The Nebraska Cornhuskers' baseball team took a couple of hits on Sunday and Monday when several Huskers were drafted or signed with Major League Baseball. The first was Mason McConaughey, who was selected with the 115th pick in the draft by the Texas Rangers.
McConaughey missed most of the 2025 season due to an injury. Still, he was solid enough in 2024 and before his injury that the Rangers thought he was worth a flyer. He's said he'll sign with the Rangers and depart the Cornhuskers.
His loss is bad, but was mostly expected. It was the loss of a transfer pitcher who was expected to be part of the Nebraska Cornhuskers staff in 2026.
J.D. Hennen wasn't drafted, but right after the draft signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. That means he won't be a member of the Huskers after all, and head coach Will Bolt has to look for another option.
Nebraska Cornhuskers hoping for a usual Year 3 for Matt Rhule
Throughout Matt Rhule's career, one constant has remained. That's been Year 3 at whatever school he's coaching has been the best of the bunch. It's been the year he turns things around.
National analyst JD Pickell recently predicted how the Huskers would fare against their schedule, picking them to finish 9-3 with some big wins and some losses to teams we usually consider sure losses. The good news is that 9-3 represents a 3-game improvement over 2024 and definitely counts as a peak Matt Rhule season.
Nebraska football's recruiting skid continues with two losses in one day
While the Huskers were expected to have an excellent July in terms of recruiting, things have taken a turn for the worse. Nebraska is just 2-for-6 on the prospects it thought it was landing. On Saturday, the Huskers lost two players in one day: linebacker Calvin Thomas and athlete Jacob Eberhart.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers obviously have a Plan B they'll move onto. Rhule and his staff have proved to be agile on the recruiting front. Still, it's a step backward for a crew that was expecting to be popping champagne by this time of the month.