BSB Preview: MLB Desert Invitational

NEBRASKA at MLB DESERT INVITATIONAL
Feb. 13-16, 2026

Friday, Feb. 13 - vs. UConn (7 p.m. CT)
Pitching: RHP Ty Horn (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Charlie West (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
TV/Streaming: MLB Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Stadium: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

Saturday, Feb. 14 - vs. Northeastern (7:30 p.m. CT)
Pitching: RHP Carson Jasa (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Wertz (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
TV/Streaming: MLB.com
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Stadium: Sloan Park

Sunday, Feb. 15 - vs. Grand Canyon (6 p.m. CT)
Pitching: RHP Cooper Katskee (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA
TV/Streaming: MLB.com
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Stadium: Sloan Park

Monday, Feb. 16 - vs. Stanford (2 p.m. CT)
Pitching: RHP Gavin Blachowicz (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA
TV/Streaming: MLB.com
Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
Stadium: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

Follow the Game
• Friday's season opener against UConn will be broadcast nationally on MLB Network, while the remaining three games of this weekend's action vs. Northeastern, Grand Canyon and Stanford will be streamed live on MLB.com. 
• Fans can also listen to Ben McLaughlin and Nick Handley call the action this weekend on the Huskers Radio Network.
• Every game of the 2026 season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.

Nebraska vs. UConn
• Through three all-time meetings, UConn holds a 2-1 advantage over Nebraska in the all-time series. 
• Friday's season opener between the Big Red and Huskies is the first meeting between the two programs outside of postseason play.
• Nebraska and UConn last met in the 2019 Oklahoma City Regional, where the Huskers and Huskies split a pair of contests.

Nebraska vs. Northeastern
• The Big Red and Northeastern have met one time on the diamond, with Nebraska picking up an 8-6 win over the Huskies in the 2021 Fayetteville Regional.

Nebraska vs. Grand Canyon
• Nebraska takes on Grand Canyon for the third consecutive season and holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series with the Lopes. 
• In their last meeting, the Lopes posted a 3-1 win over No. 23 Nebraska on opening weekend last season.
• The Huskers picked up three wins in a four-game series at GCU in 2024, which was the first all-time between meeting between Nebraska and Grand Canyon on the diamond.

Nebraska vs. Stanford
• Through eight all-time meetings, Stanford holds a 6-2 lead in the all-time series over Nebraska. 
• Monday's matchup is the first meeting between the Big Red and the Cardinal on the diamond since the Huskers opened the 2008 campaign with a three-game series at Stanford.
• In their last meeting, the Huskers and Cardinal split a doubleheader before Stanford picked up a 4-2 win in the series finale to claim the season-opening series of the 2008 campaign.

What's Returning
Hitting
At-bats: 1,038/2,111 (49.2%)
Runs: 189/379 (49.9%)
Hits: 303/581 (52.2%)
Doubles: 63/121 (52.1%)
Triples: 5/7 (71.4%)
Home Runs: 32/62 (51.6%)
RBI: 171/358 (47.8%)
Walks: 100/214 (46.7%)
Steals: 25/55 (45.5%)
Pitching
Wins: 16/33 (48.5%)
Saves: 0/15 (0%)
Starts: 28/62 (45.2%)
Innings: 260.2/537.2 (48.5%)
Strikeouts: 237/489 (48.5%)

Opening Day
• Nebraska is 68-48-3 all-time in season openers, including 2-4 since head coach Will Bolt's first season in 2020.
• Under Bolt, the Big Red have recorded a pair of season-opening victories against Baylor.
• The Huskers began the 2020 campaign with a 19-9 win at Baylor and opened the 2024 season with a 4-1 victory against the Bears at the Shriners Children's College Showdown at Globe Life Field.

Big Red in Early Season Tournaments
• For the sixth and seventh times in seven 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. 
• This season is the fourth consecutive year taking part in a neutral-site tournament for the Big Red after the Huskers played in the Frisco College Baseball Classic and MLB Desert Invitational last season and the Shriners Children's College Showdown in 2024 and Cambria College Classic in 2023.
2025 Frisco College Baseball Classic (Frisco, Texas)
Sam Houston (W, 8-3), #2 LSU (L, 11-6), Kansas State (L, 9-6)

2025 MLB Desert Invitational (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
UC Irvine (L, 10-5), #16 Vanderbilt (W, 6-4), SDSU (W, 13-0)

2024 Shriners Children's College Showdown (Globe Life Field)
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
• Opening-day starter Ty Horn takes the mound after spending the 2025 season as NU's No. 2 starter in the weekend rotation. Horn posted a 4-4 record and struck out a team-high 76 hitters in 85.2 innings of work.
• Redshirt sophomore Carson Jasa gets the nod on Saturday after 11 appearances, including four starts as a redshirt freshman in 2025. Jasa went 2-2 and struck out 24 in 18.2 innings with an 8.68 ERA.
• Redshirt junior Cooper Katskee is scheduled to start on Sunday after spending last season as Miami (OH)'s ace, where the right-hander went 11-2 with a 3.08 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 84.2 innings across 16 appearances, including 10 starts in 2025.
• Sophomore Gavin Blachowicz will toe the rubber on Monday afternoon after going 3-0 with a 3.80 ERA in his freshman campaign last season and striking out 22 batters in 21.1 innings.

