Nebraska

Nebraska run-rules Creighton

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2024

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics) – The Nebraska softball team scored in every inning of a 9-0 five-inning victory over Creighton Saturday at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers (15-12) scored two runs in each of the first three innings before plating three runs in the fourth. Nebraska pounded out 10 hits in the win, including four extra-base hits and two home runs. NU was 7-for-14 with runners on base in the game and 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Billie Andrews went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Her home run was the 53rd of her career, moving her into a tie for second place on Nebraska’s all-time home run list. Sydney Gray also went 2-for-3 with a homer, and she drove in two runs. Katelyn Caneda was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Ava Bredwell, Samantha Bland, Malia Thoms and Bella Bacon all had one RBI.

Not to be overshadowed by the offense, freshman pitcher Caitlin Olensky tossed the first complete game and first shutout of her career. Olensky (3-2) scattered three hits and struck out four.

Natalia Puchino (11-2) lost for just the second time this season, allowing a season-high-tying four runs in 2.0 innings. Creighton fell to 16-10 with the loss.

In the top of the first inning, a hit batter and a walk put Bluejays on first and second with one out. But Olensky escaped the jam with a pair of strikeouts.

In the bottom of the first, Brooke Andrews drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on an RBI triple from Bredwell to give Nebraska a 1-0 lead. Bland then brought Bredwell home with an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-0.

Nebraska added two more runs in the bottom of the second. The first two Huskers were retired before Caneda singled with two outs. Billie Andrews then hit a two-run home run to right to push the Big Red lead to 4-0.

The Huskers scored two runs again in the top of the third. Gray led off with a towering solo home run into the wind in left. A pair of Creighton errors put then put Bland on second base with two outs for Bacon, who delivered an RBI single to score Bland and give Nebraska a 6-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Caneda singled and scored on an RBI double from Billie Andrews. Following a walk to Brooke Andrews, Gray had an RBI single to put the Huskers on top 8-0. A one-out single from Bland loaded the bases before Thoms drew a bases-loaded walk to stretch the lead to 9-0.

Creighton loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth before Olensky completed her shutout with a ground out.

Nebraska wraps up the weekend with a Sunday game against Northern Colorado. The game will start at 1 p.m. in a change to the original schedule.

Post-Game Notes

Nebraska posted its second run-rule victory of this weekend and fourth of the season.
Caitlin Olensky posted her first career shutout and first career complete game.
Billie Andrews homered in the second inning. The home run was the 53rd of her career, moving her into a tie for second place on Nebraska’s all-time home run with Ali Viola (1995-98).
The home run was Andrews’ 10th of the season in 23 games. This marks the third straight season Andrews has hit at least 10 home runs.
Sydney Gray also homered, her seventh of the season.
Bella Bacon had an RBI single in the third inning, her sixth consecutive game with an RBI.

Categories: Husker Sports, Sports

Tags: Ava Bredwell, B1G softball, Bella Bacon, Billie Andrews, Caitlin Olensky, Creighton, Husker Softball, Huskers, Katelyn Caneda, Malia Thoms, Nebraska, Nebraska softball, Samantha Bland, Sydney Gray

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Nebraska

Cold weather grasshopper reappears in Nebraska after over a century

Published

9 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Press Room

Cold weather grasshopper reappears in Nebraska after over a century

The “whole time” is almost uncomfortably accurate. As he mapped each colony, Brust overlaid them on the habitats of the state’s glacial relict fish populations; in other words, those that have been present since the Ice Age glaciers have retreated.

Wherever he found the fish, he’d find the hopper.

“It has everything to do with the cold water system,” he said, “That water is keeping the environment cold enough for that fish to survive.”

But those environments and the grasshoppers therein could be in danger if the state endures milder and milder winters.

“You know, there is cause for concern, especially as climate change keeps warming things up,” he said. “These are already a cool weather species, they’ll probably become even more and more limited.”

Brust is also concerned that human intervention may cause some habitat destruction.

“We could see a change in land use, drainage of some habitat areas, and I’m especially concerned, here in Nebraska, about invasive grasses,” he added.

The northern spur-throat eats only a handful of specific native plants.

However, Brust said the good news is that the species isn’t extinct, or even declining yet, and he’s hoping that its resurgence and growth can prove to be a bellwether for the state’s cold-weather ecosystems.

“The number of these wetland sites that I surveyed thoroughly versus how many are out there in the Sandhills, and how extensive they are, I’d bet there’s probably five to 10 times more out there than I accounted for,” Brust said.

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The western US is in a significant ‘snow drought’: what it means for neighbors in Nebraska and Iowa

Published

21 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

The western US is in a significant ‘snow drought’: what it means for neighbors in Nebraska and Iowa

You may not be surprised, but winter in Nebraska and Iowa has been dry…again.

On average, we see about 16″ of snow up to early February. This winter, Omaha has received 6.5″. Not as bad as last year, but nowhere near our seasonal average. We are in a ‘snow drought’, but we are not alone.

The hotspots for snow this year have been to our east and south, leaving much of the western US high and dry. In fact, the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana are experiencing some of the driest winters on record.

Why is this? Ridging in the atmosphere has kept winter storms away from the west and favored the east. Likewise, a series of rainstorms in early January melted much of the snowpack, which means less to melt come spring.

You can see this in these two images. The first shows the “snow water equivalent (SWE)” over the west, which is the water content in the snowpack. The numbers are in %. Anything below 100% is below average, anything above 100% is above average. This time last year, much of the West was seeing above-average snowpacks.

