The dog days of summer. It’s truly time for some fall sports as we are just over 24 hours away from the start of the NSAA season, Husker football is 15 days out. Can’t wait. We are pumped that you are along for the ride with us as we gear up for some more special content as the season approaches.

In total, we want the Newsletter to give you everything you need to stay current on as many Nebraska sporting events and teams as possible. Thanks for being with us. Send us story tips and if you see us on a sideline, or in the gym, or course come say “hello” we’d love to meet you.

We are new, but Memorial Stadium is a century old this year. Heading into the Wednesday letter with some goosebumps, a softball preview and a few more updates.

Softball: Pitching, Hitting, Defense

The NSAA softball season starts tomorrow (!!!) with games across the state as teams will be on a journey to a new look state tournament that will start in Hastings, but finish on Monday with the state finals in all classes at Omaha’s Connie Claussen Field.

Momentum for the sport continues to build as the finals will be televised for the first time, coupled with new energy and excitement for the college sport as Jordyn Bahl returns to Nebraska to pitch and Omaha is fresh off their first NCAA Tournament appearance a season ago. Let’s dive in.

CLASS A: Many unknowns as defending champion Omaha Marian loses their twin battery of Maddie and Rylinn Goff and two other second team all-state selections. Leading the list of leading contenders is Gretna, last year’s runner-up, led by junior all-state pitcher Alexis Jensen who was 30-2 a season ago.

Only one other first-team all-state selection returns in Millard South utility infielder Bree Urban who batted .618 for the Patriots in 2022. The Dragons will have plenty of firepower behind Jensen as well with second-team all-state selections Anniston Trevarrow and Megan Marshall.

Coaches also note perennial power Papillion-LaVista, Lincoln East, Lincoln Southwest, Millard West, Norfolk and a young, but talented Millard North squad as teams that could contend for state berths.

Returning All-State Selections: Jensen, Urban, Piper Ruhl (Lincoln North Star), Kaitlyn Fisher (Millard West), Emersyn Exner (Papio South), Berkley Hatten (Lincoln East), Trevarrow, Marshall.

CLASS B: Off of their first state softball title in school history, Grand Island Northwest will have to reload to make another run at a Class B title.

Gone are three all-state selections — Ava Laurent, Grace Baasch and Avyn Urbanski — but back is power-hitting catcher Reyse Zobel who was a second-team all-state selection a season ago. The rest of the nucleus will be a young group that saw plenty of varsity action a year ago and went undefeated in junior varsity play.

With returning all-state pitcher Kalli Ulven, Blair jumps off the page as an early team with the looks of a title contender. They also return all-state infielder Nessa McMillen who batted .451 a season ago as they Bears made it to the final three of the Class B field.

Other teams coaches have an early eye on include Seward, Elkhorn, Waverly, Omaha Mercy and Bennington.

Returning All-State Selections: Ulven, Maddie Scobee (Bennington), McMillen, Dalaney Anderson (Seward), Sidney Smart (Wahoo), Lexi Paskach (Ralston), Addyson Maxell (Elkhorn North), Coral Collins (Seward), Alexis Shepherd (Waverly).

CLASS C: Riding hot bats and the pitching of senior Shaylynn Campbell, Yutan/Mead won the Class C title last year by defeating Hastings St. Cecilia twice on the final day.

Campbell and three other all-staters are gone for Y/M this season, but catcher Maycee Hays returns. St. Cecilia and Wahoo Neumann — their sophomore pitcher Addison Sylliaasen was 21-5 a season ago — are listed by most coaches as the leading candidates to challenge for the state title.

The Hawkettes return junior outfielder Isabella Kvols, who was a first-team all-state selection while batting .429, and sophomore pitcher Audrey Rossow who had an 18-0 record in backing up all-state selection Jordyn Head last year.

Also on the eye of Class C coaches are Milford, which returns two all-state selections (Addisyn Mowinkel and Ayla Roth) and Central City, who has all-state pitcher Jerzie Schindler (24-4) back in the circle.

Returning All-State Selections: Schindler, Hays, Molwinkel, Kvols, Rossow, Sylliaasen, Hannah Devlin (Gothenburg), Avery Wegner (NEN), Roth, Ava Helms (Malcolm), Dakota Haner (Freeman).

Stay with us all season as we’ll partner with nebpreps.com and @nebraskahssb for our softball coverage. The preseason coaches poll will be released tomorrow.

A Little More Football

PRACTICE PREVIEWS: Over at nebpreps, Mike Sautter continues to hammer out his daily practice reports as he dives in to some more Class B and Metro teams this week. See them all here: Omaha Skutt, Waverly, Plattsmouth, Ashland-Greenwood. FULL PRESEASON PLAYLIST

IT’S A START: We also released the first preseason football poll presented by Pinnacle Bank on Sunday. Your preseason No. 1 teams as follows: Omaha Westside, Bennington, Boone Central, Ord, North Platte St. Patrick’s, South Loup and Parkview Christian. See the whole list of our coaches picks here. 

WEEK ZERO: Six ranked teams are in action on the opening Friday night, including Class D-1, No. 1 St. Patrick’s. Matchups

A LOOK N: The Nebraska Football digital team is knocking it out of the park with the preseason videos and look at practices, meetings and team activities each week.

“Greatness happens at the end. It’s never punishment, it’s always a challenge.”

(We may need some football pads soon.)

Parting Shot: Following the Rugs

CARPET LAND: Class A state baseball champion Lincoln East became just the fourth Nebraska team to advance to the American Legion World Series final on Monday night. On Tuesday, much like the majority of the tournament, they lost in a low-scoring pitchers dual to League City, TX, 1-0.

The Spartans had advanced to the title game on the heels if a 2-1 win over Cheyenne, WY when they had just one hit — a 2-RBI single by Garrett Springer in the sixth inning. They hung on when Mason Gaines made this diving catch in the 7th for the second out.

UP NEXT: We get to recap high school football on Saturday morning, plus a prep cross country preview, and, who knows, maybe a few other things this weekend. As always, if you are enjoying the Newsletter share with a friend. We’d love to make your inbox a little happier.