With Nebraska baseball’s season set to begin in under three weeks, the Huskers’ 40-man roster features a good mix of returners from last season’s core, as well as new faces expected to make an immediate impact.
Nebraska will play four games in four days beginning with the three-game MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona next month. Big Red will play two games in Scottsdale at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick — against UC Irvine on Friday, Feb. 14, and SEC power Vanderbilt on Saturday, Feb. 15 — those are two 2024 NCAA Regional participants. The Huskers then travel to Mesa to play San Diego St. at Sloan Park on Sunday, Feb. 16, before heading to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon on Monday, Feb. 17.
Nebraska saw 19 players from last year’s roster depart the program, including key pieces in Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Brett Sears, and catcher Josh Caron. The Huskers return 23 players and brought in 17 new ones, including nine freshmen and eight transfers.
Of those 23 players returners, junior pitcher Mason McConnaughey is an important one. The junior right-hander was recently tabbed a preseason third-team All-American by D1Baseball.
After spending one season at Cloud County Community College in Kansas where he was first-team All-KJCCC and second-team All-Region 6 in 2023, McConnaughey transferred to Nebraska and had a breakout 2024 in his first season of Big Ten baseball.
McConnaughey began the season in the bullpen before earning a spot in the starting rotation midseason. The native of Topeka, Kan., appeared in 17 games and started 11 along the way to recording a 9-3 record with an earned-run average of 3.45, second-best on the team behind Sears’ 2.16. McConnaughey struck out 91 batters in 73 innings of work and held them to a .239 battling average, leading him to be named second-team All-Big Ten.
No roles are established at this point, but McConnaughey seems like a strong bet to be the Friday night starter now that Sears is off competing in the Atlanta Braves organization.
Knowing there was room for improvement after his summer and fall last year, McConnaughey, who spoke with the media last week, went to work to improve his game from last season.
First, he wanted to sit down with the nutrition staff. Together, they came up with a goal for him to shed 10 pounds. Thanks to eating right and his work in the weight room, McConnaughey achieved that goal and will start the season listed at 6-3 and 220 pounds.
McConnaughey never thought he was the fastest guy on a baseball diamond before the weight drop, but he does feel smoother, quicker and, maybe most important, just as strong.
During fall ball, McConnaughey, who will throw a fastball, changeup and curveball again this season, was focused on gaining confidence with one specific pitch — his changeup. He wants to throw more first strikes with it.
“Being able to throw more quality strikes — moving left, right, up, down across the plate,” McConnaughey said of what he wants to improve this season. “Not necessarily just throwing a baseball over the plate, because sometimes those mistakes can get punished when you face good hitters like that.”
As a pitcher, McConnaughey said he’s always wanted to make a hitter respect at least three different pitches. Going into battle with just two or one usually doesn’t go well.
“If you can command a changeup and a breaking ball for a strike, then your fastball will play up in the end,” McConnaughey said.
A new season means a second Big Ten campaign working with pitching coach Rob Childress, too. McConnaughey said he didn’t truly understand just how important the mental side of baseball is until he met Childress.
McConnaughey thought pitching was mostly physical. In reality, though, much of the game is played between the ears. Childress helped get that through to him.
“My first fall here, I struggled. Wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. But definitely learning to simplify the game of baseball and then understanding that you need to be in a competitive mindset at all times, I credit him for that and the mental aspect of the game,” McConnaughey said of Childress’ impact.
Nebraska head coach Will Bolt has seen the ups and downs from McConnaughey, who went from a young JUCO player who entered the program not knowing what to expect role-wise, to not having a good fall, to seeing his confidence drop, to then becoming one of the best arms Nebraska has to now being tabbed a preseason All-American.
“We all saw what he was capable of doing. Once he got out there and mastered his role in the pen, got a little bit more (confidence) as the season went along,” Bolt said. “He’s just not a guy who’s going to take it too serious to be honest, and I say that in the most flattering way possible in that, he’s a kid who wasn’t even going to play college baseball until kind of last minute in his high school career.”
Now operating with a confidence he didn’t have this time last year, McConnaughey is showing the kind of stuff this offseason that leads Bolt to believe Nebraska could have a special season from a special player.
“He really cherishes the opportunities he has here, and he’s very confident right now,” Bolt said. “He’s worked incredibly hard on his body, he’s moving faster, velocity has ticked up a little bit. He’s leading from the front.”
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