NCAA Tournament softball returns to Bowlin Stadium this weekend as top-seeded Nebraska prepares to host its first regional since 2013.

The Huskers enter the postseason ranked No. 1 in both the NFCA and USA Softball polls for the first time in program history. Nebraska (46-6) earned the No. 4 overall seed after a historic season that included both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships.

Nebraska opens regional play Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT against Summit League champion South Dakota.

“It’s time to funnel it back down,” head coach Rhonda Revelle said. “We had a good day and a half after winning the Big Ten Tournament where the players could enjoy it, but now it’s time to focus.”

The Huskers bring the nation’s longest active winning streak into the tournament at 21 games and have established themselves as one of the country’s most complete teams. Nebraska owns 10 wins over current top-25 opponents this season, including victories over then-No. 1 Texas and Texas Tech.

A major reason for Nebraska’s success has been its pitching staff, led by back-to-back Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Jordy Frahm and freshman standout Alexis Jensen, the conference’s Freshman of the Year.

Frahm, a former national champion at Oklahoma, enters the postseason as one of the nation’s top two-way players, while Jensen leads all freshman pitchers nationally in wins and strikeouts.

“Coach has really emphasized taking it one pitch at a time,” Third Baseman Samantha Bland said. “We’re trying to slow ourselves down and stay in the moment.”

South Dakota enters with a 20-34-1 record but arrives in Lincoln with momentum after capturing the Summit League Tournament title — the first conference championship in program history.

“Forty-eight years and we’d never won a championship of any kind,” South Dakota head coach Robert Wagner said. “To be the first is really special.”

The Coyotes are led offensively by Brooke Carey, sister of Nebraska baseball player Dylan Carey, while Madison Evans has handled the bulk of the pitching duties this season.

On paper, Nebraska holds the advantage in nearly every category, including offense, pitching depth and postseason experience. Still, the Huskers know the NCAA Tournament leaves little room for error.

“Anything can happen,” Revelle said. “The key is mastering the little things and sticking to what got us here.”

Louisville and Grand Canyon will meet in the regional’s opening game Friday at 3 p.m. CT before Nebraska takes the field Friday night in Lincoln.

Nebraska’s new quarterback has high expectations for the upcoming season. Transfer Anthony Colandrea spoke with Pete Nakos of On3 (subscription required) about his decision to transfer and his goals for the Huskers this year.

Colandrea comes to Nebraska following a breakout junior year with the Rebels. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native finished the 2025 season throwing for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with a 65.9 completion percentage.

The former Rebels’ play earned him the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year award. Before UNLV, Colandrea played two seasons at Virginia. In 19 games, he totaled 4,083 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

The new Husker told Nakos that he has high expectations and is looking to play in big games at the end of the season.

In the past few years, Joel said Norris has tried to lower its tax levies, especially as property valuations have gone up. Additionally, the school hasn’t put as much into its special building fund with the idea that it would help taxpayers save more.

“That’s what led to that decision to not save as much to take care of the work, but to pass that savings on to taxpayers, with the hopes that we could get a bond issue approved to take care of that work all at once,” Joel said.

Although the election didn’t go in the school’s favor, Joel said he appreciated the feedback and conversations with the community throughout the process.

“If anything, it allowed us to share additional information regarding safety, security, infrastructure, all of that with the community, to create an awareness of the state of the district,” Joel said. “Now we can plan forward based on what the outcome of May 12 was.”

Plainview Public School offered voters two bond proposals on Tuesday, both of which failed. The district boundaries go into Pierce, Antelope and Knox counties.

The larger of the two proposals was for $26 million, which focused on the district’s academic spaces. It included improvements for safety and security, updating career and technical education spaces and equipment, and updating spaces for students with disabilities.

It overwhelmingly failed with 636 voters against and 239 in support.

The second proposal could only pass if the first one had. It was for nearly $6 million to add a new gymnasium. There were 650 voters against it and 220 in support.

Centura Public Schools in central Nebraska also saw its $18.95 million bond attempt fail, with 613 voting against it and 463 voting for it, according to unofficial results in Hall, Howard, Sherman and Buffalo counties. The district hoped to improve safety and security, modernize building systems and update classrooms. According to the bond website, the school hasn’t had major improvements since 1981.

Two school districts seemingly succeeded in passing their bonds: Pierce Public Schools and Stanton Community Schools.

The Pierce Public Schools bond amounts to nearly $10 million to expand and renovate the elementary school. According to the bond website, staff shared safety concerns about pickup and drop-off lanes, door and window security, insufficient security cameras, an inadequate intercom system and the need for an electronic lock system.

The bond includes renovating special education classrooms, enhancing security and building additional classrooms and spaces for students. It passed with 668 votes in support in Pierce County and 625 against, and in Wayne county eight for and 28 against — a 23-vote total difference, according to unofficial results from both counties.

Voters rejected a previous bond proposal for $29.5 million in August.

Stanton Community Schools passed a nearly $25 million bond for the construction of a new elementary school, which will include a multipurpose gym, an early childhood center and access to a storm shelter inside the building. Currently, students have to go outside to reach the storm shelter.

There were 607 votes for the bond in Stanton County and 522 against.