Nebraska Softball Lincoln Regional Preview
No. 1-ranked Nebraska softball (46-6, 23-1) is hosting its first regional at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., since 2013. The Lincoln Regional has sold out and could set new attendance records.
The No. 4 overall seed Huskers face South Dakota on Friday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Beforehand, No. 8 seed Louisville takes on Grand Canyon at 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The winners of both games battle at noon CT on Saturday, May 16. The full regional schedule is on Huskers.com.
The Huskers are the Big Ten regular-season champions and the Big Ten Tournament champions. They are the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Oklahoma. Nebraska is ranked No. 1 in the NFCA/USA Softball Poll for the first time in history.
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NU is led by two-way star Jordy Frahm, who is the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player and a first-team All-Big Ten pick. In the circle, she has a 1.24 ERA, a 18-4 record and has a program-best-tying 10 saves in 152 2/3 innings. In the batter’s box, she has a team-high 72 hits, 19 home runs, 55 runs and 50 RBIs.
Here is a breakdown of the three opponents standing in Nebraska’s way of hosting its first Super Regional ever.
South Dakota (20-34-1, 7-11)
Overview: South Dakota was a Cinderella story during the Summit League Tournament. After going 7-11 during the regular season, they took down No. 1 seed Omaha 2-1 to claim their first-ever conference tournament title.
The Coyotes have a .272 batting average with 7.22 hits per game and 22 total home runs. Their pitching staff has a 4.80 ERA. Right-handed pitcher Madison Evans, an All-Summit League Honorable Mention, has a 15-14 record and a 3.92 ERA. She has allowed 179 hits, 137 runs and has struck out 187 in 185 2/3 innings. She adds a .268 batting average with 23 runs, 40 hits, eight doubles and 18 RBIs.
Player to Watch: Brooke Carey – Third baseman Carey is the only Yote to earn a Summit League All-Conference team honor. The second-team selection leads South Dakota with a .343 batting average, 59 hits and 12 doubles. The 5-foot-9 junior has 59 putouts, 47 assists, 11 errors and a .906 fielding percentage at third. She scored one of South Dakota’s two runs vs. Omaha in the conference championship game.
History vs. Nebraska: The Huskers are 15-0 against South Dakota. The series began with a 5-4 Nebraska win on April 6, 1979. That first game had the smallest margin of victory in the entire series. Nebraska and the Coyotes haven’t battled since 2022, when NU beat them 3-1 and 9-3 in Lawrence, Kans.
Nebraska Women’s Roundup: Lincoln hosts softball regional, Big Ten Track and Field Championships
No. 8 Louisville (44-12, 18-6)
Overview: The No. 5 seed Cardinals lost in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals to No. 4 seed Stanford 6-5. Louisville previously claimed a 2-1 series victory over No. 13 Stanford. They won game one 8-3, dropped game two 10-8 and earned a walk-off 9-8 win to claim the series. Unlike Nebraska, Louisville has played very few ranked opponents in 2026.
The Cardinals are third in the ACC with a .351 batting average. Their pitching staff has a 3.78 ERA, led by Alyssa Zabala and Brooke Gray. Zabala has a 3.63 ERA, 14-4 record and four saves in 40 appearances and 127 1/3 innings. In 82 2/3 innings, Gray has a 14-3 record and a 3.81 ERA in 28 appearances.
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Players to Watch: Bri Despines, Madison Pickens and Chelsea Mack – Louisville landed three players on the All-ACC First Team. Pickens (.470), Mack (.445) and Despines (.410) lead the Cardinals in batting average. The trio has a combined 236 hits, 38 doubles, 22 homers and 162 RBIs.
Despines, a senior catcher, has 244 putouts, 24 assists and a .985 fielding percentage. Mack, a senior center fielder, has 107 putouts and a perfect fielding percentage. Lastly, sophomore left fielder Pickens has 85 putouts, five assists and four errors over 56 games.
History vs. Nebraska: The Cardinals are 2-4 against Nebraska, dating back to a 3-0 loss in March of 2000. The Huskers and Louisville battled three times in 2016. NU won 4-3 and 3-0 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. Later that season, the Huskers took down the Cardinals 3-2 in the Columbia (Mo.) Regional.
Grand Canyon (52-8, 21-4)
Overview: The Lopes are the Mountain West Tournament champions and were the conference’s regular-season title winners. Head coach Shanon Hays is the Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading GCU to its fifth straight NCAA tournament bid. Grand Canyon had four players on the All-Tournament team, four players on the All-Mountain West First Team and three on the second team. Senior outfielder Trinity Martin was the only Lope to make both teams.
GCU had a .319 batting average, led by Jada Cooper‘s .370 batting average and 63 RBIs. Eight Lopes have a batting average over .300. Right-handed pitcher Oakley Vickers leads the Lopes with a 2.08 ERA, a 15-4 record and five saves in 114 1/3 innings and 42 appearances. She was the Mountain West Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Player to Watch: Sydney McCray – McCray was named the Mountain West Player of the Year and a first-team selection. The senior outfielder leads GCU with 68 hits, 64 runs and has a .358 batting average. McCray, who is from Sarasota, Fla., was a perfect fielding percentage with 102 putouts, three assists and no errors.
History vs. Nebraska: The Huskers and Grand Canyon have played one time in history. Nebraska won the only matchup 4-1 in March of 1979 at a neutral site.
