2024 Fall Report: Nebraska

Fall Report Patrick Ebert - November 1, 2024

It hasn’t taken long for Nebraska head coach Will Bolt to put his mark on the program. His best season might have been his first full year back in 2021, a team that has seen two of its best pitchers – Spencer Schwellenbach and Cade Povich – graduate to the big leagues. Bolt guided the Huskers back to the postseason for the second time in four years in 2024, seeing the season come to an end with a 1-2 showing at the Stillwater Regional, which included a pair of losses against an upstart Florida team that wasn’t going to be denied its second College World Series appearance in as many years.

And while the Cornhuskers didn’t win the Big Ten regular season championship last year – they finished second to Illinois – they did claim the tournament crown in impressive fashion. After they were dismantled by the Buckeyes in their very first game at the Big Ten Tournament they went on a 5-0 march, eliminating Purdue, Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State in order to capture the B1G’s automatic bid.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Nebraska has returned the bulk of the team that was so successful a year ago, going 40-22 overall and 16-8 within the conference. Gone are slugging catcher Josh Caron and staff ace Brett Sears, the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Year. And while those losses can’t be overlooked, the Huskers have an incredible amount of talent coming back to pick up where they left off.

“We have 26 returners from last year’s team. It’s the first time since I’ve been here at Nebraska that we’ve had more returners than newcomers, by a large margin,” Bolt said of his roster. “Pretty much all the guys we have back played a significant piece last year, we just need them to continue to develop in our program. They’ve been through it, they’ve seen it, they know what it’s like to win a championship.”

The 2025 season will of course have a new look as four former, long-time Pac-12 program will be joining the Big Ten: Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington. Those four teams raise the bar for the conference, and with that the teams will now be playing 30 regular season games within the conference as opposed to the 24 played in previous years.

From an RPI perspective, those changes should have a positive effect on all 17 Big Ten baseball teams. And for a program like Nebraska, which finished 2024 with the 29th-best RPI thanks to a competitive schedule that included six early-season road wins against Grand Canyon and College of Charleston, that is especially good news.

“You can’t replace experience; [our] guys played in a regional, we played a tough schedule last year, too, so there’s nothing they really haven’t seen at this point,” Bolt said in response to his team’s challenging early-season schedule, which includes nonconference series against Louisiana and Oregon State as well as participating in the Frisco College Baseball Classic. “It’s comforting knowing they’ve faced the best, they’ve seen what’s out there and what it has to look like to be a College World Series-caliber team, and we definitely have a schedule that’s going to set us up well.”

Power In Numbers

Like so many successful programs in the middle part of the country, Nebraska thrives at recruiting junior college players and continuing their development. Bolt noted that the process often takes a second year for players to start to reach their full potential, which could be especially good news considering several of their projected regulars – including first baseman Tyler Stone, center fielder Riley Silva and third baseman Joshua Overbeek.

Stone, who hit eight home runs in his debut season with the Huskers, was dealing with an injured shoulder to his non-throwing arm this fall but was expected to start swinging the bat again within a week of my conversation with Bolt. Silva batted .256 in 2024 but got on base at a .406 clip and stole 32 bases in 35 attempts while playing lock down defense in center field. Overbeek could be the best player on the team looking ahead to 2025, a third baseman who slashed .276/.394/.432 with 16 extra-base hits including six home runs, stealing 16 bases and committing just six errors at the hot corner.

At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, you can expect to find Overbeek batting towards the top of the lineup, playing third base and regularly hitting the ball hard to all parts of the field.

“We hope to see Overbeek [make a big jump],” Bolt said. “We don’t need him to be Superman, we just need him to keep getting better. He was one of the better hitters down the stretch in terms of average exit velocity.”

Second baseman Cayden Brumbaugh was added to the same conversation even though he transferred from Oklahoma State and not a junior college. His development path, however, has been slowed as he didn’t get much playing time as a true freshman in Stillwater, he missed the entire 2023 season due to injury and was also banged up a year ago which caused him to miss a fair amount of time. As a result, he has also missed valuable development time over the summer months, but is a key catalyst both offensively and defensively, serving as the team’s leadoff hitter with the athleticism to play both second base and center field.

Righthanded slugger Gabe Swansen was expected to be a big part of the team’s run production after hitting 18 home runs the year before. But heading into the Big Ten Tournament he had a fairly ho-hum season, leading to more of a part-time role. His bat absolutely exploded in Omaha, and he hit seven of his eight home runs when his team needed him to step up the most over their last eight games, including four at the Stillwater Regional. He finished the year slashing .327/.385/.653 and was locked in all fall.

“Swansen was probably the best hitter in the country for the last three weeks last year,” Bolt said. “He had a great fall, hit the ball extremely hard.”

Swansen has played left field and first base and also will serve as the team’s designated hitter, and as long as he avoids another near season-long slump, you can expect to see his name in the Huskers’ lineup on an everyday basis.

