Nebraska Cornhuskers Baseball and the relentless pursuit of relevance

The College World Series field is set. And the Nebraska Cornhuskers are not a part of it--again. In fact, it has been 19 years since the Huskers were in the CWS.

You probably remember that season well. Alex Gordon. Joba Chamberlain. Johnny Dorn. Tony Watson. Andy Gerch.

A school record 57 wins compared to only 15 losses. They won both the Big 12 regular season title and the tournament title. The only team in program history to win a CWS game. That heartbreaking loss to Arizona State to end the season.

Has it really been 19 years?

Nebraska baseball had a decent season this year. They won 40 games. That's only been done 19 times in school history and just four times since 2004. They won the Big Ten tournament. They lost two games to eventual CWS-qualfier (and last year's runner-up) Florida.

It was not an failure of a season.

But Husker fans want more. And do you know what? You deserve more.

I was at Nebraska's opening CWS game in 2002 (their second CWS) appearance against juggernaut Clemson. The pre-game flyover was a Stealth Bomber. That was followed by several minutes of the "Husker Power" chant echoing throughout Rosenblatt into South Omaha neighborhoods.

Goosebumps.

Was it a dream? YouTube tells me it wasn't. But it's hard to believe that will ever happen again.

We--you--deserve to have that happen.

But will it? Can it?

History is a good teacher. Let's start there.

Does Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball have elite history and tradition?

John Sanders is really the godfather of Nebraska baseball. He is both the longest-tenured (1978-1997) and winningest (767 wins) head coach in Nebraska baseball history--by a long shot. Before he arrived in 1978, Nebraska had never won 40 games.

Heck, there were some seasons they didn't even play 40 games.

Take 1966 for example. Why that year? It may seem somewhat of a random choice. But it was strategic: it was also the last year a Big Ten team won the College World Series. Ohio State took the title, finishing 27-6-1. USC lost to Ohio State in the semifinal game. The Trojans finished 42-9.

Nebraska also lost 9 games that season.

But they only played 25 for the entire season.

The Huskers were 16-9 in 1966. Sixteen wins. The Buckeyes won eight games in the postseason alone.

In Sanders' first eight seasons, he won 40 games seven times and made the NCAA tournament three times. (Note: depending on the format, the tournament only had 34 or 36 teams in the 70s-80s. It was complicated.)

In his final 12 seasons, Sanders only topped 40 wins twice, never finishing better than third in the Big 8. Nebraska also failed to make the NCAA tournament during that span.

After Sanders, came Dave Van Horn and then Mike Anderson. They gave Nebraska what fans had longed for.

From 1999-2008 (aside from a couple of subpar seasons), Nebraska was the talk of the college baseball town.

But then came the slide. In Anderson's final three seasons, he never won more than 30 games and finished 10th, 9th, and 9th in the Big 12 conference standings.

If we include the three seasons when Nebraska made the NCAA tournament under Sanders, that means for 12 seasons out of its 135-year history, Husker baseball was at or near the top of the baseball world ("the top" being very relative here--I think you know what I mean).

Twelve.

Kind of answers our question, doesn't it?

What does all of this have to do with whether or not Will Bolt can lead Nebraska baseball back to the CWS?

In a way, nothing. History is just the past and it has no bearing on today or the future. On it's own, history is neutral.

On the other hand, it has everything to do with Nebraska baseball's future.

Husker fans--including me--love to point out how football's rich history of success coupled with the current momentum Matt Rhule has built proves that the Nebraska football program can achieve excellence once again.

Why doesn't it work the other way around for baseball? Twelve years out of 135 isn't proof of concept. It's an indictment.

Two things can be true at the same time.

Truth #1: You, dear Husker baseball fan, deserve an elite baseball team.

Truth #2: For most of its history, Nebraska baseball has been mediocre.

The early to mid-2000s were actually the anomaly. What we have been experiencing as Nebraska baseball fans in the last 10-15 years is what the majority of Husker baseball fandom has been like.

And there's no guarantee elite baseball will return to Lincoln.

Nebraska baseball found a diamond in the rough when they hired Dave Van Horn. He was a generational coach. And his teams were quite the drug, weren't they? Nebraska baseball fans got addicted real quick. We've been looking for another hit ever since.

Let's be real: we may never see another coach like Van Horn at Nebraska. Can they still become elite without an elite coach?

