‘It means everything’: 3 takeaways from Nebraska baseball going back-to-back at Big Ten tournament

Nebraska baseball is headed back to the NCAA tournament. More importantly, the Huskers are Big Ten tournament champions for the second year in a row.

The Huskers started the tournament as the No. 8 seed. In the first game, they were one out away from being eliminated. Nebraska got a break, then they stormed past two ranked teams on their way to a Big Ten tournament championship after a 5-0 win over UCLA on Sunday in Omaha.

Ty Horn was special, tossing eight shutout innings. The sophomore gave up three hits and was the latest in a string of stellar pitching performances.

Devin Nunez crushed a two-run home run early in the game to set the tone and give Nebraska baseball a 3-0 lead. Dylan Carey had two doubles, and Gabe Swansen went nuts — earlier in the tournament.

Nebraska has won nine games in a row at the Big Ten tournament in Omaha, and here are three takeaways.

The pitching staff delivered

You can’t win anything in a baseball postseason, college or otherwise, without quality pitching. Nebraska got that and then some over the past two days.

Horn was stellar on Sunday. He probably could have pitched a complete game. He just didn’t need to. Jackson Brockett set the tone for the weekend with six solid innings and just one run surrendered against Oregon. Tucker Timmerman also went 4.3 innings against Penn State.

Those are the three pitchers that will need to excel if Nebraska is going to advance in the NCAA tournament, and this weekend was a really encouraging sign.

This isn’t the old Big Ten either. Oregon and UCLA are both ranked (No. 4 and No. 13), and Nebraska held them to a combined three runs.

Mr. May does it again

Gabe Swansen scored a run on Sunday — he didn’t smash one on his home runs, but he hammered out two on Saturday, and Nebraska baseball wouldn’t have won the Big Ten tournament without him.

Carey and Silva were clutch. Others, too, but Swansen just set the tone. When he’s swinging the ball like that, this team is dangerous.

Nebraska baseball fans need to appreciate Will Bolt

The Huskers have won two Big Ten titles in a row. Bolt needs to get the program playing better in mid-week games next season, but getting a Big Ten trophy and back to the NCAA tournament is impressive.

You can see his impact on the hitters. They were super efficient throughout the tournament, just like they were last season. The pitching depth suddenly feels much better.

Nebraska is dangerous heading into the NCAA tournament, but this is another reminder that Bolt is one of the best head coaches in the Big Ten.

“It means everything,” he said of winning the Big Ten title before the home crowd.

It sure does.