Nebraska baseball gets favorable draw in NCAA tournament

There wasn’t any drama about Nebraska baseball making the NCAA tournament after the Huskers captured the Big Ten tournament championship on Sunday.

However, there were some questions about how favorable their draw would be. The committee hasn’t shown the Big Ten much respect over the years. Yet, instead of putting Nebraska against one of the top seeds, Nebraska baseball ended up with 11th-seeded Oklahoma State in the Oklahoma State regional.

Game one vs. Florida will be Friday at 2:00pm CT on ESPN+.

Tickets for the Stillwater regional will go on sale Wednesday morning at 10:00am CT. https://t.co/bSNSqrKPdK

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 27, 2024

The Huskers will seek to knock off their former Big 12 rival to advance to the super regional. The Cowboys haven’t made a super regional since 2019, but should be a formidable opponent. Florida will be the first-round opponent for Nebraska baseball and here’s why this draw is favorable for the Huskers.

Thoughts on Nebraska’s first-round opponent

SEC teams are always tough. They are usually blessed with talent and Florida (28-27) is no different. The Gators do struggle with pitching though. Their team ERA is 6.27 and their opponents have hit .267 against Florida this season.

Nebraska baseball should have Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Brett Sears on the mound. He won’t quite be on full rest, but will have faced just three batters in the eight days prior to his start.

Sears will need to be on top of his game though. The Gators have a batting average of .272 as a team, plus they have six players who hit at least 13 home runs and averaged 2.1 per game during the regular season.

Oklahoma State is the another team with offensive firepower. The Cowboys won the Big 12 title and have an even better offense with a team average of .284. They also have 111 home runs and a solid pitching staff that mirrors Nebraska baseball, at least near the top of the pitching staff.

Cowboy starters Sam Garcia and Brian Holiday can match Sears and McConnaughey. The Cowboys have a team ERA of 4.06. Nebraska (4.45 team ERA) will start on Friday.

Nebraska will play Florida Friday at 2 PM CST on ESPN+ and if the Huskers want to make the Super Regional, winning the first two games with Sears and McConnaughey on the mound will be the best path. Niagra is the No. 4 seed in the region and will open against Oklahoma State.

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