The Nebraska Cornhuskers added the fourth verbal commitment to their baseball Class of 2023, and he's the first pledge for that cycle who is not an in-state player.
Roseville (Calif.) Woodcreek high right-handed pitcher Noah Madsen came to a Nebraska baseball prospect camp in Lincoln over the weekend and earned a Husker offer, which he promptly accepted. That he has a family connection to the university helped as well.
"I camped at Nebraska because I've always watched Husker games on TV," the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Madsen said. "I've also got family out there, so I went to their camp thinking, 'Let's go, let's see if Nebraska is my best shot.' So, I went out there and did well, they said they were interested in me, and I got their offer."
Madsen and his father were in Lincoln for three days to attend the baseball camp, as well as tour NU's facilities and see the city of Lincoln.
"My mom and my dad both graduated from Nebraska, and my mom's side of the family still lives there," Madsen shared. "What we basically did at the camp was taking ground balls and hitting, but the last part - and what I excelled at - was the bullpen.
"It was a three-parts bullpen: the first part was all fastballs, the second part was off-speed, and the last part was mixing all of it. When I was done with all of this, Coach (Lance) Harvell, who gave me the offer, said, 'Great job, Noah!' Then one of his players told me that Coach Harvell I wanted to talk to me, he took my e-mail, and said, 'We'll be in touch soon.'"
Madsen's bullpen session in Lincoln simply continued a trend of stellar pitching he has experienced since this year.
"In the spring, our team went 24-1, and I pitched 24 innings and gave up two hits, with no runs, and I had 40-something strikeouts. In the summer, I pitched maybe 25 innings and, I think, gave up probably 15 hits and 6, 7 or 8 runs. I struck out over 40 again. I think I walked about 15 people in the spring and summer combined. I think my ERA in the summer was 2.50.
"My fastball runs anywhere from 85-89, and it’s basically a sinker-fastball which runs. My curveball is like my slider-slurve and it has a lot of horizontal and vertical break; and then my changeup is my funky pitch, and it's like my sinker in being 8-9 miles slower."
There were several other college programs that had offered Madsen and were pursuing him, mainly in the West.
"Yes, there were," Madsen relayed. "There was Cal, Santa Clara, Santa Barbara, Nevada and Cal-Poly. Those were the other offers that I had. I was just super-excited because Nebraska has been my dream school, and I've seen what Coach (Will) Bolt is building down there and I want to be a part of it.
"I did watch their [2021] season and I saw how they were a few outs away from making it to the College World Series. With the California offers, they were putting deadlines on theirs, plus it just kind of fell right at Nebraska. I've got family out there to support me for the next few years and it just felt right.
"Their facilities are awesome. You can tell that UNL definitely takes their time in putting in great facilities for their athletes and programs. Lincoln is also just a great college town. It's not too big, but it's also not super-small. It's just right for me."
Madsen couldn't be more pleased or relieved to have his college decision out of the way, especially considering his family ties to the state and university.
"I am just super-excited to go contribute to some Husker baseball, and to help win us a College World Series."
The other three verbal commits to Nebraska's 2023 baseball class are Lincoln Southeast catcher Max Buettenback, Elkhorn North right-handed pitcher Ryan Harrahill, and Beatrice right-handed pitcher Tucker Timmerman.
