BIG TEN BASEBALL: NEBRASKA VS. RUTGERS

Scouting Nebraska (31-21-1)

A weekend off appears to have done wonders for the health of star shortstop Brice Matthews. The junior rested against Purdue with back tightness and coach Will Bolt said Tuesday that Matthews is moving around better and swinging the bat well now after getting "some little kinks" worked out. Matthews sitting out wasn't just about load management, Bolt said, but getting him feeling closer to 100%. "I wouldn't say it was, 'Hey, we're trying to get him off his feet because he is tired,'" Bolt said. "It was, 'He just really couldn't go with the tightness there (in his back).' I think it was the right move." The Huskers are 6-1 since a players-only meeting between Creighton games May 9 in Omaha. Part of what they've figured out is the small-ball element — NU has laid down nine sacrifice bunts in that stretch compared to 12 in the previous 44 games. Perhaps related in that span is the lineup has struck out 5.1 times per game compared to 9.0 before that. Olson will start Wednesday after throwing 65 pitches last Thursday. Jace Kaminska (69 pitches last Friday) is set to pitch Thursday.

Scouting Rutgers (33-21)

Good luck finding an area the Scarlet Knights dominate — and good luck finding any deficiencies. While not as statistically overwhelming as last year's club that was the first team on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble and ended as Big Ten tourney runner-up, this New Jersey bunch is just as tough and balanced. It has a competitive lineup (7.3 runs per game, sixth in Big Ten, 99th nationally), steady defense (.976 fielding percentage, fifth, 62nd) and deep pitching (4.47 ERA, second, 31st). A Big Three power the offense in veterans Ryan Lasko (.332 average, 32 extra-base hits, 16 steals), Evan Sleight (.311, 26 XBH) and Chris Brito (.308, 28 XBH, 55 RBIs). Rutgers is strong situationally — it leads the league and is top 20 nationally in sacrifice bunts and sac flies — while offering average power and speed. Coppola is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound freshman who assumed the Friday starting job by mid-April and has performed as one of the conference's better starters. A versatile bullpen is headlined by closer Ben Gorski (2.77 ERA, eight saves) and Justin Sinibaldi (2.76). Rutgers is coming off a series loss to Minnesota and navigated a relatively easy Big Ten schedule that did not include teams that finished second, third and fourth in the standings.

Dugout chatter

Rutgers-Nebraska will be a matchup of the second and third-best ERAs in the Big Ten. The Huskers are 8-9 against the Scarlet Knights as Big Ten members — the teams didn't meet in this regular season. "I know they're going to be hungry," NU lefty pitcher Kyle Perry said. "But I think we're going to be a little bit hungrier when it comes to that. We'll just have to see. I'm just ready to go put it to them and compete with the boys." … Nebraska held a light practice Tuesday and bussed to the team hotel in Omaha in the afternoon. … Winning the first two games of the tournament is key, especially with a condensed schedule of opening Wednesday. Going 1-1 would require playing Friday while a 2-0 start earns an off day Friday before Saturday's semifinals. … The power of red: The league event drew a total of 13,951 people to Omaha last year when the Huskers weren't involved; NU's run to the 2019 title game brought in a total gate of 47,790.

Compiled by Evan Bland