Will Bolt Season 2002

2002 Outlook
It was only fitting that Will Bolt cemented Nebraska?s first College World Series appearance when he caught Austin Davis? pop-up in the bottom of the 10th inning of the Huskers? 9-6 victory over Rice. While the senior from Conroe, Texas, has had his moments of offensive brilliance, most notably his Minneapolis regional MVP performance as a sophomore, Bolt has made a name for himself with his stellar defensive play and all-out hustle on the diamond.

 

A major component of Coach Dave Van Horn?s first recruiting class, Bolt has been a fixture in the Husker lineup throughout his career, appearing in 185 of a possible 194 contests over that stretch. He also has started all 16 NCAA postseason games under coach Van Horn. A two-year captain, Bolt is one of the best defensive middle infielders in college baseball, combining sure hands and excellent range. He ranks third in school history with 475 assists and needs only 129 more to tie Darin Petersen?s (1992-95) school record of 604 assists.

?Will is one of the best defensive players in college baseball,? Van Horn said. ?He has great range and can turn the double play as quick as anyone in the conference.

?Offensively, he has bounced back and hit the ball extremely hard during the fall. We are looking forward to having a good offensive year from him.?

A career .300 hitter, Bolt ranks eighth on Nebraska?s hit chart and needs only 57 hits to supplant former Husker All-American Darin Erstad (261, 1993-95) to become NU?s all-time hits leader. He also ranks on the schools top-10 lists in games played, doubles and at bats. Last summer, Bolt joined fellow Husker senior Justin Seely in playing for the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska Baseball League. He joined the Oilers midway through the season after the CWS and appeared in 26 games for the Oilers, batting .224 with nine RBIs and eight runs scored.

2001 - Junior
A preseason All-Big 12 selection, Bolt was the epitome of a team player, constantly shifting between second base and shortstop during the season depending on the opposing pitching matchup. Despite missing the entire fall after knee surgery, he returned to the lineup in time for the season opener and made 59 starts, including 39 at shortstop. Bolt, who already holds two of the top-10 single-season assist totals in NU history, committed 15 errors in 254 chances for a .941 fielding percentage as a junior.

He started slow offensively, batting just .235 in his first 23 games, including .208 in conference play, before finishing the season with a .265 average with a pair of homers and 30 RBIs. Bolt, who was seven-of-seven in stolen bases, was sixth on the team with 46 runs scored while his 38 walks trailed only All-Americans Dan Johnson and Matt Hopper. The Conroe, Texas, native had 16 multiple-hit performances, including a trio of three-hit efforts at Oklahoma on March 30 and against Northern Iowa on May 9.

Although he hit just .227 during the Huskers? postseason run, Bolt found ways to get on base, ranking third on the squad with a .432 on-base percentage and tying the team lead with eight walks. He was a disruptive force against Rice in the Super Regional, going 2-for-6 with four runs scored, three walks and a pair of stolen bases against the Owls.

Bolt provided one of the Huskers? biggest moments of the season when he delivered a two-out, three-run homer in the top of the ninth in a 12-9 victory over Southern Utah on March 6. After his early season struggles, Bolt turned his season around against Oklahoma, recording his first three-hit game on March 31 to break a 12-for-61 slump, to help NU to its first sweep of Oklahoma in Norman since 1962. Following the outburst against the Sooners, Bolt hit .285 with an on-base percentage better than .400 during the final two months of the season. He tied a career-high with five RBIs in a 3-for-5 effort against Northern Iowa on May 8 in the final regular-season contest at Buck Beltzer Stadium.

Bolt?s prowess helped him rank among team leaders in doubles (10, sixth) and RBIs (30, ninth), while also stealing seven bases in seven tries.

2000 - Sophomore
After hitting .278 in 59 games in 1999, Bolt avoided the sophomore jinx, improving his output in many offensive categories. He appeared in 65 games, including 63 starts, and batted .350, a total that ranked 15th in the Big 12, with three homers and 41 runs batted in en route to second-team All-Big 12 honors from the Austin American-Stateman and honorable-mention accolades from the league coaches.

He ranked second on the team with 18 stolen bases in 25 attempts and finished among the team leaders in hits (86, second), doubles (12, fourth), runs scored (57, third) and walks (26, sixth). His 65 appearances and 63 starts were second only to shortstop Brandt Vlieger in both categories. Bolt was exceptionally dangerous with the bases loaded, hitting a team-best .778 (7-for-9).

Throughout the season, Bolt shined in pressure situations, batting .378 (17-for-45) in the Huskers? postseason run, a total that was second only to Adam Shabala?s .438 average, while turning in six multi-hit games in that span. Bolt also performed well in the field, committing just one error in Nebraska?s final 12 games.

At the Minneapolis Regional, Bolt earned MVP honors, batting .545 (6-for-11) with a walk and two runs scored, while helping the Husker defense turn four double plays in the three-game sweep. He went 2-for-10 (.200) at the Super Regional, an average that tied for third best on the team.

In league play, he batted .306 with three homers and 29 RBIs, appearing in 29 of 30 Big 12 contests. Bolt delivered one of the biggest hits of the season with a third-inning grand slam, as the Huskers rallied from a 10-run deficit to defeat Iowa State, 14-13, on April 29. He finished the day 3-for-5 with five RBIs. He turned in a career day with a 5-for-5 performance in the Huskers? 11-0 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on April 24, one of 25 multi-hit games on the year, a total that ranked second to All-American Justin Cowan. Bolt?s inside-the-park homer in the first game against Texas A&M on April 21 triggered a three-game sweep of the Aggies, as Bolt hit .400 (4-for-10) with four RBIs and scored six runs in the series. He tied a school record with three doubles in another 5-for-5 effort in a 10-3 victory at Arkansas on March 15.

A solid defensive performer who is able to play almost any spot in the infield, Bolt started 10 or more contests at three different infield positions (2B-30; SS-14; 3B-18), including 27 of the final 28 games at second.

1999 - Freshman
Bolt had a strong season for NU, starting 55 games as a true freshman and batting .278, with 43 RBIs and 48 runs scored. Bolt?s batting average was deceiving, as he proved to be a consistent hitter, compiling a 16-game hitting streak from March 6 through April 7, where his average reached a season-high .316. His 16-game streak is the longest in school history by a freshman and was the 10th longest overall in NU history. During that stretch, he went 24-for-66 at the plate (.364), scoring 15 runs and driving in 19. He had 16 doubles for the year to rank second on the team and also drew 18 walks. He stole eight bases in 11 attempts and led the team with 161 assists.

Bolt started 48 games at second base and earned the starting nod at shortstop five times. He also started twice at third. Nebraska went 5-0 in games Bolt started at shortstop, as he batted .333 in those games. Bolt was the only Husker player to start every Big 12 game in 1999 and responded by hitting .252 with four doubles, three triples and three home runs.

His highlight of the 1999 season came in Nebraska?s first of three wins over No. 8 Texas, when he delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth to down the Longhorns. Against Iowa State on April 18, he had a season-high four hits, including two triples, and drove in two runs in the 10th inning in the 9-6 win. He scored a season-high three runs vs. San Diego State on Feb. 7. He was third on the team with 14 multiple-RBI games and sported a .436 average as a leadoff hitter. His best stretch of the year came in March, when he hit .340.

Conroe High School
As a senior, Bolt led Conroe High School to a 21-8 record and a regional quarterfinal appearance. He was an all-state shortstop and hit .489 with 31 RBIs, four home runs and 24 stolen bases in 24 attempts. He also earned All-Greater Houston honors from the Houston Chronicle. As a junior, Bolt hit .485 with 22 stolen bases and scored 40 runs. In 1997, he helped his AAU team, which included the top players in Texas, to a fifth-place finish in the 18-and-under National Tournament in Orlando, Fla.

Career Statistics

 

 

 

 

Year	AVG	GP	GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	ATT
1999	.278	59	55	227	48	63	16	7	4	43	18	27	8	11
2000	.350	65	63	246	57	86	12	0	3	41	26	25	18	25
2001	.265	61	59	211	46	56	10	3	2	30	38	35	7	7
TOTALS	.300	185	177	684	151	205	38	10	9	114	82	87	33	43