Frisco College Baseball Classic Preview & Game Notes
FRISCO COLLEGE BASEBALL CLASSIC
Feb. 28-March 2, 2025
Frisco, Texas | Riders Field
Friday, Feb. 28 – 6 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Mason McConnaughey (1-1, 6.52 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Peterson (0-2, 4.50 ERA)
TV/Streaming: D1Baseball (Use code NEB25 for $10 off)
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Saturday, March 1 – 4 p.m. CT
Pitching: RHP Ty Horn (0-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. TBA
TV/Streaming: D1Baseball (Use code NEB25 for $10 off)
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Sunday, March 2 – 12 p.m. CT
Pitching: LHP Jackson Brockett (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP Lincoln Sheffield (1-1, 3.00 ERA)
TV/Streaming: D1Baseball (Use code NEB25 for $10 off)
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Follow The Game
• All of this weekend’s games at the Frisco College Baseball Classic will be streamed on D1Baseball, with Chris Mycoskie, Ben McDonald and Mike Hardge on the call.
• Fans can also listen to David Gustafson call the action on Friday and Ben McLaughlin and Gustafson on the call on Saturday and Sunday on the Huskers Radio Network.
• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.
Nebraska vs. Sam Houston
• Through 11 all-time meetings, Sam Houston holds a 9-2 advantage over Nebraska in the all-time series with the Big Red.
• The two teams opened the 2022 campaign in a four-game set at Sam Houston, where the Bearkats picked up three wins in the series.
• Friday night’s matchup marks the second meeting between the Huskers and Bearkats at the Frisco College Baseball Classic after Sam Houston tallied an 11-10 win in 2019.
Nebraska vs. LSU
• Saturday’s matchup marks the second all-time meeting between the Huskers and Tigers.
• In their lone meeting, LSU picked up a 4-2 win over Nebraska at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park in 2015.
Nebraska vs. Kansas State
• Nebraska holds a 174-117 advantage over Kansas State in the all-time series against the Wildcats after winning 8-0 vs. K-State in their lone matchup last season.
• Jackson Brockett tossed the sixth individual no-hitter in Nebraska baseball history, and the first nine-inning no-hitter since 1954, in Nebraska’s 8-0 win over the Wildcats last season at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.
Familiar Faces in the Dugout
• There will be some familiar faces in the Husker and Bearkat dugouts this weekend.
• Assistant coach Mike Sirianni is the younger brother of Sam Houston head coach Jay Sirianni.
• Head coach Will Bolt and Jay Sirianni were teammates for one season on the 1999 Nebraska baseball team that advanced to the NCAA Regional after winning the Big 12 Tournament title.
• Sirianni was a left-handed pitcher as a four-year letterman for the Huskers in 1996-99, including playing the 1998 and 1999 seasons on Rob Childress’ pitching staffs, compiling a 15-9 record with 124 strikeouts in 181 innings pitched in 57 career appearances, including 26 starts at Nebraska.
• Assistant coach Lance Harvell arrived in Lincoln in 2019 after spending the previous five seasons at Sam Houston as the team’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
• During that span, the Bearkats captured four Southland Conference regular-season titles and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and 2017, advancing to the program’s first Super Regional in 2017.
Big Red in Early Season Tournaments
• For the fourth and fifth times in six seasons under Bolt, Nebraska will play in a weekend tournament during non-conference action, as the Huskers are set to play in a pair of neutral-site events this season.
• The Huskers opened this season at the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona, where the Big Red went 2-1 and picked up victories against No. 16 Vanderbilt and San Diego State.
• This season is the third straight year taking part in a neutral-site tournament for the Big Red after the Huskers played in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown (2024) and Cambria College Classic (2023).
2025 MLB Desert Invitational (Scottsdale/Mesa, Ariz.)
UC Irvine (L, 10-5), #16 Vanderbilt (W, 6-4), SDSU (W, 13-0)
2024 Shriners Children’s College Showdown (Arlington, Texas)
Baylor (W, 4-1), #21 Texas Tech (L, 6-3), Oklahoma (L, 7-6)
2023 Cambria College Classic (Minneapolis, Minn.)
#7 Vanderbilt (W, 5-3), Hawaii (W, 12-3), #4 Ole Miss (L, 14-5)
2020 Tony Gwynn Legacy (San Diego, Calif.)
San Diego (L, 12-11), SDSU (L, 4-2), Arizona (L, 3-2)
A Look at the Weekend Rotation
•With Brett Sears taken in the 2024 MLB Draft and Drew Christo’s transition to the bullpen, it’s a new-look weekend rotation for the Huskers this year.
