'Not a fluke:' Nebraska baseball stays alive in Big Ten tournament (2024)

Evan BlandWorld-Herald Staff Writer

OMAHA — Mason McConnaughey exchanged high-fives and handshakes with everyone in the dugout. Then he jogged out to the bullpen for more of the same.

The smiles said it all: In a game Nebraska had to have, one of its best starting pitchers delivered.

McConnaughey racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts and the Huskers rode the red-hot bat of Gabe Swansen yet again in a 12-5 win over Ohio State on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten baseball tournament at Schwab Field. Second-seeded NU survived a second straight elimination contest and will meet third-seeded Indiana at 9 a.m. Saturday.

“It’s just what we do,” Nebraska coach Will Bolt said. “We’ve done it all year and it’s not a fluke at this point. Baseball’s a tough game and it’s built for tough people. This group of guys, they want it. It doesn’t always go their way but they’re very, very resilient.”

Nebraska (36-20) must beat the Hoosiers (32-22-1) twice Saturday to advance to the Sunday championship game. A potential second matchup would be at 5 p.m. Everyone except co-aces Brett Sears and McConnaughey and reliever Jalen Worthley – who threw 45 pitches Friday – will be available.

Early offense and one of McConnaughey’s best outings this season gave the Huskers a chance.

McConnaughey – the Huskers’ No. 2 starter most of the spring – had his put-away curveball working throughout against a lineup stacked with seven left-handed hitters. The sophom*ore wasn’t perfect – OSU tagged him for lone runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to sneak within 6-3 – but limited the damage each time.

“Coach (Rob) Childress, he’s a master when it comes to calling pitches,” McConnaughey said of the NU assistant coach. “We did throw a lot of breaking balls today just trying to get them on their heels.”

McConnaughey punched the air with his right fist after his 101st pitch, a high fastball chased out of the strike zone to end the sixth inning. Worthley handled the next 2 1/3 frames and Rans Sanders finished the ninth to officially end the season for Ohio State (29-26), which began the day with an RPI well beyond at-large range at 65.

Swansen continued his stirring weeklong personal resurgence with a 4-for-5, six-RBI outburst that began in the first inning when he pushed a belt-high fastball into the right-field stands. The junior outfielder added an RBI double to right-center in the third that knocked OSU righty starter Colin Purcell from the game. Ohio State intentionally walked Ben Columbus to load the bases in the seventh for Swansen, who struck a sinker through the left side for two runs and a 9-3 lead.

Swansen is 7 for 12 (.583) in three Big Ten tourney games with three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs. This after the 2023 All-Big Ten selection struggled mightily in the regular season going 13 for 60 (.217) with two doubles, one homer and six runs driven in.

He fell a triple shy of the cycle Friday.

Bolt said he saw signs of life a few weeks ago when Swansen homered at Haymarket Park in an intrasquad game. Swansen said he felt it early last week at Michigan State when he hammered a ball deep to right that went for an out.

“Ever since then I’ve just been seeing it pretty good,” Swansen said. “Keeping it going, hopefully, for a very long time.”

Said Bolt: “He’s a run producer and that’s what this lineup needs is guys who can produce runs.”

The slugger wasn’t alone as the Huskers peppered a gassed OSU staff that threw 193 pitches in Thursday’s loss to Indiana. Rhett Stokes smoked a run-scoring single past the mound measured at 108 mph off the bat in the second inning for a 4-0 lead. Columbus struck a hanging curveball 399 feet out to right to extend the edge to 6-3.

Nebraska – beaten down by OSU 15-2 on Tuesday – nearly returned the run-rule favor in the late innings. A three-run seventh removed all drama highlighted by a Josh Caron RBI double to wall in left-center before Swansen’s two-run knock. Scoring hits by Garrett Anglim and Caron in the eighth pushed the lead to 12-3.

Ohio State coach Bill Mosiello was effusive in his praise for Nebraska afterward. The longtime TCU assistant who was part of four College World Series clubs and three other NCAA tournament teams said the crowd of quality arms is why the Huskers can still rally this week and win games in June.

“Their pitching depth is like way better than everybody’s (in the Big Ten) – it’s not even close,” Mosiello said. “…I actually think Nebraska is built to play long in a regional.”

No one wearing Husker red disagreed Friday. Bolt said NU is “locked and loaded” with a mostly-rested bullpen ready to go. The coach wasn’t ready to name a Saturday morning pitcher, though an obvious candidate is left-hander Will Walsh as a nine-game starter who hasn’t thrown this week.

The bats are heating up with the temperatures too. Just in time for a potentially long Saturday of baseball.

“We’re built to win,” Bolt said. “We’ve just got to keep it going.”