Friday Five: Beer’s on deck and baseball’s on the brink
Nebraska softball heads to Knoxville, baseball meets Oregon and Husker fans get ready for a reseat and a refresh.
Memorial Day weekend is here, and so is another Friday Five.
This week? Tournament pressure. Facility shifts. A new coach. A new baby. There’s a lot happening in Husker athletics and this weekend could define how far two teams go.
Let’s get into it.
It’s win-or-go-home time for Nebraska baseball.
Nebraska baseball gets its shot and it might be the last one of the season.
The Huskers take on No. 1 seed Oregon in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at 6 p.m. CT Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, with everything on the line. A win means a trip to the semifinals. A loss? Well, that’s likely the end of the season.
“We’re going to have our hands full for sure,” coach Will Bolt said. “But our guys are not going to back down from a fight.”
Nebraska (29–27) enters the game with an RPI in the low 60s. Its only path to the NCAA tournament is winning the Big Ten tournament and that means knocking off a Ducks team (41–13) that’s won 14 of its last 15.
Oregon has been dominant on the mound and at the plate. Grayson Grinsell, the probable starter, leads the Big Ten in ERA (1.36). And then there’s Mason Neville who leads the nation with 26 home runs.
Nebraska has shown it can compete with top teams, having taken down Vanderbilt, Oregon State (twice) and Kansas. That doesn’t mean Friday will be easy by any means though.
Pitching decisions are TBD, but Will Walsh—who’s gone the distance in this tournament before—remains a strong candidate.
“Oregon is going to provide an unbelievable challenge but we’ll come out and fight,” Bolt said.
It’s Bahl vs. Pickens time.
Nebraska softball is two wins away from the Women’s College World Series.
The Huskers open a best-of-three Super Regional at 6 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN2 against Tennessee, with Game 2 set for Saturday on ESPN. It’s a heavyweight showdown and a rematch.
At the center of the ring? Jordy Bahl vs. Karlyn Pickens, two of the country’s top pitchers.
“I’m sure they picked it for the pitching matchup,” said coach Rhonda Revelle of the national TV slot.
Nebraska beat Tennessee 7–1 back in February. That game still matters, even if both teams have evolved since then. Bahl was dominant in Baton Rouge last weekend and has the nation’s sixth-best ERA. Pickens, with a 0.90 ERA, throws 78 mph and leads the nation in velocity.
The Huskers prepped this week with low-light hitting sessions to simulate Friday night conditions and force their hitters to dial in. That’s a method Revelle previously used to prepare for Pickens.
“You just look for any edge you can,” Revelle said. “We’ve been overtraining velocity because she’s the hardest thrower in the country.”
Let there be beer?
Another barrier for the beer sales at Nebraska Athletics facilities fell this week.
The Lincoln City Council unanimously approved liquor licenses for Memorial Stadium, Devaney Sports Center and Hibner Stadium. It’s one of the final steps before alcohol can officially be sold at Husker games starting this fall.
This comes months after Nebraska signed a 10-year deal with Aramark, a national concession company that will now manage food and drink at those venues.
“We’ve worked hard to bring this to fruition with the university,” said attorney Tim O’Neill, who represents Aramark. “They bring an experience level I just haven't seen before of this type of venue particularly.”
The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission still must approve the licenses but that’s expected to be a formality. The move makes Nebraska the last Big Ten school to allow beer sales inside its football stadium.1
Athletic director Troy Dannen also shared this week that Memorial Stadium’s offseason upgrades are underway, including a new turf installation, reconstruction of grass practice fields and work on the video board.
“Summer is construction season,” Dannen posted on Twitter alongside photos of the updates.
Say hello to a proven leader for women’s golf.
This news dropped just after last week’s newsletter was scheduled, but it was stored away for this week. Because. . .
Nebraska found its next women’s golf coach and she comes with serious credentials.
Breanne Hall, a three-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, was hired to take over the Nebraska program after leading Illinois State to three NCAA appearances and three conference titles in the past four years.
“Breanne has built an impressive resume,” Dannen said. “She has great connections at all levels of the game and a record of success recruiting student-athletes both throughout the United States and internationally.”
Hall becomes the sixth head coach in the 50-year history of the program. Before her time at ISU, she founded the women’s program at UNC Asheville. She’s also a former pro and three-time All-MAC golfer at Toledo.
“Nebraska is a place with deep tradition and pride,” Hall said. “I’m beyond excited for the opportunity to lead these student-athletes and build on the foundation of excellence that defines Husker Athletics.”
A reseat is coming for Nebraska volleyball tickets.
Nebraska volleyball season-ticket holders were notified this week of major changes coming before the 2026 season. That includes a full reseat of the Bob Devaney Sports Center following renovations and updates to the seating bowl.
The new capacity will be about 10,000. Some bleachers will be replaced with chair backs, meaning certain ticket holders will be relocated and contribution levels for some sections will increase in 2025.
This is part of a broader shift, as Nebraska adjusts to the financial demands of the evolving college sports landscape, including likely revenue sharing with athletes in the coming years.
“Priority seating provides a tremendous resource for our athletic department and is critically important in the new era of intercollegiate athletics,” Nebraska said in a statement.
Dannen previously hinted a similar review will take place at Memorial Stadium, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that.
And while future seating plans take shape, there’s also a bit of current joy to share: head coach Dani Busboom Kelly announced the birth of her son, Jett, this week.
“Boone is very proud to be a big brother and we are all looking forward to the adventures as a family of 4,” she shared on Instagram.
Feels like a good way to end a newsletter, huh?
Sort of a wild stat to consider, no?