Texas vs Nebraska softball: 3 things to know about Cornhuskers at WCWS

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Nebraska’s 5-1 loss to Alabama Saturday evening at Devon Park, Texas softball found its Sunday fate.

The Longhorns and Nebraska face off at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the Women’s College World Series against Tennessee while the loser goes home. And whoever does survive the elimination game will have to beat Tennessee twice on Monday to advance to this week’s best-of-three championship series.

Here’s what to know about Nebraska (52-7), the Big Ten champion which is making its fourth WCWS appearance and its first since 2013.

MORE: ‘Glad she’s a Longhorn’: Kaiah Altmeyer makes surprise WCWS impact for Texas softball

Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm #98 throws a pitch against UCLA in the Big Ten title game May 9, 2026 at Maryland Softball Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Big Ten/University Images via Getty Imag)

Jordy Frahm provides star power at plate, in circle

One game after throwing 10 innings and 133 pitches in a 5-3 win over Arkansas Thursday to open the WCWS, Nebraska ace Jordy Frahm didn’t appear to have much juice in the loss to Alabama. But there’s a bright side for the Cornhuskers; Frahm threw just two innings against the Tide while giving up three runs and three hits, and she should be rested enough for Sunday’s game against Texas.

Frahm will likely get lots of action from veteran coach Rhonda Revelle in an elimination game. The 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA Player of the Year leads the Nebraska offense with a .404 batting average, 19 home runs, 50 RBIs and 59 runs scored. She has a slugging percentage of .798 and an on-base percentage of .498

In the circle, Frahm is 21-5 with a 1.30 ERA and 12 saves, which ties the Big Ten single-season record and ranks sixth in NCAA history. She has added eight shutouts and has struck out 246 batters and only walked 32. But in two games and 12 innings at the WCWS, Frahm has just a 3.50 ERA and a 1.417 WHIP.

Alexis Jensen: Freshman fives Huskers pitching

Alexis Jensen gives Revelle an intriguing option in the circle if she wants to use Frahm out of the bullpen. The Big Ten freshman of the year and an NFCA All-American, Jensen boasts a 25-2 record and a 2.32 ERA. And like Frahm, Jensen doesn’t often give free passes; she issued just 36 walks compared to 223 strikeouts in 153.2 innings.

As a staff, Nebraska has a strikeout-to-walk rate of 5.2-1. In comparison, the walk-to-strikeout rate for Texas is 3.1-1.

Texas, Nebraska split games early in season

What can we learn from the Longhorns’ two games against Nebraska in San Antonio at the start of the season? Perhaps the pitchers were cold in those early-February games. Frahm gave up six hits and six runs in three innings during the Longhorns’ 15-10 win in the first game of the season. Kayden Henry, Katie Stewart, Reece Atwood and Vivi Martinez — the heart of the Texas lineup — went a combined 10-of-18 with 11 RBIs.

Of course, Texas ace Teagan Kavan wasn’t any better after allowing seven hits and seven runs in 3⅓ innings.

Both offenses kept humming in the second meeting between the two, an 8-5 win by Nebraska in the third game of the season. Texas tallied a combined 11 hits off Jensen and Frahm while the Cornhuskers knocked around Texas starter Hannah Wells for seven runs and seven hits in two innings. One note for Texas: Seldom-used pitcher Cambria Salmon three four scoreless innings in the game and could be an option for Texas coach Mike White in Sunday’s elimination game.

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