Nebraska
Nebraska baseball team clinches series in 11-3 win at Michigan State
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Early offense and another strong performance from the Nebraska pitching staff helped the Huskers clinch the weekend series at Michigan State with an 11-3 win against the Spartans on Friday evening at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
Nebraska (34-18, 16-7 Big Ten) scored 11 runs on 13 hits and an error, while Michigan State (23-27, 10-13 Big Ten) totaled three runs on six hits and two errors.
Riley Silva and Case Sanderson pieced together three hits apiece, while five Huskers tallied a multi-hit performance on Friday. Silva went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a stolen base, followed by Sanderson’s three hits and three RBI. Josh Caron and Dylan Carey each had two hits and a home run, while Cayden Brumbaugh recorded a pair of hits and two runs.
Mason McConnaughey improved to 7-3 on the season after allowing three runs, two earned, across five hits in 5.2 innings. The sophomore struck out five Spartans and issued just one walk. Jalen Worthley pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, while Casey Daiss tossed a shutout eighth inning. Kyle Froehlich shut down the Spartans in the ninth to conclude the action for the NU pitching staff.
The Husker offense needed just one inning to get on the board with a pair of runs behind two hits in the opening frame. Brumbaugh led off the game with a first-pitch single through the right side and swiped second for his 12th stolen base of the season.
Caron broke the scoreless tie with a towering 432-foot moonshot beyond the trees in left field to give the Big Red a 2-0 advantage.
McConnaughey shut down the Spartans in the first, before Nebraska tacked on three more runs on three hits in the second to grow the lead to five. Cole Evans drew full-count walk, and Silva singled to right to put runners on first and second. Brumbaugh brought home the Big Red’s first run in the inning with an RBI single to right, scoring Evans from second.
Silva plated Nebraska’s second run in the frame on a wild pitch, while Sanderson’s RBI single to shallow left-center scored Brumbaugh from second to build the lead to 5-0.
McConnaughey worked around a walk and single with one out in the second, inducing a 6-4-3 double play to preserve the five-run lead in the bottom of the second.
A Michigan State error, walk and bunt single by Carey loaded the bases for the Huskers in the top of the third. Michigan State’s Joseph Dzierwa escaped the damage with a strikeout, followed by a double play to keep the Huskers’ lead at five.
A two-out double in the bottom of the sixth off the extended wall in right field snapped a streak of 12 consecutive retired batters for McConnaughey. Three consecutive singles after the double brought Michigan State within 5-3 after six innings.
The Huskers blew the game open in the top of the eighth, erupting for four runs on two hits and an error. Walks to Carey and Evans, followed by an infield single on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Silva had the bases loaded with no outs for the Big Red.
Overbeek kept it going for the Huskers, lacing a 1-1 pitch for what appeared to be an RBI single off the top of the glove of the leaping MSU infielder trying to make a full-extension catch, but the play was scored an error that brought home Carey.
Sanderson ripped a 3-2 pitch to right for a two-RBI single, while a sacrifice fly to center from Ben Columbus gave the Huskers a 9-3 lead in the eighth.
Carey began the ninth by lifting a first-pitch solo homer over the wall in left to plate Nebraska’s 10th run of the night. A one-out single and a steal of second by Silva set up Overbeek’s RBI double to the hill in right field, allowing Silva to come home and stretch the lead to 11-3.
Nebraska and Michigan State conclude the weekend series tomorrow at 11:02 a.m. CT at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in East Lansing, Mich. Sunday’s series finale can be seen on Big Ten Network, while fans can listen to Ben McLaughlin call the action on the Huskers Radio Network.
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Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.
On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.
During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.
After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.

Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.
According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”
Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.
“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.
“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.
Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.
“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.
Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.
“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”
Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.
“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”
Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.
“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.
Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.
“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.
“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.
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Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.
Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.
ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year
“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”
Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.
The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.
His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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