LINCOLN — Nebraska baseball defeated South Dakota State 4-1 in the Lincoln Regional opener on May 29, 2026. The game was played at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, before an announced crowd of 7,828—the stadium was filled to capacity with spectators occupying all seats, berms, and standing areas along the rails.

Carson Jasa started for Nebraska and pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits, two walks, and one hit batter while recording eight strikeouts on 92 pitches. He earned the win to improve his season record to 9-2. Jasa also surpassed Shane Komine’s 2002 total to record the fifth-most strikeouts in a single season by a Nebraska pitcher.

Nebraska left two runners on base in each of the first two innings and stranded another in the third. In the bottom of the fourth, Jett Buck led off with a double after his liner deflected off the third baseman’s glove. Joshua Overbeek followed with a single to left field, putting runners on the corners. Trey Fikes then hit a line drive that scored Buck for the game’s first run. Rhett Stokes executed a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and Mac Moyer grounded out to the right side to plate Overbeek, giving Nebraska a 2-0 lead after four innings.

South Dakota State threatened in the top of the sixth when Carson Jasa hit Carter Taylor with a pitch and Dayton Franke followed with a single, moving Taylor to third. Keagan Jirschele attempted a squeeze bunt but was thrown out at home. Matthew Werk then singled to left with runners on first and second, but Buck threw out Franke at the plate.

Reliever J’Shawn Unger entered and allowed a single to Owen Siegert that scored Jirschele, trimming Nebraska’s lead to 2-1. Unger walked the next batter to load the bases but struck out Nate Wachter to end the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Dylan Carey hit a solo home run off reliever Ty Madison, and Buck followed with a solo shot to right-center field, extending the lead to 4-1.

Unger recorded four strikeouts over 2.2 innings to earn his 13th save, closing the game by striking out Jirschele and Werk in the ninth. Nebraska, hosting an NCAA baseball regional for the first time in 18 years, is scheduled to play again on Saturday at 7:06 p.m. at Haymarket Park against the winner of the Arizona State–Ole Miss game.

"They haven't hosted a Regional since I was in high school, so I wasn't going to miss bringing her out to one," fan Kaleb Henry said. "It's a special weekend because you've got this going on in Lincoln, and obviously all the magic in Oklahoma City. It's just special to be a Husker fan right now, and for a lot of us to be able to share it with our family, that's the biggest part."