Incarnate Word RHP Michael Garza chooses Nebraska baseball

Some early outreach and good word-of-mouth reviews of Nebraska pitching coach Jeff Christy helped the Huskers land right-handed pitcher Michael Garza.

The grad transfer from Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio, Texas, is yet another potential piece in Nebraska’s ever-changing weekend rotation puzzle. He made his decision public via an Instagram post.

Click here for a limited time, pre-register and get an unprecedented 12 months for only $1.00. 

Garza, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, is the 10th pitcher in the incoming class and is the fifth player with Division-I playing experience. He entered the transfer portal shortly after his season with the Cardinals ended on May 21.

Nebraska was quickly on his radar.

“Probably like a day honestly,” Garza said of the timeframe between when he entered the portal and when the Huskers made contact. “They were one of the first ones to reach out and send an offer out. They got all over me pretty early.”

The second key factor in the decision process was what he had heard through the grapevine about Nebraska’s coaching staff. More specifically, coach Christy.

“I know some previous players from (Texas) A&M that played for them with that coaching staff over there,” Garza said. “Just had nothing but good things to say about them. So I knew going into it that it would be a good staff to play for.”

Nebraska baseball lands Wichita State RHP Jace Kaminska

Garza spent four years at Incarnate Word. In that time, he went from the bullpen to a Friday starter by his senior year and holds a 5.60 career ERA. Last season, Garza made 13 starts and had a 5.79 ERA in 73.0 innings. His record was 5-5 with 81 strikeouts compared to 26 walks and an opponent batting average of .286.

The Corpus Christi native did not have a game in which he threw less than 80 pitches and hurled more than 100 pitches in seven of his 13 starts.

In his junior season, Garza was a Jack of all trades. The right-hander made eight starts in 19 appearances and earned a record of 3-4 with a 5.58 ERA. He fanned 59 batters and walked 19 while picking up six saves in 61.1 innings. He also pitched a complete game in an eight-inning loss to McNeese State in April of 2021.

In each of the last two seasons, Garza’s strikeout ratio has been above 3:1 and he has led the team in innings pitched.

If there is one thing that Garza adds for the Huskers in his fifth season, its the amount of games under his belt. 50 appearances to be exact, and in 14 of those showings he threw more than 90 pitches.

“Obviously since I am an older guy I bring experience to the table,” Garza said. “I’ve been through the college ranks.”

Even so, there are still things to improve for a veteran like Garza.

“One thing I’m looking to work on is continuing to develop, and work on my three-pitch mix,” he said.

Transfer Charlie Fischer ready to earn it with Nebraska baseball

Garza will use his fastball, curve and changeup to jockey for a spot in Nebraska’s starting rotation this fall. That’s a competition that is growing increasingly contested. Emmett Olson, Jace Kaminska, Jackson Brockett and now Garza will all hope to earn spots. Absent from that list is the possibility of any further additions or a breakout from a young Husker arm such as Drew Christo.

“We talked about competing for a spot in the rotation but obviously things can change,” Garza said.

The newest Nebraska addition makes for the 15th player to join the Huskers via the transfer portal this offseason. That means that well over a third of Nebraska’s 2023 roster will be transfers. Like so many college athletes in the transfer portal who have sought a change of scenery, Garza has some ideas for what comes next.

“My plan is to go to Lincoln and play ball for a year,” Garza said. “Then maybe go pro or not and then look for a job back in Texas.”

Talk about Michael Garza and everything Nebraska on the Red Sea Scrolls forum.