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Nebraska Baseball: Schwellenbach will be a man of many hats in 2021

By Danny Jaillet

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 19: An Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and NCAA game baseball during a game between High Point and North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on February 19, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 19: An Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and NCAA game baseball during a game between High Point and North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on February 19, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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He will serve several roles for Nebraska baseball.

You have probably heard of the term utilityman. It’s a term in baseball that describes a player who can do a little bit of everything. I like to call utilitymen Swiss Army Knives due to their versatility. Whatever you want to call that type of player versatility, Nebraska baseball will have it in 2021.

If you are a Nebraska baseball fan, then you have probably heard the name Spencer Schwellenbach. He has been a stellar hitter for Nebraska, batting .295 last season with a .415 on-base percentage. He is undoubtedly a solid player with a bat in his hands. However, his pitching experience is what really intrigues me the most.

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As noted in a report from the Lincoln Journal Star, he has not pitched in a game in three years. However, he does have a solid resume prior to the collegiate ranks. He went 18-6 and posted a 0.73 ERA in 154 innings pitched. Spanning four high school seasons, he also recorded 233 strikeouts and 27 walks in addition to five saves. It is safe to say that he did a little bit of everything at the high school level.

Now, he is looking to parlay that into something big for Nebraska baseball. I must say, I am a bit intrigued. The Nebraska baseball bullpen, and in some cases the pitching staff, really struggled last season. Any added help pitching the baseball would be greatly appreciated. I’ll certainly be intrigued to see how this goes, and there is no doubt that Schwellenbach is a good natural athlete.

The Nebraska baseball offense showed signs of life last season before everything came to a halt. Now, they will be looking to build off that. Schwellenbach is in a unique position to where he can do two things for this program. He can help stabilize the offense, and he can also add another layer of pitching to the staff.

If anything, this situation sort of reminds me of Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels. Although  Ohtani had to shift to being a hitter last season due to injury, he still brought a certain amount of versatility when he arrived in Major League Baseball in 2018.

I’ll be interested to see how Nebraska baseball program uses Schwellenbach. He certainly has tremendous athleticism and talent, and I like the idea of trying to use him in multiple capacities as Nebraska looks to take the next step as a baseball program.

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