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Nebraska Baseball's Cade Povich, Spencer Schwellenbach Duel in Major League Baseball Game

Former Nebraska baseball players Cade Povich and Spencer Schwellenbach dueled as Major League Baseball pitchers for the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.

Kaleb Henry

Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (left) and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich (right) exchange jerseys after dueling Wednesday. The two players were teammates at Nebraska.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (left) and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich (right) exchange jerseys after dueling Wednesday. The two players were teammates at Nebraska. / @Orioles on X
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Former Nebraska baseball players were all over Camden Yards Wednesday.

Will Bolt, a player in the early 2000s and now coach was in the stands. Cody Ashe played was a Husker All-American in 2011, and now serves on the Baltimore Orioles staff. And Aaron Bummer, a member of the 2014 Big Ten All-Tournament team, was in the bullpen awaiting his relief appearance.

But on the mound at the start of the game were two very recent Huskers: Cade Povich and Spencer Schwellenbach. The two became the first pair of former Huskers to start a Major League Baseball game for opposing teams in the history of the game.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich throws a pitch during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves.
Jun 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich (37) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

"It's like a proud papa," Bolt told the Orioles on MASN broadcast team. "Knowing their journey and what they've been through... They've both worked extremely hard and they're both from amazing families.

"To see them fulfill their dream, especially this quickly to get to the big leagues... very, very proud."

Both players went 6.0 innings and threw exactly 89 pitches. Povich did not give up a run while allowing five hits and striking out six. Schwellenbach was tagged for a pair of runs on four hits, striking out three.

"If you'd have asked us back then, I probably woulda said no," Schwellenbach told Bally Sports South ahead of the game on if young Schwellenbach and Povich back at Nebraska would have believed they'd be facing each other in the MLB.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach throws a pitch during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles.
Jun 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (56) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

Neither pitcher factored in the decision as the Orioles won 4-2.

Schwellenbach is slated to start again next week against the Tigers. Povich's next start is undecided as Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde called his team's pitching situation "series to series".

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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