No, Nebraska baseball coach Will Bolt wasn’t referring to the Tom Wolfe book “The Right Stuff.” He was talking about the 2026 Huskers Monday at Haymarket Park.
“They’re about the right stuff,” Bolt said.
In the fall and now, the Huskers have “really meshed well together,” he said. “They’ve been kind of talking about that, just how close and just how synergistic they’ve been, really since August.”
As a result, he said, he’s “excited” to see them compete against someone other than themselves.
That opportunity comes this weekend, when Nebraska plays in the MLB Desert Invitational, with two games each in Scottsdale and Mesa, Ariz. The Huskers open against Connecticut Friday (7 p.m. CT), followed by Northeastern Saturday (7:30 p.m.), Grand Canyon Sunday (6:30 p.m.) and Stanford Monday (2 p.m.). The UConn and Stanford games are scheduled for Scottsdale, the others Mesa.
Northeastern will be the opponent coming off the best season in 2025. The Huskies were 49-11, including 25-2 in the Coastal Athletic Association, and advanced to the Tallahassee Regional. They were aggressive, ranking second nationally with 196 stolen bases.
“Don’t let ‘em steal first (base). That’s the challenge, right?” Bolt said, adding a note of humor.
Nebraska can expect “some different looks from these four teams,” he said.
The Huskers’ first concern is Connecticut. Junior Ty Horn will be the opening starter, followed by redshirt sophomore Carson Jasa, junior transfer Cooper Katskee and sophomore Gavin Blachowicz. Junior Tucker Timmerman will be the “x-factor,” first out of the bullpen. All five are right-handers.
Horn led Nebraska in starts (17), innings pitched (85.2) and strikeouts (76) last season. Katskee was a third-team All-American and MAC Pitcher of the Year at Miami (Ohio). He was 11-2, tied for the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I, and has earned 2026 fourth-team preseason All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Jasa “is trending as good as any of our pitchers right now,” Bolt said. And Blachowicz figures to be the mid-week starter.
As for innings for the starters this weekend, “it’s probably more of a pitch count and stressful pitches than it is innings,” said Bolt. “I would hope we can get all of our starters through five, at least, maybe longer if they can keep their pitch count down.”
The goal is less than 20 pitches per inning, Bolt said.
Offensively, six of Nebraska’s top seven hitters (based on batting average) return, led by outfielder Devin Nunez, who hit .331, and first baseman Case Sanderson, who hit .307. Shortstop Dylan Carey, who batted .288, tied for first with eight home runs and was second with 41 RBIs.
Carey started all 62 games last season.
Nebraska expects to face junior left-hander Charlie West Friday. West was 6-0 with a 2.58 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 52.1 innings last season. Opponents batted .162 against him.
The Huskers should be prepared for West and whatever comes their way. “These guys, their conversations are about the right things, and how they prepare is the right way,” Bolt said.
In short, as Bolt said, the right stuff.
Note: Friday’s game will be televised on the MLB Network, the others on MLB.com.
