Nebraska student-athletes have entered the homestretch of the school year. The Huskers will finish up finals this week, which is exciting for most.
“I always say every year this is the best time of the year,” senior pitcher Nate Fisher said. “No school, just play ball.”
The Huskers sit in third place (1.0 game behind first) in the Big Ten with two conference series remaining. Darin Erstad has made it very clear that he isn’t watching scoreboards and he will continue to approach every game the same way.
For others, it is impossible to not follow the standings. Senior Angelo Altavilla offered an honest answer.
“I think I’d be lying to you if I wasn't checking that stuff,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you have to take care of business.”
The Huskers have an opportunity to take care of business this weekend as they face a Northwestern team that ranks near the bottom of the conference. However, the Wildcats have won two in a row and Erstad isn’t taking them lightly.
“They’ve got guys in their lineup that can hurt you and going on the road in the Big Ten is no joke,” Erstad said.
Everybody knows that the offense has struggled in the last couple of series and that will need to be a focus down the stretch.
“The pitches we are supposed to be hitting, we are not hitting,” Erstad said. “Our fly ball rate has gone up quite a bit so we need to get back to hitting line drives.”
It will be the same starting rotation for the weekend with Matt Waldron, Nate Fisher and Reece Eddins on the mound. Nebraska has relied on strong pitching, so it will be important for the offense to back that up on the road.
The Huskers and Wildcats face off Saturday, Sunday and Monday. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
