Previewing Nebraska’s Trip to Arizona State

The Nebraska baseball team (1-5) travels to Phoenix Municipal Stadium this weekend to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3). Nebraska looks to get back in the win column after going winless in last weeks tournament in San Diego.

Arizona State is currently riding a five game win streak going into this weekends series against the Huskers. This series is the return trip after ASU made the trip to Lincoln for second to last weekend of conference play last season. The Huskers won two out of three in that series to help bolster their NCAA Tournament hopes.

The good news for the Huskers is that Arizona State has not gotten their bats going early this season. The Sun Devils have only combined to hit for a .210 batting average. The bad news for the Huskers is that the Sun Devils still have Spencer Torkelson. Torkelson is a possible first overall draft pick and has four home runs to lead the offense.

Torkelson leads the offense in most statistics, including drawing 18 walks in his first nine games. He was walked five times by the New Mexico State Aggies on Tuesday. Trevor Hauver hits behind Torkelson and gets a good amount of opportunities to knock in runs for the Sun Devils. Hauver hit .339 last year playing behind Torkelson and the departed Hunter Bishop.

After struggling last season, the early returns on the pitching staff have been overwhelmingly positive for ASU. The Sun Devils struggled to find three consistent starters last season and used a mighty offense to make up for any short comings on the mound.

This year, Arizona State has a 2.85 team ERA, which is ranked 68th in the nation. Nebraska has a staff ERA of 6.31 which ranks 237th in the nation.

Cooper Benson, Justin Fall, and Tyler Thorton will all get starts for the Sun Devils. Benson took a loss against Michigan and had a no decision last weekend against Boston College. Fall and Thorton both have pitched solidly this season in early action.

The Huskers will need to rediscover the offensive magic they had earlier in the season. Nebraska went cold on the offense last week while they picked up the pitching from the previous four games. If Nebraska can combine their good pitching with timely hitting, the Huskers could find themselves back in the win column this weekend.

Nebraska (1-5) at #12 Arizona State (6-3)

Feb. 28 - March 1, 2020

Phoenix Municipal Stadium • Phoenix, Ariz.

Friday, Feb. 28 • 7:30 p.m. (CT)

Online Stream: Pac-12.com

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Gareth Stroh (1-0) vs. Cooper Benson (0-1)

Saturday, Feb. 29 • 7:30 p.m. (CT)

Online Stream: Pac-12.com

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Colby Gomes (0-0) vs. Tyler Thornton (1-0)

Sunday, March 1 • 1:30 p.m. (CT)

Online Stream: Pac-12.com

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Cade Povich (0-2) vs. Justin Fall (0-0)