On a day where the pitching was exhausted, an exhausting season came to a close with a focus on the future…and future returns to Omaha.

Omaha, NE – There’s a big sign inside the indoor hitting cages at Bill Davis Stadium that reads, The Road To Omaha.  It was one of Bill Mosiello’s first commandments when he took the job, and you cannot hit without being aware of that sign.

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Well, the Buckeyes finished their season in Omaha Friday, sure enough, albeit on the wrong end of 12-5 score, Nebraska beating five pitchers around to improve to 36-20, and advance to Saturday’s semi-final round of the Big Ten Tournament.

The goal now becomes…how to get back here on a more consistent basis.  2024 marked the first time since 2019 that the Buckeyes qualified for the post-season tournament, and had to win impressively on the season’s final weekend to do it.  More about this in a few hundred words.

First, the down dirty of 12-5 loss to a team that has many of the attributes that Mosiello believes the Buckeyes will have in short order.  Nebraska simply pitched better, and with better depth of pitching.  “They have the arms to make a deep regional run,”  said Mo in the post-game presser Friday.

Matt Graveline has to sky to pull down a throw attempting to knock off a Nebraska runner in the third.

“This is a good team with a good staff and a good baseball culture.  I’ve known Will Bolt since his time at Texas A&M.  And it’s taken me some time to realize what he’s done in the Big Ten, to appreciate the Big Ten, and I’ve eaten enough humble pie.  Going forward we have to get better.”

Colin Purcell made the start on the mound, and immediately gave up a hit batter and a walk, preceding a home run to right by Nebraska’s Gabe Swansen…3-0, Cornhuskers.

They added single runs in the second and third, while the Buckeyes got on the board in the top of the third on a walk to Ryan Miller, a stolen base, and an RBI single by Trey Lipsey…5-1 Nebraska.

Colin Purcell would last just 2.2 innings, replaced in the third by Gavin Bruni, who finished the third and then pitched a scoreless fourth.  Ohio State added another run in the fourth with a leadoff double by Tyler Pettorini, who eventually scored on a ground out by Hunter Rosson…5-2, Nebraska.

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And for a third straight inning the Buckeyes scored in the fifth when Lipsey walked ahead of Henry Kaczmar, who scored him with an RBI double, his 11th of the season…5-3, Nebraska.

Nebraska quickly got that run back off Bruni in the bottom of the fifth, who then pitched a scoreless sixth to accumulate 3.2 innings of work having given up 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 3…6-3, Nebraska.

The final game hurt…pitching Colin Purcell reacts to lasting just 2.2 innings against Nebraska.

But the Buckeyes simply could not put up a crooked number off Nebraska starter Mason McConnaghey, and never got any closer than 6-3.  Zach Brown came out to work the seventh and immediately ran into trouble, giving up a run on 2 hits, replaced by Justin Eckhardt with two outs, with the game still in reach.

But Nebraska jumped all over Eckhardt, who lasted just 0.2 of an inning, surrendering 3 runs on 4 hits before giving way to Jacob Morin.  Morin recorded the final out of the inning with Nebraska now leading 12-3.

A boisterous crowd of Husker fans were howling with each succeeding run, eager to see Nebraska return the favor of a run-rule finish, like the Buckeyes handed out on Tuesday.  But they avoided that indignation by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the ninth off the relievers Jalen Worthley and Rans Sanders…before Joe Mershon grounded out to second for the final out of the 2024 season.  A very frustrating 2024 season that saw some encouraging highs, but also some discouraging lows to remind Bill Mosiello and staff just how far they have yet to reach if they want to be like Nebraska.

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They closed with 5 runs on just 7 hits, and committed 1 error.

Nebraska moved on to play on Saturday with 12 runs on 13 hits and had 1 error.

It was a stinging loss for a group of Buckeyes who had played through that frustration, and those like Mitch Okuley, who had played through Covid, along with losing baseball.

“But there’s a good core of young players here,”  said Okuley in the post-game presser.  “And the staff has recruited more good young players.  I think Buckeye baseball will be good for years to come.”

There were, in fact, a lot of hugs and more than a few moist eyes…a reminder of the brotherhood that comes with baseball, as well as the realization for some, like Justin Eckhardt, that Friday probably marked his last day in organized baseball as a player.

“It’s a hard reality,”  said Mosiello.  “Baseball is a tough game, to be played by tough people, and we have had great kids – wonderful kids – who are great students and never give you any trouble.

It was tough for the umps, too. Umpire Jim Schaly watches the  scoreboard video as his call on a third inning steal was reversed by replay.

“But we have to get tougher.  We need to improve, and we’ve done a better job as the season went on.  We beat a great Nebraska team in Omaha, and beat them once early in the year.  And toughness is always a staple with Nebraska.  I challenged our kids with that after the game.  Our culture is great – great kids, great workers, and we’re doing a lot of great things.  But we have to become better baseball players, and we have to get tougher.”

