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Nebraska Softball Passes Depth Test in Series Sweep of Michigan

The Huskers beat the Wolverines twice on Saturday.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Katelyn Caneda started at second base against Michigan and hit two home runs on Saturday.
Katelyn Caneda started at second base against Michigan and hit two home runs on Saturday. | Nebraska Athletics

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The No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers handled business on Saturday, taking two games from the Michigan Wolverines to finish off a series sweep to open Big Ten play.

NU won by scores of 8-4 and 5-2.

The Huskers' depth was tested in ways that head coach Rhonda Revelle couldn't have drawn up. With all three catchers on the roster sidelined by injuries, senior infielder Lauren Camenzind suited up behind the plate for the first time since her freshman season at Arkansas. That also moved senior Katelyn Caneda into the starting lineup at second base.

“I don’t know if I could be more proud of our team than I am right now, because we had a lot of curve balls thrown at us this week,” Revelle said. “People didn’t know about it until Friday night, when the game started. But everybody just said, ‘What do I need to do?’ And we didn’t let it stop us. We didn’t think about what we don’t have, we think about what we do have.”

Going into the weekend, Revelle thought there was a chance Camenzind could catch on Friday with Jesse Farrell in concussion protocol and Carlie Muhlbach dealing with a back injury. Olivia DiNardo has yet to play this season after undergoing surgery in the offseason.

Camenzind ended up catching all three games which were played in less than 24 hours.

"She has such a calm poise about it," Revelle said about the initial conversation with Camenzind. "It was really her demeanor about it and to her credit, she took herself through all four pitchers and caught parts of their bullpens... I think her spirit and her attitude heading into the weekend calmed the pitching staff, calmed the coaching staff, the radio guy, all the things."

Camenzind's move to catcher for the weekend also gave Caneda her first opportunity to start consecutive games since her sophomore campaign and she made the most it. She finished the weekend 2-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored, and four runs batted in.

"I'm just so excited to be on this team and fulfilling my role, whatever that may be," Caneda said after the series finale. "It felt great. All my teammates were excited for me and I'm always excited for them."

When Caneda arrived in Lincoln, she immediately found a home at second base. She earned First-Team All-Big Ten, All-Defensive and All-Freshman team honors in 2023. Her numbers dipped a little in 2024 and then Camenzind took over the starting job in 2025.

Despite all of that, she has an important role on the team, and when she succeeds, her teammates are her biggest cheerleaders. That was on full display Saturday.

"I'm excited that she got her moment and she capitalized on it," Camenzind said. "There's no one more deserving than Kate for this. I'm really excited for her."

Camenzind's preparation with all four pitchers paid off because each of them saw time in the circle on Saturday.

Kylee Magee made her second start of the season to start the doubleheader. She pitched 2.1 innings, allowed two runs, and added two strikeouts. Jordy Frahm (7-3) grabbed the win in relief, tossing 4.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven.

Hannah Camenzind led the Nebraska offense with two hits and three RBIs. Caneda, Frahm, and Ava Kuszak all homered in the win.

Michigan's Jenissa Conway gave the Wolverines an early 1-0 lead with a one-out solo home run in the top of the first.

The lead was short-lived as Caneda knocked a two-run shot, scoring Hannah Coor, who doubled in the previous at-bat.

Michigan tied the game in the third, but NU retook the lead in the home half of the frame when Frahm singled, and Hannah Camenzind's RBI single scored her.

Frahm and Kuszak each blasted solo shots in the fifth, extending the NU lead to 5-2.

After Michigan cut the deficit to 5-4 in the sixth, Sammie Bland walked with the bases loaded and then Hannah Camenzind drove in two runs to make the score 8-4.

Huskers Clinch Best Start Since 2011

The Huskers improved to 21-5 with a sweep of the Wolverines behind Hannah Camenzind's 4.0 scoreless innings to start the contest.

Caneda led the offense with a home run and two RBIs. Bland, Kuszak, and Hannah Camenzind each recorded one RBI.

After exchanging scoreless frames, Kuszak broke through for the Huskers in the bottom of the fourth with her second solo home run of the day.

Michigan took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, but NU fought back and took a 3-2 lead after the bottom of the inning. Frahm was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs, Bland followed with a single to right, and pinch runner Kennadi Williams crossed the plate to tie the game at 2-2. Hannah Camenzind drew a walk to score Dakota Carter and gave NU a 3-2 lead.

Caneda extended the lead to 5-2 with a two-run shot to center in the sixth.

Freshman Alexis Jensen improved to 10-2. She pitched 3.0 innings in relief, allowed two runs on four hits and struck out four.

Up next for the Huskers is a trip to East Lansing for three games against the Michigan State Spartans. The series begins Friday at 4 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+. The game will also be available on the Huskers Radio Network.

Notes

  • Katelyn Caneda hit homers in both games today.
  • Caneda's home run in Game 2 of the series was her first since April 12, 2024.
  • Jordy Frahm's homer in the first game on Saturday marked her 100th RBI of her career. She now has 100-plus hits, runs, and RBIs.
  • The Huskers’ crowd of 2,637 is the fifth-largest crowd in school history.
  • Hannah Camenzind is now 5-0 this season and has not recorded a loss in the circle since March 1, 2025.
  • NU’s 21-5 start is the best record through 26 games since NU was 23-3 in 2011.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 and spent the 2023 season covering Husker Softball for Hail Varsity. In addition to All Huskers, she is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Sports Report.

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