Nebraska Cornhuskers Baseball: Tone setters take the field for first practice

The Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team is about to see the first pitch of head coach Will Bolt‘s fourth season with the jury still very much out on just what kind of job he’s done since taking the helm. One of the reasons the jury hasn’t come back on him is because he’s had a bit of an up-and-down career as the team’s head coach.

Bolt’s first season in 2020 was upended by the COVID pandemic. His second season, however, was quite good as he led the Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team to a 34-14 record and an NCAA Regional. The Huskers even almost upended Arkansas and former NU head coach Dave Van Horn. And then there was the 2021 season, a first-to-almost-worst campaign that saw the team finish 23-30, 8th place in the Big Ten, and missed the conference tournament.

For those reasons, 2023 could be a kind of make-or-break season for Will Bolt. And he seems to know that. On the first day of practice for his team the head coach talked about he already feels like there are some serious trend setters for this new group.

Speaking to Hail Varsity, Bolt said that despite there being quite a few new faces on the Nebraska baseball team, the veterans have managed to step up already.

"“You ask the guys to let their personalities come out. Again, when you’re a little bit older, you’re more comfortable. So you’re a little more able to do that. Some of our better players that have been in the program now are juniors and seniors or fifth-year guys, and so they’ve kind of helped set the tone too. And so it’s always a work in progress.”"

Specifically pointing out the tone setters, he talked about Kyle Perry, Shay Schanaman. Both players are in their senior seasons and are grizzled vets that the newcomers and younger players can look up to.

There’s quite a few questions heading into the Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball season. However, it appears that one question Bolt has already seen answered is who will lead this year.