Sears Taken in Seventh Round of MLB Draft by Atlanta Braves

Nebraska senior Brett Sears was selected in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon. Sears, who became the fourth seventh-round selection in NU history, was the No. 221 pick overall in the draft.

Sears becomes the fifth Husker pitcher under head coach Will Bolt to be drafted in the first 10 rounds, joining Spencer Schwellenbach (2nd, 2021), Cade Povich (3rd, 2021), Emmett Olson (4th, 2023) and Jace Kaminska (10th, 2023).

The senior is the sixth Husker to be selected by the Braves in the draft after earning unanimous Second-Team All-American recognition from D1Baseball, Baseball America, ABCA/Rawlings, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game last month.

The Westphalia, Iowa, native was named a second-team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators earlier this month, becoming the first NU baseball player to be an Academic All-American since 2016, and the first Husker to be an All-American and Academic All-American in the same season since Aaron Marsden in 2003.

Prior to the All-American accolades, Sears was a first-team all-region honoree and named District 6 Player of the Year.

A semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and National Pitcher of the Year, Sears was the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection while posting a 9-1 record with a 2.16 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 104 innings.

Sears ranked among the national leaders throughout the season, finishing the year ranked fourth with a 0.88 WHIP, fifth in ERA (2.16), 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.32), 20th in hits allowed/9 inn. (6.23) and 24th in walks allowed/9 inn. (1.64).

After Nebraska’s win against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament, the senior became the first NU pitcher since at least 1999 to reach a 9-0 record on the mound.

Sears is the first Husker hurler with 100-plus strikeouts in a season since 2008 after compiling 101 punchouts, which is ninth-most in program history. Sears also completed the season tied for eighth in program history with 104 innings pitched in 2024.