Last year was a sensational year for Nebraska, one of three Big 10 schools to host a Regional in 2026. Nebraska won 43 games, 23 of which came in conference play, and bolstered a strong all-around team for all of the regular season. However, it wasn’t enough to get by in what was a very difficult Regional that also included Ole Miss and Arizona State. So, what’s in store for 2027?
The Returnees
Starting with the pitching staff, there were some significant changes over the summer. Nebraska’s top two pitchers in terms of innings pitched last season (more on that in a minute) were drafted, leaving junior Gavin Blachowicz as the big name on the staff.
Blachowicz finished third on the Cornhuskers last season in strikeouts with 81 over 69.1 IP as a sophomore. Very interesting pitch profile, with the low-90s fastball that showed significant riding, carrying action, plus the cutter and a slider.
J’Shawn Unger is also another notable returning name for Nebraska. Unger worked exclusively out of the bullpen last season, striking out 39 over 40 innings, while walking 18. The right-hander had a nice stint in the Cape Cod League with a 38.5% Whiff% this past summer. Low-to-mid-90s fastball, plus a sweeper.
Aside from those two, pitchers Tucker Timmerman, Chase Olson, Colin Nowaczyk, Ryan Harrahill, and Jace Ziola are back. All worked as primary relievers last season, with the now-senior Timmerman working the most (42.2 IP) out of that group.
Moving to the offense, Case Sanderson returned for his senior campaign. Sanderson burst on the scene in 2024 as one of the NCAA’s best-performing freshmen with a .338 batting average. This past year as a junior, Sanderson slashed .367/.488/.540 with career-highs in hits (83) and home runs (6).
Also important, two of the club’s standout freshmen returned to Lincoln: Jeter Worthley and Drew Grego. Both batted over .300 last season, and Grego’s seven home runs were third on the team.
Senior outfielder Will Jesske, who hit over .300 last season in 33 games, is back for 2027, too.
The Newcomers
Yes, Nebraska took some big hits this summer.
Ty Horn (Reds) and Carson Jasa (Cubs), the Cornhuskers’ top two pitchers from last season, are gone. So were, arguably, Nebraska’s top two hitters from last season, Dylan Carey and Mac Moyer. Both Carey (Mets) and Moyer (Padres) also went to the pro ranks.
There are plenty of new faces. Starting with the transfer adds, Nebraska picked up two from South Carolina. Catcher Reese Moore only played eight games last season with the Gamecocks but spent two seasons as a starter with Big 10 rival Iowa. Two years ago, Moore hit over .300 with nine home runs.
Caleb Hoover, a two-way player from USC, played in eight games last season and didn’t accumulate a hit.
Nebraska also grabbed plenty of players from the JC/CC circuit, including Brody Chyr and Tyler Ness from McLennan CC, Logan Groh and Keston Coleman from Johnson County CC, and Cohen Nelson from Cloud County CC.
Additionally, there are eight new freshmen for 2027: pitchers Drew Sullivan, Zane Shaw, and Colton Roemmich, plus position players Wyatt Reeder, Colton Petersmith, Cooper Kardokus, Brody Jindra, and Cal Anthony.
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