BAHL WINS NFCA D1 POY HONOR, FIRST HUSKER TO WIN IT:
Husker Softball’s Jordy Bahl was named the NFCA DI Player of the Year on Wednesday. Bahl is the Huskers’ first NFCA Player of the Year honoree. She was also a unanimous NFCA First -Team All-America selection.
Bahl is the 29th player and the ninth pitcher to be named a three-time NFCA First-Team All-American after she earned the honor in 2022 and 2023 at Oklahoma.
The Papillion, Neb., native finished the season with a .462 batting average and 72 runs, 78 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs and 66 RBIs. She logged a slugging percentage of .988 and an on-base percentage of .555. In the circle, Bahl compiled a record of 26-8 with a 1.56 ERA. She threw eight shutouts with 34 starts and 24 complete games and notched 286 strikeouts and only 46 earned runs across 206.1 innings pitched.
The award adds to a long list of accolades for Bahl this season – she was named both the Big Ten Player of the Year and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, the first player in the conference’s history to earn both awards in the same year. The junior was also named to the All-Big Ten and NFCA All-Mountain Region first teams.
HUSKER VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED:
The Nebraska volleyball program and the Big Ten Conference announced the 2025 schedule on Wednesday. The Huskers will play 30 matches – 20 against Big Ten opponents and 10 against non-conference foes.
The schedule features eight matches against teams that finished in the top 10 of the 2024 AVCA Coaches Poll
Nebraska’s season begins with the AVCA First Serve Showcase at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where the Huskers will play Pittsburgh on Aug. 22 and Stanford on Aug. 24. NU will head to Nashville the following week for a road match at Lipscomb on Aug. 29 and a neutral-site match against Kentucky on Aug. 31 at Bridgestone Arena as part of the Broadway Block Party.
NU returns home for the Ameritas Players Challenge against Wright State (Sept. 5) and California (Sept. 7), and the Big Red will host the Husker Invitational the following weekend, facing Utah (Sept. 12) and Grand Canyon (Sept. 13).
In the final week of non-conference action, the Huskers will travel to Omaha to play Creighton at the CHI Health Center on Sept. 16 and will host Arizona on Sept. 20.
The Huskers open conference play at home with matches against Michigan (Sept. 24) and Maryland (Sept. 27). NU begins a stretch of six of nine matches on the road in October at Penn State (Oct. 3) and Rutgers (Oct. 4).
Start times and TV information will be added to the Huskers.com schedule page as they become known.
KEARNEY MISKO SENIORS BASEBALL RAINED OUT, OPEN SEASON IN KC THIS WEEKEND:
Mother Nature grounded any thought for American Legion baseball to be played yesterday.
The Kearney Misko Seniors had their season opener against the North Platte Great Plains Health Seniors postponed because of rain. Their season starts in Kansas City at the Creekside Tournament.
KGFW will be at the Misko Seniors home opener next Tuesday against Grand Island Home Federal.
UNK T&F SEES CONFERENCE OPPONENT SHUT DOWN PROGRAM:
When the UNK track and field teams compete next spring, they’ll be missing an MIAA opponent.
Yesterday, Missouri Western State University announced that it was shutting down their men’s and women’s track & field programs immediately.
Missouri Western AD Andy Carter said in the press release: “I am a competitor. The thought of giving up or quitting our pursuit of a new track facility is not in my nature. However, I am a realist and we have just not been able to provide the necessary facilities to support these student-athletes. It was not the outcome any of us desired, but it is the responsible thing to do.”
The Griffons had four qualifiers for the NCAA track & field championships earlier this month.
MEMORIAL STADIUM RENOVATIONS COULD NOW COST OVER $500 MILLION:
Sources tell Josh Peterson of HuskerMax.com that the price tag on Memorial Stadium renovations is expected to top over $500 million.
When former Nebraska AD Trev Alberts announced plans for renovations back in 2022, costs were expected to be near $450 million. Plans were changed in 2024 when new AD Troy Dannen took over.
According to calculator.net, with inflation, roughly $493 million would equal the $450 of buying power in 2022 when plans were announced.
Read the whole story here: Sources: Price Tag on Memorial Stadium Renovations Expected to Top $500 Million
PATRIOTS SAY THEY WILL HANDLE VIDEO OF RECEIVER STEFON DIGGS INTERNALLY:
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that he is aware of a video that showed receiver Stefon Diggs passing a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat. Vrabel declined to comment on whether he has spoken to Diggs about it.
“Any conversations that I’ve had with Stefon will remain between him, I and the club,” Vrabel said before an optional practice that Diggs did not attend.
“It’s something that we’re aware of,” Vrabel said. “Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field. … The message will be the same for all our players, that we’re trying to make great decisions.”
An NFL spokesman said the league would not comment. Diggs’ agents did not immediately respond to a text from The Associated Press requesting comment.
Diggs, who has been linked to hip-hop star Cardi B this offseason, is shown in a video on social media talking to three women on a boat before he produces a bag of pink crystals.
CALIFORNIA OPENS TRACK-AND-FIELD FINALS TO MORE GIRLS AFTER SUCCESS OF TRANS ATHLETE:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend’s state track-and-field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete.
The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more “biological female” athletes to participate in the championship meet. The group announced the change Tuesday after President Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition.
“Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,” the federation said in a statement. “The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.”
The move comes amid a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have limited transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court.
THURSDAY’S TIME SCHEDULE:
All Times EDT
Thursday, May 29
MLB
Atlanta at Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m., 1st game
Atlanta at Philadelphia, 6:45 p.m., 2nd game
Athletics at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Houston, 8:10 p.m.
Washington at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.
NBA Playoffs – Conference Final
Eastern Conference
Indiana at New York – Game 5, 8 p.m.
NHL Playoffs – Conference Final
Western Conference
Edmonton at Dallas – Game 5, 8 p.m.
WNBA
Golden State at New York, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Chicago, 8 p.m.