USDA

2025 Snow Water Equivalent numbers over the western United States.

This year, nearly every station is well below average.

2026 SWE in West.png — 2026 Snow Water Equivalent map for the western United States

This is shown in the satellite imagery of the western US snowpack. Last year, the snowpack was quite healthy.

2025 Satellite Image.jpg — Satellite image from 2025 depicting a healthy snowpack over the western US (NOTE: Some of the white is due to cloud cover)

This year, it’s a much different story, with only the tallest mountains having any snow.

2026 Satellite Image.jpg — Satellite image from 2026 depicting a barren snowpack over the western US (NOTE: Some of the white is due to cloud cover)

So, what does this mean for Nebraska and Iowa? In the short-term, disappointed skiiers, sledders, and kids, alongside happy drivers.

However, in the long term, the lack of moisture out west could be a serious concern.

Take the Platte River in Nebraska. The Platte gets a lot of its water from snow runoff in Colorado and Wyoming. If those states see little snow, there is less water that flows into the river. Since the reservoirs in Nebraska are already low, this could create some water issues come the summer.

Likewise, runoff into the Missouri River will be lower, with the Army Corps of Engineers predicting a lower runoff in 2026. This could impact river levels, which widens into impacted river travel & recreational activities.

While this sounds doom and gloom now, it’s only early February. We are just entering the snowiest time of the season for many of these places. All we need is a pattern change, and the snow issues out west could go away. Time will tell.

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HUSKERS SOFTBALL Recap – We’ll Take That Split: #9 Nebraska Upsets #1 Texas 8-5!!

Published

1 day ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

HUSKERS SOFTBALL Recap – We’ll Take That Split: #9 Nebraska Upsets #1 Texas 8-5!!

As much as people think Jordy Frahm was unbeatable on the mound last season, I can assure you she was not.

There was the 1/3 of an inning 6-run beating at Ohio State. And there was a 3rd inning 5-run meltdown at Iowa City which included her drilling 3 straight Hawkeyes – although I 100% understand the urge. And then she had similar experience last night in San Antonio being run after allowing 6 runs in 3 innings against Texas in the 15-10 loss.

But if there’s one thing that all of these outlier performances have in common, it’s a return to All-American for Jordy in her very next appearance and Saturday afternoon was no different. When start Alexis Jensen struggled, Frahm moved from 1st base to the circle replacing her in the bottom of the 4th with an 8-5 lead (more on that below).

She gave up an immediate double to Jaycie Nichols. After a strikeout, the speedy Kayden Henry bunted her way on and then promptly stole 2nd putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out.

Time to get to work. Frahm first struck out Viviana Martinez. Then Reece Atwood drove a ball to left which the charging Natalia Hill slid and caught to end the threat. In the bottom of the 5th, another bunt single and then a bad snap throw pickoff attempt put a Horns runner at 3rd again with one down. Liners to 2nd and right ended that scare. Jordy finally got a 3-up 3-down inning in the 6th.

Then she turned up the fire for the bottom of 7.

First it was a ground out to Lauren Camenzind at 2nd base. Then it was just mow them down time. Two straight strikeouts – and just coming right at Texas with the heat on the two-strike counts. Final line for Frahm: 4 IP 3 H’s scattered 5 K’s 0 BB’s.

Nebraska 8 #1 & defending national champ Texas 5

But this wasn’t just the Jordy show…although she did get it started with her bat by blasting a 1-0 pitch well over the center field fence for a leadoff homer and a 1-0 lead. Ava Kuszak, who went hitless on Friday, immediately busted that streak with a 3-run shot to up the margin to 4.

Andy Ketterson

Texas got 2 back in the bottom half, but Nebraska erupted again for 4 more runs in the 3rd, this time with Emmerson unloading a long 3-run shot of her own followed by Lauren Camenzind going deep for the second time in two days. The Huskers took an 8-2 lead, but Texas again got to Jensen in the bottom cutting the lead to 8-5 courtesy of yet another 3-run homer, this time by Leighann Good.

But that would do it for both teams and Nebraska would grab a huge signature win in their first of several weekends of murderer’s row competition.

Alexis Jensen after a Jekyll (10 K’s) and Hyde (4 HR’s surrendered) against Washington improved somewhat against the #1 Longhorns’ brutal lineup. She struck out 6 in 3 innings, while giving up 8 hits and, to be fair, there were a few bunts and bleeders in there. She did still get some pitches up in the zone deep into counts when a ball or a walk would’ve been fine. However, she cut the homers from 4 to 1 and clearly has elite stuff. She will improve.

The Husker bats showed they’re not dropping off in ‘26 after a historic 2025 as evidenced by strapping a combined 18 runs in the two games on Texas in addition to the 8 versus Washington. Ava Kuszak led the way Saturday with a 2-for-4 3-RBI 2-run day.

The Huskers looked much cleaner in the field, but Jessie Farrell was a little shaky – she needs to improve on blocking pitches in the dirt to keep those in front of her. But she has a cannon and has been very close to picking runners off of first base with snap throws after the pitch. Those will come. Lauren C. with her pair of homers and continued defensive work appears to have held onto the 2nd base job for now. I had wondered if previous 2-year starter Katelyn Caneda would mount a challenge.

The Huskers will finish out the season against host Texas-San Antonio tonight and a rematch with Washington tomorrow morning at 10:05 PM.