The Nebraska baseball team faces a rebuild after pitchers Carson Jasa and Ty Horn were both selected in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. The two former Huskers are about to become bitter NL Central rivals.
Horn was selected with the No. 94 overall pick by the Reds. He became the eighth third-round selection in program history and the fifth Husker to ever be drafted by the Reds. The slot value for that pick is $833,800. Just four picks later, Jasa was selected at No. 98 by the Chicago Cubs. He became the ninth third-round selection in program history and the eighth Husker to ever be drafted by the Cubs. The slot value for that pick is $800,000.
Jasa was Nebraska’s ace in 2026 and the sixth All-American selection under Huskers head coach Will Bolt. Jasa also became the first starter to win double-digit games in a season since Johnny Dorn in 2007. Overall, Jasa is just the 13th pitcher to accomplish the feat, posting a 10-2 record with a 3.59 ERA. Over 87.2 innings, Jasa struck out 117 batters and cut his walk rate by over 50 percent with 47 walks.
Jasa did have some control issues, but considering this was a season removed from Tommy John surgery, it’s worth pointing out that he’s still progressing in his career.
Nebraska baseball loses Carson Jasa and Ty Horn in third round of MLB Draft
MLB Pipeline ranked Jasa as the 173rd-best prospect in the draft, and Baseball America ranked him slightly better at 158. Keith Law at The Athletic was once again the outlier, ranking Jasa 93rd. Law acknowledged Jasa’s command and control issues, as well as the reliever risk that comes with them, but he also saw high potential if Jasa can throw more strikes and command the zone better.
Horn might have been the more surprising selection of the two, considering he moved back and forth between the bullpen and starter roles this past season. He went 3-3 with a 4.03 ERA and one save over 22 appearances, making 12 starts this past spring. He finished second on the team with 87 strikeouts in 82.2 innings of work.
The 2025 campaign was the best of Horn’s career as he went 4-4 with a 4.94 earned run average, almost exclusively as a starter with 17 starts in 18 games started.
With both players selected on the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft, it seems extremely unlikely that either will return to Nebraska for the 2027 season. The takeaway is that Nebraska loses two key pitchers at once, but gains proof that its staff can produce major-league talent. On the one hand, that’s good news for a program that can point to sending two members of the pitching staff to the majors in the same year. On the other hand, pitching coach Rob Childress will have his work cut out for him in putting together a staff.
The pressure ramps up for next spring as it’s a follow-up for Nebraska’s first year of hosting a regional in decades, and the clear expectation is that the Cornhuskers must take the next step and make a Super Regional in 2027.
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