Lucky Number Six in the Bolt Era
• Nebraska is 129-28 under head coach Will Bolt when scoring at least six runs.
• The Husker offense reached the six-run mark 32 times last season, compiling a 25-7 record.
• Nebraska scored six-plus runs in 34 contests (28-6) in 2024 after tallying at least six runs 33 times (26-7) in 2024, 23 times (19-4) in 2022, 28 times (26-2) in 2021 and seven times (5-2) in 2020. 

Youth Behind the Plate on Opening Day
• Jeter Worthley is set to become the first Husker to start as a true freshman behind the dish on Opening Day this century.
• Additionally, Worthley becomes the 11th true freshman to record at least one start as a catcher since 2000 in program history.
• Since 2000, only three true freshmen have started behind the plate for the Huskers on opening weekend, as Worthley joins Jesse Wilkening (2016), Cory Burleson (2009) and Aaron Gozart (2000).

Sanderson Among NU's Elite Early-Career Hitters
• Junior Case Sanderson is one of just 10 Huskers in program history to post back-to-back .300 seasons with 150-plus at-bats as a freshman and sophomore.
• The Nevada, Mo., native batted .307 with nine doubles, two triples, three homers and 31 RBI as a sophomore last season.
• A third-team All-Big Ten selection after hitting .338 as a freshman in 2024, Sanderson became the 14th true freshman in program history since at least 1985 to bat .300 or better with 150-plus at-bats, and just the eighth to hit above .330 with more than 150 at-bats.
• Additionally, Sanderson is one of 26 players nationally to compile back-to-back .300 seasons with more than 150 at-bats as a freshman and sophomore in 2024-25. 

Horn Finds His Groove in Last Eight Starts
• Junior Ty Horn played a key role in Nebraska capturing the Big Ten Tournament title and winning their last five conference series to end the regular-season slate in 2025.
• Across his last eight starts, Horn was 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 45.1 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .224 batting average.
• The right-hander picked up his fourth quality start of the season with a career outing against No. 13 UCLA in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Horn blanked the 13th-ranked Bruins and allowed just three hits in a career-high eight innings with six strikeouts and three walks while allowing just one baserunner to reach third base.
• Horn held a 7.36 ERA and .301 opposing batting average prior to the last eight starts, but the sophomore saw his season totals dip to a 4.94 ERA and .262 opposing batting average over the final seven weeks.

Katskee Draws Preseason All-America Praise
• Coming off a third-team All-America campaign in last season, redshirt junior Cooper Katskee earned fourth-team honors on NCBWA's Preseason All-America teams.
• The Miami (OH) transfer went 11-2 with a 3.08 ERA and three complete-games in 16 appearances, including 10 starts in 2025.
• Katskee recorded the fourth-most wins across Division I pitchers last season and totaled 70 strikeouts in 84.2 innings while limiting opposing batters to a .196 batting average with the RedHawks in 2025.
• Along with the third-team All-American honors, the right-hander was a first-team All-MAC selection and MAC Pitcher of the Year while also named to the MAC's All-Tournament Team.

Carey Holds Veteran Experience With NU Infield
• With 176 career starts as a Husker, Dylan Carey became the fifth Husker since at least 1992 to reach 175-plus combined starts as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
• The Castle Rock, Colo., native is the first Husker to surpass 175 starts in their freshman through junior seasons since Alex Gordon in 2003-05.
• In three seasons with the Big Red, Carey is batting .273 at the plate with 47 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, 102 RBI and 112 runs scored.

Going the Extra Mile
• The Huskers have recorded at least four extra-base hits in 113 games under head coach Will Bolt, posting an 89-23-1 mark in those games since 2020.
• Additionally, the Big Red are 59-8-1 when the Husker offense tallies five-plus extra-base hits under Bolt.

Carey Nearing All-Time Doubles Record
• With 47 career doubles in three seasons at Nebraska, Dylan Carey enters his senior campaign needing 10 doubles to become the program's all-time leader.
• Carey is tied for fifth all-time with Curtis Ledbetter (2003-05) and Jed Dalton (1992-95) after recording 20 doubles in 2025.
• The Castle Rock, Colo., native is six shy of tying Alex Gordon (2003-05) in fourth and eight away from Daniel Bruce (2002-05) and Matt Hopper (2000-03) in second.

Carey Closing in on 200-Career Hit Club
• Dylan Carey enters the season with 181 hits, putting him 19 hits shy of becoming the 28th member of Nebraska's 200-hit club.
• Carey has averaged 62 hits over the last two seasons, which would put him just outside NU's all-time top 10 if he were to reach that average in 2026. 
• The Huskers have had four players join the 200-hit club since 2015, including second-round draft picks Max Anderson (2021-23) and Ryan Boldt (2014-16). 

