One of the more heralded players to come out of the state of Nebraska in recent years, Kash Kalkowski returns to the Pump Jacks in 2012 having already seen and done much in his collegiate career.

This past spring, Kalkowski was a trusted bat in the order for head coach Darin Erstad at Nebraska, hitting .310 in 48 games, 42 of them starts, with four home runs and 37 RBIs along with eight doubles. Kash also had seven stolen bases in eight attempts, tying him for second on the team.

Last summer in East Texas, Kalkowski demonstrated a sound swing, batting .319 with nine doubles and 11 RBIs in 20 games for the Pump Jacks, finishing with an on-base percentage of .440 to boot.

After losing the 2010 season to shoulder surgery, Kalkowski made the transition from a pitcher to a position player, and it was a highly successful one. With only two collegiate at-bats to his name, Kalkowski earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors by batting .299 with a .378 on-base percentage while ranking second on the Huskers in RBIs (42), doubles (12), triples (3) and home runs (5). His stellar season earned him a nod from the Kansas City Royals, who selected Kash with their pick in the 50th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. It was the second time he had been drafted, having also been selected in the 49th round of the 2008 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

As a true freshman at Nebraska, Kash appeared in 19 games on the hill and made two starts, striking out 32 in 34.1 innings.