On a marathon Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska baseball punched its ticket to the Big Ten Tournament championship game by winning twice at Charles Schwab Field — toppling top-seeded Oregon 7-3 in the morning and knocking off Penn State 6-3 in the evening semifinal.
The eighth-seeded Cornhuskers (31-27) will now face No. 2 seed UCLA (42-15) in Sunday’s final at 2 p.m. EDT. The game will air live on Big Ten Network. With an automatic NCAA Tournament bid at stake, Nebraska needs the win to extend its season. UCLA, meanwhile, is playing for a possible regional host seed.
Doubleheader Dominance
Nebraska opened the day by taking down Oregon with timely hitting and solid pitching. Lefty Jackson Brockett went six innings and allowed just one run on six hits, while Will Walsh secured the save with three innings of relief.
The Huskers jumped out early thanks to Gabe Swansen’s two-run homer in the first inning. Riley Silva went 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs. Nebraska capitalized on four Oregon errors and piled up 11 hits, sending the top-seeded Ducks home earlier than expected.
Hours later, Swansen again delivered in the semifinal. With Nebraska clinging to a 4-3 lead in the seventh, the veteran slugger blasted a two-run homer into the right-center field seats to give the Huskers breathing room and a 6-3 lead over Penn State.
No big deal @GabeSwansen 💥#B1GBaseball x @HuskerBaseball pic.twitter.com/HDoZsXbYN5
— Nebraska On BTN (@NebraskaOnBTN) May 25, 2025
The Huskers’ bullpen took it from there. Jackson Christo threw three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win, and Kyle Broderick slammed the door with his 12th save.
That'll do it for the Huskers ‼️@HuskerBaseball is heading back to the #B1GBaseball tournament title game 🤩 pic.twitter.com/A3dIKQoDyh
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 25, 2025
UCLA’s Balanced Attack
Earlier in the day, UCLA secured its spot in the final with a convincing 9-3 win over Iowa in the first semifinal. The Bruins used a five-run fourth inning to break the game open and cruised from there.
That feeling when you’re going to the champ game 😁#B1GBaseball x @UCLABaseball pic.twitter.com/rIDYaklUXb
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 24, 2025
Roch Cholowsky, the Big Ten Player of the Year, continued his torrid stretch at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI. It was his third homer of the weekend and seventh in the past eight games.
He's 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐡'𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧'
▫️7 HR in the last 8 games
▫️3 HR on the weekend
▫️23 HR on the year#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/4pwTnojhQ6— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) May 24, 2025
Dean West reached base four times and scored four runs for UCLA. Michael Barnett earned the win, improving to 11-1 on the season, and four relievers combined to allow just one run and one hit over the final four innings.
Home Crowd Advantage
While UCLA will be the designated home team, the atmosphere on Sunday will be anything but neutral. Charles Schwab Field is expected to be packed with red as Nebraska aims for a second straight Big Ten Tournament championship on home turf.
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT on BTN. The Bruins are chasing a regional hosting spot. The Huskers are playing for survival.
The 2025 Big Ten Baseball Tournament began May 20 and runs through May 25 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
All games are televised on Big Ten Network and streamable via the Fox Sports App with participating cable providers. This year’s field expanded to 12 teams, split into four pools — A, B, C and D — with only pool winners advancing to the semifinals on May 24. The championship game is set for Sunday, May 25.
Pool A includes Oregon, Nebraska and Michigan State. Pool B features UCLA, Michigan and Illinois. Pool C includes Iowa, Indiana and Rutgers. Pool D features USC, Washington and Penn State.
Tiebreakers follow seed-based advancement rules. Full seeding procedures are detailed here (PDF).
According to the Big Ten’s official tournament page, the 12-team tournament will determine the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Oregon and UCLA shared the Big Ten regular-season title, with Oregon claiming the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs Monday, May 26, at 12 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.
Nebraska won the 2024 Big Ten Tournament, defeating Penn State 2-1 as the No. 2 seed. The Big Ten’s most successful programs in tournament history include Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota, each with 10 titles. Indiana and Illinois have four each.
In the latest D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings published May 19, Oregon is ranked No. 4 and UCLA is No. 13.
2025 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Schedule
All Game Start Times Are Eastern Daylight Time
Second Game of Each Session Will Begin Approximately 30 Minutes After the Conclusion of the First Game
Tuesday–Sunday, May 20–25
Charles Schwab Field – Omaha, Nebraska
Tuesday, May 20 – Opening Games
Game 1: No. 11 Illinois 6, No. 6 Michigan 5 – Final (F/10)
Game 2: No. 10 Rutgers 5, No. 3 Indiana 2 – Final
Game 3: No. 8 Nebraska 5, No. 9 Michigan State 4 – Final
Wednesday, May 21 – Pool Play Begins
Game 4: No. 2 UCLA 8, No. 11 Illinois 6 – Final
Game 5: No. 9 Penn State 5, No. 5 Washington 3 – Final
Game 6: No. 4 Iowa 4, No. 10 Rutgers 3 – Final
Thursday, May 22 – Pool Play Continues
Game 7: No. 2 UCLA 7, No. 6 Michigan 5 – Final
Game 8: No. 9 Penn State 2, No. 4 USC 1 – Final
Game 9: No. 1 Oregon 4, No. 9 Michigan State 2 – Final
Game 10: No. 3 Indiana 5, No. 4 Iowa 0 – Final
Friday, May 23 – Pool Play Concludes
Game 11: No. 4 USC 6, No. 5 Washington 5 – Final
Game 12: No. 8 Nebraska 7, No. 1 Oregon 3 – Final
Semifinalists Clinched:
• No. 2 UCLA clinched Pool B after defeating Illinois and Michigan
• No. 4 Iowa clinched Pool C due to head-to-head win over Rutgers and tiebreaker over Indiana
• No. 9 Penn State clinched Pool D by going 2-0 against Washington and USC
• No. 8 Nebraska clinched Pool A by defeating Oregon
Saturday, May 24 – Semifinals
Game 13: No. 8 Nebraska 6, No. 9 Penn State 3 – Final
Game 14: No. 2 UCLA 9, No. 4 Iowa 3 – Final
Sunday, May 25 – Championship Game
Game 15: No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 2 UCLA – 2:00 p.m.
