What Really Makes Nebraska's Jordy Frahm the Shohei Ohtani of College Softball?

Here’s how both superstars are reshaping their sports with their impact on and off the field.

Nebraska's Jordy Frahm has proven herself to be one of the best players in the country. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Comparing Nebraska two-way star Jordy Frahm to global baseball icon Shohei Ohtani has become pretty common during her two seasons in Lincoln.

Frahm is an elite pitcher and hitter. It's the same two-way dominance that has made Ohtani famous in Major League Baseball.

However, the parallels between the two are more than just sky-high batting averages and microscopic earned run averages.

When Frahm returned home after winning back-to-back national championships with the Oklahoma Sooners, she immediately impacted the softball program without even stepping on the field.

Bowlin Stadium provided a memorable backdrop for the Huskers last weekend. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

In the days following her announcement, the Nebraska athletic department received 2,124 requests. Before that, the program had 365 season-ticket holders for the 2023 softball season and just 26 requests for 2024 before her announcement. In 2023, NU averaged around 1,000 fans per home game.

Ticket demand has been at an all-time high with Frahm, and as a result, NU increased capacity before the start of the 2024 season. Before Frahm, Bowlin Stadium held around 2,500. Since Frahm, capacity has increased to roughly 3,600.

The program's attendance record was broken, reset, and broken multiple times during 2026, and the regular-season finale against Iowa drew 3,541, which currently stands as the record.

Before Frahm, Nebraska had not appeared in the Top 25 since 2015. Since Frahm, the Huskers have consistently been in the Top 25, and in 2026, NU was ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history.

Nebraska coach Rhonda Revelle and pitcher Jordy Frahm discuss strategy. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

But she didn't do it alone.

Frahm's return to Nebraska brought an influx of impactful homegrown talent back to the state as well. Bella Bacon was the first to transfer home after spending a year at Purdue, Ava Kuszak transferred from Wisconsin, Kacie Hoffmann, along with Hannah and Lauren Camenzind, came over from Arkansas. Combined with freshman Alexis Jensen, the Huskers haven't looked this homegrown in a long time.

The Papillion native draws a crowd wherever she goes. Autograph hounds wait outside of Bowlin Stadium for her to sign memorabilia that usually shows up on eBay shortly after, and fans travel from all over just to get a glimpse of the superstar she has become.

There's also the Oklahoma aspect because Husker games aren't complete without at least one person in the stands wearing an OU Softball shirt. The Sooner faithful still supports their former pitcher and understands that she left for something much bigger than the game.

While at Oklahoma, Jordy Frahm won a pair of national titles. | Nathan J Fish/The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Frahm also understands the impact she's making and takes time to sign and meet with everyone. On Senior Day, she signed for every single person who stood in line.

Now, we can spend the afternoon comparing Frahm and Ohtani's numbers, but the conversation should be had without discussing their off-the-field impact.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Ohtani to an absurd 10-year, $700 million deal, but the return on investment for the club is more than just back-to-back World Series titles.

Ohtani immediately changed the demographics at home games. So much so that the Dodgers changed some of the merchandise and concessions to reflect the Japanese culture. There's a wave of Japanese sponsors that weren't around before, and Dodger Stadium now offers daily tours in Japanese.

Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani is more than an MLB star; he's a global sensation. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fans show up to Dodger games wearing Ohtani merchandise from his time with the Los Angeles Angels and Samurai Japan.

His impact with the Dodgers has enabled the team to sign players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Yamamoto was the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 World Series. There's also the addition of Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and Edwin Diaz. Los Angeles is home to the best pitching staff in baseball.

Comparing the two stars simply because they can pitch and hit at an elite level is easy; some might even call it lazy, but drawing parallels to the full scope is what truly shows the similarities.

Let's be honest, statistically, it is hard to compare the two because we are talking about four years of college softball to seven years in the MLB. Perhaps there will be a time to compare numbers, but now isn't exactly the right time.

Jordy Frahm is one win in the circle and one home run as a batter from becoming the first player to notch multiple 20/20 seasons. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Frahm has the opportunity to do something Ohtani never has on Thursday when NU hosts Oklahoma State for the first Super Regional at Bowlin Stadium in program history.

Whoever wins the best-of-three series will earn a berth to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. CDT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.