The young core that Okuley talked about will include incombants Henry Kaczmar, Matt Graveline, and Tyler Pettorini in 2025, as well as developing bright lights like Isaac Cadena, Chase Herrell, Gavin DeVooght and Zach Brown.

“But our priority between now and then will be pitching…pitching…pitching…and more pitching,”  added Mosiello.  “We got to do a lot of recruiting and we’re going to be all over the place.  We’re limited with portal spots because we were so aggressive in bringing in high school talent early on, but we have to use the spots we have to find more pitching, and pitching that can help us immediately.”

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Translation:  There’s a lot of opportunity at Ohio State if you can throw experienced strikes and get people out.

“If you look at all the teams in this league we’re by far the youngest group.  All the teams that are really playing well are older groups,”  he added.  “I’ve always been a believer in developing young players, but things have changed and I kinda’ have to change my mind a little bit with that…because we see in all that sports what’s happening.

Justin Eckhardt and Ryan Miller react to the final game of the 2024 Buckeyes’ season.

“But we’re in a tough spot in terms of position spots for portal talent because of all the guys we’ll have coming back.”

Statistically, there was some marginal improvement in team batting average, and the fact that they finished with six bats that finished with an average of .280 or better.  And overall, as a team they improved from .265 to .280.

But pitching was another matter.  Forced to lean too much on those young freshman arms, the composite earned run average was up nearly a run at 6.37.  And this cardinal sin…they walked the leadoff hitter 54 times in 2024, an increase of 13 over 2023.

But those young arms, as well as players like Ike Cadena and Zach Fjelstad will be in summer baseball leagues, taking their own next steps toward 2024.  Steels sharpens steel, they say, and they need to play.

So how to get back to Omaha?

Development of existing talent, of course.  And the man makes no bones about recruiting, and with a priority on pitching.

Pitching…pitching…pitching…and more pitching!

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (WOWT) – Former Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry will again go to trial next winter.

The charges are the same as before, when a California jury convicted him of lying to the FBI regarding $30,000 in campaign contributions from a foreign billionaire.

The appeals court tossed the conviction, saying he should have been tried where the crimes happened: either Nebraska or Washington, D.C. The government filed new charges in D.C. earlier this month.

Fortenberry appeared remotely on Thursday, pleading not guilty. His new trial is set to begin Feb. 3, 2025.

He was released on his own recognizance, meaning he was not required to post bail.

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LINCOLN — A national panel of senior military and criminal justice leaders is hailing Nebraska landmark legislation that they say could help restore justice-impacted veterans to “hero status.”

Nebraska state lawmakers voted 44-0 in April to approve Legislative Bill 253 and create new veteran justice programs statewide, beginning July 1, 2025. Such programs would include evidence-based treatment and case plans for eligible veterans that would specifically address military service-connected conditions that contributed to criminal offenses.

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, chair of the Veterans Justice Commission of the Council on Criminal Justice, and a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, said he’s proud Nebraska is the first state to adopt recommendations from the 15-member commission. 

“I’m not surprised that Nebraska would be leading the way of all the states in this,” Hagel said.

Nebraska leads the way in legislation

Hagel, who served in Vietnam, said he learned growing up how there was a World War II veteran in nearly every house in Nebraska and it was evident Nebraskans appreciated their veterans.

The commission has outlined state-level and federal recommendations, with Nebraska being the first state to adopt legislation based on the commission’s policy framework. State Sens. Tom Brewer, Justin Wayne and Lou Ann Linehan ushered it through the Legislature this year.

Brewer, a military veteran of 36 years, led LB 253 alongside Wayne, chair of Nebraska’s Judiciary Committee, and Linehan, a former campaign manager and chief of staff for Hagel in Congress.

Hagel said the legislation calls attention to an often overlooked issue: the transition from active duty to civilian life, a transition that more than 200,000 active-duty members make each year. Difficulties in making that shift have  been exacerbated after the country’s two longest wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq, he added.

“Because of an all-volunteer force, the same people kept going back and back and back,” Hagel said. “It wasn’t unusual to find veterans who had four or five, six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Brewer, who has two Purple Hearts, is one such veteran. His service included six tours in Afghanistan. He’s also made multiple volunteer trips to support Ukraine, including this month.

Brewer described the legislation as supporting combat-impacted veterans who have made mistakes but who should be treated with respect because of their service to the country.

“Many times that exposure causes issues that they would not normally have in their lives, therefore that’s why their treatment should be uniquely different,” Brewer said in a text. “But it’s not a free ride — if you wanna make mistakes and continue to make mistakes, you will have a harder life than others.”

