Nebraska freshman lefty Kyle Kubat, 5-0/2.25 ERA will get the ball for the Huskers on Wednesday as they open up Big Ten Tournament play in Columbus, OH against Michigan State. The Omaha native was 4-0 in the Big Ten play which included a 3-0 record in three starts.  The Spartans are set to throw senior right-hander Tony Bucciferro, who is 5-3 on the year in 14 starts, including two complete games.

Nebraska (34-21, 14-10 Big Ten) makes its return to the postseason for the first time since 2008 when it opens play. Wednesday’s 11:05 (C.T.) matchup will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 1982 when the Huskers won back-to-back games on March 21 and 22. The Spartans won the first ever meeting, 6-0, on June 12, 1937.

The Nebraska baseball team (34-21, 14-10 Big Ten) secured the No. 4 seed at next week’s Big Ten Tournament with a 7-3 win over the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon at Wilpon Complex. The Huskers will face the Michigan State Spartans, who also won on Saturday, but finished the year one-game behind Nebraska in the conference standing.

The Huskers are scheduled to head to Columbus, Ohio, Sunday to start preparation for the 2012 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, which opens on Wednesday, May 23, at Huntington Park. Every game of the tournament will be shown live on the Big Ten Network and Nebraska will open play at 11:05 a.m. (CT) on Wednesday against the Spartans, and the Huskers will be the home team in the game.