Nebraska

Nebraska Softball Hosts Northwestern in Final Home Weekend

Published

2 years ago

April 26, 2024

Nebraska Softball Hosts Northwestern in Final Home Weekend

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska softball will play its final home games of the season this weekend when the Huskers host Northwestern for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

Tickets for each game of the series can be purchased at huskers.com/softball, by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets prior to game day. Tickets purchased on the day of the game cost $2 more than tickets purchased in advance.

Fans should also be advised that effective immediately, re-entry is no longer permitted at Bowlin Stadium. Fans who enter the stadium and leave will not be allowed to re-enter.

On Saturday, the Haymarket Park parking lots will also be used for football parking and the lots will be cashiered until 11 a.m. Any fan with a Saturday softball ticket can park for free by showing a parking attendant their softball ticket.

Saturday will also feature a post-game jersey retirement ceremony for Husker great Taylor Edwards. On Sunday, eight Nebraska seniors will be recognized following the game.

Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can watch all three games on Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 a month. A free radio broadcast of the three games – and every game this season – will be available on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app.

Scouting Northwestern (29-9, 15-2 Big Ten)

Northwestern enters the weekend series at Nebraska with a 29-9 overall record, with the Wildcats boasting the top winning percentage (.763) in the conference. Northwestern is atop the Big Ten standings with a 15-2 record in conference play as the Wildcats seek their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.

Nebraska and Northwestern share three common opponents this season in Illinois, Michigan and UCLA. The Huskers posted a 2-4 record against that trio while the Wildcats went 5-1.

Northwestern bats .280 as a team while averaging 5.7 runs per game. The Wildcats rank 15th nationally and lead the Big Ten with an average of 1.4 home runs per game and are 23rd in the country with a .403 on-base percentage. Defensively, Northwestern boasts a 2.11 ERA and a .969 fielding percentage while allowing only 2.6 runs per game. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and rank 15th nationally in ERA.

The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 109-39 in their first 17 Big Ten Conference games, winning by an average of more than four runs per game. Northwestern has also hit 34 home runs in its 17 conference games while allowing only five home runs.

Kansas Robinson leads Northwestern with a .422 batting average, 49 hits, 10 doubles, 10 homers, 33 RBIs, an .802 slugging percentage and a .524 on-base percentage. Robinson ranks second in the Big Ten in average and on-base percentage and is third in slugging percentage and walks per game (0.7).
Kelsey Nader is second on the team with a .358 average, 43 hits, 28 runs and seven doubles.
Angela Zedak is the Wildcats’ third .300 hitter as she boasts a .322 average. Zedak leads Northwestern with 30 runs scored and has added seven doubles, five homers and 24 RBIs.
Bridget Donahey has drawn a team-high 30 walks and leads the Big Ten and ranks 19th nationally with an average of 0.8 walks per game. Donahey has added eight home runs to complement a .282 batting average.
In the circle, Ashley Miller has statistically been the Big Ten’s best pitcher. The reigning two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, Miller is 16-4 on the season with a 1.14 ERA in 135.2 innings. She has thrown more than 55 percent of Northwestern’s total innings while appearing in 27 games with 18 starts. Miller has thrown five shutouts among her 15 complete games and has added four saves. Opponents are hitting just .161 against her, and Miller has struck out 155 batters while averaging eight strikeouts per seven innings.
Miller ranks 11th nationally in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (4.0), 12th in ERA, 24th in shutouts and 25th in strikeouts. On the conference level, Miller leads the Big Ten in ERA, opponent batting average and is tied for the league lead in saves.
Riley Grudzielanek has seen the most time behind Miller, appearing in 13 games with nine starts and posting a 6-1 record with a 3.40 ERA in 45.1 innings.
Cami Henry is 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 34.2 innings with two saves in 12 appearances and eight starts.
Renae Cunningham rounds out the Northwestern staff. Cunningham is 4-2 with a 2.80 ERA in 30.0 innings. She has added one shutout and two saves over 12 appearances and three starts.
Kate Drohan is in her 23rd season at Northwestern where she owns a 774-422-1 record. Northwestern softball’s all-time wins leader, Drohan has won four Big Ten titles with the Wildcats while advancing to 15 NCAA Tournaments and three Women’s College World Series.

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Nebraska

Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.

According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.

“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”

The senior ended his career as the 39th four-time state champion in Nebraska history, winning three at Wilber-Clatonia before joining the Jr. Jays.

Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.

“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.

“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.

Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.

“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.

Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.

“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”

The sophomore won his first state title after finishing as a runner-up at 126 pounds as a freshman.

Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.

