‘We have all the tools:’ Veteran-led Nebraska softball team dreaming big (2024)

An hour before doors opened for Nebraska softball’s first-ever fan day Saturday morning, over a dozen Husker fans had already claimed their places in line outside the Hawks Championship Center.

On the other side of campus at NU’s Bowlin Stadium, construction adding several hundred seats to the stadium’s capacity is now nearing its completion.

Head coach Rhonda Revelle knows there’s no running from the anticipation around this year’s Nebraska softball team— so the Huskers are embracing it instead.

“I know that there’s a lot of excitement; that’s not lost on us. What we know makes us the best is when we stay focused internally and try to do our best every day,” Revelle said Saturday. “…So, it’s not like it’s invisible to us. It’s going to be a really exciting season, but we’re mostly excited to take this journey together.”

Each of the last two years, Nebraska’s season has ended in Stillwater, Oklahoma with the Huskers exiting the NCAA Tournament during the regional round. The Huskers are hoping their postseason journey will take them to Oklahoma again this May— but this time to Oklahoma City for a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

Having added several impact transfers to the veteran core returning from last year’s postseason team, Nebraska is well-positioned to make that goal a reality.

Much of the hope stems from the arrival of two-time All-American pitcher Jordy Bahl, who joined the Nebraska program after winning back-to-back national titles at Oklahoma. Bahl’s numbers at Oklahoma speak for themselves with a 44-2 record, 0.99 ERA and 397 strikeouts across 288 2/3 innings pitched showing her dominance.

Bahl has been on championship teams before, and she sees that same potential in this year’s Nebraska team.

“We have all the tools, and that’s so exciting, so our goal is to be the last team standing,” Bahl said.

It’ll take more than just another All-American season from Bahl for Nebraska to get there. The junior is undoubtedly NU’s pitching ace, while senior Sarah Harness will also play a major role after tossing 115 1/3 innings last spring. Senior Kaylin Kinney, now fully recovered from a broken hand that sidelined her 2023 campaign, adds another quality arm to the rotation which will help limit Bahl’s workload.

On top of its veteran pitching staff, Nebraska also has plenty of impact bats in its lineup. Sophom*ore second baseman Katelyn Caneda will look to improve on her team-best .366 batting average from a year ago, while sisters Brooke and Billie Andrews are back after combining for 27 home runs last season. A pair of transfer additions, infielder Bella Bacon (Purdue) and catcher/utility player Peyton Cody (St. John’s) will provide even further power to the lineup.

“If they square up a ball, it can get out of the yard in a hurry, but they’re not the only two,” Revelle said of Bacon and Cody. “We’re really excited about our offense and they’re doing some really great things.”

Another consideration is how Nebraska will utilize Bahl as a hitter. Bahl made just 43 plate appearances over her two seasons at Oklahoma but could feature in the lineup more often depending on rest days and NU’s overall pitching depth.

Regardless of how she makes an impact, Bahl knows that it’ll be a long journey to get from NU’s season opener in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Thursday to achieving their postseason goals in May.

“It’s going to be Thursday before it’s Friday, Friday before it’s Saturday and this first weekend before it’s the next weekend,” Bahl said. “So, I think when you look at it like that it simplifies everything. The simpler, the better."

For as talented as this year’s roster is, Revelle provided an important reminder that every season comes with highs and lows. There may be hype and noise around the program, but going about their work quietly and consistently is what Revelle believes will drive the team’s success.

As Nebraska seeks its first WCWS appearance since 2013, that lesson is now more important than ever.

“It’ll be a work in progress about how to quiet the noise, because it’s a challenge,” Revelle said. “We are the people that have to quiet ourselves to do a lot of work to make the hype continue and make it real."