Sports calendars getting crowded? It must be late October.
While football gets a weekend off before Washington comes to Lincoln on Halloween, plenty more is happening around Nebraska Athletics. The news this week? Well, let’s see…
Women’s basketball plays its only exhibition Friday night, wrestling is less than three weeks from its first dual, track and field now has an indoor schedule and softball, despite still being months away from first pitch, added another piece to its roster this week.
So, yes, we have plenty to get to. Let’s get to it.
1. Nebraska softball adds a catcher
Nebraska softball added an interesting piece Wednesday with the signing of Southeast Community College transfer Reyse Zobel. It’s important to note that Zobel will not be eligible to compete during the 2027 season because she is joining Nebraska as a mid-year transfer. That does not mean she will spend the spring sitting around.
Nebraska expects Zobel to catch bullpens and contribute throughout practices and warmups, giving the Huskers another catcher available for all of the work that happens outside the actual games. Then there is the longer-term upside.
Zobel started 27 games during her freshman season at Southeast Community College and hit .435 with nine doubles, eight home runs and 29 RBIs. She was named the Region 9 Catcher of the Year and earned All-Region honors.
She is also another in-state addition. Zobel is from Grand Island and played at Grand Island Northwest, where she helped win two state championships and earned first-team all-state recognition in 2023 and 2024. Zobel is expected to graduate in December with an associate degree in business and her real estate license.
While she can’t help Nebraska in the box score this spring, she can still be part of what the Huskers are building.
2. Nebraska football’s bye week came with a few honors
It may be a bye week for Nebraska football, but three Huskers picked up midseason recognition this week.
Center Justin Evans and linebacker Owen Chambliss were named to The Athletic’s Mid-Season All-America Team, while cornerback Andrew Marshall earned first-team midseason All-America honors from both On3 and Sports Illustrated.
Evans has been at the center—no pun intended—of an offense that has improved its rushing production despite replacing first-team All-American Emmett Johnson. Nebraska is averaging nearly 50 more rushing yards per game than it did a year ago and five yards per carry. The Huskers are also converting more than half of their third downs, good for second in the Big Ten.
Chambliss has been one of the constants on the other side of the ball. He leads Nebraska with 46 tackles and has 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception through six appearances. His 15 tackles at Oregon were a career high and the most by a Husker in a game since 2022.
Then there is Marshall, who has quietly made throwing his direction a pretty unattractive option. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed eight receptions on 27 targets through Nebraska’s first seven games.
The Blackshirts enter the Washington game ranked 11th nationally in total defense and 16th in scoring defense.
3. We have an indoor track and field schedule
If January feels far away, Nebraska track and field would disagree. The Huskers finalized the indoor portion of their 2026-27 schedule this week, with nine meets between the middle of January and the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
Nebraska opens at home with the Graduate Classic on Jan. 15-16, followed by the Mark Colligan Memorial on Jan. 23. The first road trip comes the following weekend at Kansas State’s DeLoss Dodds Invitational.
The Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational returns Feb. 5-6, and the following weekend will be a busy one. Nebraska is scheduled to compete at both the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville and the Husky Classic in Seattle on Feb. 12-13.
The final home appearance comes Feb. 19 with the Nebraska Tune-Up before postseason competition begins.
The Big Ten Indoor Championships are Feb. 25-27 in Indianapolis, followed by the NCAA Indoor Championships March 12-13.
In total, Nebraska will host four indoor meets in Lincoln.
4. Nebraska wrestling will get plenty of national TV time
Nebraska wrestling has five duals scheduled for Big Ten Network this season, including four conference matchups and one pretty significant nonconference finale.
The first BTN appearance comes Jan. 3 at Purdue. Nebraska will also be on the network at Ohio State on Jan. 31 and Iowa on Feb. 12.
At home, Minnesota visits Lincoln for a televised dual Feb. 6, while Arizona State comes to town Feb. 21 for the regular-season finale.
That Arizona State matchup is especially interesting as a national-TV finish to the dual schedule before Nebraska turns its attention toward postseason wrestling.
There will be plenty to watch before January, too.
Nebraska opens Nov. 8 at home against Wyoming on B1G+, travels to Oklahoma State five days later and heads to Philadelphia the following weekend for a dual against Penn and the Keystone Classic. The Huskers will also compete at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4-5.
Home and Big Ten duals that are not selected for television will stream on B1G+, with additional TV dates still possible.
5. Basketball season is basically here
Nebraska women’s basketball gets its first public test Friday night with its only exhibition, a 6 p.m. matchup against Wayne State at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Then it’s full steam ahead into the new season.
The Huskers will officially open the season Monday, Nov. 2 against San Jose State at noon, with the game televised statewide by Nebraska Public Media and streamed on B1G+.
The early tip is connected to Nebraska’s annual Sizemore Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which begins at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to bring nearly 4,000 middle-grade students and adults to Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Amy Williams, Natalie Potts and Logan Nissley will represent women’s basketball during the pep rally, with Andi Jackson and Teraya Sigler from volleyball, Jacory Barney Jr. and Danny Kaelin from football, and Cade Moran and Axelina Johansson from track and field also scheduled to participate.
We also got one men’s basketball schedule update this week.
Nebraska’s Nov. 22 game against Butler in Chicago will tip at 11 a.m. CT at Credit Union 1 Arena. The matchup is part of the Bad Boy Mowers Series – Chicago and will air on FS1.