Nebraska’s Class of 2022 baseball signees

The early NCAA signing period for baseball recruits began on Wednesday, November 10, and we have confirmed all the NU commits below have signed their letters of intent with Nebraska.

This Husker Class of 2022 consists of eight scholarship and two preferred walk-on signees. Those prospects are broken down into eight high school and two junior college players.

Position-wise, the class consists of four right-handed pitchers [three from Millard], two left-handed pitchers, three potential two-way players, one shortstop, and one first baseman.

Geographically, NU head coach Will Bolt and crew continue to lock down the top in-state players with six new additions, plus two from Kansas, one from Colorado and one from Canada.

Position: RHP

Other offers: None [He was also being recruited by Wichita State, Marshall, Jackson State, and some Kansas community colleges.]

Notable: He finished his spring season with 42.2 innings pitched, while giving up 24 hits with 47 strikeouts, and a 1.96 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He got on Nebraska’s radar by attending baseball camps in Lincoln the past couple years. Berggren is also the starting quarterback for the Olathe East football team.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “Signing with Nebraska is a dream come true. I am very grateful and honored to be a Husker.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He’s another walk-on. Right-handed pitcher who’s super-athletic, and he was a high school quarterback. He’s someone we’ve been on for a while who we really like. He’s got a three-pitch mix and an upper-80s fastball, that is touching low-90s now. He’s just a strong kid. He powers the ball to the plate. He is a really, really good walk-on pickup for us. He and Mikey Pauley were kind of in the same boat and entertaining some football scholarship offers. Pauley was a little more highly recruited, but they are both successful high school quarterbacks. We feel good to be getting both of those guys.”

Position: SS/RHP [throws/right – bats/right]

Other offers: Minnesota, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and Xavier

Notable: Carey is cousins with former Husker pitcher Scott Fries. Carey comes from a family of Nebraska fans and he has attended numerous football games in Lincoln while growing up. The Prep Baseball Report rated Carey as the No. 1 prospect in Colorado in this2022 class, and the 188th prospect nationally. Carey is also an avid skier in Colorado. He stopped playing other sports once he got to high school, in order to concentrate on baseball.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “Signing with Nebraska was a dream come true. I’ve grown up cheering for the Huskers and it’s always been a dream to go to Nebraska. Now being able to say I’m going to be playing baseball for the Huskers just means the world to me. My mom’s side of the family all live in Nebraska so I was born a Husker fan.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He’s a shortstop and he’s super-athletic. His bat plays, so he’s going to be able to contribute as a freshman on both sides of the ball. He’s just kind of a natural, instinctive player.”

Position: LHP [throws/left- bats/left]

Other offers: Saint John’s

Notable: Clark is the second Canadian baseball prospect to sign with Nebraska under NU head coach Will Bolt. Class of 2021 Canadian shortstop Core Jackson is currently a freshmen middle infielder for the Cornhuskers. Both Clark and Jackson were put on Nebraska’s radar by former Husker Adam Stern, who was roommates with Will Bolt for two years while they both were in Lincoln and playing for Dave Van Horn. PerfectGame has ranked Clark the No. 299 overall prospect for the Class of 2022 and the No. 1 prospect in Canada overall for that class.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “I am super-excited to become a Cornhusker next year! All I have heard is how hungry and passionate both the fan base and players are, so I feel like I will fit right in.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He’s a Canadian kid. He’s a left-handed pitcher, and probably a first baseman type or maybe a corner outfielder. He probably projects with higher upside on the mound than at the plate, but he can swing it. On the mound he is really special. He’s kind of a low 3/4 slot, upper-80s to lower-90s with a really good breaking ball. He has pitched and competed at a high level all through his high school career. He’s going to be dang good! Him and Pauley may be two guys who may come down to the wire for us because of the [MLB] Draft attention.”

Position: LHP

Other offers: Ball State

Notable: Dreher was the closer for Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb., last season. He pitched 38.2 innings with a 4.66 ERA to go along with 60 strikeouts and 32 walks. He will have three years to complete two seasons of eligibility at Nebraska.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “It means everything to me,” Dreher said of getting the chance to play for the home state Huskers. “I’m super-excited and I know it’s a big deal. Not everyone gets to be in my shoes right now. I’m just very grateful for this! I was so impressed by them [last season]. That’s what Husker baseball is. I just want to be a part of it, you know?”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He can really, really spin the breaking ball. He came to one of our camps and showed really well. He fits into our culture and all of that. He’s got an upper-80s fastball, but he’s got a wipeout curveball. He is a walk-on.”

Position: OF/RHP [throws/right – bats/right]

Other offers: Oklahoma and Arizona State [Several other schools were in recruiting him and were on the verge of offering him as well.]

Notable: An outfielder and right-handed pitcher, Trey Frahm is a former Elkhorn high school product. He is good friends with current Husker players Max Anderson and Garrett Anglim, as well as former NU pitcher Cade Povich. He will have three years to complete two seasons of eligibility on the Division I level.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “It’s a dream come true! It’s definitely one of the better feeling so I’ve had in my entire life. It’s simply a dream come true. It’s going to be awesome coming home and playing for the ‘N’.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He is another in-state guy who went out to South Mountain junior college and he’s coming back [to Nebraska]. He’ll be a two-way guy as well. He’s a big, physical kid. I mean, he is just a country strong dude. He put up good numbers last year at South Mountain. He’ll also be a corner outfielder for us. He hit 13 home runs in junior college last year, and on the mound this fall he’s been up to 98 mph. He’s a mid-to-upper-90s guy with a good slider. I heard last week that someone had him rated as the No. 1 junior college player in the country. We see him as a middle of the order power threat, run-producer kind of bat; and then, come in late in the game and close it down with his power stuff.”

