Nebraska baseball's ninth-inning rally falls short against Maryland
An upset was there for the taking. After a sluggish offensive afternoon, Nebraska baseball faced a 4-0 deficit against the Maryland Terrapins in the bottom of the ninth.
The Huskers pulled themselves to the precipice, just within two. Will Bolt’s squad got its best player to the plate with two on, two away and a chance to let the season live on for a few more hours.
Nebraska came up just short.
Max Anderson flied out to the warning track in right and the Huskers’ postseason hopes were crushed in the mitt of Maryland’s Matt Woods.
“It’s a big park, so you never really know,” Anderson said. “I felt like I got a good swing on it.”
Nebraska fell 4-2 and finished the season 33-22-1.
Jackson Brockett’s start unraveled in the second inning. Brockett allowed five straight hits to begin the frame including two bunt singles that he misplayed. Maryland plated three runs and could have had more if not for Brice Matthews‘ inning-ending double play.
A bunt base hit is usually a good indicator of success for Terrapin head coach Rob Vaughn.
“If you don’t get an out on a bunt, it turns into a three-run inning,” he said. “We preach that a lot and they got caught in-between. We did a good job of executing but I think they would tell you we should’ve had a guy here or a guy there and they can minimize that.”
The Huskers turned the keys over to Corbin Hawkins, who got Nebraska through the third without issue before the Terps threatened in the fourth. Two leadoff singles and a sacrifice bunt spelled the end for Hawkins as Kyle Perry entered to face the top of the order.
Perry loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk but got out of the jam with a strikeout and a flyball to left.
Maryland tacked on another run in the fifth. With one away, Eddie Hacopian inched a ball over the bullpen wall in left to make it a 4-0 Terps lead.
Meanwhile, Nebraska’s offense remained dormant. A Cole Evans single in the third was the Huskers’ first hit of the ballgame. Nebraska stranded Charlie Fischer after a two-out single in the fourth and Evans was left on base again in the fifth following a double. The Huskers left two more in the sixth.
“He’s going to attack you with all four pitches that he has and when he’s on and he’s throwing strikes he’s pretty tough,” Anderson said of Maryland’s Jason Savacool. “Granted we could’ve had a better approach against him but all credit to him, he pitched his ass off.”
Shay Schanaman held the Terrapins off the board with four scoreless innings of work and gave Nebraska’s bats a chance in the ninth.
“Did Schanaman graduate?” Vaugh said as he entered the media room postgame. “I thought I saw him for the last time two nights ago. When I saw No. 8 stretching down there I was not thrilled.”
Maryland went to the pen for Nigel Belgrave who promptly walked the bases loaded in the ninth. Cole Evans delivered a RBI single on a 3-2 swing and after Griffin Everitt strikeout Matthews drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.
With two outs and two on, Anderson stepped to the plate. He crushed a ball to deep right that died five feet shy of the Maryland bullpen and was caught for the final out.
Putting a bow on the 2023 Huskers
The emotion was heavy during Nebraska’s postgame press conference. On the heels of another gut-wrenching loss, Bolt, Anderson, Schanaman and Matthews stepped to the podium with eyes red from tears.
“It might be some of our last times playing with each other,” Matthews said. “Some guys are moving on. Some guys aren’t coming back. So, just saying our goodbyes, our thankyous. We love each other and we just tried to put it all on the line for each other right there.”
Matthews and Anderson will likely leave Lincoln as high MLB Draft selections in July. Meanwhile, Schanaman has exhausted his eligibility after a fifth season.
“I was happy I came back on the first day of practice,” Schanaman said. “It’s a child’s game and I’m still playing it. I’ve played as long as I can and if this was it, I’m more than happy.”
Schanaman had plenty of words of encouragement for Matthews and Anderson.
“Seeing these guys come in, especially these two as freshman and the progress and the growth they’ve made over the last two years has been unreal,” Schanaman said. “Both of them deserve everything they’re gonna get.”
Once again, the chemistry of the 2023 Nebraska squad came to the forefront at season’s end. It’s what Bolt will think back on in the years to come.
“A lot of heart in this group,” Bolt said. “You heard these guys talking about the group and how close they are, how close they’ll be for the rest of their lives. That’s what it means to be a team and there’s definently been some highs and lows. There’s been some times where it looked like we were going to go away and we kept coming and we kept fighting and that’s how that ninth inning was.”
Bolt, at the end of his fourth year, is set to part ways with the last of the players who made up his first group in 2020.
“It’s emotional,” Bolt said. “I mean, I love these guys. I care about them and I know they’re gonna leave and do great things outside of baseball. We’ve got some guys that are going to be back that will play baseball for a long time. It’s emotional. There’s a lot of love with the group and we say family every time we called up and we live by that.”
Schanaman is among that final 2020 contingent.
“It’s been a hell of a ride,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade any moment or any game for anything.”
Setting up 2024
Nebraska came up five wins short of a regional appearance. That’s the difference according to Bolt.
“That’s what the line is in college baseball,” Bolt said. “It’s a five-game swing one way or another. Last year that five-game swing would have allowed us to get into the conference tournament with a chance to go win it and extend your season. I truly believe that five games was the difference between, you’re sitting at 38-39 wins, get to the semi-finals and you’ve got a shot to still be playing.”
The Huskers moved the ball forward in 2023 but not far enough. Bolt hopes a taste of the postseason can help Nebraska take another step forward in 2024. Schanaman sees a team with a solid returning nucleolus.
“We’ve got a good core coming back, that’s for sure,” he said. “A lot of guys that are going to get playing time that maybe didn’t this year or haven’t in the past. I feel like there’s a good core group of guys that are going to come back and compete.”
To get over the hump next season, the Huskers needs capable midweek starters. Improved roster depth is imperative, too according to Bolt.
“Those are all things that I’m tasked with as the head coach and the decisions I’ve got to make,” Bolt said. “Rest assured, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I get to that point.”