Civilian life ‘a whole different world’

Hagel said simply that the “transition process is not good” and noted that many service members enlist in their teens and get out 20 years later.

“We could derail a lot of these veterans from getting in trouble with the law or going to jail if we had that upfront transitioning help,” Hagel said.

His commission has aimed to replicate the veteran justice program in other states and aimed higher for congressional and federal action, with Hagel tapping into connections with former U.S. Senate colleagues and federal leaders.

One goal is a U.S. Department of Defense undersecretary whose job would be easing the process of transitioning from military service to civilian life.

“One day you’re in a uniform and you’ve had your years and years of being in an institution where there’s structure that you worked hard in, that you admire and you respect,” Hagel said. “And all of a sudden, you’re out — it’s a whole different world.”

According to the Council on Criminal Justice, roughly one in three veterans report being arrested or booked in jail at least once. The suicide rate for veterans is approximately 1.5 times higher than the rate among the general population and even higher for veterans after incarceration.

Under Nebraska’s legislation, all criminal courts — not just specialized courts, which have been established in four of Nebraska’s 93 counties — could consider whether there is “clear and convincing evidence” that a condition related to military service contributed to a criminal offense.

Returning to ‘hero status’

In 1997, Nebraska approved problem-solving courts and expanded them in 2016 to include Veterans Treatment Courts. These are 18- to 24-month intervention programs similar to the new policies advanced this year.

Across the country, 14% of counties operate similar, specialized veterans courts, though eligibility requirements exclude many veterans.

“The Veterans Justice Commission wanted an alternative to complement Veterans Treatment Courts, and that’s what this model policy does,” Jim Seward, commission director, said.

Seward said Nebraska has more than 200 veterans in its correctional system. He said it’s hard to say how many fewer would still be sitting in prison had the new law been in place sooner.

“But I would venture to guess somewhere in the neighborhood of half of them would have been considered for this more intensive, evidence-based treatment program,” Seward said.

Seward said every criminal judge in Nebraska, from Alliance or Scottsbluff to Nebraska City, could recognize a defendant’s veteran status and determine whether there is a connection to the alleged crime.

“If the judge decides that it is, they have this opportunity to build a therapeutic treatment plan for the individual, partnering with the VA and vet centers and all the resources that that brings to bear … to really try and help that veteran get back to what we like to say, ‘hero status,’” Seward said.

“They came home a hero — something went wrong,” Seward continued.

Minnesota passed similar legislation a few years ago, Seward said, but before the Veterans Justice Commission developed the policy framework.

Program parameters

Under the Nebraska bill, veterans are not eligible if their alleged offense is ineligible for probation, or in other select circumstances, such as if someone died as a result of the alleged crime or if the offense would qualify someone for the Sex Offender Registry. 

If necessary for public safety, a veteran might still receive a prison sentence.

If eligible, a veteran’s case plan would be developed with court probation and appropriate experts and would:

• Include input from the veteran.
• Assess specific risks and needs, including whether there is a risk of intimate partner violence.
• Set clear and individualized goals, such as rules, consequences and incentives.

Veteran service status could be used as a mitigating factor but not an aggravating one in determining a sentence. Victims or alleged victims would need to be notified of program eligibility and could request to be part of the veteran’s restorative program.

Nebraska’s state court administrator will record how many veterans receive, decline or are denied participation in the program and will track the outcomes of those who are approved.

An annual report will be issued to the Judiciary Committee beginning July 1, 2026, regarding program completion, recidivism and housing and employment status per veteran. The data will include race, ethnicity, age, military discharge characterization and the involved offense.

‘Great example for the country’

Seward and Hagel said the country does a good job in supporting veterans with visible wounds — such as amputations — but not as much in supporting “invisible wounds,” such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, which could trigger veterans turning to substances to cope.

“We train them to be part of the most lethal force in the world, and when they come home, many of them struggle to just turn off that switch,” Seward said.

Seward said the commission has continued to work with various organizations, including the national associations for governors, state legislatures, district attorneys and defense attorneys, as well as various state supreme court chief justices.

“It’s really, obviously, a first step, but this is how momentum begins and how change begins,” Seward said.

Hagel said he took note of some of the transition challenges during his time as defense secretary for former President Barack Obama and talked with the joint chiefs about the need to do better. 

He said Nebraskans should be proud that state lawmakers projected the state “into a real leadership role when it comes to taking care of our veterans,” which can be a model for others.

At least 10 states are in active talks with the commission, Seward said, and many are lining up “policy champions” to step up, a title he bestowed upon Linehan, Brewer and Wayne.

“It’s a huge effort to try to pass a law in 50 states, but you have to begin somewhere,” Seward said. “Starting in Nebraska, starting in the center of the nation, starting in a state that is, I think, well-known for reasonable politics that are not hyperpartisan, I think it’s a great example for the country.”