At 12-9, Nebraska enters conference play with a near identical record to the 13-10 mark posted heading into 2017's Big Ten season. The main difference, however, is a few more glaring issues.

The Huskers have four injured star pitchers in an inexperienced bullpen. Key contributors like Zack Engelken, Paul Tillotson, Reece Eddins and Ethan Frazier are coming off injuries and the vast majority of the remainder haven't shown flashes of stardom yet.

"You've got guys that are in roles that, going into it, weren't expecting to be in those roles," head coach Darin Erstad said. "You've got your boys just lined up that have been there and done that - that's just not there right now. So that's what we have and we're going to find a way to make it work."

The Nebraska bullpen has allowed 21 runs over the last four games.

While NU may be close to getting Eddins back and Jake McSteen is working his way back into the bullpen, NU will have to find a way to hold off a strong Minnesota offense in the later innings.

The Huskers' offense, while significantly better than a year ago, can't keep the team afloat if it can't find the strike zone.

"You look at Minnesota, that's a quality baseball team with a lot of quality left-handed bats that can really hit," Erstad said. "We'll have our hands full."

On to the breakdown...