All Huskers

Nebraska Baseball Drops Season Opener to UC Irvine

The Huskers open the 2025 campaign with a 10-5 loss.
Kaleb Henry|
Nebraska shortstop Dylan Carey swings at a pitch against UC Irvine in the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona on Feb. 14, 2024.
Nebraska shortstop Dylan Carey swings at a pitch against UC Irvine in the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona on Feb. 14, 2024. | Nebraska Athletics

Opening weekend for No. 24 Nebraska baseball has a number of tests for the Huskers, with the first one getting the best of the boys from Lincoln.

Nebraska fell to UC Irvine at the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona on Friday afternoon, 10-5. The Huskers begin the season 0-1, falling to a team that went 45-14 in 2024 and finished second in the Big West behind eventual regional host UC Santa Barbara.

The Anteaters struck first, putting together a single and a double on two outs to bring one run in. The Huskers couldn't answer in the bottom of the inning.

Neither team could score in the second or third innings, but UC Irvine put together nine runs between the fourth and fifth to put the game away.

Nebraska managed a pair of runs in both the fourth and seventh innings before adding one more in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to get a victory on opening day.

Mason McCaunnaughey took the loss, going 3.2 innings. He notched nine strikeouts but allowed six runs, all of them earned, on five hits while walking three.

Drew Christo allowed the other four runs, all earned as well, in his 0.2 innings on the mound. Four other Huskers kept the Anteaters off the scoreboard in their 4.2 innings of work.

The Huskers had eight hits on the day, led by a 3-for-5 performance from Dylan Carey, including a double. One of those hits scored Robby Bolin in the seventh.

Case Sanderson, Gabe Swansen, and Rhett Stokes also notched a single RBI each.

The weekend continues Saturday against No. 16 Vanderbilt. First pitch at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, is set for 7 p.m. CST on the MLB Network.

Box score

MORE: Jordy Bahl Hits 3 of Nebraska Softball’s 9 Homers in Friday Sweep

MORE: Big Ten Basketball Games of the Weekend: Purdue and Wisconsin Clash

MORE: Nebrasketball Brunch Show: Putting the Pieces Back Together After the Maryland Loss

MORE: How to Watch Nebraska Softball in New Mexico: Preview, Breakdown, Streaming

MORE: Nebraska Men's Basketball Falls Short Against No. 25 Maryland

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Published | Modified
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. 

Share on XFollow iKalebHenry
Home/Baseball