Call it the “Jordy Bahl Effect.”
A Nebraska softball program that hasn’t won a conference championship in 10 years enters this spring believing it can win a national championship.
A program that couldn’t fill its stadium to even half of capacity last year is rushing to add seats and still won’t be able to meet ticket demand.
A program that hasn’t appeared in the preseason Top 25 since 2015 shows up in all four major polls, between Nos. 13-18, and is the highest-ranked in the Big Ten.
“I know there’s a lot of excitement; that’s not lost on us,” coach Rhonda Revelle said. “I mean, you can’t lie. We’re at practice, there’s construction going on, and they’re trying to accommodate more fans, so it’s not like it’s invisible to us.”
The Cornhuskers bring back all the top players from the 36-22 team that made an NCAA regional for a second straight year. But make no mistake: their sudden popularity is attributable to Bahl.
The two-time All-America pitcher shocked the college softball world last June when, a week after she led Oklahoma to a third straight national championship and was named Most Outstanding Player in the Women’s College World Series, she announced she would transfer to her home-state school.