Huskers Welcome Gophers for Home Conference SeriesHuskers Welcome Gophers for Home Conference Series
Hailey Haar
Softball

Huskers Welcome Gophers for Home Conference Series

The No. 21 Nebraska softball team is set to host its first conference series this weekend, as it welcomes Minnesota. The Huskers will face off against the Golden Gophers at 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, March 21, 1 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, March 22 and 12 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, March 23. 

Last weekend, NU opened Big Ten competition with a three-game series at Ohio State. The Big Red went 1-2, collecting a 9-5 win on Friday but falling on Saturday (12-13) and Sunday (6-12). Emmerson Cope logged two home runs and five RBIs in just four at bats, while Hannah Camenzind batted .500 on the weekend with six hits, four doubles and a home run. Jordyn Bahl extended her hitting streak to 12 games. 

The Golden Gophers are 13-15 on the season with a 2-2 mark in conference play. Last weekend, they faced off against Michigan State and Penn State at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., and split the two-game series with both teams. 

All three games this weekend will be streamed on B1G+, and Saturday’s will be televised on Nebraska public media. Every game will  have a free radio broadcast with Nate Rohr on the call. The radio broadcast is available at Huskers.com/listen and on the official Huskers app. Fans are reminded that Bowlin Stadium is cashless and reentry will not be allowed. 

Leading Off

  • Nebraska reached 62 home runs last weekend, which would rank fifth in school history and surpassed last year’s home run total of 61.
  • Jordyn Bahl currently has a 12-game hitting streak. The last Husker to have a 10-game hitting streak was Billie Andrews last season.
  • The Huskers are ranked No. 21 in the NFCA Poll. NU has been ranked by the NFCA this season.
  • Bella Bacon played in her 100th career game last weekend and Abbie Squier started her 150th.
  • Katelyn Caneda’s next hit will be the 100th of her career.
  • Over the weekend, Bahl threw the 500th strikeout of her career and her 100th of the 2025 season.
  • Ava Bredwell is 23 RBIs away from amassing 100+ hits, 100+ runs and 100+ RBIs in her career. Abbie Squier is  27 RBIs and eight runs away from that accomplishment.
  • Nebraska has 14 run-rule victories on the year. The school record for most run-rule wins in a season is 17 (2015).
  • Nebraska has scored 10+ runs in 13 of its 20 wins this season.

Two-Way Players Thriving
Nebraska has three players that contribute both in the circle and at the plate in Jordyn Bahl, Hannah Camenzind and Emmerson Cope. 

  • Bahl has been in the batting order for 26 games, H. Camenzind for 22 games and Cope for 14 games. 
  • The three have combined to start 22 of Nebraska’s 28 games in the circle and total a record of 18-6.
  • Bahl has the lowest ERA on the team at 1.81, while Camenzind is second at 3.41 and Cope is third at 3.55. The three have pitched 147.2 of Nebraska’s 171.1 innings.
  • Bahl, Camenzind and Cope have a combined batting average of .434, which includes a mark of .500 from Bahl. 
  • All three had solid weekends at the plate at Ohio State. Cope batted .750 with two home runs, a double and five RBIs in four at bats. Camenzind was 6-for-12 with four doubles, a homer and four RBIs. Bahl knocked two home runs as part of a .417 batting average.

Husker Home Run Quick Hitters
The Nebraska softball team has enjoyed a solid start to the season from the plate, most notably with its home run numbers. 

