Huskers Clinch Outright Big Ten Championship on Saturday

The No. 3 Nebraska softball team secured an outright Big Ten regular-season championship with a 10-4 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in University Park, Pa., on Saturday afternoon.

The Big Ten title is the Huskers’ first outright Big Ten regular-season title, as its 2014 regular-season championship was shared with Michigan. It marks NU’s 11th regular-season title and 21st overall conference title. 

The Big Red now sits at 42-6 on the season with a 22-1 mark in Big Ten play. 

Kacie Hoffmann and Lauren Camenzind paced the Husker offense, which came alive with six runs in the sixth inning, as Hoffmann had two hits and two RBI and L. Camenzind had two RBI and scored three runs. Hannah Coor added two RBI on one hit and Jesse Farrell and Nessa McMillen contributed a double apiece.

Alexis Jensen (20-2) grabbed the win in the circle after throwing five innings with seven hits and four runs, along with seven strikeouts. Jordy Frahm earned her 10th save of the season, as she threw the last two innings and allowed only one hit while striking out three.

In the top of the third, L. Camenzind walked and went to second and third on an error and another walk, before crossing the plate on a wild pitch to give NU a 1-0 lead. 

Penn State knocked a two-run shot to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third.

PSU added another run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to extend the advantage to 4-1. 

The Huskers posted a six-run sixth inning to take a 7-4 lead into the final inning of the day. Kuszak singled and went to third on an error that also put Emmerson Cope on base. Nessa McMillen pinch ran for Cope, and Bland reached on a fielder’s choice that loaded the bases. Hoffmann singled to score Kuszak and McMillen, and Bland scored on a Frahm single to right field. Coor doubled to send L. Camenzind and Kennadi Williams, who pinch ran for Hoffmann, across the plate before a H. Camenzind sacrifice fly scored Frahm. 

Farrell hit a leadoff double in the top of the seventh and scored on a McMillen double, the first hit of her career. L. Camenzind hit a two-run bomb to extend the lead to 10-4. 

The final game between Nebraska and Penn State is set for tomorrow, May 3, at 11 a.m. (CT). The contest will be televised on the Big Ten Network and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network or on B107.3 FM. 

Notes

• With the win, Nebraska clinched the outright Big Ten regular-season title. It is Nebraska’s first conference title since 2022, when the Huskers won the Big Ten Tournament, and the first regular-season title since Nebraska shared the 2014 Big Ten regular-season crown with Michigan.
• Before this year, Nebraska had never won an outright Big Ten title. This is Nebraska’s first outright regular-season conference title since the 2004 Big 12 title.
• The conference title marks Nebraska’s 11th regular-season title and 21st overall conference title.
• Rhonda Revelle is the sixth coach in Big Ten history to win multiple regular-season titles. She has now won a conference title in four different decades (1998 - Big 12, 2001 and 2004 - Big 12, 2014 - Big Ten, 2026 - Big Ten).
• The Huskers now have a 17-game win streak and have won 31 of their last 32 games. NU’s 17-game win streak is the longest active win streak in the country and ties for the fourth-longest win streak in program history.
• Jordy Frahm now has a 36-game on-base streak.
• Nebraska has the longest conference winning streak in the nation at 15 games.
• The Huskers also have the longest active road win streak at 15 games. 
• Today marked Hannah Coor’s 200th game played.
• The Huskers have now scored 4+ runs in 31 innings this year.
• Jordy Frahm grabbed her 10th save of the year, making her the third DI pitcher to have 15 wins and 10 saves in the same season. She is the 29th DI pitcher with 10 saves in a season.
• Nessa McMillen’s double in the second was her first collegiate hit.
• NU has scored 10+ runs in 11 games this season.
• The Huskers have now played 17 Big Ten series in a row without losing a series. NU has won every Big Ten series this season and is 22-1 in conference play.