Nebraska softball lands Top 25 Freshman of the Year finalist in the transfer portal

After an exit in the Super Regionals, Nebraska softball got right to work planning for next season. The Cornhuskers dropped game three against Tennessee in the Super Regionals to tie up a historic Big Ten season. Nebraska finished the season ranked third in scoring, fifth in home runs, sixth in total runs, seventh in batting average, ninth in RBIs and hits, and 13th in ERA. Their newest transfer portal addition can help those rankings go even higher.

Nebraska softball has landed its first player out of the transfer portal, and it is catcher Jesse Farrell from UNLV. Farrell was a top 25 finalist for National Freshman of the Year in 2024 and, in two seasons at UNLV, played in 100 games, starting 99 of them.

Farrell is a monster behind the plate, working well with any pitcher, but her bat is what really shines. With a .338 career batting average, Farrell has 74 RBIs on 100 hits with 26 doubles, three triples, and 19 home runs. In her sophomore season, Farrell hit .318 with 48 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs, as well as walking 23 times.

Behind the plate, Farrell has a .946 career fielding percentage, throwing out 35% of the runners who try to steal against her.

With the loss of senior catcher Ava Bredwell, Farrell becomes an immediate contender for the starting position, battling Carlie Mihlbach, who redshirted this last season in Lincoln. Farrell marks as the first incoming transfer for the Big Red this offseason and should be able to come in and really help this Nebraska offense.

Nebraska's historic season in the Super Regional is one that will go down in history, but with the pitchers this team has, including ace pitcher Jordy Bahl, who was named NFCA DI Player of the Year in 2025, this team has to be able to make it to the Women's College World Series.

The Cornhuskers will look to take care of unfinished business next season, and the addition of Farrell is just the start for this team.