How to Watch No. 19 Nebraska Baseball vs. Penn State with Preview, Breakdown and TV Channel

The No. 19 Nebraska baseball train keeps on moving.

Fresh off a conference series sweep of visiting Indiana, the Huskers traveled to enemy territory to face the rival Creighton Bluejays. In a series that's seen CU dominate in the past few seasons, Nebraska flipped the script Tuesday night at Charles Schwab Field, holding off the Bluejays to move to 7-0 in midweek contests this season.

The Cornhuskers once again wasted little time in building up a lead, plating three runs in the second inning of an RBI single from Drew Grego and a two-run base hit from Mac Moyer. Jett Buck padded the score with an RBI double in the third before a Dylan Carey sac fly in the fifth inning and another Moyer RBI in the sixth to push the advantage to 6-0.

Making his first start since being moved from Sunday starter to midweek specialist, NU starting pitcher Gavin Blachowicz allowed no runs and only two hits in four innings. However, Creighton found its offense against left Caleb Clark, using a pair of two-run doubles and an RBI single for a five-run sixth inning to cut the CU deficit down to one run. After Pryce Bender put an end to the damage, Chase Olson posted a scoreless seventh inning to allow J'Shawn Unger to record the six-out save and hand the Huskers a nail-biting win in Omaha.

With seven consecutive wins and a top-20 ranking under its belt, Nebraska returns to Lincoln to face a struggling Penn State team for its first conference series of April. Here's all you need to know.

How to Follow Along

Game 1

Matchup: No. 19 Nebraska (23-6, 8-1 B1G) at Penn State (8-18, 3-6 B1G)
When: Friday, April 3
Where: Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 6 p.m. CDT
Watch: Nebraska Public Media
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Game 2

Matchup: No. 19 Nebraska (23-6, 8-1 B1G) at Penn State (8-18, 3-6 B1G)
When: Saturday, April 4
Where: Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 2 p.m. CDT
Watch: B1G+
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Game 3

Matchup: No. 19 Nebraska (23-6, 8-1 B1G) vs. Penn State (8-18, 3-6 B1G)
When: Sunday, April 5
Where: Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 12 p.m. CDT
Watch: B1G+
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Penn State pitcher Colin Fitzgerald leads the Nittany Lions and their weekend rotation with a 5.79 ERA in 28 innings. | Penn State Athletics

Probable Pitchers

Friday

Nebraska: RHP Ty Horn, Jr. (1-1, 3.31 ERA, 35.1 IP, 38 SO, 18 BB)
Penn State: RHP Colin Fitzgerald, R-Sr. (2-4, 5.79 ERA, 28.0 IP, 33 SO, 13 BB)

Saturday

Nebraska: RHP Carson Jasa, R-Soph. (5-1, 4.11 ERA, 35.0 IP, 55 SO, 21 BB)
Penn State: RHP Ben Hudson, Soph. (1-5, 8.42 ERA, 31.0 IP, 28 SO, 11 BB)

Sunday

Nebraska: RHP Cooper Katskee, R-Jr. (4-0, 2.56 ERA, 31.2 IP, 39 SO, 6 BB)
Penn State: RHP Isaiah Shayter, Fr. (1-4, 10.65 ERA, 23.2 IP, 19 SO, 17 BB)

Series History

Nebraska leads 19-2

May 24, 2025, in B1G Tournament Semifinals last matchup, 6-3 NU
The last two matchups have come in the Big Ten Tournament, so this weekend will mark the first time since 2023 the teams have met in a regular season series, which NU won 3-0.

After two consecutive solid seasons at Penn State, head coach Mike Gambino has the Nittany Lions at 8-18 midway in year three. | Penn State Athletics

Penn State Scout

Last Season: 33-23 (15-15, T-8th)
Finish: Did not qualify for the postseason
All-Big Ten: 1x First Team, 1x Second Team, 1x All-Defensive

Head Coach: Mike Gambino
Year at School: 3rd
Penn State Record: 70-65 (.519)
Career Record: 361-431 (.456)
NCAA Regionals/Championships: 1x Super Regional, 1x Regional

All-Conference Returners: INF/OF Jack Porter
Big Ten Preseason Poll: Not voted in the top six that was released
Big Ten Preseason Watch List: INF/RHP Micheal Anderson, RHP Colin Fitzgerald, INF Bryce Molinaro

Key Returners

Bryce Molinaro | INF | R-Jr. | A returning starter at third base for PSU, the former all-conference performer collected 13 homers and 61 RBIs last year, but has slowed down to only record seven home runs and 20 RBIs through 26 games wth a .295 average.
Cohl Mercado | OF | R-Jr. | Another returner that started in 38 of his 46 games last year, Mercado leads the team with four stolen bases and is hitting .267 in 21 games.
Jack Porter | INF/OF | R-Jr. | After earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors last season, the former UCF transfer has regressed to bat .261 this year, but still leads the Nittany Lions with nine doubles.
Mason Horwat | RHP | Jr. | Tied with a team-leading 10 appearances, the former All-Big Ten Freshman team selection has racked up a 9.72 ERA by allowing 18 earned runs in 16.2 innings.
Frankie Sanchez | RHP | R-Sr. | In the midst of his second season at PSU, the New Jersey native owns a 10.69 ERA across nine appearances and three starts.

