Softball Heads to Nebraska for Big Red Spring Fling

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado (7-10, 0-0 Big Sky) will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete in the Big Red Spring Fling hosted by Nebraska. The Bears will play four games in total against No. 19 Nebraska, South Dakota State, and Northern Iowa. The tournament will take place March 6-9.

GAME COVERAGE
The game against Nebraska will be streamed on B1G+. The games against South Dakota State and Northern Iowa will not be streamed, however all four games will be available on Live Stats for fans unable to make the trip.

A LOOK AT THE BEARS
The Bears are 7-10 after four weeks of play and an undefeated weekend at the Colorado Classic tournament hosted by CSU.

Northern Colorado softball had a dominant showing at the Colorado Classic, finishing with a perfect 3-0 record over the weekend. The Bears (7-10) opened with a commanding 11-2 run-rule victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, fueled by a seven-run first inning and four RBIs from Kenzie Carter. Pitcher Anna Wilming secured the win, allowing just two runs over five innings.

In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Northern Colorado took down in-state rival Colorado State 7-3, thanks to two home runs and three RBIs from Jazzy Longo. Isabelle DiNapoli delivered a complete-game win, limiting the Rams to five hits and two earned runs.

The Bears capped off the weekend with a 5-1 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday. DiNapoli was dominant in the circle again, striking out a season-high nine batters and allowing just three hits. Northern Colorado jumped out to an early lead with three first-inning runs, highlighted by RBI groundouts from Sabrina Javorsky and Krista Francia. Amailee Morales added a solo home run in the third, and the Bears' defense held strong to complete the tournament sweep.

Head Coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm is in her third season at UNC, registering a 60-59 record in that time.

SCOUTING #19 NEBRASKA
(Thursday / 1:30 p.m. MST)
No. 19 Nebraska softball secured a thrilling 10-9 victory over Missouri on Sunday at the Shocker Invitational, avenging its loss to the Tigers the previous day. With the win, the Huskers finished the tournament with a 4-2 record and have maintained a winning record in every tournament this season.

Pitcher Jordyn Bahl (8-3) delivered a gritty performance, throwing a complete game while allowing seven earned runs and striking out nine batters. Bahl is currently the second ranked pitcher in the NCAA. She also contributed offensively, blasting a three-run homer in the second inning and tying her career high with three RBIs. Nebraska's offense was strong, hitting .345 overall, with home runs from Bahl, Olivia DiNardo, and Hannah Camenzind.

Missouri jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, but Nebraska quickly responded with five runs in the second, including Bahl's three-run homer. The Huskers extended their advantage to 8-4 in the fifth with DiNardo's three-run shot, but Missouri tied the game 8-8 with a grand slam in the bottom half of the inning.

Nebraska reclaimed the lead in the sixth with two sacrifice flies from Samantha Bland and Billie Andrews, making it 10-8. Missouri closed the gap to 10-9 with its fourth home run of the game, but Bahl shut down the Tigers in the seventh, retiring three straight batters to secure the win.

The Huskers have now hit at least one home run in each of their 15 victories this season.

SCOUTING NORTHERN IOWA
(Saturday / 3 p.m. MST)
UNI softball wrapped up the 2025 Purple/Gold Challenge with a 7-5 comeback victory over Ball State on Sunday. The Panthers overcame an early deficit, using a four-run fifth inning to secure the win.

Ball State took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, but UNI responded with a two-RBI double from Katelyn Callahan to tie the game. The Cardinals added three more runs across the second and fourth innings to go up 5-2. UNI began its rally in the bottom of the fourth when Kylee Sanders drove in Eve Morris, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

The Panthers took control in the fifth, scoring four runs to grab a 7-5 lead. Makenna Kuper scored first, followed by Callahan walking in a run with the bases loaded. Sanders then delivered an RBI single, and Ava Smithson crossed the plate on an error. UNI's pitching held strong the rest of the way, preserving the win.

Sanders led the offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Callahan added two RBIs on two hits. Anna Wischnowski earned her sixth win of the season, striking out three in four innings of work.

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
(Saturday & Sunday / 6:30 p.m. & 11 a.m. MST)
South Dakota State softball secured a 6-4 victory over Wichita State in the Shocker Invitational finale, snapping an 11-game losing streak. Akayla Barnard pitched her first complete game of the season, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out seven. Brooke Dumont led the offense, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, including a solo home run.

The Jackrabbits took an early lead, scoring in the first inning on an RBI single from Dumont. They added two more in the second, with Alissa Wernz scoring on an RBI single by Abby Gentry, followed by another Dumont RBI. In the third, SDSU extended its lead to 5-0 after Emma Vike's two-run double.

Wichita State got on the board in the third inning, taking advantage of a throwing error and walks, but Barnard limited the damage to one run. Dumont's solo homer in the fourth made it 6-1 before the Shockers added a second run in the bottom half of the inning.

The game remained 6-2 until the seventh when Wichita State mounted a late rally, scoring twice on a bases-loaded single and a wild pitch. However, Barnard shut the door with two flyouts to seal the win.

Dumont now leads SDSU with a .438 batting average, six home runs, and 18 RBIs. The Jackrabbits, now 6-12, earned their first win over Wichita State since 2021 and improved to 2-9 all-time against the Shockers.

BIG SKY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
As the 2025 softball season approaches, Northern Colorado has been named the preseason favorite in the Big Sky Conference Coaches' Poll. The Bears, who made history last season by sweeping both the regular-season and tournament titles for the first time, earned three first-place votes and topped the poll with 23 points. Head coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm's squad enters the new campaign with high expectations after a dominant 2024 run, and they will look to defend their title against a competitive field that includes Idaho State (21 points, two first-place votes) and Portland State (17 points, one first-place vote), both of whom made deep postseason runs last year.

Northern Colorado will also have the opportunity to host the 2025 Big Sky Softball Championship at Gloria Rodriguez Field from May 6-9, giving the Bears a home-field advantage as they aim for back-to-back titles. The team opens its season on Feb. 6 against Florida State in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, setting the stage for what promises to be another exciting year for UNC softball. Fans can follow the team's journey and all Big Sky action on social media using @BigSkyConf and the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.

UP NEXT
The Bears will embark on their final road trip before their home opener, traveling to California for a three-game series against Loyola Marymount and a matchup at Long Beach State on March 15-16.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kenzie Carter

Isabelle DiNapoli

Krista Francia

Sabrina Javorsky

Jazzy Longo

Amailee Morales

Anna Wilming

Sponsors

Upcoming Events

University of Northern Colorado Athletics