Ten) @ Nebraska 34-18 (13-8 Big Ten)
Game 1 May 19th (Thu) 6:35pm
Game 2 May 20th (Fri) 6:35pm
Game 3 May 21st (Sat) 1:02pm
Matchups on the mound:
Game 1 NU: RHP Derek Burkamper (5-2, 3.12 ERA) vs. IU: LHP Kyle Hart (10-2, 2.99 ERA)
Game 2 NU: RHP Matt Waldron (6-2, 2.95 ERA) vs. IU: LHP Caleb Baragar (4-3, 2.38 ERA)
Game 3 NU: LHP Jake Myers (5-1, 1.63 ERA) vs. IU: RHP Evan Bell (2-3, 3.26 ERA)
Big Ten Standings Conf Pct Overal Pct Home Away Neutral Last 10
|
15-5-0 |
.750 |
33-16-0 |
.673 |
12-4-0 |
18-11-0 |
3-1-0 |
7-3-0 |
L1 |
|
|
15-6-0 |
.714 |
31-19-0 |
.620 |
19-6-0 |
10-10-0 |
2-3-0 |
7-3-0 |
L1 |
|
|
13-8-0 |
.619 |
36-16-1 |
.689 |
23-4-0 |
8-9-0 |
5-3-1 |
8-2-0 |
W6 |
|
|
13-8-0 |
.619 |
34-18-0 |
.654 |
18-6-0 |
14-11-0 |
2-1-0 |
8-2-0 |
W3 |
|
|
12-8-0 |
.600 |
34-17-0 |
.667 |
16-4-0 |
13-13-0 |
5-0-0 |
5-5-0 |
L5 |
|
|
12-9-0 |
.571 |
33-16-0 |
.673 |
11-7-0 |
8-8-0 |
14-1-0 |
5-5-0 |
L3 |
|
|
11-10-0 |
.524 |
26-24-0 |
.520 |
15-10-0 |
9-13-0 |
2-1-0 |
4-6-0 |
W1 |
|
|
11-10-0 |
.524 |
27-25-0 |
.519 |
14-9-0 |
10-13-0 |
3-3-0 |
3-7-0 |
L2 |
|
|
10-11-0 |
.476 |
26-22-0 |
.542 |
11-4-0 |
10-15-0 |
5-3-0 |
6-4-0 |
L2 |
|
|
10-11-0 |
.476 |
25-24-0 |
.510 |
16-7-0 |
5-14-0 |
4-3-0 |
6-4-0 |
W3 |
|
|
8-13-0 |
.381 |
26-26-0 |
.500 |
15-4-0 |
10-22-0 |
1-0-0 |
4-6-0 |
W1 |
|
|
5-16-0 |
.238 |
13-38-0 |
.255 |
5-14-0 |
6-18-0 |
2-6-0 |
3-7-0 |
L4 |
|
|
2-22-0 |
.083 |
7-43-0 |
.140 |
2-15-0 |
3-24-0 |
2-4-0 |
0-10-0 |
L15 |
Series Outlook:
The regular season finale series between Nebraska and Indiana could very well be one of the best that we have seen. Both teams enter Thursday having won consecutive series to lock themselves in a spot for the Big Ten tournament next week in Omaha.
The Hoosiers have rattled off wins in 7 of their last 10 games while Nebraska has been victorious in 8 of their last 10 outings. IU has been getting it done on the mound in 2016 where they rank near the top in about every category in conference play. The staff has the lowest amount of walks (119) and second fewest runs allowed (193). The Hoosiers offense is steady with a team batting average of .272 and 96 RBI.
Nebraska is swinging it well once again as the team batting average has climbed to .291. Scott Schreiber is hitting the ball with bad intentions lately, having gone deep 5 times in the last 5 games. Ben Miller is also dialed in, leading the Huskers with a .316 batting average.
Balance has returned to the lineup with production all throughout the order but the matchup this weekend will be much more difficult. NU continues to make strides on the mound as Matt Waldron was the first Husker pitcher to throw a complete game shutout since 2010 this past Saturday against Penn State.
Waldron and Jake Myers handcuffed the Nittany Lions over the weekend. The Husker bullpen has been well rested as well. NU used 3 arms out of the bullpen to throw just five and a third innings against Penn State.
Both teams are looking to solidify a high seed in Omaha next week. Indiana can still win the regular season title with a strong showing this weekend while Nebraska could climb as high as #2 in the standings. This should be a fantastic weekend series with possibly another decisive third game at Haymarket Park.
