No. 18 Nebraska softball 'preparing for everything' in unique two-game series against Indiana

Eight regular-season games left means it's crunch time for Nebraska softball. The No. 18-ranked Huskers continue to improve their postseason résumé week by week, having recently added a three-game sweep of Northwestern that raised their national RPI ranking to 27th.

As it sits on the edge of consideration to host a regional and at third place in the Big Ten standings, Nebraska (32-10, 11-3 Big Ten) is approaching every game as a key opportunity. That includes this weekend’s series, a two-game stint against Indiana (28-12, 7-7) which’ll be played Friday and Saturday at Bowlin Stadium. Unlike seven other Big Ten series, which will conclude on Sunday, Nebraska and Indiana will take Easter Sunday off.



The reason is because of the Big Ten selecting eight different teams for a pair of four-game weekends at the home of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma earlier this season. The schools not invited to the games were instructed by the conference to limit two separate Big Ten series to just two games in order to balance the number of games in the conference standings. Nebraska’s first conference series against Ohio State was also limited to two games, with the Huskers and Buckeyes instead choosing to play a third game which counted as a nonconference matchup.

“It’s a one-year deal,” Revelle said of the scheduling quirk. “With it being Easter weekend, Indiana thought it would be best not to play on Sunday, and we agreed.” Currently on the edge of NCAA Tournament bubble, Indiana is a hard-hitting team that holds the best batting average in the Big Ten.

Hoosier players also hold down three of the Big Ten’s top 10 batting averages, including conference leader Taylor Minnick who’s hitting .513 alongside 12 home runs and 49 RBI. “They do it all; they’ve got about six lefties that they have in their lineup, they put runners in motion a lot, they’ll bunt and they’ll try to take extra bases, so offensively they’re very aggressive,” Revelle said.

“They have power and they have speed, so we’re preparing for everything with that.” One of the numbers to know down the stretch is three, especially as it relates to the Husker pitching staff. Nebraska is 23-1 this season when it allows fewer than three runs in a game and 0-7 when it scores fewer than three.

Much of NU’s pitching success naturally comes from junior Jordy Bahl, who ranks fifth in the nation in strikeouts and ninth in earned run average. But with Bahl having pitched over half of Nebraska’s innings this season, the Huskers’ other two main starters — Hannah Camenzind and Kylee Magee — also remain in the spotlight. Camenzind didn’t pitch over the weekend, with Magee (five innings pitched) and Bahl (12 innings) instead handling the pitching workload instead.

“We felt like with their swings, it was better suited for other matchups, but Hannah’s still pitching every day and she’s still in the lineup,” head coach Rhonda Revelle said. Indiana pitchers have also walked the third-most batters in the conference, and with a team ERA of 4.26, Nebraska will like its chances at the plate.

The Huskers take a four-game winning streak into the weekend’s action and have posted a record of 19-5 since the month of March began. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Friday for Nebraska’s series opener against Indiana..