Nebraska baseball surprises by winning Big Ten
LINCOLN, Neb. (BVM) — The 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers finished the season 31-12 and won the Big Ten, which is pretty impressive for a team picked eighth in the conference in the preseason. They weren’t supposed to be this good, largely due to their pitching being a big question mark. Their pitching and hitting was outstanding while both newcomers and veterans contributed something every game. Many players helped Nebraska have its best season in recent memory.
Omaha native and freshman infielder Max Anderson was one of the main stars for the Huskers, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Anderson was second on the team in average at .337, tied for the team league in hits, and drove in 32 runs. He also struck out only 26 times in 178 at bats, something you see in a seasoned veteran.
Anderson also joined fellow freshman outfielder/infielder Brice Matthews as members of the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Matthews hit .272 on the year, driving in 32 runs. He and Anderson were huge additions to the Huskers, adding two more great bats in an already deep lineup.
The pitching staff was the most important improvement of Nebraska’s season, complementing an offense that hit .281 in the 15 games during the shortened 2020 season. Nebraska’s team ERA was 3.77, second only to Indiana in the Big Ten. Junior Cade Povich stepped up to become the Husker’s ace with an ERA of 2.82 and WHIP of 1.12 in 73.1 innings pitched. Hitters batted .227 against Povich, with his fastball and curveball a deadly combination. He struck out 79 batters and kept the walks at a minimum, only giving the free base to 19 batters. The only pitcher with a lower ERA was Spencer Schwellenbach, the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Schwellenbach was Nebraska’s Shohei Ohtani, crushing home runs and striking out batters with 99 mph fastballs from the pen. In 25.1 innings pitched, he struck out 29 batters, compiled an ERA of 0.75 with his WHIP was barely above 1, and saved 9 games for the Huskers. The lead was safe whenever Schwellenbach was out there. Schwellenbach also hit .289, drove in 35 runs, scored 41 runs, and hit six home runs. He’s a legit two-way prospect and was invaluable to the Huskers in his most likely last season as a Husker.
Another lockdown arm from the Huskers’ bullpen was Jake Bunz. Bunz finished the regular season with an ERA under 2.00 and opponents managed to hit .156 against him. The Nebraska native also struck out 41 batters in only 32 innings pitched, hitters managing 17 hits against him. Bunz and Schwellenbach solidified Nebraska’s bullpen, answering the big question mark coming into the season.
Seasoned veterans like outfielder Jaxon Hallmark and catcher/infielder Luke Roskam were two of the main contributors to the potent Huskers offense, earning All-Big Ten First Team honors. Hallmark led the team in average with a .343 clip, tied with Anderson at 60 for the team lead in hits, and was second on the team in slugging percentage with .523 clip. Hallmark also provided great defense, not committing an error in 106 chances. Roskam was the power bat in Nebraska’s lineup, tied for the team lead in home runs with 8 and led the team in OPS with a .979 clip. Roskam also hit over 300 and drove in 34 runs, one behind Schwellenbach for the team lead in RBIs.
An underrated part of Nebraska’s success was its defense. The Huskers’ .982 fielding percentage was the best in the Big Ten. Nebraska’s catcher, Griffin Everitt, was arguably its best defender. Everitt’s fielding percentage was .997, committing one error in 314 chances. Everitt also kept baserunners from getting an extra 90 feet, allowing only six passed balls during the season.
Nebraska got a tough draw from the NCAA, forced to play the No.1 overall seed Arkansas in regionals. If the Huskers can pull off the upset, a trip to the CWS doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
