Star Nebraska pitcher Mason McConnaughey had to pause and smile before answering a question about new teammate Cael Frost, a transfer from South Dakota State who was both the Summit League's Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2024.

"He's a tough out, that's for sure," said the right-hander McConnaughey, the favorite to be Nebraska's Friday starter as the Huskers inch closer to the season-opener against UC Irvine on Feb. 14 in the three-team MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona.

Nebraska head coach Will Bolt and everyone else in the Husker baseball program is hoping Frost will be able to build on what he accomplished in Brookings in 2024 and help Nebraska take the next step in 2025.

"He's high-character, first and foremost," Bolt said of Frost. "He's a lot like the rest of the guys in the clubhouse, fit in right away. Is a guy who's had to bet on himself, went to junior college, very lightly recruited. Had an amazing year when he had a chance to prove himself at the Division I level."

What is the next step, the goal the team is trying to reach? It's no secret to Frost, who's reminded about it before each practice.

"Every day in our offensive packet we have 'host a regional' so that's first and foremost," Frost said while speaking to the media last week. "Host a regional here in Lincoln. We feel that's the easiest way we can get to Omaha, which is the ultimate goal."

Frost, a 6-foot, 200-pound native of Gilbertville, Iowa, had a spectacular lone season at SDSU following two seasons of junior college ball at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The outfielder led the Jackrabbits in batting average (.343), hits (68), home runs (21, also an SDSU single-season record), walks (25) and on-base percentage (.433).

Frost had consistent power at Kirkwood, too. He hit 10 home runs and 40 RBIs as a freshman and had 12 homers with 55 RBIs as a sophomore before transferring to SDSU.

With Nebraska losing its top power hitter from 2024 in Josh Caron, who hit a team-high 16 home runs with 65 RBIs, Frost's bat is expected to make an instant impact in Lincoln.

After grinding through two seasons of junior college ball and one season at a mid-major Division I program, Frost thinks his experience and power at the plate is what will most benefit this Nebraska team.

"I feel like I've seen what it's like at different programs, different levels. And I feel like I can bring that experience," Frost said. "Offensively, I feel I can bring some power and hopefully some average and stuff like that. So I feel like I can drive in some runs and help the team that way."

While Frost is new to Nebraska baseball, he still has an idea about what it's like to play in Haymarket Park. SDSU traveled to Lincoln for a midweek game on May 8 and left with a surprising 10-6 win. The Jackrabbits scored eight runs in the final two innings and sent a Husker crowd of 5,467 home with frustration.

Frost didn’t have the outing at the plate he wanted that May night, going 1-for-5 with two strikes. But the fan base and atmosphere were hard to ignore for Frost, and it played a role in him transferring to Nebraska.

"I think just him playing in this environment last year, he wanted a part of that," Bolt said. "...He is a tough out. He can just get the barrel to the ball. He's very, very strong. He's not the biggest guy, but between the elbows and his fingertips, he's very, very strong. So just getting a barrel to it, the ball takes off pretty good off his bat."

The transition from Brookings to Lincoln has gone well, Frost said. He has his roommate, returning starter Riley Silva, who's just as much of a cage rat as Frost is, so the two players have made the batting cages their second home these days.

"It's been great so far. All the guys have been super welcoming to me," Frost said. "It's been great so far to get to know guys who are like-minded like me who strive for wins, strive for success and just to be better overall. That's what I was looking for and these guys have made that possible."

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