Around Big Ten Baseball: April 12
All the eyes are on the South when it comes to Collegiate Baseball. The SEC and the Big 12 reign supreme, but the conference up north – the Big Ten – is doing some damage this season. As of April 7th, the conference is projected to have four teams in the mix to land a bid in the Field of 64 postseason tournament, per D1Baseball.
Big Ten Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Max Anderson, Nebraska
Max Anderson led the Cornhuskers to a 3-1 week which included premier wins on the road against Michigan (two) and Kansas State (one). The second-baseman from Omaha, Nebraska totaled three home runs and seven RBI while adding to his hitting streak of eight games.
The junior slashed .389 and an OPS of 1.344 at the plate. Anderson received his first Player of the Week accolade and is the first Cornhusker to receive the award since Brice Matthews (March 20, 2023).
Pitcher of the Week: Emmett Olson, Nebraska
It’s hard to have a better outing than Nebraska’s Emmett Olson. Olson, a left-hand gun-slinger, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against a red-hot Michigan Wolverines lineup on April 7. In his outing against Michigan, the junior only allowed two hits on one run, in a 3-1 victory.
Olson added eight strikeouts in 7.2 IP against the Blue. The last Cornhusker arm to take home the award was Koty Frank on April 19, 2022.
Freshman of the Week: Joseph Dzierwa, Michigan State, LHP
It’s not often that a freshman gets the nod on a Friday Night, but for Michigan State left-hander Joseph Dzierwa, he shined under the bright lights against rival Ohio State. The first-year arm shoved in 6.0 innings with four strikeouts, three hits and one run.
Dzierwa, a Haskins, Ohio native, improved to 4-1 on the season following his April 7 outing against the Buckeyes. This marks his first Freshman of the Week honor, and the first for the Spartans since Ryan Szczepaniak on March 9, 2022.
Looking Ahead: Series of the Weekend
Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Cornhuskers, led by Anderson and Olson, are striving to pick up wins and move up in the Big Ten standings. Nebraska is currently sitting fourth in the conference with a record of 18-11-1 (4-2).
As for Minnesota, the Golden Gophers aim to sit above the .500 mark as they sit at 9-22 (3-3). The team sits sixth in the standings.
Jasper Abrahams is a first-year student studying Communications. To contact him, please email jpa5778@psu.edu
