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Huskers Host Creighton for Midweek Matchup

Apr 8, 2025 / NU Athletics

Photo Credit: NU Athletic Communications
Photo Credit: NU Athletic Communications
The No. 21 Nebraska softball team will host a midweek contest against the Creighton Bluejays on Wednesday, April 9. The game is slated to start at 6 p.m. (CT).
 
NU was tabbed No. 21 by the NFCA Coaches Poll, No. 23 by USA Softball/ESPN and No. 25 by Softball America.
 
Last weekend, the Big Red (28-10, 8-3 Big Ten) traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a Big Ten series. NU grabbed victories on Friday (12-0, 5 innings) and Saturday (14-1, 5 innings) but took a loss on Sunday (2-5). In Saturday’s win, Nebraska hit six home runs to tie the school record for most home runs in a game and bring the season total to 76 homers, which is tied for the most in school history. Three of those home runs came from Samantha Bland, and she is now tied for the most home runs in a game in program history. The Huskers also notched their 18th run -rule win of the season, which is the most in Nebraska softball history.
 
Creighton is 15-17 on the season with a 5-7 mark in Big East competition.
 
Wednesday’s game will be streamed on B1G+. 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 now has 76 home runs on the season, which is tied for first in school history. One more homer will put the 2025 squad atop the record chart.
  • Ava Kuszak’s next hit will be the 100th of her career. 
  • The Huskers are ranked No. 21 in the NFCA Poll. NU has been ranked by the NFCA every week this season.
  • Jordyn Bahl has pitched 30.0 straight innings without allowing an earned run.
  • Kacie Hoffmann is four hits away from 100 in her career.
  • The Huskers are eighth nationally and third in the Big Ten in total run differential (games through 4/6). NU has outscored its opponents 319-122 over the course of the year.
  • Nebraska notched six home runs in the game two win over Iowa, including three from Samantha Bland. Both the team’s mark and Bland’s mark tied school records for most home runs in a game.
  • In Saturday’s game at Iowa, the Huskers notched their school-record 18th run- rule win of the season.
  • Nebraska has scored 10+ runs in 17 of its 38 games this season.
 
Huskers Have Record Weekend in Iowa City
The Nebraska softball team either tied or broke numerous school records over the course of last weekend’s 2-1 series win over Iowa. 
  • The Huskers downed the Hawkeyes 12-0 on Friday and 14-1 on Saturday to notch their 17th and 18th run-rule wins of the season. Eighteen run rules is the most in program history.
  • As a team, NU hit six home runs during Saturday’s game. That mark tied the school record that was set in 1996 against Creighton.
  • Three of the Big Red’s home runs on Saturday came courtesy of Samantha Bland, who is now tied for the Nebraska and Big Ten records with three home runs in a single game. She is tied with Kaylan Jablonski, Christie McCoy and Ava Kuszak, who knocked three homers against Montana earlier this season.
  • Before the 2025 season, only two Husker hitters ever had hit three home runs in a single game. NU has had two hitters do it this year.
  • The Big Red’s six home runs on Saturday brought the season total to 76, which is tied for the most home runs in a season in school history. NU still has 12 regular-season games left to play.

Husker Home Run Quick Hitters
The Nebraska softball team has enjoyed a solid season at the plate, most notably with its home run numbers. 
  • Nebraska is second in the nation with 76 home runs in only 38 games and is on pace to hit 100 home runs in a 50-game regular season. The school record for home runs in a season is 76 in 2022 -- the 2025 squad tied this mark over the weekend.
  • A total of 14 Huskers have hit a home run this season, including 13 players with multiple home runs.
  • The Huskers have homered five times in a game on five occasions this season, including three consecutive games to open the Troy Cox Classic.
  • Nebraska has produced 13 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, Samantha Bland, Abbie Squier, Emmerson Cope (twice) and Hannah Camenzind have all had a multi-homer game this season, including three-home run games from Kuszak against Montana on Feb. 16 and Bland at Iowa on April 5, both of which tied the Nebraska and Big Ten records for home runs in a game.
  • Kuszak has hit more home runs herself (14) than 98 NCAA Division I teams.
  • Together, Kuszak (14) and Jordyn Bahl (12) have combined for 26 home runs. Their two-player combined total of 26 home runs would rank 109th among all NCAA Division I teams this spring and would be more than five Big Ten schools have hit as a team.
  • Ten Huskers – Bahl, Kuszak, Squier, Bella Bacon, Alina Felix, Hannah Camenzind, Malia Thoms, Lauren Camenzind and Samantha Bland – have already matched or exceeded their career season highs in home runs.
 
