Nebraska softball holds on, will host a super regional for the first time ever
By Aaron Bonderson 
, Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media
May 17, 2026, 4:03 p.m. ·
Nebraska softball will host the first super regional in school history.
A sea of red packed into Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln on Sunday to see their No. 4 overall seed Huskers hold off Grand Canyon University, 1-0. NU finished its first home regional in 13 years with a 3-0 sweep that included wins over South Dakota and Grand Canyon twice.
Husker head coach Rhonda Revelle, who’s led the program for 34 years, said she was still trying to process the opportunity for her team to host a super regional.
“It probably hasn't sunk in, but it's another chance for our fans,” Revelle said. “It's another chance for us to play in front of our fans. If we're sitting here with the same feeling next week at this time, I'll be talking to you a little bit differently.”
For the regional, the Huskers allowed just one run. That dominance in the circle continued with a combined shutout from Omaha-area pitchers Alexis Jensen and Jordy Frahm. It was a much-needed performance on a day when the Nebraska offense was slowed down once again.
On a warm, gusty day at Bowlin Stadium, Nebraska senior lefty Hannah Camenzind launched a solo home run in the first inning. But following the big fly, it wasn’t exactly a breeze for the Big Red at the plate. That, along with Nebraska fans showing up in droves, was a Lincoln Regional theme. The four-team double elimination bracket was competitive with nearly every pitch.
Camenzid, a senior utility player from Valley, said it was special to play in her home state during the NCAA Tournament.
“It's so cool to see the stands packed and see the lines to get in here and just see how much these people care for us and want us to win,” Camenzind said.
As for the home run, the senior said she had a feeling Grand Canyon’s starting pitcher Oakley Vickers would throw something inside. Camenzind got what she was looking for, and smacked it over the right field wall for the only run of the afternoon.
After the first inning shot to right field, the eager Husker faithful was largely kept quiet when its team stepped up to the plate. A scrappy Grand Canyon squad out of the Mountain West Conference entered the regional with a gaudy 52-8 record. And the Antelopes proved they belonged in the postseason.
Handling Louisville in the opening round, GCU gave Nebraska all it could handle in the winner’s bracket game Saturday, dropping a close 2-0 ballgame. Grand Canyon battled out a 5-4 win against a confident South Dakota team in extra innings on Saturday night. Still, the Antelopes would have needed two wins against NU on Sunday to advance, since NU was 2-0.
Though the offense was quiet much of the weekend, southpaw Alexis Jensen gave the hometown crowd plenty to cheer about in the circle. Jensen completely shut down the Antelope offense on Sunday, allowing zero runs and just one hit in five innings of work. She also struck out seven Grand Canyon batters. National player of the year finalist and team leader Jordy Frahm sealed the deal with two strong innings of scoreless work. But even that wasn’t easy.
With the game on the line in the top of the seventh and one out, Frahm hit a batter. Then with the Husker crowd chanting “go big red” and on its feet, a blooper landed in front of center fielder Hannah Coor. But, the senior threw out the runner at second base for the second out. After a lengthy review, the next batter was awarded first on the second hit by pitch of the frame. But Frahm struck out the next better to send the Huskers to the super regional round.
The Big Red will host its first-ever best-of-three super regional in school history against either No. 13 national seed Oklahoma State. That tournament format started in 2005. The Lincoln Super Regional will start on Thursday at 8 p.m., with a second game Friday at 4 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPN2. A third game, if necessary, would be at 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. The first to win two games will advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, which starts on May 28.