The Nebraska baseball team opens its 2025 season this weekend at the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona, facing a challenging slate of opponents who all posted winning records last year. It’s a quick test for the reigning Big Ten champions, and a chance to see how they stack up against some quality competition right out of the gate.
A Tough Test Right From the Start
The Huskers will face UConn, Northeastern, Grand Canyon, and Stanford in four games over four days.
- Nebraska begins its season Friday at 7 p.m. CT against UConn.
- All four opponents—UConn, Northeastern, Grand Canyon, and Stanford—had winning records in 2024.
- Right-handed pitcher Cooper Katskee, a transfer from Miami-Ohio, is slated to make his Husker debut on Sunday.
- Senior infielder Jett Buck and junior pitcher Ty Horn are expected to provide leadership for Nebraska this season.
Nebraska’s schedule begins Friday at 7 p.m. Central Time against UConn, followed by a Saturday matchup with Northeastern at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Huskers will then take on Grand Canyon on Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and conclude the invitational with a Monday game against Stanford at 2 p.m. CT.
“Don’t let them steal first,” head coach Will Bolt said when discussing his team’s approach to facing four strong opponents. “There’s a lot of different looks we’ll be getting from these four different teams that we’re playing. I think UConn and Northeastern both are going to want to push the envelope a little bit on the bases.”
Building on Last Year’s Success
The Huskers won the Big Ten Tournament for the second consecutive year in late May, rallying off four wins to secure the title. However, their season started slowly, going 2-1 at the MLB Desert Invitational in 2024, with a loss to UC Irvine but victories over Vanderbilt and San Diego State.
A win against No. 16 Vanderbilt briefly boosted Nebraska’s ranking to No. 23, but a 1-3 stretch against Grand Canyon and Louisiana at Lafayette caused them to fall out of the Top 25 and remain there for the rest of the season.
New Faces, Familiar Goals
One key addition to the team is right-handed pitcher Cooper Katskee, a redshirt junior who began his collegiate career at Indiana before spending a season at Miami-Ohio. Katskee, named MAC Pitcher of the Year and a third-team All-American in 2024, will make his Nebraska debut on Sunday against Grand Canyon.
Katskee is projected to contend for All-American honors again and will bolster a pitching rotation that already includes returning right-handers Ty Horn, Gavin Blachowicz, and Carson Jasa. Jasa is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against Northeastern, while Blachowicz will take the mound Monday against Stanford.
Horn is confirmed as the starter for Friday’s season opener and is expected to be a key leader both on the mound and in the clubhouse. “At the beginning of last year, it was all about what I could do to help myself,” Horn said. “I figured out I need to be thinking about how I can help the team towards the end of the year last year. I want to be a facilitator and put the team in a position to win this year.”
Senior infielder Jett Buck, a Division II second-team All-American in his second season with Washburn, is also expected to be a leader. Buck previously played two years at Kansas City Community College. “We’re ready to go,” Buck said. “We look good, we feel good and I’m excited to see what we’ll be able to do. There’s a bunch of transfers, but that also means we have a lot of knowledge.” Buck will start at second base for the Huskers.
After months of preparation, the reigning Big Ten champions are eager to begin their season. “Just like any other year, we have some guys that are starting to turn a corner,” Bolt said. “We have a pretty good feel for who our top nine guys are. They’ve meshed well together and have been talking about how close and synergistic they’ve been since August.”