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.
  • Bahl ranks in the top 25 nationally in extra-base hits (7th), runs per game (7th), runs (12th), total bases (14th), slugging percentage (15th) and doubles (18th).
  • On the season, 27 of Bahl’s 51 hits have gone for extra bases. She averages an extra-base hit every 4.2 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 51 hits in 114 at bats at the plate and in the circle, she has allowed only 61 hits in 462 opponent at bats.
  • Bahl has also scored more runs herself (47) than she has allowed (44) in 115.0 innings in the circle.
 
Huskers in the Record Books
  • As it stands, the 2025 squad would rank first in school history in slugging percentage (.646), second in on-base percentage (.426) and first in home runs (76). 
  • 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. The Huskers scored 200 runs in their first 23 games of the season, which marked the quickest the team has hit the 200-run milestone.
  • NU scored 300 runs through 37 games, which marked the quickest the team has hit the 300-run milestone. Before this year, the fastest pace was games 43 in 2015.
  • Ava Kuszak and Samantha Bland have both posted three-homer games and are now tied with Kaylan Jablonski and Christie McCoy for the school record for home runs in a game.
 
What Nebraska Returned in 2025
Nebraska’s 2025 roster consists of 25 total athletes. Fourteen of those are returners.
  • The Huskers welcome back 14 letterwinners from last season – Bella Bacon, Jordyn Bahl, Samantha Bland, Ava Bredwell, Katelyn Caneda, Dakota Carter, Emmerson Cope, Alina Felix, Mckinley Malecha, Caitlin Olensky, Abbie Squier, Malia Thoms, Talia Tokheim and Haidyn Warner.
  • NU returns half of its starting lineup from 2024 in outfielder Samantha Bland, catcher Ava Bredwell, first baseman Bella Bacon, second baseman Katelyn Caneda and designated player Emmerson Cope.
  • Nebraska returns three of its top five hitters from 2024 – Ava Bredwell (.329), Emmerson Cope (.304) and Alina Felix (.302). 
  • Returners Ava Bredwell, Samantha Bland, Bella Bacon and Katelyn Caneda each started in more than 95 percent of the Huskers’ games last season. 
 
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 Creighton (15-17, 5-7 Big East)
Creighton is 15-17 on the year with a 5-7 mark in conference competition. As a team, the Bluejays have a batting average of .296 and an ERA of 3.83.
  • The Huskers and Bluejays have a common opponent in the Omaha Mavericks. NU downed the Mavs, 5-0, while Creighton lost, 2-3. 
  • Sydra Seville leads the team with a .384 batting average and has started every game. She totals 19 RBIs, 26 runs scored, six doubles and two homers.
  • Lily West has also started every game and owns a .336 average. She has 27 RBIs on the season, along with two homers and five doubles on 39 hits. 
  • Kaelan Schultz has the highest slugging percentage on the team at .765 and has six homers, two doubles and 39 total bases in 51 at bats.
  • Ashten Pierson has started every game for Creighton and bats .322. She has 28 hits and seven RBIs.
  • Erika Perez has 20 RBIs, eight doubles and four home runs on the year. She also adds 12 runs scored.
  • Sydney Potter averages .274 and has a team-high 32 RBIs, along with seven home runs, five doubles and 13 runs scored.
  • Hannah Poole and Kenzie Nakasawa own batting averages of .303 and .302, respectively. They both have seven RBIs on the year. Poole adds a homer and five doubles, while Nakasawa has two homers and two doubles.
  • Ella Dalton has played in 33 games for the Bluejays and has 24 total bases, 10 RBIs, three doubles and 11 runs scored. 
  • Nebraska transfer Ashley Smetter bats .197 on the year and has 12 hits, including two doubles.
  • Brooklyn Patchen owns a team-low ERA of 3.59 and a 6-7 record across 76.0 innings. She has allowed 39 earned runs and struck out 60 batters.
  • Kenzie Schopfer has compiled a record of 2-6 in 2025 and has an ERA of 4.49 across 73.1 innings. She has struck out 44 batters and allowed 47 earned runs.
  • Brooke Shifflett is 13th nationally and first in the Big East with 4.06 hits allowed per seven innings. She has an ERA of 3.64 and a record of 6-5. 
  • Abby Rusher has pitched 30.2 innings and grabbed a 1-1 record with a 4.11 ERA.
  • Krista Wood was named head coach of the Bluejays in June of 2022 and is 73-72 at Creighton. She is 581-389 in her career.
Game Notes vs Creighton.pdf