The hope: Big Ten expansion may be the best thing for Nebraska baseball

We were spoiled. So you can blame Van Horn (and Anderson, too, if you want to give him some of the credit), for why some Husker fans say, "Nebraska shouldn't lose to (fill in the blank)."

You've said it. I've said it.

Why do we fans say things like this? Because Nebraska had a great eleven-year stretch in the not-so-distant past? The only thing that stretch proves is that it has been done. It doesn't mean it will again.

Against Northwestern, yes. Rutgers, sure. Michigan State, definitely.

What about Ohio State? They've actually won a baseball national championship. Nebraska hasn't. They've played in 86 postseason games. Nebraska, just 74.

Michigan? They have more titles than Nebraska, of course. They certainly have a richer baseball tradition and played in a national championship series just five years ago.

Minnesota? Let's not go there. The Gophers put Nebraska's history to shame. Plus, they played in a Super Regional in 2018. Nebraska hasn't since 2005.

The Big Ten is not a great baseball conference. But, historically speaking, Nebraska's history fits better here than in the Big 12.

And currently? In this average to slightly above-average baseball conference, Nebraska isn't even the biggest baseball spender.

That crown goes to Iowa, then Michigan...and then Nebraska. When you include the new Big Ten members for the 2024-25 season, here's how the top 10 spenders shape out: 1) USC, 2) Oregon, 3) Iowa, 4) Washington, 5) UCLA, 6) Michigan, 7) Nebraska, 8) Ohio State, 9) Rutgers, 10) Maryland.

Nebraska is seventh in spending in a 17 team super conference (no Wisconsin baseball, remember).

Mediocre history. Mediocre spending. It seems like Nebraska has quite the hill to climb just to look at the cleats of the Tennessees, North Carolinas, and Florida States of the world.

Still, I think there's hope for Nebraska baseball. While it may seem counterintuitive, the Big Ten's latest expansion is the best possible thing for Husker baseball.

Welcoming a baseball blueblood like USC and good (but not great) programs like UCLA and Oregon raise the profile of Big Ten baseball. [Sidebar: Yes, UCLA was atrocious this year but I don't expect them to stay down for long.]

First, Nebraska's conference schedule gets an immediate lift. It will make non-conference scheduling a bit easier and boost RPI ratings. The better competition in conference play will also breed confidence and experience during postseason play.

But even more importantly, now Big Ten baseball will be on TVs and cell phones in LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and other western cities where baseball talent runs deep.

USC playing in Lincoln in early April? High school coaches and players in the City of Angels will tune in. It will pay dividends in recruiting. It has to. Will Bolt and his staff don't have a choice.

Coaching and grit aren't enough to get Nebraska baseball back to relevance. Why? You can't outcoach well-coached talent.

Seven players from the 2005 team were eventually drafted in the first nine rounds. Eleven others were drafted in later roundsp. Eighteen total players on the 2005 roster were drafted by MLB teams. [Note: not all ended up playing, mind you.] Those players were good and they were well-coached.

That's why they won 57 games.

You saw the talent disparity in the regional against Florida, right? Florida's fourth-string outfielder who started six games all year was unstoppable against Nebraska. Husker pitchers didn't have the velocity or command to consistently get outs against anyone. The offense couldn't keep pace, struck out too much, and lacked timely hitting.

Development matters. So does talent and depth of talent. When you have talent, depth, and development, you have a shot at making a deep run in June.

Nebraska has the grit. I believe they have the coaches (now) to develop. But do they have the talent? Yes, in spots. Will they get more? At every position? At every level?

The Big Ten took a step to invest in baseball by inviting four Pac-12 teams. Will Nebraska spend like a top-flight school, take some risks in recruiting, and develop like crazy to reinvent itself into a new generation of Husker baseball?

What's the future hold for Nebraska baseball?

Nebraska baseball's first CWS team was in 2000--24 years ago now.

Twenty-four years before that team? It was 1976. Nebraska went 21-24-1 and 0-2 in Big 8 conference play. Nebraska was as irrelevant as you could be in college baseball.

If you had told the players on that 1976 team that Nebraska would one day play up the road in the CWS, they would have laughed you out of the ballpark.

Well, a lot can change in 24 years.

Here we are.

Big Red baseball has a checkered history. Thankfully, the future isn't written yet. The Huskers are more than due for one of those dominant stretches. I'd argue the program desperately needs it.

Lord knows, Husker faithful, that you deserve it.