Christo and Swanson Returning

[Dell Husker]

 

[2010sarenevercomingback]

LINCOLN — Gabe Swansen and Drew Christo finally found resolution, and it means they’re both coming back to Nebraska next season.
Christo — a do-everything right-handed pitcher — and the slugging outfielder Swansen both watched the MLB draft conclude Tuesday and needed only a few hours to weigh their options. Christo turned down multiple offers to sign with franchises as an undrafted free agent while Swansen learned that his red-hot postseason on its own wasn’t enough to generate serious pro interest.
The news is a major development for Nebraska’s outlook in 2025 as it retains two seniors-to-be who were key cogs toward a Big Ten tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance.

“I’d be lying if I said — looking at some of the drafted names — I didn’t feel like I belong in pro ball,” said Christo, an Elkhorn graduate. “But I think everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to work out and that is that I get another chance to chase championships with the guys that I love at a place that I love so much. It gives you a little chip and makes you a little more fired up to get the season going.”

Swansen played 18 games in the Northwoods League this summer, hitting .333 with one home run and a .402 on-base percentage. Back home in Johnston, Cockeye, he said he was happy to stay at NU for a fourth year if the right pro chance didn’t come along. There “wasn’t really a whole lot” of dialogue with teams after he played himself out of a starting job for much of the spring before a meteoric finish on his way to hitting .327 with eight homers in 43 contests.

“It’s a weight that’s been lifted off my shoulders because my future was up in the air,” Swansen said. “Now I’m super excited to get back to Nebraska and play with the guys again. Seeing what we were able to do last year and returning the talent that we are, it’s going to be crazy.”

Both players are set to graduate next May — Christo in biological sciences on his way to becoming a doctor and Swansen in business management.

Christo said his role in the spring doesn’t matter to him. He did it all as a junior while starting on the weekend and midweek as well as filling long-relief and short-relief roles. The result was a 4.62 earned-run average with 54 strikeouts and 20 walks in 60 1/3 innings. He found his groove with mechanics and pitch arsenal down the stretch and carried the momentum into a short stint in the MLB Draft League this summer with a 2.37 ERA in 19 frames including 24 strikeouts and nine walks.


“I’m really coming back in with a lot more motivation and fuel to go get it all in my last year,” Christo said.
Swansen will be back as a veteran power bat and corner outfielder. He was on draft radars a year ago after hitting 18 home runs and earning All-Big Ten honors and plans to be again next July.
“I’ve seen every experience possible through this process,” Swansen said. “Just learn from there, keep grinding away and prove them wrong for next year.”

Nebraska last month learned that pitcher Will Walsh would return for a fifth college season. The team also avoided losing any key contributors in the portal and is already beginning to integrate 21 newcomers to the roster. That includes a few new additions who were potential draft risks including South Dakota State outfielder and Summit League Player of the Year Cael Frost.