Bolt-Ball : 2023 Husker Baseball Early Season Preview

A Glance Over Of Nebraska's Early Season Baseball Schedule

Photo Credit: University of Nebraska per Baseball America

Head Coach Will Bolts team comes in off a disappointing 2022 campaign going 23-30 while missing out on a spot in the B1G baseball tournament. A team with high expectations that could never really find their stride hopes to bounce back with some new faces and a lot of talent at the dish.

The Team

Nebraska will return a few key pieces to most of the successes they had last year. Team captains Efry Cervantes, Griffin Everett, Kyle Perry, Shay Shanaman, and Brice Matthews are all among that group. LHP Jake Bunz will also return to the bump after experiencing a season-ending injury early season last year. 5th year senior Griffin Everett will be the biggest keep for this revamped Husker squad after coming off a year where he hit .291 with a triple and 8 tater tots. Griffin was also named to the 2021 All-Regional Team when the Huskers split what ended up being the season ending series with #1 Arkansas. Kyle Perry and Shay Shanaman will play key roles in the Husker rotation. I expect Shanaman to be the Friday night guy with Perry holding Saturdays down.

Last but surely not least Max Anderson, the Junior from Omaha, NE. He ranks in the Top 25 via D1Baseball for 3rd baseman prospects. The light shined bright upon this young man after his great 2022 season both with the Huskers and in the Cape Cod League. In 2022 for the Huskers, Anderson hit .299 with a team leading 12 Doubles and 10 bombs. He will be an essential piece of this Huskers lineup.

New Faces

Cayden Brumbaugh, Zach Johnson, and Trey Frahm are 3 guys that stick out to me that can make an immediate impact for this Husker Squad. Brumbaugh, an Oklahoma State transfer can fill the speed void left in the infield for the Huskers with the departure of Cam Chick. I see him being competitive for a top of the lineup spot. Zach Johnson will fill the pinch hitting and key piece to the middle of the lineup role we saw with Banjoff last year. Johnson was a NJCAA All American in 2022 hitting 30 bombs in his two years at Southeast Community College. Lastly, Trey Frahm brings a heater unlike this Nebraska staff has seen since Spencer Schwellenbach. Frahm had tremendous success at his JUCO with a lively fastball sitting 94-97. He should be a nice addition out of the pen and maybe in a Sunday role.

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Startin' This Thing Off Right

Nebraska (thanks to the Midwest weather as always) starts with 10 games on the road before their opener at Haymarket Park against Northern Colorado.

The Skers open with a talented San Diego team out of the sneakily powerful baseball West Coast Conference. San Diego had a great year in 2022 posting a 37-20 record that included 4 wins against Power 5 opponents. San Diego opened 2022 at home against the Oregon Ducks and took 3 of 4, which is a worrisome point for the Husker Faithful. San Diego also won a game in the Corvallis regional against the national powerhouse Vanderbilt, so it is safe to say this will be a tough test for this Husker squad.

As Nebraska got off to a tough start in 2022 with a 1-3 record at Sam Houston, it is imperative for this squad to get at least 2 wins in SD.

Things don't get any easier for Nebraska in the following weeks. They will travel to Mobile, AL to play 3 against South Alabama just to turn and head north and play against Vanderbilt, Hawaii, and defending National Champion Ole Miss.

All and all, we will learn quite a bit about this squad before we even hit Mid-March with their return home. This schedule leaves no room for bad baseball.

Go Big Red.