Nobody saw it coming. Or maybe we all should have. When the dust settled at Charles Schwab Field in late May, the scoreboard told a story that felt like a fever dream for the rest of the conference but a destiny for the locals. Nebraska, the number eight seed, didn’t just win the 2025 Big Ten baseball tournament—they basically owned it.
They blanked UCLA 5-0 in the final.
Think about that for a second. UCLA, the West Coast powerhouse in its very first year in the Big Ten, came in with all the hype and a number two seed. They were supposed to be the "new blood" that took over. Instead, they got a face full of Husker red and a pitching masterclass from Ty Horn that people in Lincoln will be talking about for a decade.
The New Look of the Big Ten
The 2025 season was weird. We had Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington officially in the mix, and honestly, it felt like the conference identity was having a bit of a mid-life crisis. The tournament format even changed to accommodate the bigger field. We went to a 12-team pool play setup.
It was a gauntlet.
Twelve teams divided into four pools. You basically had to be perfect just to get out of your group. Oregon took the number one seed, followed by UCLA at two and Iowa at three. The schedule was relentless, starting Tuesday, May 20, and running through that high-stakes Sunday finale.
How Nebraska Pulled Off the Impossible
If you looked at the regular season standings, Nebraska was... fine. They finished 15-15 in conference play. Just middle of the pack. But Omaha is different. When the 2025 Big Ten baseball tournament rolls into Charles Schwab Field, that stadium turns into a home-field advantage that is honestly kind of unfair.
Over 15,000 fans showed up for the championship game.
It wasn't just the crowd, though. Ty Horn was the story. He went eight innings, gave up only three hits, and threw 118 pitches. You don't see that kind of endurance much in the modern "bullpen game" era. He just kept carving up a UCLA lineup that had been scoring runs at will all week.
The Turning Point
The game stayed tense until the second and third innings. Nebraska’s offense, led by Dylan Carey and Rhett Stokes, started chipping away at UCLA’s Landon Stump. Then Devin Nunez, the freshman designated hitter, absolutely launched a two-run homer in the third.
That was it.
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You could feel the air leave the UCLA dugout. When a freshman hits a ball that hard in a championship environment, it sends a message. The Huskers didn't need another run the rest of the day.
A Tournament of Upsets
It wasn't just the final that was wild. The entire 2025 Big Ten baseball tournament was a mess of "wait, what just happened?" results.
- Illinois stunned Michigan: In the very first game of the tournament, the 11-seeded Illini took down the 7-seeded Wolverines 6-5 in 10 innings.
- Penn State's run: The Nittany Lions (No. 9 seed) beat USC and Washington to win Pool D. They eventually ran into the Nebraska buzzsaw in the semifinals, but they proved the bottom half of the bracket was dangerous.
- The Pool C Tiebreaker: This was a mess. Iowa, Indiana, and Rutgers all finished pool play with 1-1 records. Because Iowa was the highest seed, they advanced. It felt a bit hollow for Indiana, who had actually beaten Iowa 5-0 in their head-to-head matchup, but those are the rules.
The All-Tournament Stars
While Roch Cholowsky from UCLA took home the Most Outstanding Player award—which is a bit of a rarity for a player on the losing team—the All-Tournament team was littered with Huskers.
Jackson Brockett and Luke Broderick represented the Nebraska arms, while Cayden Brumbaugh and Gabe Swansen occupied the dirt and grass. It was a well-rounded performance that proved Nebraska wasn't just a "hot team" but a deeply talented one that finally clicked at the right time.
Why This Matters for 2026 and Beyond
The 2025 Big Ten baseball tournament proved that the expansion didn't just add teams; it added a massive target. The "traditional" Big Ten schools like Nebraska and Iowa aren't just going to hand over the keys to the West Coast programs.
If you're a fan looking forward to the 2026 season, here is what you need to keep an eye on:
- Pitching Depth is King: The pool play format rewards teams with at least three reliable starters. If you have to dip into a shaky bullpen by Thursday, you're done.
- Home Field Advantage: As long as this tournament stays in Omaha, Nebraska is the perennial favorite, regardless of their seed. The atmosphere is just too heavy for road teams to handle in a one-game-take-all scenario.
- The Freshman Factor: Players like Devin Nunez showed that you can't rely solely on veterans in May. The long season grinds down the seniors; you need young legs to provide that spark in the postseason.
The road to the College World Series still goes through the Big Ten, and after the chaos we saw in 2025, it’s clear that the hierarchy of Midwestern baseball has never been more volatile—or more exciting.