Nebraska Baseball: Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament Preview

The Nebraska baseball team (1-2) heads out west to San Diego for the Tony Gwynn classic this weekend. The Huskers will look to bounce back after dropping the last two games of their series last week against Baylor.

Nebraska starts out with a trip to Fowler Park to take on the San Diego Toreros on Friday night. Gareth Stroh will get the ball for the Huskers, while Jack Hyde gets the ball for the home team.

The Toreros beat both Minnesota and Oregon last weekend and are coming off a midweek home opening win against UC Irvine. The Toreros are batting .280 as a team in the early season, while allowing opponents to bat just .214.

Caleb Ricketts is batting .500 on the young season while Shane McGuire leads the offense with seven runs batted in. San Diego has already been hit by 12 pitches in their first four games.

Hyde, the projected Friday started did not have a good opening weekend. He pitched Friday night against Pepperdine and got a no decision. He gave up five runs on eight hits in just three innings pitched. It was his first start as a true freshman for the Toreros. Hyde might settle down this weekend after getting his first few innings under his belt.

On Saturday, the Huskers travel to Town Gwynn stadium to take on the San Diego State Aztecs. The Aztecs are also 3-1, winning two games at the Coastal Carolina tournament last weekend and picking up a quality midweek win over Cal St. Fullerton.

The Aztecs are batting .298 as a team, while allowing opposition hitters to bat .261. One interesting fact is San Diego State had six errors against Fullerton, bringing their season total to 11 in four games.

Ryan Orr, Matt Ruddick, and Anthony Walters are three Aztec hitters to watch out for. Ruddick and Walters each went deep for the Aztecs last weekend. Orr leads all hitters with eight hits in the campaign.

Troy Melton had a great start last weekend against Coastal Carolina. Melton threw five innings, giving up just two hits. He had three walks and five strikeouts and was good enough to get the win last Saturday.

Nebraska stays at Tony Gwynn Stadium for an early game on Sunday. The Huskers battle the University of Arizona Wildcats for the first time since Jake Meyers shut down the Wildcats at the 2017 Frisco Classic.

Arizona beat up the University of Albany in their opening weekend. The Wildcats outscored the Great Danes 38-10 in their three game series. In midweek action, the Wildcats dropped a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Wildcats have 21 extra base hits on the season. Ryan Holgate is 10 for 15 on the early season. Austin Wells has seven extra base hits and has drawn seven walks so far this season.

Arizona has not named a starter for the weekend finale. Chandler Murphy started the last game against Albany last weekend and had a quality start. He threw five scoreless innings, but the Huskers could provide a more difficult test.

Tony Gwynn Legacy

Feb. 21-23, 2020

San Diego, Calif.

Friday, Feb. 21 • 8 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (PT)

Nebraska (1-2) at San Diego (3-1)

Fowler Park

Online Stream: WCC Network

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Gareth Stroh (1-0) vs. Jack Hyde (0-0)

Saturday, Feb. 22 • 8 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (PT)

Nebraska (1-2) at San Diego State (3-1)

Tony Gwynn Stadium

Online Stream: Mountain West Network

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Colby Gomes (0-0) vs. Troy Melton (1-0)

Sunday, Feb. 23 • Noon (CT)/10 a.m. (PT)

Arizona (3-1) vs. Nebraska (1-2)

Tony Gwynn Stadium

Online Stream: None

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Cade Povich (0-1) vs. TBD