Add another catchy slogan to "gritty beats pretty."
"Execution is all about attitude," Nebraska baseball coach Will Bolt said Friday.
"You've got to have attitude to do it, and you've got to have the attitude of, I'm eager to get it done. Not, 'OK I'll try it if it comes up,' or, 'Maybe I'll give it a shot or just go through the motions with it,'" Bolt explained.
"You've got to have the attitude to do it."
The Huskers brought their attitude again in the series opener against Maryland, winning for the ninth time in 10 games by downing the Terrapins 6-2 in front of 2,361 at Haymarket Park.
In all facets, NU did what was needed. The Huskers scratched out a run in the top of the first against one of the top strikeout pitchers in the Big Ten in Maryland's Sean Burke, who came into the game second in the league with 47 punch-outs.
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With the game tied in the fifth, Joe Acker perfectly pulled off a slash play — showing bunt, then pulling the bat back and chopping the ball over a charging Maryland infielder.
Acker said the Huskers worked on the play all week after watching Maryland's bunt defense on film. The senior turned the hit into a double that put runners on second and third, and two batters later, Spencer Schwellenbach drove them both in with a go-ahead single to make it 3-1.
Acker became the first Husker with three doubles in a game since 2017. The first two of those two-baggers traveled a combined total of perhaps 300 feet.
"One through nine, you never know who's going to get the job done, and it's just kind of passing it on to the next guy," said Acker, who raised his season average to .312 with his 3-for-5 day at the plate. "And when you have the utmost belief in all your guys one through nine, it's pretty dang fun."
Brice Matthews got in on the fun, too, blasting a solo home run to center in the sixth inning and delivering an RBI single in the eighth. Those two hits came after the NU second baseman just missed connecting on three-run home runs in both the second and fourth innings.
The freshman from Texas, after going through a 1-for-12 stretch that went back to mid-March, is now 5-for-7 with a home run, a double and five RBIs in his past two games.
"(He) had to deal with a little bit of failure, and a little bit of guessing, and a little bit of getting caught in-between at times and maybe doubting himself for the first time in his life," Bolt said. "I can tell you this: all of his teammates and coaches have the utmost faith in him. He's an exceptional baseball player, he's an exceptional talent, he works incredibly hard, and he's an amazing teammate."
Maryland (9-11), which had won four of its last five games and shellacked Michigan 17-7 on Monday, got a firsthand look at Nebraska's camaraderie as the Huskers improved to 14-5 and strengthened their hold on first place in the Big Ten.Â
Whether it was Acker hustling home and hollering all the way to the dugout after scoring in the fifth, or Luke Roskam at first base getting his pitcher out of a jam, or Mojo Hagge making a diving catch in left field, or Cade Povich's teammates pouring out of the dugout to congratulate him after the NU ace delivered another strong start, the Huskers have the look of a program fully comfortable with winning.
Povich went 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five, and three relievers combined to hold Maryland to two hits while striking out four over the final 2 2/3 innings.
Schwellenbach, who worked his eighth straight scoreless inning to start the year, went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Matthews was 2-for-4, and Griffin Everitt added a hit as the No. 8 and 9 hitters in Nebraska's lineup combined to go 3-for-7 with two runs scored.
"We can beat you in so many ways," Acker said. "Just so many abilities for guys one through nine that they can do, that we're pretty dangerous when we're all clicking."