Nebraska baseball beats Omaha 8-5 anchored behind Katskee

Nebraska baseball (6-5) needed to respond early, and did, due to early offense from Summit League opponent Omaha (4-7). The Huskers were led by a dominant outing from Cooper Katskee, solidifying a strong 8-5 midweek win over the Mavericks at Haymarket Park on Tuesday.

Katskee anchored the Husker pitching staff for a full qualifying start. NU needed a strong start to give rest to a bullpen that labored through the previous weekend’s series against Auburn.

The season-long designated hitter, Cole Kitchens, sparked the Husker offense with multiple extra-base hits. His home run in the first inning was a crucial response to the two runs UNO put up in the top half.

Here is an instant recap from the home-opener win on Tuesday….

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Cooper KKKKKKKKKKatskee

📊 6.0 IP
📊 97 TP
📊 10 Ks pic.twitter.com/JMpnMHmGJl

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) March 3, 2026

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Nebraska’s bats jump all over poor Mavericks pitching

The first two innings of the game took more than an hour due to long at-bats and a plethora of free passes. Katskee made his first start as a Husker, two weeks delayed, after appearing out of the bullpen for his first two outings. He mowed down the first two hitters on strikes but struggled to close the inning.

First baseman Jackson Trout reached base on an infield single, which would have been extra bases if not for Joshua Overbeek’s diving stop. Omaha left fielder Tyler Bishop got the Mavericks on the board with a home run to right-center field to grab an early 2-0 lead.

The Huskers didn’t wait to deliver an answer. Mac Moyer continued his impressive start to the season with a leadoff walk to set the table. After Overbeek reached, Dylan Carey recorded an RBI double to tie for fourth in school history alongside Alex Gordon. Kitchens then delivered a monstrous home run into the Omaha bullpen to knock the Omaha starter, Nick Riggs, out of the game. Moyer closed out the scoring in the first with a single through the shortstop hole to extend the lead to 6-2.

Katskee then settled in for the remainder of his outing. He mowed down the Mavericks, striking out the side in the second inning. That set the table for the Huskers to grab another run in the bottom half thanks to an RBI double from Kitchens. Katskee went three-up, three-down in the third inning with two more punch outs. A Carey single in the home half of the third brought another run across to reach an 8-2 lead after three.

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Bullpen battles itself again but does enough to win

The seventh inning came and so did the Omaha bats once again. Chase Olson entered the game following Katskee’s performance. The redshirt freshman retired the first hitter he faced on strikes before allowing the next three hitters to reach and a run to score. Ryan Harrahill entered for damage control.

Harrahill allowed a single that did not give up a run, but Bishop then came up as the tying run. Bishop drilled a line drive to second baseman Jett Buck, who snagged the ball and flipped it to second base. The double play left three runners stranded to end the threat.

Stokes ➡️ Carey double play💥

M7 | Nebraska 8, Omaha 4 pic.twitter.com/vnIB2jArGd

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) March 3, 2026

The Huskers let a key moment slip in the bottom of the seventh that could have put the game away. They loaded the bases after a Devin Nunez single and back-to-back walks, but UNO brought on reliever Tanner Hosick who made the Huskers three and four spots in the lineup look ugly. Back-to-back ugly at-bats from Carey and Case Sanderson ended the Husker threat with groans from the home crowd to go along with it.

The Huskers evaded more danger in the eighth inning. It was a tip-toeing act for Harrahill and J’Shawn Unger. They combined to load the bases as well as navigate the jam after two walks and a single threatened the lead. Unger recorded a huge strikeout to end the frame and preserve the lead with the bases loaded.

The Husker bats were unable to add any insurance after Preston Freeman was stranded at third base in the eighth inning. Unger trotted out for the ninth inning and allowed the tying run to come to the plate before clinching the first home win of the season for Nebraska.

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Katskee poses a crucial question to the rotation decision makers

Katskee may have had a rough few batters in the first inning, but his entire outing poses a serious question: What is the weekend rotation supposed to be?

The former Nebraska resident dominated for the majority of his outing. The senior lived in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball, flashing a curveball full of swing-and-miss. The right-handed transfer from Miami (Ohio) delivered the win for NU behind a season-high 10 strikeouts over six innings.

The question is, where does the starting rotation go? One would have to assume that Ty Horn, Carson Jasa and Gavin Blachowicz toe the rubber over the Michigan State weekend. After Sunday, regardless of how the Big Ten opener goes, head coach Will Bolt will have a lot to think about.

Katskee eclipsed 10 innings for the 2026 season after finishing the sixth against UNO. He hadn’t allowed a run this season until the first inning Tuesday, showing a steady string of successful outings. He flashes significant strikeout potential with 16 punchouts over 10 2/3 innings. Furthermore, he was the 2025 MAC Pitcher of the Year.

Come the weekend series against Maine, there could very well be a shakeup in the weekend schedule, even if all three starters throw well. Katskee’s consistency and longevity provide a strong argument for the Sunday game role.

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POS	#	PLAYER	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	HBP	SH	SF	LOB	SB	CS	PO	A	E	AVG
CF	17	MOYER, M.	3	1	2	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.444
3B	4	OVERBEEK, J.	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	.318
SS	15	CAREY, D.	5	2	3	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	1	.473
1B	14	SANDERSON, C.	5	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	4	0	0	7	0	0	.333
DH	12	KITCHENS, C.	4	1	2	3	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.304
PR/DH	18	FREEMAN, P.	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.375
2B	1	BUCK, J.	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	.277
2B	9	STOKES, R.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	.000
RF	5	NEWHAN, N.	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	.300
RF	11	BUETTENBACK	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.192
LF	16	NUNEZ, D.	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	.174
PH/LF	10	GREGO, D.	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.182
C	0	WORTHLEY, J.	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	12	2	0	.143
TOTALS			34	8	11	8	3	0	1	4	11	5	1	0	12	1	0	27	9	2

#	PLAYER	DEC	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	WP	BK	HBP	BF	2B	3B	HR	TP	ERA
19	KATSKEE, C.	W (1-0)	6.0	5	3	2	0	10	0	0	0	25	0	0	1	97	2.16
41	OLSON, C.		0.1	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	4	0	0	0	8	5.49
35	HARRAHILL, R.		1.1	2	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	7	0	0	0	32	0.82
37	UNGER, J.	S (1)	1.1	1	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	7	0	0	0	32	5.40
	TOTALS		9.0	10	5	4	4	14	0	0	1	43	0	0	1	169	2.81

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