Baseball Weekend Preview: Sam Houston

The Nebraska baseball team (0-0) opens up the 2022 season on Friday with a four-game series against Sam Houston (0-0). The Huskers traveled South to Huntsville, Texas for this series where they will play four games in three days, with a doubleheader set for Saturday. This first matchup will start a run of non-conference games that are on the road until Nebraska’s home opener on March 11 against Long Beach State.

The 2022 season is the first full non-conference season since 2019, making it the first full season that Will Bolt will be head coaching. Last season’s conference-only schedule found the Big Red finishing at the top of the Big Ten with a 31-12 record, and capturing their 12th conference title.

Following the conference championship, the Huskers drew the Fayetteville regional with number-one ranked Arkansas. NU won two of the first three games, while losing to the Razorbacks, and in the fourth, they upset the hosts. However, that wasn’t enough, and in the double-elimination regional, Arkansas knocked out Nebraska.

Hosting a regional this season is the goal for the Huskers, but as many of the players and coaches have said, they can’t rush that. The first series against Sam Houston will start the path to achieve that goal.

Friday, 6:30 p.m.: LHP Kyle Perry (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA

Saturday, 2:00 p.m. (7 inn): RHP Shay Schanaman (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA

Saturday, 5:30 p.m.: RHP Dawson McCarville (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA

Sunday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Braxton Bragg (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA

***Game one can be streamed on ESPN+, and all four games can be heard on Husker Sports Radio Network.

Plenty of new faces on the mound

The Huskers saw nine players graduate last season, and another get drafted. Because of this, the Big Red will see a lot of new faces on the field, but more specifically, on the mound.

Dawson McCarville, from Grand Canyon University, will start on the mound for NU on Saturday. The senior grad transfer is 6-3, 215 and posted a 1.36 ERA in conference appearances in 2021 for the Lopes.

Drew Christo is a freshman this year who is 6-4, 230 and made a splash in high school baseball. The Elkhorn native was ranked by Perfect Game as the top recruit out of Nebraska, and in the top 20 right-handed pitchers in the nation. Although Christo is not slated to start this weekend, coach Bolt has said that he will be on the mound in big moments this season.

Mason Ornelas is a junior transfer from Texas A&M with three years of eligibility. The 6-foot, 210-pound RHP appeared in 18 games in 2021 for the Aggies and posted a 3-2 record with a 5.11 ERA. Ornelas will likely come out of the bullpen to aid this Nebraska pitching staff.

Returning leaders

Although there are a lot of new faces, the Huskers are also returning some of 2021’s most impactful players.

Max Anderson was Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season and a Second-Team All-Big Ten player. The sophomore started 45 games last season and finished second on the team from the plate, hitting .332 with 61 hits. Although he isn’t as much of a vocal leader, Anderson will look to continue leading by example.

Kyle Perry will start for the Big Red on Friday, and this year he is healthy to start the season. Last offseason, Perry had Tommy John’s surgery, which put him out for almost the entire regular season, until his return where he pitched six innings in three games. The senior is one of the only Huskers to have played an entire non-conference schedule.

New look for the outfield

With three graduating seniors in last year’s outfield, Nebraska will also likely see three new faces there as well.

Cam Chick is a returner for the Huskers, but will likely be in a new role in 2022. Chick was named a team captain this season, and after last season where he spent most of the year as a designated hitter, he will likely move to the outfield, where he has seen sparse minutes. In 2021, Chick had a fielding percentage of .938, and hit .260 from the plate. The senior played in 44 games last season, and will lead this new group of outfielders.

Leighton Banjoff saw 21 appearances in 2021, all in the outfield, so he is likely to be a leader of that group. Banjoff averaged .255 from the plate last season and drove in seven runs for NU. The junior also had a fielding percentage of 1.000.

Luke Sartori is likely the third piece of this outfield. The junior played in five games last season, mostly just fielding, but he got one at-bat in 2021. Sartori recorded a hit in his only 2021 at-bat, making his batting average 1.000 on the season. The Lincoln native has been highly praised by coach Bolt as a solid defender.

***Sam Houston won the last outing between these two teams in 2019, and they hold a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series. NU’s only win came back in 2009.

***Head coach Jay Sirianni is in his third season with the Bearkats. He graduated from Nebraska in 2001 after playing alongside coach Bolt.

***The Bearkats are coming off a 30-25 season where they lost in their conference championship to McNeese. They are now a part of the WAC Conference where they are picked second in their division in the official preseason poll.