Nebraska softball junior Jordy Bahl made history on Wednesday as the NFCA named her Division I Player of the Year. She is the first Husker to win the award.
The NFCA also named her a unanimous first-team All-American, making her the ninth pitcher and 29th player overall all to become a three-time first-team All-American as she previously earned the honor in each of her two seasons at Oklahoma. She’s Nebraska’s first first-team All-American since MJ Knighten in 2016.
After a season-ending ACL injury in the opener last season, Bahl had a tremendous year both at the plate and as a pitcher in 2025. The two-way star set numerous program records including the most home runs with 23, total bases with 167, runs scored with 72, extra base hits with 41, batting average at .462 and slugging average at .988. She also became the first Husker to have at least 15 doubles and 15 homer runs in the same season.
In addition to all the program records, her season stands out nationally as she became the first player with more than 20 home runs at the plate and more than 20 wins in the circle, and she’s the first player since 2017 to have more runs scored (72) than allowed in the circle (68) with a minimum of 130 innings pitched.
All those numbers are a result of Bahl’s fantastic work ethic, according to Coach Rhonda Revelle.
“She’ll be the first one if she doesn’t have a good game, she watches film, she talks, she reflects, she journals,” Revelle said in a post-game press conference. “She earns everything she gets through blood, sweat and tears. So nothing ever surprises me when you see somebody work like that.”
Although Bahl gets a lot of the attention, she’s always making sure that her teammates get the recognition as well. When she is asked about herself, she always makes a point to bring it back to the team.
“Being in the leadoff position, it takes a lot of pressure off, knowing that Sammie [Bland] is right there behind me, because she’s a player that can do it all,” Bahl said after Nebraska’s regional-clinching win over Southeastern Louisiana, in which Bahl went yard in addition to pitching a shutout. “She’s fast, she’s athletic, she could drop a bunt, she could go yard. She has power, she has speed.”
The three-time state champion and 2020-21 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year out of Papillion-La Vista said that she is glad to have the opportunity to play for her home state after spending her first two years at Oklahoma.
“Getting to experience it now, I think the one word that comes to my mind is just what a blessing it is,” Bahl said. “And I know that the Lord’s the author of my life and there’s just so many surreal moments lately where I just step back, and I’m like ‘Wow, I’m so undeserving just to be able to experience this and to have these amazing teammates to do it with who just make it all the sweeter.’”
Nebraska went 30-23 last year with Bahl missing almost the entire the season. Adding her to the lineup alongside a strong transfer class resulted in a 43-15 season (Nebraska’s best record since 2014) and a trip to the Super Regionals.
In the Baton Rouge Regional, Bahl had a spectacular weekend. She pitched a total of 12 innings and allowed only two hits while reaching base every time she stepped up to the plate. She scored four home runs, added another hit and drew seven walks, helping the Huskers advance to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2014. At this point, nothing Bahl does surprises her coach.
“I just am not surprised,” Revelle said. “I never would say, “Oh, I think she’s going to do this, this, or this, but when she does do this, this, and this, it never surprises me.”
During her junior campaign, Bahl won numerous awards. Along with her NFCA honors, she was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week five times, the Big Ten Player of the Week once and the NFCA National Player of the Week twice. Bahl also made history as she was named the Big Ten Pitcher and the Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the first player in the conference to win both awards in the same season.
Another aspect of Bahl’s that stands out is her character off the field. Teammate Ava Kuszak said that Bahl is an all-around great person.
“It fires me up inside, because she just wants to go out there and do everything she can to win,” Kuszak said. “I think that’s just the person she is. It’s not just the softball player she is, it’s the person she is, because that’s what enables her to do that, is not because of the softball Jordy, it’s because of the person Jordy, and that’s why I love her.”
Revelle echoed the sentiment.
“It’s just about who she is,” Revelle said. “Like, who she is at her very core, and it’s really easy to get behind her.”
Although the season did not end the way Bahl hoped it would, she said that she enjoys getting to play for her home state and is grateful for the fan support during Nebraska’s postseason run.
“It’s fun getting to represent the N, and then just having the people back home, which is why I wanted to go to Nebraska so much, there,” Bahl said. “It means a lot.”
