Rise of pitching depth headlines 5 Nebraska baseball fall takeaways

Twelve months ago, Sears was just beginning to make his surprise move from mid-leverage Husker reliever to Big Ten pitcher of the year. Last week, he took in much of the Red-White series and saw no shortage of candidates who could carry similar — if less extreme — momentum into 2025.

Pitching was undoubtedly the theme of Nebraska’s fall workouts. For a staff that returns 70% of its innings — innings that led the Big Ten in earned-run average and ranked second nationally in fewest walks allowed per nine — there’s plenty of room for new arms to stretch.

Sears is now a pro, with his former job as Friday ace likely going to last year’s Saturday starter and All-Big Ten second-teamer Mason McConnaughey. Beyond that, Nebraska needed to see how summer gains translated to autumn practices before defining roles.

If the Red-White scrimmages are any indication, the decisions won’t be easy — in a good way.

There was junior-college two-way addition TJ Coats spinning a scoreless start and a spotless relief appearance. Two-year reliever Jalen Worthley bumped his fastball velocity to 94 mph while adding command and a few pounds of muscle in a loud statement that he could be starter material. Tucker Timmerman — after a late fade as a freshman reliever — looked dominant with a lively three-pitch mix.

Perhaps most notable was sophomore Ty Horn making his bid for the weekend rotation. The former top prospect found his groove in the summer and shoved in his scrimmage start, allowing two weak singles in 5 2/3 innings by throwing 95-mph fastballs and his secondary offerings for strikes.

The list goes on. Drew Christo and Will Walsh are both seniors who were instrumental late last spring in Nebraska’s 40-win campaign. Jackson Brockett flashed his potential with a no-hitter. Relievers Evan Borst and Casey Daiss return as does Grant Cleavinger, a swing-and-miss arm set for a bigger role. Six-foot-7 righty Carson Jasa — who redshirted last year — is the team’s hardest thrower with sky-high upside, pending better command.

Juco addition Luke Broderick could be NU’s most dominant stopper since Spencer Schwellenbach in 2021. Multiple freshmen made impressions including Colin Nowaczyk, Chase Olson, Pryce Bender, Gavin Blachowicz and others.

All speak glowingly of their pitching coach, Rob Childress, and his impact on their mechanics and mindset. Trust your stuff and throw strikes — everything else will work out.

The effect of Childress — once the architect of Nebraska’s greatest staffs during College World Series runs in the early 2000s — on Husker pitching in his second year back in an on-field role is as obvious as an inside heater. More depth and a few new breakouts appear to be on the way.

Four other fall-ball observations:

The faces are certainly familiar. If it wanted to, Nebraska could fill out the same lineup card as last year at every spot except catcher.

Nebraska may not want to. Not with South Dakota State transfer outfielder Cael Frost, fast-rising sophomore outfielder Max Buettenback and multiple juco newcomers including outfielder Robby Bolin, infielder Jaron Cotton and Coats.

The batting order is not set but the style is. The Huskers attempted 19 steals and were successful on 15 in five seven-inning fall games. They bunted for hits and to move runners. This isn’t the 97-homer offense powered by a few big bats in 2023 — NU managed one round-tripper, from outfielder Hayden Lewis, in the entire Red-White series.

The idea is to pressure defenses and create a versatile attack that can generate runs in the wind and cold of a Big Ten spring season. Last year’s scoring (6.8 runs per game) ranked middle of the pack in the league and nationally. It was consistent — producing at least three runs in all but eight games — and could realistically take strides as veterans improve and new bats heat up. Clutch hitting and productive outs will again be critical.

The Huskers have a centerfielder who can take away runs with his speed and a batter who can score them the same way. They are the same guy.

Silva, now a senior, is set to be the best success story of Nebraska’s rebooted Canada pipeline after joining the team a year ago from junior college. His debut season included a team-high 51 runs, an on-base percentage (.406) among the best of everyday players and a Big Ten-leading 32 steals.

The 6-footer stayed in Lincoln during the summer to add muscle and work on his craft. His Red-White numbers popped: 4-for-14 with a .550 OBP, six runs and four steals while walking four times and being plunked three more.

Silva could challenge to become the fifth different Husker ever to log a 40-steal season with health and a slight uptick in reaching base. He might not catch Scott Hooper’s single-year program record (60 swipes in 1984) but will be a fixture high in the lineup who can swing games for Big Red.

Many of Nebraska’s most anticipated new bats stayed quiet during the public scrimmages.

Maybe it was the caliber of the arms they were facing or small sample-size noise but multiple additions and summer breakouts didn’t overwhelm during a week’s worth of games. NU’s two high-profile transfers were mostly nondescript at the plate in Frost — last season’s Summit League Player of the Year — and Creighton transfer veteran catcher Hogan Helligso.

Frost was 2-for-14 with three walks, an RBI and three runs scored after hitting .343 with 21 homers at SDSU last spring. Helligoso — with a career batting average of .286 across 126 college games — finished 1-for-12 with an RBI.

Buettenback, who reached base at a .504 clip in the Northwoods League with 30 steals and nine homers, was 1-for-12 with a .250 OBP against his Husker teammates.

Radical ongoing changes within the NCAA and college baseball mean fall workouts will likely look different in 12 months.

Nebraska’s task now is to trim from a roster of 46 players to 40 by next season, which begins in mid-February. If national litigation related to revenue sharing with players is settled in the spring, baseball’s model will shift from scholarship limits — long at 11.7 spread among 27 players — to roster limits of 34 with unlimited scholarships possible.

That 34 number could be a hard cap in place by next fall, reducing scrimmage flexibility and the ability for less heralded players to make an impression. Redshirting — like NU did with Jasa last year and has previously done with a player or two each cycle, including Walsh in 2021 — may all but disappear. Slugging outfielder Gabe Swansen is another recent former fringe roster choice who may not have had the chance to earn a prominent role under the pending new setup.