The Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team had a strong showing in the 2024 season, going 40-22 and capturing the school’s first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship.
While Nebraska’s postseason ended with a loss to the Florida Gators in the Stillwater Regional, it marked the team’s first postseason appearance since 2021 and a step in the right direction as the university that appeared in three College World Series from 2000-05 attempts to return to glory and prominence.
Consistency and continuity are key for any team, and Nebraska took a step to stabilize that on Tuesday. The school announced a five-year extension for Will Bolt, who has managed the Cornhuskers since 2020 and was named the 2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
“We are pleased to have Will Bolt as the leader of our baseball program well into the future. Will has been a big part of the success of Nebraska Baseball over the past two decades, not only as the head coach, but also as an assistant coach and player. Through his past experiences, he knows what it takes to win at Nebraska and has a great vision to continue to elevate our program in the coming years,” Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said in Tuesday’s release.
Bolt’s ties to Nebraska go back over a quarter of a century. He played baseball for the school from 1999-2002 under legendary head coach Dave Van Horn and stuck around with the team as a volunteer after his playing career ended. He was then a volunteer assistant at Texas A&M before being named the head coach at Texarkana College, a small school on the border of Texas and Arkansas.
In 2012, Texarkana College shuttered its athletic department, and Bolt returned to Nebraska as an assistant before joining former teammate Rob Childress’ staff at Texas A&M. 2019 marked Bolt’s most recent return to Lincoln, when he was named head coach. If all goes well, he’ll remain with the ‘Huskers through at least the decade’s end.
