How to Watch No. 1 Nebraska Softball vs Alabama at the WCWS with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers are moving on in the winner's bracket after beating the Arkansas Razorbacks 5-3 in 10 innings on Thursday night at the Women's College World Series.

Nebraska outlasted Arkansas thanks to some late-inning heroics from Hannah Coor and Ava Kuszak.

Coor homered in the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-3 and then reached base after a hit-by-pitch in the 10th, putting a runner on for Kuszak, who blasted a walk-off two-run homer.

The victory set up a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

You weren't dreaming. pic.twitter.com/Nuga0zmC5p
— Nebraska Softball (@HuskerSoftball) May 29, 2026

How to Follow

Matchup: No. 1 Nebraska (52-6 overall, 23-1 Big Ten) vs No. 3 Arkansas (55-7 overall, 15-9 SEC)
When: Saturday, May 30
Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Watch: ESPN
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Bracket

Alabama Scout

Alabama entered the WCWS at the No. 1 overall seed and showed why on Thursday evening, beating the eighth-seeded UCLA Bruins 6-3.

Thursday's win marked the fifth time in Alabama's program history and the first time since 2021 that the Crimson Tide won its opening game at the WCWS.

BROOKE WELLS WITH THE 3-RUN BOMB 💣#WCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @AlabamaSB pic.twitter.com/9V6DJRgGrF
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 29, 2026

Jocelyn Briski was masterful in the circle, holding UCLA to three runs on a pair of home runs and nine strikeouts. It was her 16th complete game of the season.

Alexis Pupillo and Brooke Wells homered for the Crimson Tide. Wells is now sitting two home runs shy of the program single-season record of 26. Pupillo now has 20 home runs, and the duo became the first pair of 20-plus home run hitters in program history.

Head Coach

Patrick Murphy | 28th season as HC at Alabama
2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee
2022 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee
16 Women's College World Series berths
2012 National Champions
27 NCAA Tournament appearances
20 NCAA Super Regional appearances
6 SEC regular season championships
5 SEC Tournament championships
10-time NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year
2012 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year
7-time SEC Coach of the Year

2025-2026 Record & Awards

Record: (55-7 overall, 19-5 SEC)
SEC Awards: Pitcher of the Year, Coach of the Year
All-SEC: 2x First Team, 2x Second Team

All-Time Series

Alabama leads the all-time series 3-1
Last matchup, May 23, 2014, 2-1 UA

Key Returners

Alexis Pupillo | Sr. | UTL | Leads the team with a .398 batting average, 72 hits, 58 runs scored, and 13 doubles.
Marlie Giles | Sr. | C | Third on the team with a .380 batting average and a .491 on-base percentage.
Kristen White | Sr. | OF | Known for her short game and comes in with a .359 batting average.
Audrey Vandagriff | So. | OF | Batting .335 and leads the team with 15 stolen bases.
Salen Hawkins | Jr. | INF | Has started 58 games at shortstop and is batting .283.
Jocelyn Briski | Jr. | RHP | The 2026 SEC Pitcher of the Year leads the team with a 23-3 record, 1.37 ERA, 34 appearances, 26 starts, 16 complete games and 163.2 innings pitched.

Key Departures

Kali Heivlin | INF | Graduated
Catelyn Riley | RHP | Graduated

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Brooke Wells | So. | INF | Transferred from Houston and is leading the team with 24 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .500 on-base percentage.
Jena Young | Jr. | INF | Transferred from Iowa and is hitting .345.
Vic Moten | Fr. | RHP | Second on the team with a 21-4 record and third with a 1.66 ERA. She is the No. 2 on the pitching staff with 31 appearances, 23 starts, eight complete games and 139.1 innings pitched.
Kaitlyn Pallozzi | Fr. | RHP | Third on the team with a 9-0 record, 25 appearances, 11 starts and 71. 2 innings pitched. She has the second-best ERA with a 1.47.
Ana Roman | Fr. | OF | Is batting .306 with a .446 on-base percentage, 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.
Ambrey Taylor | Fr. | INF | Has a .297 batting average with eight doubles and 11 home runs.

Outlook

This matchup won't be easy for Nebraska as Alabama presents several challenges.

The Crimson Tide has excellent pitching and powerful offense but as we've seen all season, Nebraska pitching can shut down just about anyone.

I expect this to be another tight game, but I think Nebraska can ride the momentum from Thursday's win into the semifinals. It will take some guts in the circle and timely hitting throughout the lineup.

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