A had-to-have-it weekend for Nebraska baseball
Plus, softball gets its NCAA Tournament draw and volleyball is making an international addition.
Nebraska baseball got the most important weekend of its season off to a strong start Friday. Michigan had won eight straight coming in and entered the weekend 31-17 (14-10 in Big Ten play). The Huskers gave up a run in the first, scored two of their own in the second and added one in the sixth for a crucial 3-2 win at Haymarket Park.
Saturday marked another almost-immediate rally in the middle innings after Michigan scored first in the fourth. The game was tied entering the bottom of the ninth until first baseman Case Sanderson decided it wasn’t anymore, drilling a walk-off three-run homer for a 5-2 victory.
Had the Huskers won Sunday for the sweep, they could’ve climbed into a tie for seventh in the Big Ten. Michigan again lost an early, 1-0, lead, but this time the Wolverines came up bigger in the late innings, avoiding the sweep with a 3-1 win.
Still, a pretty good weekend for Nebraska when it absolutely had to have it. With the series victory, the Huskers (26-26, 13-14) were in a tie with Rutgers for ninth in the Big Ten. The top 12 teams make it to Omaha for the conference tournament. It’s going to make for a nervy week ahead in the league.
With three conference games remaining, Nebraska is within two games of the five-seed (currently a tie between Michigan and Washington), but four teams behind the Huskers in the standings—not including aforementioned Rutgers—are within two games of NU’s nine-seed.
Point is, buckle up. For a team that started the season in the top 25, this isn’t where many envisioned this Nebraska squad, but drama can be fun, too.
The Huskers close the season at Purdue with a Thursday-to-Saturday series. The Boilermakers (30-21, 10-17) currently sit 16th in the conference.
Que les Bahl moments roulent
No. 19 Nebraska softball learned its tournament destination Sunday. The Huskers, following a 1-1 stay at the Big Ten Tournament, are headed to Baton Rouge where they will face Connecticut, which earned an automatic bid by beating Creighton in the Big East championship game.
Host and 10-seed LSU will face Southeastern Louisiana on the other side of the Regional.
Should the Huskers and Tigers meet, the teams had seven common opponents this season with Nebraska going 9-3 in those games, LSU 10-0. The Tigers are 6-0 this season against the Big Ten, including a win over UCLA, the top-seeded team (9) from the conference.
But before (likely) that, UConn. The Huskers play Friday at 2 p.m. CT with the game carried on ESPN+.
Bonus, state-pride note: Omaha made the tournament after winning the Summit League. The Mavericks get to go to Norman, Oklahoma, where the Sooners earned the second overall seed. Omaha opens the Regional against California at 2:30 p.m. Friday, also on ESPN+.
Odd & Ends
One of the fastest high school kids in Florida is a Nebraska football commit, which is never a bad thing to write. CJ Bronaugh, a quarterback in the 2026 class, won the 100-meter in Florida’s largest classification (4A) with a 10.34-second time. The Huskers may have to work to hang onto the speedy defensive back. Bronaugh has official visits to Florida, Florida State and Penn State, as well as Nebraska, in the next month. One of the fastest high school kids in Florida is a Nebraska football signee is a better thing to write.
Nebraska volleyball appears set to make an intriguing addition, with multiple reports that Italian opposite hitter Virginia Adriano will join the team. The soon-to-be 21-year-old had made appearances with the Italian youth national team and played this past season in Italy’s top professional league. She would have a full four years of eligibility in Lincoln.