Dylan Carey left MLB Draft weekend feeling upset and gloomy after failing to see his name for the second straight year.
Carey returned to Nebraska baseball for the 2026 season after going undrafted in 2025 and took his game to a new level. Still, 20 rounds passed and once again Carey did not see his name.
“I was just like, ‘Another year? I can’t believe it,’” Carey told Hail Varsity. “Last year was really frustrating, and all I wanted was an opportunity and shot, because I know that once I get out on the field, I can share my skills and just compete. I thrive in an environment like that.”
The disappointment wasn’t the end of his story, however. Carey’s agent went to work and found the shortstop an opportunity. He signed an undrafted free agent deal with the New York Mets on July 13. Carey said he was golfing with his father in Arizona when he received the news.
“The weight from everything just kind of fell off,” Carey said. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m done with this process; now, I can just go play baseball, and compete,’ which is all I wanted to do.”
The shortstop said he’s joining the Mets organization with a lot to prove.
“There’s always a little bit of a chip, like, ‘Oh, you didn’t get drafted or signed, you’re overlooked,’ all that,” Carey said. “I’d say I just need to continue to play with a chip on the shoulder the way I played last year at Nebraska and just continue to show my skills and what I can do on a baseball field.”
Making the opportunity even more special for Carey is his family ties to the Mets organization. New York selected Dylan’s great uncle, Dan Carey, in the second round of the 1967 MLB draft.
“My dad and I were in the golf cart, and I turned to him and I was like, ‘All right, I’m a Met,’” Carey said. “He gave me a big hug, and he goes, ‘Well, you know your great uncle Dan played for the Mets.’ That was a pretty cool moment just to think about I’m going to be playing professional baseball, and also the fact that there’s family ties there too. It was a really fun moment. I didn’t play great golf, but it was a golf round I’ll never forget based on just the phone calls that day.”
Although he may not have played well on the course that day, Carey certainly made a difference for the Huskers on the field in 2026. He helped lead Nebraska to a 43-17 overall record, which allowed the Huskers to host their first regional since 2008.
“There were the ‘Go Big Red’ chants, there were ‘Husker power’ chants before the game started, and it gave me chills,” Carey said of the Lincoln Regional. “It was really cool, and it just goes to show the fanbase and how amazing the Husker fans show out for their athletics. Whether it’s football, baseball, volleyball, softball, any sport, they show up and they’re just so great. That’s what makes Nebraska so great.”
As a senior, Carey started 59 games at shortstop. Offensively, the Castle Rock, Colo., native batted .353 at the plate and led the team in home runs with 15 and RBIs with 65. He also scored 53 runs and recorded 16 doubles and two triples.
He set the school record for career doubles with 63, breaking Nebraska head coach Will Bolt’s previous record of 56. He passed Bolt’s mark in the Huskers’ game against Indiana on March 29, with family in attendance.
“There was just a weight off the shoulders because I was able to get it done in front of them, and in front of the home crowd,” Carey said. “It was just really emotional, and really awesome. Coach Bolt had a lot of great words after for me about how much it meant for a player he’s coaching to break his record. It was just really cool and a fun experience.”
Carey was also named a third-team All-American by Perfect game. His efforts earned him first-team All-Big Ten honors, and All-Big-Ten Defensive Team honors. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the year finished his Husker career third in school history in at-bats (905), fourth in hits (266), fifth in games played (235), sixth in total bases (439), seventh in hit by pitches (43) and 10th in RBIs (167).
The former Husker also won the 2026 Brooks Wallace Award, which is given to the best shortstop in college baseball. Carey is only the second Husker to win the honor.
“He was just a great human being, and just a great teammate, but also a stud on the field, just a great athlete, and a great shortstop,” Carey said of Wallace. “I felt like I was very much the same in those aspects. Beyond the baseball thing, I felt like I resemble Brooks in a way that was what they were looking for. I was just super grateful for the opportunity to get the award and to meet the family and to learn more about Brooks and who he was.”
Carey will take what he’s learned at Nebraska with him to the pros, starting at the Mets’ spring training complex in Florida.
“I want to just prove that they’re getting a great player that’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win, but also go out of his way to win,” Carey said. “That’s the type of mindset I want to bring — and I will bring — to the organization, and I hope I can rub off on players and help them improve as well. That’s what it’s all about is improving the organization and getting to a point where you’re World Series champions.”
Carey proved himself at Nebraska, and said he hopes Husker fans remember him for his impact off the field as well as on it.
“When they think of Dylan Carey, I want them to think about the human being he was, how he was off the field, how he was towards the fans, how he was towards his teammates,” Carey said. “All I hope is that they’re like, ‘This guy was a great dude that went out there and competed every single day, and no matter the result he was the same person.’ So, that’s all I hope that my teammates, fans, coaches all think of when they think of Dylan Carey.”