Joining Swansen in the middle of the lineup will be a key transfer, Cael Frost, who slashed .387/.461/.766 with 12 doubles and 10 home runs for South Dakota State a year ago on his way to being named the Summit League’s Player of the Year. Like Swansen, Frost also hit the ball consistently hard this spring, and his lefthanded bat likely will find its way into the lineup as the team’s regular right fielder.

A pair of second-year, lefthanded sluggers who went out and enjoyed big summer seasons in the Northwoods League are Case Sanderson and Max Buettenback. Sanderson finished second on the team in hitting a year ago, slashing .338/.469/.450 in year one, and he’s expected to take his power game to another level in year two. He’s also playing first base exclusively this year and has really settled in at the position both offensively and defensively. Buettenback arrived in Lincoln as a catcher but now looks more like a prototypical right fielder with a strong and physical 6-foot-1, 215-pound build.

Playing for the La Crosse Loggers, Sanderson slashed .359/.505/.545 with 13 doubles and five home runs in 46 summer games. Buettenback recorded a .393/.504/.598 line with 14 doubles, nine homers and 31 stolen bases in 57 games for the Willmar Stingers.

Despite having so many intriguing sources of power on the corners, up the middle of the field is where Nebraska’s true strength lies positionally. That conversation starts with shortstop Dylan Carey, who showed more power (18 doubles, 7 homers) in his second year with the team than he did during a promising freshman campaign. That power surge came with a price, striking out 63 times in 61 games, and Bolt expects Carey to become the complete package heading into his junior year.

Seeing most of the time behind the plate will be Hogan Helligso, who transferred from nearby Creighton after slashing .286/.377/.403 in three productive seasons with the Bluejays. Helligso may not come close to matching Josh Caron’s power production, but his catch-and-throw skills make him a tremendous asset defensively. JUCO transfer Kanon Sundgren (Weatherford College) will serve as the primary backup at catcher.

Another JUCO transfer that figures to receive plenty of playing time after a promising fall is Robby Bolin. Bolin’s profile is similar to that of Silva, a premium athlete who can really, really run while covering a ton of ground in the outfield. Bolt noted that if the situation called for it he could line up Bolin, Silva and Brumbaugh in the outfield, which would essentially be playing three center fielders at the same time.

Adding to the team’s positional depth is infielder Rhett Stokes, who led the team in hitting a year ago (.360), seeing substantial time at second base when Brumbaugh was injured. Stokes saw a lot of time at third base this fall, and will undoubtedly see regular playing time even if it’s not at the same position from one game to the next. Outfielders Will Jesske and Hayden Lewis, who is also a lefthanded pitcher, add further depth to a team that has no shortage of players that could make a potential impact.

“I think we’ve got some different, versatile pieces that we could play some different lineups if we need to depending on who we’re facing or maybe what the weather conditions are,” Bolt said. “The older, more experienced lineup you have the better shot you have at being successful.”

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Deep Staff Could Lead to Deep Run

While Nebraska is capable of putting plenty of runs on the board, it’s the pitching that especially stood out a year ago under the guidance of pitching coach Rob Childress. The Huskers’ staff ERA was 4.60 during the 2024 season, good for the 26th-best mark in the nation, and Sears (9-1, 2.16) made them especially unbeatable on Fridays.

At this time a year ago, however, Bolt didn’t know Sears would be his eventual ace. He made significant strides between the end of the 2023 season and the beginning of 2024, starting last year as the Huskers Saturday starter. In mid-March he was inserted as the team’s staff ace on his way to being named a Second Team All-American by D1 Baseball.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Bolt identified four pitchers that currently are in the best position to earn starting roles and all four played significant roles in the team’s 2024 success: Righthanders Mason McConnaughey and Ty Horn and lefthanders Will Walsh and Jackson Brockett.

McConnaughey opened the 2024 season in the bullpen and pitched well. At the time he was essentially a two-pitch guy sequencing between his low-90s fastball and his low-80s slider, which is his best pitch. With a strong and sturdy 6-foot-3, 225-pound build, he sustains his velocity well, and when Sears was promoted to the team’s staff ace, McConnaughey was inserted into the weekend rotation. He finished the year 9-3, 3.45 in 17 games, 11 of which were starts, with a 91-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 73 innings. It’s expected all of those numbers move up a notch during his junior year as he continues to improve.

“McConnaughey by virtue of his competitiveness and his ability to set the tone for the staff, and throw the ball over the plate, he looks to be a potential Friday-type guy,” Bolt said. “He’s been there, done that, he pitched in a regional on a championship club – he pitched in some big games for us and pitched really, really well. He spent the summer here fine-tuning his body and getting stronger. He was able to work on some things with his fastball where there’s more 93s and 94s in there. He can play at the top of the zone and there’s some turbo-sink in there, too, with the two-seamer. He’s got the devasting breaking ball and he really worked on the changeup, too.”

Walsh and Brockett are both senior lefthanders with a wealth of experience. Walsh is in his fifth year with the program, previously used as a two-way player given how well he swings the bat, but this fall he focused exclusively on pitching. He has confounded hitters by commanding his mid- to upper-80s fastball so well, but his focus since the end of last season has been velocity training, working on his movement profile to speed up his delivery and get down the mound more quickly. As a result his 86-88 mph fastball is now touching more 90s and 91s, with a small handful of 92s sprinkled in. His slider also has more bite, and for a pitcher that has provided a key start in each of the last two Big Ten Tournaments, that’s good news for the Huskers.

