Nebraska finished their season with a 5-3 win against Michigan, getting a tough draw to put it nicely by the NCAA putting them in the #1 overall seed Arkansas’s regional. Huskers like Max Anderson and Spencer Schwellenbach already earned honors from the Big Ten. They will appear on this list of Husker awards to celebrate one of Nebraska’s best baseball seasons in recent memory.
Cy Young: Cade Povich
Povich stepped up to become the Husker’s ace, compiling an ERA of 2.82 and a WHIP of just above 1 at 1.12. Povich struck out more batters than innings pitched, ending the regular season with 79 strikeouts in 73.1 innings pitched. He also kept the free passes at a minimum, allowing only 19 walks. He shut down Michigan in his final regular-season start, scattering 4 hits while striking out nine Wolverines in 7 innings of work. Nebraska will need him to continue his ace level of work to take down the #1 seed Razorbacks.
MVP/Reliever of the Year: Spencer Schwellenbach
Schwellenbach put in double work as an infielder and throwing heat from the pen, earning BIG Ten player of the year and First Team All-Big Ten. Schwellenbach led the team in RBIs with 35, hit 6 home runs, hit .289, and his on-base percentage was over .400. He also compiled an ERA of 0.75, striking out 29 batters in 25.1 innings pitched. When Nebraska had a lead in the ninth, the game was pretty much over with Schwellenbach shutting the door from the pen.
Freshman of the Year: Max Anderson
All Anderson did in his first year with Nebraska was earn BIG Ten Freshman of the Year, named Second Team All-Big Ten, and hit .337. He also was 2nd on the team with homers with 7, drove in 32 runs, and was one of two Husker players to slug over .500. In 178 bats he only struck out 26 times, the fewest among players with over 100 bats. These are numbers you see in a seasoned veteran, not a freshman.
Defensive Player of the Year: Griffin Everitt
As the catcher for Nebraska, Everitt led the team in total chances. Everitt committed one error and had 281 total putouts, finishing the season with a .997 fielding percentage. Everitt kept passed balls at a minimum with only 6 on the season, throwing out 8 baserunners as well. The staff could trust him to throw balls in the dirt to attempt to strike batters out, knowing he wouldn’t let baserunners get a precious extra 90 feet.
Honorable Mention: Jaxon Hallmark
Hallmark was one of the four Huskers to earn All-Big Ten First Team honors. Hallmark led the team in batting average with a .341 clip, led the team in OPS with a .935 clip, and was tied for the team lead in runs and hits. He was also active on the bases, swiping the most bags on the team with 16. Hallmark was overshadowed slightly by Anderson and Schwellenbach but was the Husker’s most consistent player.
Nebraska will look to continue its season and success in the Fayetteville regional. They will need to have these players continue to play great baseball to take down the #1 overall seed in Arkansas. If they can do that, the sky is the limit.