Friday Five: Softball’s live from OKC, volleyball gets its schedule and more

Jordy Frahm was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Tuesday, and Nebraska volleyball has its 2026 schedule. That and more in the Friday Five.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska softball is playing as this newsletter is being written, which is both exciting and slightly unnerving for someone trying to deliver the latest to your morning inboxes.

The Huskers opened Women’s College World Series play against Arkansas on Thursday night, their first appearance on that stage since 2013, and needed 10 innings to finish it. Ava Kuszak took care of that part, launching a 253-foot walk-off home run to center field in the bottom of the 10th to give Nebraska a 5-3 win.

So, yes, Nebraska is back in OKC and now it is 1-0 there. The Huskers will next face Alabama on Saturday night.

That leads us into this week’s Friday Five, which starts with the Husker who has helped shape so much of it.

Jordy Frahm earns the big one

Jordy Frahm was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Tuesday, adding the sport’s top individual honor to a season that already had plenty attached to it.

Let’s briefly revisit the résumé—at least pre-WCWS—shall we?¹ The senior and team captain has helped lead Nebraska to the Big Ten regular-season title, the Big Ten Tournament title and the program’s eighth Women’s College World Series appearance. At the plate, Frahm leads the Huskers with a .416 batting average and 19 home runs. One more homer would make her the first Husker with multiple 20-home run seasons. She has also driven in 50 runs, scored 59 and carries a 1.338 OPS.

In the circle, Frahm is 20-4 with a 1.14 ERA and 12 saves, which ties the Big Ten single-season record. She has struck out 234 batters and walked only 30. Her 16-strikeout performance against Grand Canyon during regionals tied her career high and marked the most by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament game since 2005.

She was already the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-American by both Softball America and D1 Softball. If the NFCA follows that path, Frahm would become just the 14th player ever to earn four NFCA First-Team All-America honors.

Nebraska has had stars before but this is different. Frahm has been the hitter opponents cannot pitch around forever and the pitcher who can finish games. She has been the steadying presence, the power source and, at times, the reason Nebraska’s margin for error felt bigger than it probably was.

That is what player-of-the-year seasons usually look like. They do more than just make the stat sheet better. They change what a team can become.

Volleyball’s 2026 schedule is here

Nebraska volleyball’s 2026 schedule is officially here and the Huskers won’t be easing into anything to start the season.

The Huskers will play 28 regular-season matches, including 17 against Big Ten opponents and 11 in nonconference play. Nine of those matches will come against teams that finished in the top 25 of the 2025 AVCA Coaches Poll.

Before the official season even begins, Nebraska heads to Arlington, Texas, for the Spikes Under the Lights exhibition event at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 27. From there, the Huskers go to Las Vegas for the Players Era Showcase, opening the regular season against UNLV on Aug. 29 before facing Texas on Aug. 30 at T-Mobile Arena.

The early travel continues with South Dakota State in Brookings on Sept. 2, then two matches in Chicago: DePaul at Wintrust Arena on Sept. 4 and Missouri at Wrigley Field on Sept. 6 as part of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge.

Nebraska finally opens at home Sept. 10 against New Mexico in the Ameritas Players Challenge, with Baylor and Georgia Tech also coming to Lincoln that weekend. Creighton visits Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sept. 16 for the lone regular-season match at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and the Huskers close nonconference play against North Carolina and Florida Gulf Coast.

Big Ten play opens at home against Rutgers and Ohio State before a three-match road stretch at Penn State, Maryland and Indiana. Later, Nebraska gets Wisconsin, Purdue, UCLA and USC at home in October, then takes a four-match road swing through Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon and Washington before closing the regular season at home against Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.

The first Big Ten Tournament will be held Nov. 20-25 in Fishers, Indiana.

It is a lot, yes, but that is kind of the point. Nebraska volleyball is being scheduled like a team expected to carry big expectations and deliver on them.

Football gets two early night games

Nebraska football now has a few more kickoff times on the calendar, including two September night games at Memorial Stadium.

The Huskers will open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against Ohio at 11 a.m. CT on FS1. The next two weeks move under the lights, with Bowling Green visiting Sept. 12 for a 6 p.m. kickoff on FS1 and North Dakota coming to Lincoln on Sept. 19 for a 6:15 p.m. kickoff on BTN.

There is also a Black Friday update. Nebraska’s annual game against Iowa will kick at 11 a.m. CT on CBS in Iowa City. Nebraska’s Homecoming game against Maryland on Oct. 3 will start no later than 4 p.m. CT.

Earlier this month, Nebraska’s road game at Illinois was set for Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. CT on FOX. The rest of the kickoff times will come later, in the usual six-to-12-day window.

Hoiberg adds a new strength coach

Fred Hoiberg added another staff piece this week, hiring Michael Chatman as Nebraska men’s basketball’s Director of Strength and Conditioning.

Chatman replaces Kurt Joseph, who recently became Director of Strength and Conditioning for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. He comes to Lincoln after spending the past two seasons as the head men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach at LSU.

“Michael will be a tremendous addition to our staff,” Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said in a statement. “He comes highly recommended from coaches around the country and has a proven track record of player development and preparing players for the NBA.”

Chatman brings more than 15 years of Division I experience, with stops at programs in the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12. He has worked with 10 future NBA players, including five first-round picks, and has been part of three NCAA Tournament programs.

The job matters more than it usually gets talked about. Nebraska is coming off a Sweet 16 season and trying to sustain what it built. That requires roster construction but it also requires coaching, development and scouting. Beyond that, it requires getting players physically ready for the kind of season Nebraska wants to play.

Chatman’s background points to that. At LSU, he oversaw performance programming, sports science, recovery and return-to-play work. Before that, he spent five seasons at Stanford working with men’s basketball and men’s golf. He has also had stops at Southeastern Louisiana, Southern, Penn State, Texas, Michigan, Southern Miss and Towson.

Women’s golf adds head coaching experience

Nebraska women’s golf added to its staff this week, with head coach Breanne Hall hiring former Bradley head coach Halley Morell for the 2026-27 season.

Morell spent seven seasons leading Bradley and is coming off one of the best years in that program’s recent history. The Braves finished second at the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championship and earned a spot in the National Golf Invitational, the program’s first postseason bid since 2006.

“We are thrilled to welcome Halley Morell to our program,” Hall said in a statement. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and having coached against her in the Missouri Valley Conference, I’ve seen firsthand the impact she has on developing her players and building competitive, disciplined teams. Her ability to build relationships, foster growth and bring out the best in her student-athletes truly sets her apart.

“Halley’s passion for the game, strong leadership and commitment to excellence align seamlessly with the standards and culture we are continuing to build within our program. I’m looking forward to this partnership and the direction we’re heading together as we continue to grow and elevate our program.”

For Nebraska, the hire adds someone who has run a program, developed all-conference golfers and understands what it takes to build competitive habits over time. Morell also served on the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee for the past three seasons, giving the Huskers another staff member with national-level experience in the sport.

Bonus: A World Cup watch party in Lincoln

While it’s the Friday Five, this felt like a worthwhile bonus to include this week.

Nebraska soccer is hosting a World Cup watch party on Friday, June 12, for Team USA’s match against Paraguay. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, with pre-match activities including street soccer, games and family-friendly events.

The Nebraska soccer team will also be there to interact with fans and promote its upcoming 2026 season. Not a bad way to spend a Friday evening in Nebraska.

1. And trust me, there will be plenty of updating to do from Thursday night.