As a coach who urged other Big Ten skippers to line up better out of conference schedules, Darin Erstad likely knew that after seven games, his Huskers were the punchline of jokes around the country. They still may be.
CSU-Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, USC and Texas. Seven games, seven losses. Even Mother Nature smacked Erstad's crew upside the head cancelling their scheduled home opener against the New Mexico Lobos due to the cold.
The following day, it took a while, but the Big Red Machine's engine finally warmed up.
Down five runs with a goose egg next to the "Huskers" on the scoreboard, back to back errors by New Mexico second baseman Sam Haggerty and pitcher Kevin Baumgartner opened the door.
Nebraska proceeded to kick it in with a seven-run inning marking the most disciplined offensive barrage by Erstad's squad to date.
As Josh Scheffert proceeded to cap off Nebraska's first victory thanks to a sacrifice fly via Kash Kalkowski, the Huskers had something they hadn't all season: undeniable belief in themselves in the form of an 8-5 win.
What happened the next day was...well...impressive to say the least. Junior Christian DeLeon stepped onto the mound for Nebraska and didn't budge
Inning after inning, the Lobos' hopes were slightly raised thanks to their eight total hits, but they never scored off of DeLeon through eight innings.
Nebraska's 1-0 lead seemed larger and larger as the innings passed, but Scheffert, being a kind-hearted soul down 1-2 in the count, decked one of Lobo pitcher Sam Wolff's attempted fastballs over the wall giving the Huskers a new and improved 3-0 lead.
Dylan Vogt relived DeLeon after his amazing day and slammed the door on New Mexico.
The series showed promise in both the Huskers' bats and pitching, DeLeon specifically, but it also showed the Big Red that they can win.
They won't play another game in Haymarket Park following a doubleheader versus the Northern Colorado Bears today for 23 days, but for at least a few more hours, the Huskers are undefeated at home.
That's a good place to start.