'Ultimate confidence': How J'Shawn Unger suddenly became Nebraska baseball's bullpen anchor
Nebraska's J'Shawn Unger (37) pitches during the eighth inning of a college baseball game against Creighton at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
LINCOLN — The worst college outing for J’Shawn Unger happened suddenly. Unexpectedly.
It was April 2025 and the Nebraska pitcher hadn’t appeared in a game as a true freshman. The Huskers were a sub-.500 team tied with Omaha late on a Tuesday and gave the hard-throwing right-hander a chance.
Unger jogged onto the mound at Tal Anderson Field and began the seventh inning with a strikeout and groundout. Then — pow! — a walk, home run and infield error ended his night and his season. He took the loss, then entered the portal a few months later as a transactional footnote in another busy NU summer.
“It’s kind of unfortunate the way it went out,” Unger said. “But I think I learned a lot from that game. You just gotta be able to throw strikes and hit your spots. I was blessed to get in that game.”
On nearly the one-year anniversary of that lonely debut, Unger stood atop another mound in Omaha and did what he’s done all spring — deliver. This time he locked down a two-inning save at Creighton to keep the top-25 Huskers surging into April with their best 29-game start (23-6) since the last time they hosted an NCAA regional in 2008.
Unger’s rise has surprised like a comebacker. Last July he was a week away from moving onto campus at Iowa Western and preparing for a junior-college season. The sophomore projected during the fall as a Nebraska bullpen depth piece with a bigger role perhaps a spring away.
Instead, the 20-year-old who grew up in Missouri Valley, Iowa, and later in Blair has found himself in the middle of seemingly every big end-of-game moment. Winning run on base in the ninth inning against Creighton. Bases loaded with two outs at Michigan in the series rubber match. Bags full and one out at Wichita State with its best sluggers at the plate.
Unger bested every situation. Of his 10 appearances this season, the Huskers have won nine. He has earned either a victory or a save in his last eight outings. The stretch began when he fired two scoreless frames at Auburn in late February to nab the ‘W’ in NU’s best triumph so far.
“I see ultimate confidence from him,” Nebraska coach Will Bolt said. “His body language and his presence on the mound. I mean, he’s executing every pitch. Every pitch he’s executing, even the balls.”
The accelerated redemption story began with a trip west and an attitude adjustment. Unger spent last summer in the West Coast League in Corvallis, Oregon, rediscovering his love of the sport while landing a spot on the league’s all-star team as a starter/reliever swingman. He tapped into a deeper competitive side and let the swagger show when he took the ball.
On the verge of heading to juco for the fall, NU pitching coach Rob Childress lit up his phone. The Huskers had a spot for him if he wanted to return to Lincoln.
“Right as he said that I knew I wanted to come back,” Unger said. “I felt like a completely different person after summer ball. I was pretty confident I could come here and help out.”
Unger’s mother, Kayla, noticed the change too.
“You could just see the light in his eyes,” she said. “He’s doing what he loves again.”
Still, No. 37 didn’t blow away teammates and coaches even into October. The fastball never ticked above 92 mph. He was throwing strikes, but maybe too many of them.
Catcher Jeter Worthley shook his head considering the “huge strides” Unger has made in five months. The hurler somehow provides both a jolt and calming effect amid white-knuckle circumstances.
“It’s a completely different pitcher on the mound, just his moxie on the mound,” Worthley said. “His presence is different. The velo, the secondary pitches, all of it is just different. He’s somebody that is just electric to catch when he’s on the mound. The presence he brings gets you going a little bit.”
About the only thing Unger isn’t convicted about is his title. Is he Nebraska’s closer?
“Oh man, I don’t really know,” Unger said. “Not really?”
Bolt disagreed — the Huskers don’t trust anyone more in tight contests. There’s a name for that.
The job might only last for a few more months. Coaches like the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder as a future starter. He has the arsenal of a leading weekend man with a fastball, sinker, slider, changeup and curveball. A recent velocity jump of 1-2 mph — perhaps sparked by more mound emotion or simple physical development — makes the heater tougher at 94.
Unger developed the sinker in the summer. He brought back the curve after not using it since it became the pitch that led to a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery as a high school junior.
The variety pays off in the clutch. He leaned slider in Wichita. Heavy fastball/slider at Michigan. A 93-mph sizzler with movement provided the last out Tuesday against Creighton’s best hitter. Breaking offerings keep batters off balance.
The reliever owns a 3.86 earned-run average in 18 2/3 innings, walking 10 and striking out 20 while allowing 10 hits.
Unger grew up around the sport. His grandpa, Rod Unger, was the longtime baseball coach at Missouri Valley High School — J’Shawn spent many childhood summers with those teams as the bat boy. His mother was a softball catcher at Indiana Hills. His aunt, Krista Wood, is Creighton’s head softball coach.
The aspiring nutrition major was Nebraska’s first 2024 commit, pledging as a prep sophomore in October 2021. Iowa and West Virginia showed interest then but most schools knew the family of Iowa State fans — a place with no baseball program — was set on the Huskers. With the fourth most career homers at Blair, the teenager had some pop in his bat too.
Bolt recalled first watching a young Unger throw in Omaha with lightning flashing in the distance. The makeup and projectability seemed obvious, with perhaps only the subsequent arm injury keeping the prospect off the radar of professional scouts.
That single freshman appearance last year cost Unger a season of eligibility but coach and player both said they don’t regret what happened. Coaches gave Unger a shot to take off, even if he wasn’t ready. The pitcher saw how far he had to go. He initially left Nebraska on good terms seeking more playing time, then turned summer ball into a de facto tryout to return.
“He came back over here and it was like, ‘Man, he’s grown up a ton in the last three months,’” Bolt said. “We were very excited to get him back. Very fortunate.”
Kayla Unger believes her son has plenty of room still to grow. He rarely went to a formal pitching coach growing up, usually doing his own research when he wasn’t playing basketball or football as a tight end and linebacker.
Her stress levels still spike in those late innings when Unger appears calm and collected. He continues to find outs.
“It’s very nerve-racking,” Kayla Unger said. “My heart is going 100 mph every time I see him running out there. But I have faith in him. He loves those situations.”
J’Shawn shifts the focus to a few baseline commands in his mind during those sky-high leverage spots. Compete. Dominant. Attack the strike zone.
The postgame handshakes keep coming.
“You’ve got to do everything in your power,” Unger said, “to get the boys back in the dugout.”
Take a look inside Charles Schwab Field as Creighton baseball hosts Nebraska in Omaha.
evan.bland@owh.com, 402-444-1201, twitter.com/EvanBlandOWH
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