Brockett looked sharp this fall, commanding his three-pitch mix well, including an upper-80s to low-90s fastball, a low-80s slider and a changeup. His primary focus has been reducing walks and commanding the zone, an area he showed significant improvement in already a year ago going 3-3, 4.91 in a swing role.

The pitcher Bolt perked up the most about was sophomore righthander Horn, who took the biggest step forward of any Husker and could be poised for a big breakout season. He finished his freshman year with a 5.91 ERA in 13 appearances, striking out 19 in 21 1/3 innings, but he was especially dominant in his last two, coming out of the bullpen against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament and Florida in the Stillwater Regional to strike out six total batters in three combined innings without allowing a base hit or issuing a free pass.

Horn’s stuff was plenty good then, sitting in the 93-94 mph range with his fastball and mixing in a sharp upper-70s slider, and the stuff continues to tick up.

“Ty Horn was probably the most impressive of all, in my estimation, this fall,” Bolt said. “His last outing in the fall world series was impressive just knowing it was going to be the last impression going into the offseason. [He was] up to 95 with the heater, four-pitch mix, pounded the strike zone – he was dominant. He’s always had that front-line stuff.”

Last year’s Friday ace to open the season, Drew Christo, was moved to the bullpen to serve as a valuable long man and really responded positively to the role down the stretch. He commands a four-pitch mix well that includes a low- to mid-90s fastball, a hard cutter and a changeup, posting a 4.62 ERA last year in 17 appearances spanning 60 1/3 innings. Christo, along with lefthanders Jalen Worthley and Caleb Clark will each provide length out of the bullpen with the ability to start games as needed.

Worthley was 3-0, 3.60 with five saves in 22 relief appearances a year ago, commanding the strike zone well as evidenced by his 33-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35 innings, allowing just 29 base hits during that time. Worthley has continued to progress and will continue to be one of the first options called out of the bullpen in an attempt to secure victories.

“When you talk about building a staff back to front, we feel like we get better as the game goes along at times with those guys in the ‘pen versus if they were starting,” Bolt said of his depth of starting options. “They’re better suited in a bullpen role, maybe they bounce back better, maybe they just relish that every day, ‘Wear your spikes and be ready to pitch’ mentality. It’s pretty rare having a pitching staff of guys that are so selfless that just want to help the team win.”

Bolt identified three other pitchers as playing crucial roles on the team, most likely at the back-end of the bullpen as each is best suited to record a key strikeout when the situation calls for it.

Tucker Timmerman experienced some ups and downs in his first year with the program, but he was thrown right into the fire pitching himself in and out of some high leverage situations all season long. His 8.10 ERA doesn’t accurately depict his effectiveness at times, really going after hitters with a low-90s sinking fastball, a slider and a plus changeup. He spent his summer pitching in the Alaska League and is yet another option to start, but Bolt likes his mentality more coming out of the ‘pen with the ability to pitch his way through the lineup.

Another potential starter is Carson Jasa, a redshirt freshman who didn’t see any time last year but is really expected to open eyes this upcoming season. Jasa has the best pure stuff on the staff, sitting in the mid-90s while touching 97-98 while throwing a split, a slider and a cutter. He comes right at you with his 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame, which makes any matchup with him more challenging. Jasa is yet another candidate to start games.

Ideally Bolt would like to see Luke Broderick settle into the closer’s role. Another well-built righthander (6-3/220) that transferred to Nebraska from Iowa Western, Broderick throws 94-95 mph cutting fastballs every time he takes the mound, putting batters away with a tough slider. He has the slow heart beat and swing-and-miss stuff made to close out ballgames and is yet another member of the Nebraska staff that could explode in the spring after going 7-1, 3.21 as a starter at the JUCO level.

Senior righthanders Casey Daiss and Evan Borst provide even more depth and experience. Righthanders Trey Frahm and Ryan Harrahill and lefthanders Grant Cleavinger and Hayden Lewis extend that depth even further.

Freshmen that stood out this fall and could receive meaningful innings include righthanders Pryce Bender, J’Shawn Unger, Blake Encarnacion and Gavin Blachowicz as well as lefthander Colin Nowaczyk. This quintet, as well as another JUCO transfer, righthander TJ Coats, may find innings difficult to come by during the 2025 season but represent an encouraging future wave of talent the program will undoubtedly turn to in years to come.

“It’s certainly something that we try to hang our hats on, that development piece of it, so you don’t just turn your roster over every year by scouring the portal,” Bolt said of the program’s success developing players. “I think it’s even more important with the 34-man roster coming up next year that you’ve got some guys that you really, really like coming back because then you don’t have to go and get such a huge number of transfers. What we’ve really settled in on is that pitching piece of it where you’re always able to develop those arms. That’s the blueprint Nebraska’s had for our very, very best teams.”

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