| NORTHWESTERN Wildcats (14-29) vs. NEBRASKA Cornhuskers (31-16) |
|
| Date (Time) |
Friday, May 1 (3 p.m. CST) Saturday, May 2 (1 p.m. CST) Sunday, May 3 (1 p.m. CST) | Paul Stevens Day |
| Location | Rocky Miller Park | Evanston, Ill. |
| Media | Game 1: Watch | Listen | GameTracker Game 2: Watch | Listen | GameTracker Game 3: Watch | Listen | GameTracker |
| Social | @NUCatsBaseball | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| Game Notes | Northwestern | Nebraska | B1G |
| Pitching Matchups | Game 1: RHP Brandon Magallones vs. RHP Chance Sinclair Game 2: LHP Matt Portland vs. LHP Kyle Kubat Game 3: LHP Reed Mason vs. RHP Derek Burkamper |
EVANSTON, Ill. - As the Northwestern Wildcats prepare to begin a busy stretch featuring eight games over a 10-day span, the Nebraska Cornhuskers come to Rocky Miller Park to open up a three-game set this, beginning Friday, May 1.
PROMOTIONS
Join us on Saturday, May 2, for Country Day! The first 150 fans will receive a foam cowboy hat and a foam finger. Also, remember to bring your glove and ball as fans will be invited to play catch in the outfield after the game.
On Sunday, May 3, make your plans to join us at Rocky Miller Park as we celebrate head coach Paul Stevens and his three decades as a Northwestern coach. There will be a pregame ceremony, beginning at 12:40 p.m. to honor Coach Stevens and all that he has done for Northwestern baseball. Early arriving fans will receive a commemorative gift.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1: RHP Brandon Magallones (3-3, 6.35 ERA) vs. RHP Chance Sinclair (5-6, 3.12 ERA)
Game 2: LHP Matt Portland (1-6, 4.30 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Kubat (4-2, 2.22 ERA)
Game 3: LHP Reed Mason (2-7, 5.28 ERA) vs. RHP Derek Burkamper (4-2, 4.02 ERA)
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
· Nebraska sits seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 6-9 conference mark.
· The Huskers made their first trip to Rocky Miller Park since joining the Big Ten and dropped the series, 2-1.
· The Huskers enter Friday 0-6 this year on the road in Big Ten play. Nebraska hasn't dropped three straight league series since 2011 when NU lost all four of its Big 12 series, including six straight road losses to end the year.
· In 30 of Nebraska's 47 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less.
· The Huskers have been swept at Maryland and at Iowa, with three of the games decided by one run. In Nebraska's nine conference losses this season, four have come by one run and three have been extra-inning defeats.
· In the history of Nebraska baseball, only 18 players have recorded 20 doubles in a season. Senior Blake Headley enters Friday with 17 doubles on the year and is looking to become the 19th player to join the club before the end of the 2015 season.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE HUSKERS
Northwestern wrapped up a tightly-contested series at Hawks Field in Lincoln, Nebraska early Saturday, April 19, by splitting a doubleheader and winning the Big Ten series against the Cornhuskers. All three games in the series were decided by a single run and the Wildcats won the first two ballgames, 2-1 in 12 innings, on Friday night and 3-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. The Huskers won the nightcap, 10-9.
ZACH ATTACK
Junior first baseman Zach Jones has played a critical role in the Wildcat's offense this year. The Glenview, Ill., native is hitting .333 and has tallied 23 runs on 58 hits along with 27 RBI and Big Ten-best 17 doubles. On March 20, Jones tied a school record for hits in a single game when tallied seven against UNLV. Jones hit his first career home run in a 9-5 win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, April 21.
Since returning to Rocky Miller Park, Jones is hitting .435 and leads the team with 10 hits and five runs.
HOME SWEET HOME
Northwestern finally returned home to the newly renovated Rocky Miller Park on Tuesday, April 21 when it hosted Milwaukee in its home opener. The Wildcats played 37 road games before opening play in Evanston. NU is 9-18 in true road games this year and is currently 3-3 at home.
DOUBLING UP
Fifth-year senior Scott Heelan and junior Zach Jones are tied for first in the Big Ten in doubles with 17 apiece, while senior Kyle Ruchim sits tied for fifth with 16. The Wildcats lead B1G in doubles with 94, averaging 2.36 doubles per game to sit 11th in the country.
SUPER SCOTT
Super senior Scott Heelan has been a key contributor to the Wildcats' offense this spring. Hitting .323, he has only struck out seven times in 167 at bats this year, to rank him as the fifth toughest batter to strike out in the country.
WRECK `EM RUCHIM
Fifth-year senior Kyle Ruchim leads the Wildcats with a .366 batting average and has hit a season-best six of NU's 16 home runs. The center fielder leads the team in runs (27) and slugging percentage (.601), which leads the Big Ten. This season, the senior tallied his 100th-career run against Ball State on March 6 and his 200th-career hit at Chicago State (March 31).
HOT BATS
Northwestern ranks among the Big Ten top seven in multiple offensive categories including first in doubles (90), third in hits (437), and fifth in total bases (587) and batting average (.275). On Sunday, March 29, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten series with a commanding 19-7 win over Minnesota. The 19 runs scored were the most by NU since 2006 when the squad edged past Illinois in a 19-18 slugfest. The Wildcats have registered double-digit hits in 23 games this year.
MILESTONE MAGS'
Senior Brandon Magallones recorded his 200th-career strikeout in a 19-7 win over Minnesota (March 29). The right-handed pitcher earned the win after pitching five innings and fanning five batters. On Friday, April 17th, Magallones pitched seven shutout innings and cracked Northwestern all-time top 10 for career strikeouts against Iowa. The senior finished the game with 208 career Ks and now sits eighth on NU's all-time top 10.
NEXT UP FOR THE WILDCATS
Northwestern will close outs its 11-game homestretch with a two-game midweek set against Kansas. The Wildcats will then hit the road for their final road trip of the season to take on Michigan, beginning Friday, May 8.
······
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook and sign up to receive promotional text alerts for the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!