  • Nebraska leads the nation with 62 home runs in only 28 games.
  • NU is on pace to hit 111 home runs in a 50-game regular season. The school record for home runs in a season is 76 in 2022, and the Big Ten record is 118 by Michigan in 2015 (68 games).
  • A total of 14 Huskers have hit a home run this season, including 12 players with multiple home runs.
  • The Huskers have homered five times in a game on four occasions this season, including three consecutive games to open the Troy Cox Classic.
  • Nebraska has produced 11 innings this season with multiple home runs, including five innings with three or more home runs.
  • Nebraska has hit back-to-back home runs five times this season, including three times with three consecutive home runs that includes a school-record four straight home runs against San Jose State on Feb. 22.
  • Ava Kuszak (twice), Jordyn Bahl, Abbie Squier and Emmerson Cope (twice) have all had a multi-homer game this season, including a three-home run game from Kuszak against Montana on Feb. 16 which tied the Nebraska and Big Ten records for home runs in a game.
  • Kuszak has hit more home runs herself (12) than 138 NCAA Division I teams.
  • Together, Kuszak (12) and Jordyn Bahl (11) have combined for 23 home runs. Their two-player combined total of 23 home runs would rank 68th among all NCAA Division I teams this spring and would be more than six Big Ten schools have hit as a team.
  • Twelve Huskers – Bahl, Kuszak, Squier, Bella Bacon, Alina Felix, Malia Thoms, Olivia DiNardo, Hannah Camenzind, Lauren Camenzind, Ava Bredwell, Alina Felix and Samantha Bland, – have already matched or exceeded their career highs in home runs.

Huskers in the Record Books

  • The Big Red scored 10+ runs in five straight games from Feb. 14-16 for the first time in program history.
  • NU notched five home runs in three straight games for what is believed to be the first time in school history.
  • In the Huskers’ game against San Jose State at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, they hit four straight home runs for the first time in program history.
  • Nebraska scored 102 runs in its first 10 games of the season, which marked the quickest the team has hit the 100-run milestone.
  • Ava Kuszak posted three home runs in the second game against Montana and is now tied with Kaylan Jablonski and Christie McCoy for the school record.

Bahl Solid at the Plate
Nebraska softball pitcher and utility player Jordyn Bahl has not only had an impact in the circle, but her offense is a force to be reckoned with.

  • Jordyn Bahl leads the country in extra-base hits this week and ranks in the top 20 nationally in doubles (12th), total bases (4th), slugging percentage (5th), hits (12th) and home runs (12th).
  • Bahl is tied for first in the country with 24 extra-base hits on the season. She is tied with Taylor Shumaker of Florida. Bahl is one of only two players to have double-digit home runs (11) and doubles (11). The other is Haley Painter of Nevada.
  • On the season, 24 of Bahl’s 42 hits have gone for extra bases. She averages an extra-base hit every 3.5 at bats and almost one extra-base hit per game.
  • Bahl has nearly as many hits herself as she has allowed as a pitcher. Bahl has 42 hits in 84 at bats at the plate and in the circle, she has allowed only 50 hits in 343 opponent at bats.
  • Bahl has also scored just as many runs herself (38) than she has allowed (38) in 85.0 innings in the circle.

What Nebraska Returns in 2025
Nebraska’s 2025 roster consists of 25 total athletes. Fourteen of those are returners.

Huskers Hit the Portal
Nebraska utilized the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in six new players -- Hannah and Lauren Camenzind and Kacie Hoffmann from Arkansas, Olivia DiNardo from Arizona, Kylee Magee from Arizona State and Ava Kuszak from Wisconsin.

  • Hannah Camenzind was a second-team All-SEC member in 2023. Over her two seasons with the Razorbacks, she posted a 14-3 record with 3.11 ERA over 119.1 total innings. At the plate, she batted .308.
  • Lauren Camenzind was a third-team NFCA All-South Region member in 2023. Over her two seasons at Arkansas, she played in 86 games (79 starts) at both catcher and shortstop.
  • DiNardo racked up numerous accolades during her two years at Arizona. She was a second-team NFCA All-West Region member in 2023 and a Third-Team member in 2024 and was named a Second-Team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honoree in 2023. Over the course of two seasons with the Wildcats, DiNardo started 102 games and built up a batting average of .340, along with 15 doubles, 20 home runs and 74 RBIs.
  • Hoffmann played in 106 games with 96 starts during her time with Arkansas. She hit .244 and logged 16 doubles, 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. 
  • Kuszak earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and third-team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region accolades in 2024. During her two seasons at Wisconsin, she played in 76 games with 65 starts and notched 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 33 RBIs on a .278 batting average.
  • Magee was named a member of the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team at Arizona State in 2023. She suffered an injury early in the 2024 season. She pitched in 27 games with 24 starts and compiled a 3.51 ERA and two saves, along with striking out 79 batters in 89.2 innings.