Penn State's Michael Anderson has been one of the Big Ten's top hitters after transferring from Arkansas. | Penn State Athletics

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Michael Anderson | INF | Sr. | A transfer from Arkansas that helped the team reach the College World Series in 2025, the Pennsylvania native is one of the top hitters in the conference with a .356 average, 11 homers, and 29 RBIs.
Jayden Davis | INF | Sr. | A transfer from Samford and Vanderbilt who has played in 130 college games, Davis joins Anderson as the only two players on PSU to hit above .300 while adding a pair of home runs and six doubles.
Preston Yaucher | C | Fr. | The first-year catcher is hitting .231 in his college debut season with two doubles, two triples, and 10 RBIs in 23 games.
Spencer Barnett | INF | Jr. | The West Virginia transfer helped the program to back-to-back Super Regional appearances before transferring to Penn State, where he's third on the team in homers (4) and has a .279 average in 61 at-bats.
Colin Fitzgerald | RHP | R-Sr. | A transfer from Maine, where he was an All-America East first team honoree, the 6-foot-1 starter leads the rotation with a 5.72 ERA in seven starts and 31 innings.
Ben Hudson | RHP | Soph. | Another transfer from West Virginia, the right-hander recorded a 3.95 ERA in over 27 innings out of the bullpen, but has suffered with an 8.42 ERA in making the transition to the PSU starting rotation.
Isaiah Shayter | RHP | Fr. | The true freshman has been hammered in his first college experience, posting a 10.65 ERA across seven starts and over 23 innings as the Sunday starter for the Nittany Lions.
Kyle Emmons | RHP | Jr. | A transfer reliever from Towson, the 6-foot-4 junior leads the bullpen with a 3.72 ERA in over 19 innings and 10 appearances while striking out 16 batters compared to just seven walks.
Ethan Bauerschmidt | RHP | Fr. | The first-year reliever has the highest ERA of any Penn State pitcher with double-digit innings, entering the weekend with a 10.93 mark in 14 innings.
Ben DeMell | RHP | R-Sr. | After ranking eighth in the Big Ten last year in appearances (24), the 6-foot-5 senior has a 7.11 ERA in nine showings and over 12 innings.
Mason Butash | RHP | Jr. | The academic All-Big Ten pitcher is the final PSU pitcher with double-figure innings pitched, and he's earned a 7.50 ERA in 12 innings and across six appearances.

Outlook

After 13 seasons and two NCAA Regionals, including one Super Regional, head coach Mike Gambino took over the Penn State baseball program in 2024 and immediately led the Nittany Lions to their first winning season in nearly 10 years. The program made a four-game improvement to 33 wins in 2025, but the momentum has come to a halt in 2026.

With a laundry list of positions they needed to fill over the offseason, the roster depth took a major hit and has resulted in a poor 8-18 record heading into the weekend series in Lincoln. A big addition from the transfer portal, Michael Anderson has been one of the better hitters in the conference after coming over from Arkansas. He owns a team-leading .356 average and ranks second in the Big Ten with 11 homers in 25 games. Another transfer from the SEC (Vanderbilt), Jayden Davis has also made an impact with a .302 average and a team-high six doubles.

Third baseman Bryce Molinaro was an All-Big Ten performer two seasons ago and had a productive 2025 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs, but he's taken a step back as a junior. He's still hitting .295 and ranks second on the team with seven home runs, but it's a far cry from his previous two years. Former West Virginia infielder Spencer Barnett has shown highlights in 61 at-bats with four homers and a .279 slash line, but the list of impact hitters is short after those four.

Towson transfer Kyle Emmons leads the Penn State bullpen with a 3.72 ERA in over 19 innings. | Towson Athletics

Although the pitching side has been worse for the Nittany Lions. A 6-foot-1 transfer from Maine, Colin Fitzgerald has been a solid pickup as he owns a 5.79 ERA as the Friday starter for PSU. However, it gets tough behind the senior. Ben Hudson, who also came over from West Virginia, has been rocked for an 8.42 ERA in 31 innings, and it's worse for true freshman Isaiah Shayter with a 10.65 ERA in over 23 innings and seven outings.

Flush with transfers, the bullpen is also scarce with impact arms. A transfer reliever from Towson, 6-foot-4 Kyle Emmons leads the bullpen with a 3.72 ERA in 10 appearances with 16 strikeouts. It gets thin rather fast, as Ben DeMell (7.11 ERA), Mason Butash (7.50), Mason Horwat (9.72), Frankie Sanchez (10.69), and Ethan Bauerschmidt (10.93) all possess low numbers as part of a pitching core that has an 8.36 team ERA.

With an RPI in the 220s, this weekend is about damage limitation for the Huskers, who need to put the hammer down on the Nittany Lions and take care of business. A series victory is the bare minimum, and truth be told, anything outside of a sweep will seem a little disappointing considering how lopsided the matchup is on paper.

Add us as a preferred source on Google