STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Nebraska baseball has its back against the wall once again.
The Huskers must win a double header on Sunday, first in a rematch with Florida and then Oklahoma State (2-0), to extend its season.
Josh Holliday’s Cowboys dominated Florida 7-1 on Saturday night to advance to the Stillwater Regional Final and knock the Gators into the loser’s bracket. Oklahoma State hit back-to-back jacks in the first off Jac Caglianone and replicated that effort in the third to take a 4-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Cowboy ace Brian Holiday to finish the job. In a 131-pitch effort, the right-hander gave up two hits in nine innings and recorded the final out via a strikeout, his 10th of the night. Caglianone’s ninth-inning solo home run marked his 30th of the season, the sole bright spot on a brutal offensive night for the Gators and the only blemish on Holiday’s final line.
Florida skipper Kevin O’Sullivan named Pierce Coppola as the team’s likely starter against Nebraska. The sophomore southpaw from Verona, New Jersey, stands at 6-foot-8 and owns a 9.42 ERA for the year. Coppola has made six straight starts this year and set a season-high 3 2/3 innings pitched against Vanderbilt. He was charged with four earned runs in that game and struck out five.
First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
“I think it’s probably going to be a very similar game,” Sullivan said. “Their pitchers all throw strikes. They’re not going to give you a whole lot. It’s going to be a clean baseball game. They’re going to play good defense so we’re going to have to play clean as well.”
Statistics Snapshot
Florida
Oklahoma State
Notable Quotables
Florida
“We have enough pitching to get through tomorrow’s game and the hopefully we’re fortunate enough to move on and have another chance to play Oklahoma State. We do have enough pitching but it’s really one game at a time.” – Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan
Oklahoma State
“I would say there was a message sent in the momentum and competitive nature of the contest right there that our kids were on the ball. It was a sign of aggression, a sign of readiness a sign of execution on our kids part that said we’re ready to play.”-Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday on the team’s back-to-back home runs in the first.
ICYMI: Notes on Florida, Oklahoma State from this week
Florida
***Friday’s game will mark a 16th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for Florida. The Gators won the final two games of the regular season against Georgia after dropping the series opener to finish above .500 and qualify.
Florida is one of five SEC teams with 13-17 records in conference play to make the 64-team field. The others are Vanderbilt, Alabama, South Carolina and LSU. Two of those four teams went 0-2 in regional play.
***Florida’s 116 home runs ranked seventh-most in the country entering the week. Seven different Gators have posted double-digit home runs this year and six have 13 or more bombs.
***Apart from Caglianone, Liam Peterson is the only other Florida pitcher with double digit starts. The freshman from Palm Harbor, Florida, had an ERA as high as 8.31 at the end of March. During his four appearances in May, he has a 2.20 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings of work.
***Player to watch: 1B/DH/LHP Jac Caglianone
This one is fairly obvious. Caglianone is the top two-way star in the country and one of the faces of college baseball over the last two years. His .415 batting average is the the sixth-best in the nation and his 29 home runs are the fourth-most in the country. Caglianone owns a 4.35 ERA in 13 starts with a 5-1 record and 68 strikeouts to 44 walks.
Oklahoma State
***This is the third straight year the Cowboys have logged 40 or more wins in a season and the fourth time in the last five years excluding the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign. Oklahoma State has hosted a regional in three consecutive seasons and this is the program’s 49th NCAA Regional appearance.
***Oklahoma State’s 9-3 win over in-state rival and SEC-bound Oklahoma last Saturday marked the 35th conference championship in program history and the sixth in the Big 12. The Cowboys have made 11-straight NCAA Regional appearances, which is the fourth-longest streak in the country.
***OSU has four different players with more than 150 at-bats and a batting average above .300. Sophomore outfielder and first baseman Nolan Schubart leads the way with his .355 mark and a team-high 20 home runs.
Two-way standout Caron Benge is another name to watch with his .342 average at the dish. He also owns a 2.25 ERA in 32 innings of work with three saves.
***Player to watch: RHP Brian Holiday
Holiday has a team-best 3.12 ERA in 15 starts with 118 strikeouts over 104 innings of work. He hails from Tampa, Florida, and transferred to Oklahoma State from Central Florida Junior College. Striking out 23 batters in 9 1/3 innings of tourney play earned Holiday NJCAA JUCO World Series Most Outstanding Pitcher honors.
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