Huskers Returning From Injuries
Nebraska faced significant adversity in 2024, as a total of six players suffered season-ending injuries, including four that are returning for the 2025 season. Additionally, Arizona State transfer Kylee Magee had to use the offseason for rehab. 

  • Jordyn Bahl suffered a knee injury in the Huskers’ 2024 season opener that required season-ending surgery. Bahl was a First-Team All-American, the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and one of 10 national finalists for player of the year in 2022 and 2023. 
  • Abbie Squier, a returning All-Big Ten and all-region selection, returns after being out for the 2024 season due to surgery. In 2022 and 2023, she was the Big Red’s starting left fielder. 
  • Dakota Carter, the Huskers’ designated player, was deemed out for the 2024 season before it even began. In 2023, she scored 13 runs as a pinch runner and appeared in 39 games. 
  • Caitlin Olensky suffered a season-ending injury in the Huskers’ conference opener against Illinois last year. Before her injury, she compiled a record of 3-2 with a team-best 3.30 ERA.
  • Emmerson Cope was out for almost a month of the 2024 season after battling a back injury. When she was in the lineup, the Topeka, Kan., native amassed an ERA of 4.76 in the circle. She racked up 21 hits, 10 runs, six homers and 19 RBIs. 
  • Talia Tokheim missed the first 23 games of the season while rehabbing an injury from 2023. She returned for nine games before suffering another season-ending injury in game three of the Penn State series. In her limited time on the field, she notched 46 total bases and seven home runs.
  • Kylee Magee suffered a season-ending injury after racking up six appearances with four starts in her sophomore year with the Sun Devils. In her first two years at Arizona State, she struck out 79 batters in 89.2 innings. 

Scouting Minnesota (13-15, 2-2 Big Ten)
The Minnesota Golden Gophers have compiled a record of 13-15 in 2025. As a team, they bat .270 and have an ERA of 4.07.

  • Minnesota currently turns 0.61 double plays per game, which ranks eighth nationally and first in the Big Ten, and they have 17 total double plays on the season, which is 10th nationally and first in the Big Ten.
  • The Huskers and Golden Gophers have common opponents in Utah, Missouri, No. 19 Duke and No. 7 Tennessee. Minnesota fell to the Utes, Blue Devils and Volunteers but managed to grab a 3-1 victory over the Tigers.
  • Infielder Nani Valencia has started all 28 games for the Gophers and owns a batting average of .393. She totals 35 hits, including six doubles and four home runs, and has the highest on base percentage on the team at .471.
  • Taylor Krapf, the catcher, has a batting average of .304 on the season and a team-high 10 home runs. She also owns 22 RBIs, seven doubles and two triples, along with 99 putouts. Krapf has the highest slugging percentage on the team at .823.
  • Senior Margaret Tobias has the second-highest batting average on the team at .345. She has racked up 11 RBIs, two triples and a double.
  • Kayla Chavez has started every game for Minnesota. She has a home run, two doubles and nine RBIs on the season, along with 53 assists and 26 putouts.
  • Outfielder Breezy Burnett is the fourth Gopher to have started every game. She bats .205 and has 11 RBIs, three doubles, three triples and two homers. 
  • Freshman Tinley Easton bats .283 and has amassed 15 hits, 12 RBIs, a triple and two homers. 
  • Sydney Schwartz is Minnesota’s ace, having pitched 83.1 innings. She has compiled an ERA of 3.28 and a record of 4-8. She has struck out 70 batters and allowed 39 earned runs.
  • Presley Hosick has pitched the second-most innings on the team at 56.2 and has an ERA of 4.45 with a record of 6-4. She has allowed 53 runs, 36 of them earned.
  • Jessa Snippes has the second-lowest ERA on the team at 4.02. She has a record of 1-2 across 15.2 innings and has allowed nine earned runs.
  • Cameron Grayson (5.38, 1-0), Natalie Susa (5.09, 1-0) and Nebraska native Macy Richardson (10.50, 0-1) make up the rest of the pitching staff.
  • Piper Ritter was named head coach of the Gophers on May 3, 2020 after serving as the pitching coach for 13 seasons.