News has gone from bad to worse for Will Bolt's Nebraska baseball team: Huskers star pitcher Mason McConnaughey will miss the rest of the 2025 season with an arm injury.

Bolt announced the news on Wednesday, confirming that McConnaughey suffered the injury against Sam Houston State over the weekend.

“We are disappointed to hear the news of Mason’s season-ending injury," Bolt said in a statement. "We are grateful that Mason is in excellent care with our medical team and are confident in a full recovery.

"Mason’s not only a key part of our pitching staff, but also a leader in the clubhouse. His work ethic and competitive spirit set the tone for everyone around him. While we’ll miss having him on the mound this year, we know he’ll attack his recovery with the same determination he brings every day, and we look forward to welcoming him back stronger than ever.”

McConnaughey had a breakout season in 2024 during his first year with the Huskers. He caught Nebraska's attention during his lone season at Cloud County Community College, where he was a first-team all-conference pitcher and second-team all-region performer in 2023.

He hit the ground running in Lincoln, allowing just four runs (three earned) across 11.1 innings in his first six appearances out of the bullpen. He earned his first start on March 19 against Omaha, earning the win after allowing two hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in 5.0 shutout innings.

That performance helped move him into the Saturday starter role for Big Ten play, where he became one of the Huskers' stalwarts and most reliable arms as a formidable 1-2 punch with Friday night ace Brett Sears.

McConnaughey ultimately earned second-team All-Big Ten honors after going 9-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 73 innings while ending the 2024 campaign as NU’s No. 2 starter in the weekend rotation.

McConnaughey, who fell just seven strikeouts shy of cracking Nebraska's Top 10 single-season leaders list, entered his junior season in 2025 as just the fifth Husker pitcher in school history to return following a 90-plus strikeout season. He was the first to return since Joba Chamberlain came back following his 130-strikeout campaign in 2005.

McConnaughey began the season as one of 55 players across high school and college baseball named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List – and the first Husker named to the preseason Watch List since 2016 (Ryan Boldt). He also earned Preseason All-American recognition from D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

McConnaughey – who will be eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft in July – finishes his 2025 season with a 1-1 record, a 6.08 ERA, six walks and 19 strikeouts across three starts. That leaves him 91 strikeouts shy of cracking the program's Top 10 all-time list for career strikeouts.

McConnaughey struggled in his first start of the year – a 10-5 loss to UC Irvine on Feb. 14 – and was saddled with his first loss since April 20, 2024 against Maryland. He roared out of the gate by striking out seven of the first 12 batters he faced – en route to nine total Ks – but ran into trouble in the fourth inning as Irvine jumped out to a 6-0 lead. He finished with six runs allowed (all earned) on five hits, three walks and one hit batsman on 78 pitches across 3.2 innings before getting pulled. The six runs are the most he has surrendered during his 20-game career at Nebraska, which features 14 starts.

McConnaughey bounced back, however, with a strong outing against Louisiana one week later. He allowed just one run (a solo HR) on four hits with no walks and fired six strikeouts on 94 pitches across 6.0 innings as the Huskers picked up a 6-1 win.

It appeared he was tracking toward that same form against Sam Houston last Friday. He tossed 3.0 shutout innings and retired the first two batters of the fourth inning before surrendering a two-out walk. He then threw back-to-back balls to the Bearkats' next hitter and was visited on the mound by Nebraska's training staff. Ultimately, he was pulled from the game mid at-bat during a 2-0 count.

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