Buck, Kitchens Provide Big Bats for NU Lineup
• Transfers Jett Buck and Cole Kitchen arrived in Lincoln after earning postseason accolades for their performance at the plate last season. 
• Buck picked up All-America honors at Washburn after batting .365 with 18 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 68 RBI and 57 runs scored with the Ichabods in 2025. 
• In two seasons at Washburn, the Kansas City, Mo., native totaled a .347 batting average with 30 doubles, four triples, 35 homers, 120 RBI and 100 runs scored.
• Kitchens earned Second-Team All-Region and First-Team All-OVC accolades last season at Southern Indiana after hitting .371 at the plate with 18 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 60 runs driven in.

Get a Lead for the Bullpen
• During Will Bolt's tenure at Nebraska, the Huskers are 138-19-1 since the start of the 2020 season when they lead after the sixth inning.
• The Big Red are 134-17 when leading after seven innings and hold a 136-11 mark when leading after the eighth inning since 2020.

Other Bats in the Husker Lineup
• Senior Joshua Overbeek appeared in 52 games last season, batting .293 with 13 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 28 RBI and 51 runs scored.
• Devin Nunez was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and Frisco Class All-Tournament Team in 2025. The Navasota, Texas, native batted a team-best .331 at the plate with six doubles and five home runs while compiling 12 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI contests.
• Junior Max Buettenback hit .286 with eight doubles, a triple and seven home runs last season. Buettenback drove in 27 runs and scored 27 times while recording seven multi-hit games, including two three-hit performances.
• Junior Will Jesske appeared in 43 games for the Big Red last season, hitting .288 with six doubles, a triple, three homers and 15 RBI while scoring 22 times.
• Miken Miller is expected to share time behind the dish for the Huskers and comes to Lincoln after two seasons at Johnson County CC. In two seasons with the Cavaliers, Miller hit .375 with 35 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs, 114 RBI and 104 runs scored in 119 games.
• Preston Freeman appeared in 72 games in two seasons at Cisco College, batting .349 with 16 doubles, nine triples, five home runs, 49 RBI and 52 runs scored. 
• Mac Moyer played in 105 games across two seasons at San Jancinto College, totaling 143 hits, 23 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 64 RBI, while Carter Kelley recorded a .346 batting average with nine doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 51 RBI in 70 games played at Johnson County CC.
• Nico Newhan appeared in 43 games at Grossmont College, batting .380 at the plate with 15 doubles, 19 home runs, 31 RBI and 58 runs scored, while Drew Grego arrives in Lincoln as the No. 134 shortstop nationally and the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of Nebraska from Bellevue West High School.

Notable Arms in the Pen
• Redshirt senior Kevin Mannell is expected to hold down the Huskers' closer role after spending a season at Mississippi State. The righty went 2-0 and struck out 19 hitters in 14.2 innings across 11 relief appearances with the Bulldogs in 2025.
• Junior Tucker Timmerman was used in a variety of pitching roles last season for the NU pitching staff. The right-hander made 12 appearances, including five starts, going 2-1 with 30 strikeouts in 34 innings of action last season.
• Senior left-hander Grant Cleavinger struck out 20 batters and limited opponents to a .239 hitting clip in situational matchups in 19 appearances last season.
• Sophomore Colin Nowaczyk returns for the NU relievers after striking out 10 across nine innings in 10 appearances as a freshman in 2025.
• Southpaws Braxton Stewart and Lynden Bruegman come to Nebraska after transferring from Iowa Western CC and Missouri Western State, respectively. Stewart went 1-1 with a 4.28 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 27.1 innings in lone season with the Reivers, while Bruegman totaled 115 strikeouts and limited opposing batters to a .255 batting average across 88.1 innings in three seasons with the Griffons.
• Ryan Harrahill appeared in 11 games, including two starts, and struck out seven in 13.2 innings, while J'Shawn Unger made one appearance at Omaha as a freshman last season. 
• Caleb Clark recorded a 3.20 ERA and tied for fourth on the NU pitching staff with 20 appearances on the mound in 2025, while Chase Olson is set to make his Husker debut after redshirting last season.
• Tabbed the No. 75 right-handed pitcher nationally and the No. 265 overall prospect in the country, Jace Ziola joins the Huskers after setting a single-season school record with 93 strikeouts in 46 innings as a senior at Skutt Catholic High School.
• Auden Pankonin arrived at Nebraska as the No. 177 right-handed pitcher in the country and capped his prep career with a 1.90 ERA and 61 punchouts in 43 innings as a senior at River Falls High School.

21 Games Against Postseason Foes in 2026 Slate
• Nebraska is scheduled to play 21 combined games against 10 teams that qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including three Super Regional teams and one College World Series team.  
• Seven of the Huskers' first 10 games in 2026 are against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, as the Big Red take on Northeastern, Louisville, Kansas State, Florida State and Auburn. 

2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll
• Nebraska was picked to finish fourth in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll, the league office announced this week.
• UCLA was chosen as the league’s favorite, coming off a run to the College World Series in 2025.
• Behind UCLA, Oregon and USC were picked second and third, while Indiana and Iowa were selected fifth and sixth, respectively, behind the Huskers.