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(Photo by Brian Westerholt/Four Seam images)
Coming into Wednesday night’s game against Kansas State, Jackson Brockett this season had logged just 5.1 innings and sported a modest 6.75 ERA. His longest appearance came on March 17 when he fired two shutout innings against Nicholls.
That all changed this evening in Lincoln. The third-year southpaw turned into the best start of his life and spun the first Nebraska nine-inning no-hitter since 1954, striking out 12 batters while walking just two in an 8-0 win.
Brockett started the game with 4.1 perfect innings before an error and a walk in consecutive at-bats, but proceeded to settle back in and retire the next 10 hitters in order.
Brockett issued a leadoff walk to start the ninth inning, but then induced a flyout to right field before striking out the final two hitters of the game. He was dialed in from the start and did an excellent job of avoiding hard contact and silenced a strong Kansas State lineup. Brockett was around the strike zone all night—of his 107 pitches, 71 were strikes—and attacked hitters with his high-80s fastball and low-80s slider. His slider was his bread-and-butter and it generated plenty of whiffs.
On top of Brockett’s historic outing, this was also a key win for Nebraska. They came into tonight’s game safely in the field of 64, but tonight’s win further solidified their already-strong resume. The Cornhuskers close out the regular season with series against Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan State, and are on track to make their first tournament appearance since 2021.
