Leading off: Nebraska baseball vs College of Charleston weekend series
The Nebraska baseball team is trying to find a way to really get over the hump after two weekends where the Huskers have alternated between looking like world-beaters and looking like they need quite a bit of help.
This weekend, the Nebraska Cornhuskers will take on the College of Charleston in a four-game set that could set the tone for the rest of the non-conference season. That's because CoC is 7-0 to start the year.
The good news here is that the Nebraska baseball team hasn't shyed away from competition. They haven't always beaten the teams that are considered to be better, but they've held their own. That includes taking 3 of 4 from WAC power Grand Canyon University.
College of Charleston season so far
The Cougars haven't lost a game yet. They'll enter Thursday's contest at 7-0 on the season after a four-game sweep of Marshall and three-game sweep of Youngstown State. 7-0 is the best start the program has had under head coach Chad Holbrook.
While the Cougs' offense has been solid, it's been the pitching staff that's really carried the club so far. The Huskers are going up against several starters that have absolutely dominated on the mound to open the campaign.
Nebraska Cornhuskers players to watch
- Josh Caron: The Nebraska Cornhuskers haven't showed a lot of power so far this season, but Caron has bucked the trend. He's got three homers in the team's seven games. He's also hitting .333 and leads the team in RBI with 11.
- Riley Silva: Silva didn't open the season as a starter, but an injury to Joshua Overbeek got Silva some serious playing time against GCU. He responded by being quite the basestealer. He's 5-for-5 while also hitting .333 at the top of the order.
- Brett Sears: The Nebraska Cornhuskers pitching staff has been a bit up and down, but Sears has dominated in two outings so far. He'll take the ball on Friday against CoC's Jake Brink. Sears has allowed just one earned run and struck out 14 in 11 innings pitched.
College of Charleston players to watch
- Kevin Madden: The Cougars' third baseman is currently the team's best hitter. So far he's bashed the ball to the tune of a .519 average with 2 homers and 6 RBI.
- Jake Brink: The aforementioned Brink will match up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday with a 2-0 record and a 0.75 ERA. He's not been quite as dominant as Sears, as he has just 11 Ks in 12 innings but he's deinitely limited damage so far this year.
- Tyler Sorrentino: The Cougars' outfielder is off to quite the start to the season, hitting .412 on the season so far. He's got almost no power, with just one homer in his previous two seasons but he can steal a base once he gets on.