Nebraska

Nebraska baseball enters regular-season finale with postseason hopes still on the line

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2024

Nebraska baseball enters regular-season finale with postseason hopes still on the line

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska baseball has arrived at the final stop of an unusually twisted season. The Huskers will open a three-game series Thursday at Michigan State within reach of their third Big Ten championship in the past seven opportunities.

Nebraska is 32-18 and 14-7 in conference play. Its case for a spot in the NCAA postseason, to be unveiled May 27, appears strong, though it’s not entirely secure with the visit to MSU and a Big Ten tournament in Omaha still ahead.

On the surface, this is a satisfying position. Beneath the appearance of that smooth ride, Nebraska has endured a turbulent spring.

A window opened in March and April for the Huskers to earn an inside lane to go deeper into the postseason since they last won a regional in 2005. But now if Nebraska is to make a run, its path likely must resemble what coach Will Bolt’s team nearly pulled off in 2021. After winning the Big Ten, it pushed national power Arkansas to the final innings of a winner-take-all game in the Fayetteville regional.

“When you get knocked in the face,” outfielder Garrett Anglim said, “one thing you’ve got to do is get back up and show up the next day with that fight.”

Nebraska has absorbed its share of punches.

It’s not alone. The national picture entering the final days of the regular season is clouded. In some cases, it looks upside down. Perennial College World Series participants Vanderbilt, Florida, LSU, TCU and Texas are jumbled near Nebraska with RPIs from Nos. 28 to 44, according to warrennolan.com.

The Huskers come in at No. 31.

“Everybody has more access to talent than we’ve ever had in this sport,” Bolt said. “And it’s hard to win.”

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Bolt’s team has won just three of seven series finales against Big Ten foes. Nebraska dropped all three games against in-state rival Creighton and lost 10-6 against lowly South Dakota State on May 8, surrendering six runs in the ninth inning. The midweek defeats crushed hopes the Huskers might sneak into a spot to host an NCAA regional next month.

Two days after the SDSU meltdown, the Nebraska bullpen surrendered seven runs in the ninth against Indiana to lose 10-5.

But, true to the roller-coaster form, the Huskers followed with a pair of clutch wins against the Hoosiers to capture the series and stay alive in the Big Ten race. Nebraska needs to perform one game better than Illinois in this final week to secure a share of the regular-season title and snag the No. 1 seed next week in Omaha.

The Illini (30-17, 15-6 Big Ten) play at Purdue (33-19, 13-8) to end the regular season.

When these Huskers convened before the season, they established a set of defining characteristics. Among the words they selected was resilient.

“Having done this for a while now, the teams that typically are the best are the ones that don’t get too high or too low,” Bolt said. “Baseball can lend itself to being such an emotional roller coaster if you allow it to — because there’s so much failure.”

High moments for Nebraska have included:

• A solid first month that featured a stockpile of road wins against opponents out of conference to boost the Huskers’ RPI.

• Six series wins in seven chances in Big Ten play, powered in weekend openers by ace right-hander Brett Sears, who takes a 7-0 mark and a 2.11 ERA into his next trip to the mound Thursday.

• A no-hitter against Kansas State on May 1 thrown by lefty Jackson Brockett, the first by a Nebraska pitcher in 70 years.

• Last weekend’s showing to close the home season. Cole Evans hit a walk-off, three-run homer in the 10th inning to even the series against Indiana on Saturday. Then Brockett and reliever Drew Christo pitched Nebraska to its second Sunday victory since the start of April.

“Three weeks ago, I didn’t make the travel roster.
Tonight, I threw the first no-hitter for Nebraska in 70 years.”
The No-Hitter by @JaxBrockett13
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📖: https://t.co/Ku26K0aR0r pic.twitter.com/dzzi7c8BLi
— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 14, 2024

When the midweek losses accumulated or when the relievers struggled, Anglim said the Huskers didn’t dwell on the negativity.

“If things don’t go our way,” he said, “it’s not the end of the world. It’s time to focus on the next thing.”

Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA regional round five times in the past decade. Bolt, as a player with the Huskers, was a four-year starter and played on the first two CWS teams in program history in 2001 and 2002.

In teams ready to make a run in June, he said he’s seen the kind of resiliency evident in the Huskers — and a tendency for older players like Brockett, Christo and Anglim to emerge from the shadows to play major roles.

Bolt played his best baseball over the final few games of his collegiate career, he said.

“You’ve got nothing to lose at that point.”

Left-handed reliever Caleb Clark, effective over his past nine outings since mid-April after a rocky start to his sophomore season, said the vibe among the Huskers is one of “pure excitement” as they head to Michigan State.

The series opener Thursday in East Lansing is scheduled for 5 p.m. First pitch is planned for 4 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday. The Big Ten Network will televise the final two games of the series, presumably for the Huskers with a lot at stake.

“These were the goals that we set forth at the start of the season,” Clark said. “Being in this position is something that we expected of ourselves.”

