Samantha Bland Season 2025

Honors & Awards

• Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2024)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2023; Spring 2024*)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2024)

Freshman Season (2024)

• Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team
• Started 50 games as a freshman
• Started 43 games in left field and two in right field
• Also started four games at shortstop and one at second base
• Hit .286 with 48 hits, 31q runs, 14 doubles, six homers and 36 RBIs
•  Tied for the team lead in doubles
• Her 14 doubles were the 2nd-most by a freshman in school history and ranked 8th overall
• Ranked 2nd on the team in hits and was 3rd in runs and RBIs
• Had a hit in four straight games from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17
• Produced her first career hit and RBI against Utah Valley
• Went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs vs. Montana
• Also scored the first run of her career against the Griz
• Had a big weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic
• Went 6-for-15 (.400) with two doubles, two homers, six runs & eight RBIs
• Ranked 5th in the 30-team tournament in RBIs
• Was 5-for-11 with two doubles, two homers & seven RBIs vs. ranked teams
• Went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs vs. No. 19 UCLA
• Went 1-for-3 with her first career home run against No. 23 Oregon
• Was 2-for-4 with her first career grand slam against No. 20 Utah
• Had a double and a run scored against Wichita State
• Went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and three RBIs vs. Northern Iowa
• Was 9-for-16 (.563) in four games at the Big Red Spring Classic
• Added three doubles, one homer, three runs and seven RBIs
• Went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs against Northern Colorado
• Was 4-for-5 with two doubles and a homer against North Dakota
• Hit a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning with Nebraska down one
• Finished with three RBIs against the Fighting Hawks
• Was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI against Creighton
• Drove in a run for the fourth consecutive game against UNC on March 17
• Had a big series in her Big Ten debut against Illinois
• Went 4-for-7 in the two games with four runs, a walk and an RBI
• Won game one with a walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning
• Went 2-for-3 with a walk and a career-high three runs in game two
• Hit a home run and scored twice in game one at Wisconsin
• Was 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs against Kansas
• Went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI in game two of the Penn State series
• Was 5-for-9 with two doubles and four walks in the Rutgers series
• Reached base in nine of her 13 plate appearances in the series
• Went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in game one
• Was 1-for-2 with an RBI, two runs and two walks in game two
• Went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in game three
• Had a game-tying two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning
• Gave NU a lead with an eighth-inning home run in game one at Michigan
• Went 3-for-6 with a double and two runs in the Iowa doubleheader
• Was 2-for-4 in game one with a double and a run
• Went 1-for-2 in game two with two walks, two runs and two stolen bases
• Hit a two-run home run in game one against Northwestern
• Had three RBIs in the series at Minnesota
• Went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in game one
• Was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI in game two
• Had a hit, a walk and scored twice vs. Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament

Before Nebraska (Chino Hills HS/Corona Angels)

• Four-year varsity letterwinner 
• Two-year captain for Chino Hills HS
• 2023 Chino Hills Softball MVP
• 2023 Female Athlete of the Year (Chino Hills HS)
• Two-time LA Times All-Star
• Two-time League MVP (2022-23)
• First-Team All-League (2021)
• Three-time Baseline League Champions (Chino Hills HS - 2021-23) 
• 2022 Offensive MVP 
• 2021 Defensive MVP 
• Played club ball for Corona Angels under Head Coach Marty Tyson 
• Helped her club team to an Alliance Fastpitch National Championship Runner-Up finish 

Personal

• Born on Jan. 29, 2005 
• Daughter of Damon Bland and Daniela Alvarez-Bland 
• Has a younger brother, Nico 
• Child, youth and family studies major