• Mason McConnaughey takes the mound on Friday vs. Sam Houston after picking up his first quality start of the season last Friday in a 6-1 win at Louisiana. The junior is 1-1 with 6.52 ERA and 15 punchouts in two starts on the year.
• Sophomore Ty Horn is coming off his first career quality start and gets the nod on Saturday vs. No. 2 LSU. Horn dropped to 0-1 on the season after allowing two runs on four hits across six innings of work at Louisiana last weekend. The Halstead, Kan., native struck out five Cajun hitters and walked a pair in the loss.
• Senior Jackson Brockett returns to the starting rotation after coming out of the bullpen last weekend for the NU pitching staff at Louisiana. Brockett is 0-0 on the season with a 3.86 ERA in seven innings across two appearances at Grand Canyon and Louisiana.
Lucky Number Six in the Bolt Era
• Nebraska is 107-21 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.
• The Big Red have scored six-plus runs in all three victories this season, defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt (6-4), San Diego State (13-0) and Louisiana (6-1).
• The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 34 times last season, compiling a 28-6 record.
• Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 33 contests (26-7) in 2023 after tallying at least six runs 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020.
Youth Movement on the Mound
• The NU pitching staff has seen four freshmen put up strong outings to begin their time at Nebraska on the mound in the first two weeks of the season.
• True freshmen Pryce Bender, Colin Nowaczyk and Gavin Blachowicz have combined to deal six scoreless innings, allowing a combined three hits with 5 strikeouts and one walk to being their collegiate career.
• Redshirt freshman Carson Jasa has made a pair of relief appearances out of the bullpen, surrendering one run, unearned, on two hits with three punchouts and two walks across 2.2 innings of action this season.
Bats in the Nebraska Lineup
• Leadoff hitter Cayden Brumbaugh has a team-leading three multi-hit games for the NU offense, posting a pair of two-hit performances and a season-high three hits in 6-1 win at Louisiana last weekend.
• Riley Silva leads the Huskers with a .313 hitting clip at the plate and is second on the team with a .421 on-base percentage in five starts.
• Joshua Overbeek is hitting .273 with a double and a triple on the year, while Dylan Carey holds a .269 batting average with two doubles and leads the NU offense with five runs and three stolen bases in seven starts.
• Will Jesske has recorded a double and a triple in four starts, and Case Sanderson is third on the team with a .419 on-base percentage while starting all seven games at first base for the Huskers.
• Gabe Swansen has driven in a team-leading nine RBI and has doubled twice with one homer, while Rhett Stokes and Max Buettenback have collected four and three hits, respectively, in the first two weekends.
• Hogan Helligso drove in a season-high two RBI in 6-1 win at Louisiana last weekend, and Cael Frost has reached base safely in each of his five starts this season.
• Devin Nunez homered in his first career start last weekend, while Robby Bolin is hitting .286 with a pair of runs scored in five games played on the year.
Huskers in the Pen
• Luke Broderick has appeared in two games for the NU bullpen, including a one-inning save in 6-4 win against No. 16 Vanderbilt.
• Jalen Worthley is 1-0 on the season, dealing 3.2 scoreless innings and holding opponents to a .154 batting average across two appearances against No. 16 Vanderbilt and Louisiana.
• Will Walsh is available out of the bullpen this weekend after making starts vs. San Diego State and Louisiana this season. The southpaw holds a 4.00 ERA and eight punchouts in nine innings this season.
• Pryce Bender has pitched three scoreless frames across two appearances, while Colin Nowaczyk hasn’t allowed a run in two innings of action.
• Grant Cleavinger, Ryan Harrahill and Caleb Clark have each made two appearances on the mound, combining for one run allowed in 3.2 innings, while Drew Christo has made a team-high three relief appearances this season.
• Carson Jasa has surrendered one run with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings across appearances against San Diego State and Louisiana this season.
• TJ Coats and Gavin Blachowicz made their Husker debut on the mound last weekend, combining for two scoreless innings with one strikeout.