It’s Sunday, so here’s your quick catch-up on all the Husker athletics headlines you might’ve missed from a pretty busy week. Let’s dive in.
Stadium Renovation
Troy Dannen dropped the long-rumored Memorial Stadium renovation plans this week, and man, it’s a big one. The $600 million “Big Red Rebuilt†project is heading to the Board of Regents on April 24. If it gets the green light, construction kicks off after the 2026 season with the goal of being mostly done for 2028. My read on the situation is that the Regents will approve it, I just do not think you publicly reveal to the level Dannen did without knowing you have the votes.
Here’s what we know so far:
- A second jumbotron so both end zones are covered
- A full 360-degree concourse
- More seatback seating and better fan amenities all around
- Capacity drops a bit to around 80,000
- Should generate a ton more revenue each year (hello, potential NIL boost for the athletic department)
- Finished prior to the 2028 season. 2027 season will have significantly reduced seating.
It’s a major facelift for one of college football’s most iconic venues(The mecca of college football I call it). Fans are mostly excited, but there are a vocal bunch that believe this money could go to talent acquisition. That is a complicated conversation, and I am not sure it works quite like that (see Playfly’s lawsuits right now). At any rate, the renovations will bring in millions more of stadium revenue per year, which sets up a degree of long-term revenue.
Baseball
The Huskers bounced back nicely after a tough road series at Oregon. They took care of business against Creighton midweek, then hosted No. 12 USC for a huge weekend at Hawks Field.
- Friday night: Pure drama. Nebraska trailed but stormed back and walked it off in extra innings on a bunt from Mac Moyer — final score 8-7.
- Saturday: Total domination. The Huskers run-ruled USC 12-2 in seven innings, with a big offensive explosion (including three homers in the third) and a strong pitching outing from Carson Jasa. Drew Grego had himself a day.
They’re rolling at 30-9 and sitting strong in the Big Ten. The rubber match with USC is today, but the series is already won.
Softball
The No. 6 Huskers kept their hot streak going against Minnesota this weekend. They shut out the Gophers 4-0 on Friday behind a gem from Jordy Frahm, then absolutely exploded for a season-high 17 runs in a 17-2 run-rule win on Saturday (complete with grand slams). This team is looking scary good — 34-6 overall and dominating conference play.
Volleyball
Nebraska played their second spring exhibition on Friday night in Omaha, taking on Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena. The Huskers came away with a 3-1 win (25-19, 25-18, 25-15, then dropped the bonus fourth set 15-25). They rotated heavily to get looks at new and younger players, and Teraya Sigler stood out with 11 kills on ridiculous efficiency. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly noted they experimented with a 6-2 lineup they won’t run in the fall.
Basketball
Fred Hoiberg is staying busy in the transfer portal building next season’s roster. The latest additions include:
- Boden Kapke (forward/center from Boston College)
- Trevan Leonhardt (guard from Utah Valley)
Both look like solid gets to help with frontcourt depth and backcourt playmaking. On the outgoing side, former Husker Berke landed at Vanderbilt, for those who wanted to follow up on that.
Overall, it was a really strong week across Husker sports. Troy Dannen’s got a lot of teams looking competitive right now. Football fans are still anxious for fall to see if Matt Rhule and the football team can take that next step, but for now? Let’s just soak up these spring wins.
Go Big Red
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