Huskers Add Pair of Junior College Pitchers

Nebraska Baseball Head Coach Will Bolt announced the signing of junior college transfers Jake Bunz and Koty Frank on Thursday.

"Koty and Jake are two high level winners that we are fortunate to add to our program," Bolt said. "They check every box we are searching for in bringing in high level junior college transfers. They will make our staff and our team better the instant they step foot on campus."

Jake Bunz • LHP • 6-5 • 240 • Elkhorn, Neb. (Hutchinson CC/Elkhorn South)
Left-handed pitcher Jake Bunz was the ace on Hutchinson's pitching staff as a freshman in 2019, going 8-1 with a 3.48 ERA and recorded 81 strikeouts in only 54.1 innings. He played high school baseball at Elkhorn South, compiling a 15-5 record with a 2.83 ERA and 155 strikeouts during his career from 2016 to 2018.

Coach Bolt on Bunz: "Jake had a dominant season at Hutch in 2019 and has been recovering from Tommy John surgery for the past year. He will bring multiple above average offerings from the left side and pitches with attitude and emotion. He will compete for innings right away."

Recruiting Coordinator Lance Harvell on Bunz: "Jake is a lefty with a big frame and a big arm who has power stuff. Coming from Hutch, we know he's going to be ready to step in and compete for us next year. (Hutchinson Head Coach) Ryan Schmidt and his staff do such a great job with their players as far as development and getting them ready to play at the Division I level. We're really excited about Jake. He's a frontline arm that we see pitching on the weekends for us and another kid from the state of Nebraska who was born to be a Husker."

Koty Frank • RHP • 6-2 • 185 • Tushka, Okla. (Eastern Oklahoma State CC/Tushka)
Right-handed pitcher Koty Frank has spent the last two seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State CC, where he compiled an 11-6 record with a 3.33 ERA and seven complete games in 19 starts. He struck out 127 batters in 110.2 innings during his career. In 2020, Frank went 5-0 in five starts with a 2.68 ERA and two complete games. He held opponents to a .175 batting average and recorded a 6-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio (48-to-8). As a freshman starter in 2019, he led the staff with the lowest ERA (3.62), most strikeouts (79), and had the lowest opponent batting average among the starters (.240).

Coach Bolt on Frank: "Koty has been a winner for two years at EOCC. He leaves the program in the top five of many career records and loves to compete. He's a good athlete on the mound and dominates the strike zone with a variety of different pitches. He has a feel to change speeds and set hitters up that is at an advanced level."

Coach Harvell on Frank: "Koty has plus command and plus pitchability. He will throw any pitch in any count in any situation and will do it with supreme confidence. He knows who he is and knows how to get hitters out. He is going to be a valuable commodity for us on our pitching staff moving forward."