Position: OF/LHP [throws/left – bats/left]

Other offers: He was also being recruited by Creighton and Missouri

Notable: In-state prospect Lewis was the first commitment to NU’s Class of 2022. Lewis’ father, Peyton, played college baseball at Midland and Creighton, where he earned second-team All-America honors and was taken in the 18th round of the MLB Draft. His younger brother, Tyson, is an eighth-grade shortstop.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “I’m very excited to join a great program with great coaches and stuff. I’m really looking forward to my time in Lincoln.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He’s a left-handed hitting outfielder and he’s an in-state kid. He’s a pretty versatile kid, and he’s gotten stronger and more athletic as he’s gotten older. We signed him as a two-way guy, but the jury is out on whether he will pitch for us or not because he had a back injury. But he can do it all offensively. He’s got some power in his bat that’s going to continue to develop, as well as speed. He’s just gotten better and improved, and he’s got a really, really good arm from the outfield.”

Position: RHP

Other offers: Arkansas-Little Rock [Iowa and Creighton were recruiting him and were close to offering him.]

Notable: He is friends with Class of 2021 Husker commits Drew Christo and Luke Jessen.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “I have watched Husker baseball my whole life and now that I get the opportunity to be on the team is special to me. I’m very excited to get to work and I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “We’ve got a slew of right-handed pitchers [signees], and a lot of these guys are very similar. So, Nate Moquin, Brandon Lundquist and Sam Novotny are all in-state guys [from Millard]. They are all high school arms. They are all kind of similar, but they each have their own thing as well. Lundquist may be the most polished and college-ready guy right now. He’s coming off of Tommy John [surgery], but we project him to be a low-90s and maybe even mid-90s guy. He has a feel for three pitches.”

Position: RHP

Other offers: Creighton [He was being heavily recruited by Wichita State, LSU, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Alabama and Kansas State.]

Notable: Moquin is the No. 224 prospect in the country for the Class of 2022 according to Prep Baseball Report, as well as being a Perfect Game honorable mention All-American. He will be following in the footsteps of former Millard South Patriots players Kyle Perry and Drew Wessel in playing for Nebraska.

On becoming a Cornhusker: I’m excited to be a Husker. I’m looking forward to be able to learn from Coach Christy, Coach Childress, Coach Harvell, Coach Bolt and everyone down there. I’m excited to see how I can grow as a person and player in the culture that they have built down there. I’m excited to be a future part of a great program.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “Moquin was always a guy with a strong arm, and now the pitchability has come along the last year and 1/2 for him.”

Position: RHP

Other offers: Creighton [He was also being recruited by Kansas State and Butler.]

Notable: All three of the Husker pitching commits from Millard play on the Nebraska Prospects team together. This past summer and fall, Novotny had a 5-0 record in 32 innings pitched, with 46 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA. Both of his parents are Nebraska natives, but Sam Novotny was born in the state of Washington and lived there until the age of 14. The family moved back to Nebraska several years ago.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “I’m just super-excited. I think all the commits are ready to make a difference in this program. We all know that it’s an up and coming program, and I think we’re just to ready to go.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “Novotny is kind of the opposite of Moquin. He was the pitchability guy who had to be crafty and create some things, create some deception; and now his arm strength is starting to come on as he is getting older and stronger.”

Position: 1B/OF

Other offers: Missouri [He was also being recruited by Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas State, Purdue, Missouri State and Kansas. He had football scholarships from Kansas State and Kansas to play quarterback in college.]

Notable: Pauley has a lot of family connections to the state of Nebraska. His grandfather, Paul Blazevich, was the head football coach at Omaha Central high school; and he has a lot of relatives still living in the Omaha area.

On becoming a Cornhusker: “The process has been great. The coaches and all the guys there did a great job recruiting. They brought in a great group of guys in our 2022 class. Just with the tradition, the culture and the program, it’s very exciting to be a Husker officially now.”

Why did you decide to choose to play Division I baseball at Nebraska over college football at either Kansas State or Kansas?

“I just really thought back to the first time I got to meet the coaches and got to see it all, and it just really felt like home. I have a lot of family there, too, so it’s always been a special place to me. It’s what I narrowed it down to when I really thought about what I wanted to do.”

Coach Harvell’s comments: “He’s a big, physical kid with a big frame. He’s a power hitter. He’s caught in high school, but he has kind of outgrown that position just because of his size. We’re probably looking at bringing him in as a corner outfielder or maybe a first baseman. He’s a middle of the order type bat. He’s got big-time Power.”

This group of high school and junior college signees will not arrive in Lincoln until this coming summer.

Nebraska added a commitment from junior college left-handed pitcher Ryan Sleeper this past week as well, but he will not be signing his letter of intent until the spring signing period.

Nebraska played a Big Ten only schedule last season and compiled a 34-14 record while winning the conference championship in 2021, before they played at the Arkansas regional in the postseason.

The Huskers won three games in that Fayetteville regional, including beating the top seeded Razorbacks, before losing to them in the regional final game.

Will Bolt was named the B1G conference Coach of the Year after last season.

The 2022 Nebraska baseball schedule has not been released yet.