"Making us proud": Dylan Raiola gives shoutout to Beavers star for massive walk-off victory in College World Series opener

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola is preparing for what should be a strong season for him. Coming off an impressive freshman year, Raiola will be tasked by the Cornhuskers to take another step toward being one of the top QBs in the nation in the 2025 season. As a result, he has been working hard this offseason to ensure he is ready.

However, that does not mean he does not have time for leisurely activities. On Friday, the College World Series began. One of the matchups on day one was between the Oregon State Beavers and the Louisville Cardinals. The Beavers had a walk-off victory on a hit by Aiva Arquette.

Both Arquette and Raiola are natives of Hawaii, so Raiola took the time after the game to celebrate his fellow Hawaiian's achievement.

"Yessah Hawaiian!! Repping our island making us proud!!" Raiola wrote on his Instagram story.

Image via Dylan Raiola's Instagram story.

With the win, Aiva Arquette and the Oregon State Beavers advanced to the second round of the College World Series. There, they will play against Coastal Carolina, which defeated Arizona 7-4 on Friday. Their matchup will take place on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule praises Dylan Raiola for not transferring

Dylan Raiola had a tremendous freshman season, completing 265 of 410 passing attempts for 2819 yards and 13 touchdowns. In doing so, he established himself as one of the best young players in college football. As a result, many top programs reached out to him, but he decided to stay at Nebraska for his sophomore year.

On Tuesday, Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule was on "The Jim Rome Show" and spoke about Raiola. Notably, he praised him for not taking the easy way out and staying in Lincoln.

"First year, you come in, to me, if you’re a big-time recruit, it’s about learning how to handle the pressure," Rhule said. "Learning how to handle the frustrating moments. I think he did that really well. Highs and lows. He finished the year on a real uptick.

"And everyone reached out to him. He could have taken the easy way out and left and gone into the portal and gone to someplace where he could start over where he doesn’t have to do as much himself. But he chose to stick it out and fight. He came back, and I’ve been excited to see where he’s at."

Dylan Raiola will be looking to help the Cornhuskers improve next season after finishing 12th in the Big Ten in 2024.