“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”

The junior finished the season as a back-to-back state champion after winning a gold medal at 175 pounds as a sophomore.

Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.

“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.

Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.

“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.

“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.

Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.

ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year

“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”

Matt Williams(NE Chamber)

Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.

The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.

His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.

“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”

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Maryland men’s basketball silenced late by No. 12 Nebraska, 74-61

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Maryland men’s basketball silenced late by No. 12 Nebraska, 74-61

Maryland men’s basketball has found itself in plenty of close games over the past few weeks. Four of its last five were decided by seven points or less, and the Terps won three of them.

Head coach Buzz Williams had ostensibly found a winning recipe in crunch time. That is, until Wednesday’s clash with No. 12 Nebraska.

Down by five with just over six minutes to play, the key ingredients for a comeback were nowhere to be found. Andre Mills, who had been superb over Maryland’s past few matches, turned the ball over to star forward Pryce Sandfort on an errant pass. Just seconds later, Sandfort splashed a 3-pointer, and Pinnacle Bank Arena went wild.

That sequence was the cap of a 9-0 run and the middle of an 0-of-4 shooting stretch for Maryland. What was largely a competitive contest soon became lopsided, and the Terps fell, 74-61.

Williams used his coach’s challenge just a minute and a half into Wednesday’s contest. The reversed call didn’t result in points right away — the Terps turned it over the very next possession — but it undoubtedly sent a crystal clear, no-nonsense message to the sideline.

And Maryland’s defense was ready for the rowdy away game occasion. The Terps notched just five points in the opening five minutes — two coming on a thunderous Solomon Washington slam — but didn’t allow Nebraska on the scoresheet. In fact, Maryland turned the Cornhuskers over twice in that span, and Guillermo Del Pino rejected a Jamarques Lawrence layup.

Nebraska started the game 0-of-6 from the field before finding the net. Sandfort channeled his shooting prowess, sinking a 3-pointer to give the Cornhuskers their first advantage of the match six-and-a-half minutes in.

Forward Braden Frager was the true catalyst for Nebraska’s sudden surge, logging seven of the team’s first 10 points and operating well in transition. His quick-hit offense didn’t allow Maryland to set up its effective half-court defense.

The Terps’ offense remained relatively cold as the midway point of the half approached. They embarked on a 1-of-8 shooting stretch, with Nebraska consistently switching on Maryland’s perimeter looks and forcing Washington into some perimeter shots.

Interestingly enough, it was Washington and his frontcourt counterpart — Elijah Saunders — that offered the team a surge from beyond the arc. The two combined for four of the squad’s first five 3-pointers — two of Saunders’ makes came in the last five minutes of the half to keep Maryland within striking distance.

The Cornhuskers took a six point advantage into the halftime locker room, up 33-27.

Rienk Mast finally got into a bit of rhythm to open the second half, burying a 3-pointer in an attempt to keep the Terps at bay. But Maryland’s offense wasn’t rattled. It didn’t revert to the same isolation playbook that it has sometimes found itself running; it instead was gritty on the glass and earned multiple second-chance opportunities.

Nebraska was being worn down on defense, and its crowd was becoming less intense. Maryland just needed to establish some prolonged momentum.

But the game remained deadlocked for the ensuing minutes. Andre Mills began to display some of the athletic lane-driving traits he’s exhibited over the past 10 contests. But he also drilled a pair of long-range jumpers, quickly becoming the team’s leading second-half scorer.

As the clock ticked below 10 minutes left with the game decided by just a matter of points, the Terps’ offense hit a stagnant stretch. Coit took four consecutive shots — and made only one — while the team’s ball movement came to a screeching halt.

After Nebraska’s 9-0 run, things didn’t realign on the attack for Maryland. Coit continued to struggle, going 2-of-6 from three in the second half. Mills also missed back-to-back looks, and from there, the result was all but decided.

1. Elijah Saunders’ big day. With Mills struggling in the first half Wednesday, Saunders picked up some of the slack. The 40% 3-point shooter made half of his looks, resulting in a season-high five 3-pointers against the Cornhuskers. That comes just one game after he set his previous season-high of four 3-pointers against Washington.

2. Paint production erased. Maryland’s frontcourt did some damage Wednesday night, but much of it came from deep. The Terps finished with just 14 points in the paint compared to Nebraska’s 26. Despite both teams grabbing seven offensive rebounds, Maryland didn’t make much of the second chance opportunities in the restricted area.

3. More Del Pino minutes. After playing 27 minutes and securing the win with an alley-oop lob against Washington, Del Pino was on the court for 15 minutes Wednesday. Though he finished without any points, he seems to have earned Williams’ trust and continues to operate the floor well from a distribution perspective.

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