The Nebraska softball team is scheduled to play a 44-game, conference-only schedule this spring, the Big Ten announced on Tuesday, Feb. 9. The Huskers will play multiple games against all of the other 13 Big Ten teams.
The 44-game schedule breakdown includes 12 games played over two weekends in Florida to begin the season (six games each weekend) and 32 games played over an eight-week schedule on campus sites, with each school hosting four weekends and traveling four weekends.
Nebraska will play Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State twice, Michigan and Purdue three times and Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa and Northwestern four times.
The schedule begins Feb. 26-28, when all 14 Big Ten teams travel to Leesburg, Fla., for three days of competition at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex. Each team will play a doubleheader on Friday, Saturday and Sunday against a different opponent each day. Nebraska will open the season with a doubleheader against Indiana on Friday, Feb. 26, then take on Michigan State in a Saturday doubleheader and Ohio State in a Sunday doubleheader.
The conference will take the next weekend off before returning to Florida. From Thursday, March 11 to Sunday, March 14, Nebraska will face Michigan and Purdue in a pair of three-game series. The Huskers are scheduled to play a doubleheader with the Wolverines on Thursday before concluding the series with a single game on Friday. On Saturday, Nebraska opens its series against Purdue with a doubleheader, then completes the series with the third game on Sunday.
The entire conference will take another week off before beginning Big Ten series at campus sites. Each team will play eight weekends of four-game series against conference foes. Nebraska will host Penn State for a four-game series beginning on Friday, March 26. The Huskers then travel to Rutgers for a four-game series with the Scarlet Knights beginning on April 2.
Nebraska returns to Bowlin Stadium for four games against Illinois starting on April 9. The Huskers then travel to Minnesota for a four-game series beginning on April 16. Nebraska will be home for the final two weekends in April, hosting Wisconsin in a four-game series starting on April 23 and Maryland in a four-game slate beginning on April 30.
The Huskers close the season with a four-game series at Iowa beginning on May 7 and a four game-series at Northwestern starting on May 14. With each Big Ten team playing at least two games against every other team, there will be no Big Ten Tournament in 2021.
2021 Nebraska Softball Schedule
Friday, Feb. 26 | vs. Indiana (DH) | Leesburg, Fla. |
Saturday, Feb. 27 | vs. Michigan St. (DH) | Leesburg, Fla. |
Sunday, Feb. 28 | vs. Ohio St. (DH) | Leesburg, Fla. |
OFF WEEK | ||
Thursday, March 11 | vs. Michigan (DH) | Leesburg, Fla. |
Friday, March 12 | vs. Michigan | Leesburg, Fla. |
Saturday, March 13 | vs. Purdue (DH) | Leesburg, Fla. |
Sunday, March 14 | vs. Purdue | Leesburg, Fla. |
OFF WEEK | ||
Friday, March 26 | Penn St. | Bowlin Stadium |
Saturday, March 27 | Penn St. (DH) | Bowlin Stadium |
Sunday, March 28 | Penn St. | Bowlin Stadium |
Friday, April 2 | at Rutgers | Piscataway, N.J. |
Saturday, April 3 | at Rutgers (DH) | Piscataway, N.J. |
Sunday, April 4 | at Rutgers | Piscataway, N.J. |
Friday, April 9 | Illinois | Bowlin Stadium |
Saturday, April 10 | Illinois (DH) | Bowlin Stadium |
Sunday, April 11 | Illinois | Bowlin Stadium |
Friday, April 16 | at Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. |
Saturday, April 17 | at Minnesota (DH) | Minneapolis, Minn. |
Sunday, April 18 | at Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. |
Friday, April 23 | Wisconsin | Bowlin Stadium |
Saturday, April 24 | Wisconsin (DH) | Bowlin Stadium |
Sunday, April 25 | Wisconsin | Bowlin Stadium |
Friday, April 30 | Maryland | Bowlin Stadium |
Saturday, May 1 | Maryland (DH) | Bowlin Stadium |
Sunday, May 2 | Maryland | Bowlin Stadium |
Friday, May 7 | at Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa |
Saturday, May 8 | at Iowa (DH) | Iowa City, Iowa |
Sunday, May 9 | at Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa |
Friday, May 14 | at Northwestern | Evanston, Ill. |
Saturday, May 15 | at Northwestern (DH) | Evanston, Ill. |
Sunday, May 16 | at Northwestern | Evanston, Ill. |