Nebraska baseball rallies late vs. Penn State, claims Big Ten Tournament title

Nebraska defeated Penn State 2-1 in Omaha on Sunday to win the 2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, the first in program history.

It was an improbable run for both teams during the week’s tournament. Nebraska came is as the 2-seed but suffered a 15-2 run-rule defeat to 7-seeded Ohio State in their opening game. Three-straight wins later — including two-straight against 3-seed Indiana on Saturday punched the Huskers into Sunday’s championship game.

They become the first Big Ten Tournament champion since Ohio State in 1995 to have lost the first game of the tournament and came back to win it all.

The Nittany Lions found themselves on the scoreboard first on championship Sunday after lead-off batter Joe Jaconski scored at third base on a failed pick-off attempt to first. It was labeled as an error on Nebraska pitcher Jackson Brockett.

That was about all Brockett allowed from PSU during his start. Brockett would pitch 8.0 innings where he logged five strikeouts against 29 total batters faced. He gave one earned run on four hits and a walk.

Nebraska wouldn’t score its first run until the seventh inning when catcher Josh Caron hit a solo shot off Penn State ace Travis Luensmann to right field for the equalizer. That would be the only run Luensmann would allow during his start. He threw 82 pitches across 7.0 innings where he allowed one earned run on four hits while also striking out six of the 25 batters that he faced.

The Huskers scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning with two outs when Gabe Swansen hit an RBI double to break the tie and give Nebraska its first lead of the game. It would end up being the difference in the game after Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Brett Sears (9-0) came in for the final inning, fending off the final efforts of Penn State’s batters.

For Penn State, they had not tasted defeat in Omaha as the 8-seed before Sunday’s heart-breaking loss. The Nittany Lions defeated Illinois and Michigan twice to cruise into the championship game under first-year head coach Mike Gambino. They still seek their first Big Ten Tournament championship.

According to the latest Field of 64 projection by D1 Baseball, the Cornhuskers could be a 2-seed in their eventual regional. Although, we won’t know how Sunday’s conference championship victory could change their fate until Monday afternoon’s selection show.

Until then, the Huskers get to revel in their success over the past week and head back to Lincoln as champions.