(Photo of Cole Evans courtesy of Nebraska Athletics)

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Nebraska

Southeast Nebraska neighbors: Obituaries for June 6

Published

6 hours ago

June 6, 2026

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Southeast Nebraska neighbors: Obituaries for June 6

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Nebraska

Southeast Nebraska assault report leads to child porn discovery

Published

16 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Press Room

Southeast Nebraska assault report leads to child porn discovery

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – An assault report lead to an arrest involving child porn in southeast Nebraska.

On May 3, a 17-year-old reported that she had been assaulted overnight. According to court records, the girl said she had been over at 20-year-old Edgar Hernandez Canahan’s house.

Canahan had reportedly encouraged the two teenagers to drink alcohol and do drugs with him. Court records stated that the teenager reportedly attempted to leave, but was physically stopped by Canahan. During the incident, Canahan reportedly hit the teenager in the face.

Canahan’s roommate then arrived and drove the girl back to her house.

Court records stated Canahan had reportedly been in a relationship with the 15-year-old for about three days.

On May 6, law enforcement was granted a search warrant to seize any electronic communication devices from Canahan. Canahan claimed that he did not know the 15-year-old. He later turned over three phones.

On May 13, Canahan was absent from work, and the 15-year-old girl was missing from her school. Officers went to Canahan’s house to see if they could find the 15-year-old, but did not find her at the house. However, they did find another phone, which officers took as evidence.

Once all four devices were found, law enforcement found several chats indicating a relationship between the two individuals as well as several child porn images.

Canahan was charged with 10 counts of possession of child porn.

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Nebraska

Hy-Vee selling 21 Fast & Fresh stores to Nebraska-based chain

Published

1 day ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

Hy-Vee selling 21 Fast & Fresh stores to Nebraska-based chain

Hy-Vee is selling its 21 standalone Fast & Fresh-branded convenience stores, opening the door for a 78-year-old family-owned, Nebraska company to expand to Iowa.

Bosselman Enterprises, which operates six brands in the travel-service sector, will rebrand the Fast & Fresh stores under the Pump & Pantry name, which it uses at 48 locations in Nebraska, it announced Friday, June 5.

The companies did not disclose the purchase price for the 21 stores. Fifteen are in the Des Moines metro, two are in Davenport and one is in Marion. Of the other three, two are in the Omaha metro and one is in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Hy-Vee spokesperson Tina Potthoff said the West Des Moines-based grocery giant will move out of the standalone convenience store business it entered in 2018. The 168 Fast & Fresh stores adjacent to Hy-Vee grocery stores and distribution centers will remain, Potthoff said.

Hy-Vee can now turn its attention to further expansion.

“We’re ready to start building Hy-Vees again,” Potthoff said.

Rebranding to occur in July

The Pump & Pantry rebranding will go into effect in July, beginning July 15, and will be completed by July 26, Pump & Pantry said. The companies said the sale will result in no layoffs, with most current Fast & Fresh employees to be hired by Pump & Pantry. A small percentage will shift to other roles within Hy-Vee, Potthoff said.

The high-end feel of the Fast & Fresh locations fits the Pump & Pantry business model, said Kinsey Bosselman, director of operational planning for Bosselman Enterprises. Visitors to the new stores can expect some changes, though. Fast & Fresh locations offered grocery store items, including some produce.

“We operate a little differently,” Bosselman said. “We won’t have a ton of grocery options. We hope to bring to the market some new offerings.”

Pump & Pantry to bring new food offerings, maintain Hy-Vee rewards

Pump & Pantry has licenses with the submarine sandwich brand Quiznos and Cinnabon, and its online menu includes extensive hot and cold to-go items, pizza and sweets, including ice cream. It also will retain the side-by-side coffee offerings at 12 of the Fast & Fresh locations ― five of them Starbucks and seven, Smokey Row.

Bosselman said customers at the new Pump & Pantry stores will still be able to use their Hy-Vee Fuel Saver points. Pump & Pantry offers its own rewards program, too, with an annual sweepstakes that offers prizes including free fuel for a year.

The Nebraska convenience chain is entering a competitive convenience store market in the Des Moines metro and the rest of Iowa, with Casey’s, QuikTrip, Kwik Star, Maverik, Git N Go and others already dotting its street corners.

“That might step on Casey’s toes,” Bosselman said, “But we’re ready to be a Nebraska-Iowa company. Iowa is a thriving market.”

Pump & Pantry says Fast & Fresh culture works with business model

Bosselman said her company had been eyeing opportunities for more than a decade in Iowa, and Fast & Fresh employee culture meshed with its business model, which emphasizes a sense of ownership among its workers.

With 69 total stores after the acquisition, it plans to expand further into the state, building its own stores, she said.

How will Pump & Pantry separate itself from the competition?

“We are the hometown experience,” Bosselman said. “We serve our community beyond the store. We’re the store you go to refill the cup you’ve had all week. When I go into a store in Nebraska, they know my name, they know the farmer’s name who comes in to get their coffee before 6 a.m.”

The change is the second big shift in the Des Moines convenience store scene in recent years. Salt Lake City’s Maverik bought the Des Moines-based Kum & Go chain in 2023 and completed its rebranding last year.

The Fast & Fresh locations being sold are: