LINCOLN, Neb. -- Will Bolt, the captain of Nebraska's most successful baseball teams, was named head coach of the Cornhuskers on Friday after five years as a Texas A&M assistant.
The 39-year-old Bolt played shortstop on the Dave Van Horn-coached teams that reached the College World Series in 2001 and 2002 and has been in college coaching 16 years. Bolt replaces Darin Erstad, who resigned June 3 after eight seasons.
"The opportunity to come back home to Nebraska and lead the Husker baseball program is such a blessing and honor for my family and me,'' Bolt said. "It is such an exciting time in Husker athletics with the foundation laid by Bill Moos within the athletic department, and the success coach Erstad and staff have had on the field.''
Bolt went to Texas A&M to work under former Nebraska assistant Rob Childress after serving as Erstad's associate head coach from 2012 to '14. Bolt was a volunteer assistant on the 2005 Nebraska team that went to the CWS. He also was head coach at the junior college level at Texarkana College in Texas from 2008 to '11.
Bolt signed a five-year contract paying him $300,000 annually.
The native of Conroe, Texas, played for the Huskers from 1999 to 2002. He played on four NCAA regional teams and finished his playing career with school records in games played (251), games started (242), at-bats (922), hits (281), doubles (56) and assists (639).
Moos called Bolt a proven recruiter who has an understanding of Nebraska's athletic traditions.
"Will Bolt has been a winner at every stop he has made as a coach and player, and I am proud to welcome him back to Lincoln as our next head baseball coach,'' Moos said. "Will was a part of the most successful teams in the history of our baseball program, and he knows what it takes to win here.''