Caitlynn Neal Season 2023

Honors & Awards

• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2024)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2022, 2023, 2024)
• Nebraska Gold Academic Medallion (2023)
• Eight-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll Member 
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Senior Season (2024) 

• Starated 31 games
• Made 22 starts in right field, eight in left field and one in center
• Had 25 hits, five doubles, two home runs, 23 runs and 17 RBIs
• Went 3-for-8 in the final three games of the Troy Cox Classic
• Had a double and three RBIs against Montana
• Had a hit in four straight games from Feb. 17 to Feb. 23
• Went 1-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI vs. No. 14 Missouri
• Went 5-for-13 at the Razorback Rumble
• Came off the bench to go 3-for-3 against Northern Iowa
• Scored twice and had one RBI against UNI
• Doubled and scored a run against South Alabama
• Started and scored a run against Northern Colorado
• Went 2-for-2 with a double off the bench in game three at Wisconsin
• Went 1-for-1 as a defensive replacement against Kansas
• Went 5-for-9 with a double, a homer & five RBIs in the Penn State series
• Went 1-for-3 with a double, a run and two RBIs in game two
• Was 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and three RBIs in game three
• Tied her career high in hits against the Nittany Lions
• Went 3-for-9 with a homer and five RBIs in the Rutgers series
• Was 2-for-3 with four RBIs in game two
• Went 1-for-4 with a homer and two runs in game three
• Reached base three times in eight plate appearances at Michigan
• Has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games entering the Iowa doubleheader
• Went 1-for-2 with a run as a defensive sub in game one vs. Northwestern
• Was 1-for-3 in a start in right field in game three at Minnesota
• Had an RBI and a run in two starts at the Big Ten Tournament
• Also filled in as a pitcher
• Pitched in two games to add depth to an injured pitching staff
• Pitched in game three at Michigan, her first appearance since 2022
• Allowed one run on one hit in 1.1 innings in game three at Minnesota

Junior Season (2023) 

• Started all 58 games in the outfield
• Had career-highs in runs (26), hits (55), doubles (14) and home runs (5)
• Hit a team-high .455 with five hits and two RBI at the Houston Invitational 
• Tallied five hits including one double and one homer with a .357 batting average at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational
• Had six hits including one double, one triple and one home run at the Troy Cox Classic 
• Hit .368 with seven hits including four doubles, one home run and four RBIs at the Hillenbrand Invitational
• Finished 4-for-11 at the Shocker Classic with one double and one RBI 
• Added two hits in the win over Iowa State 
• Had two hits and two RBI in the Michigan series 
• Hit a team-best .625 in the series win over Wisconsin with five hits including two doubles and four RBI 
• Went 1-for-2 at the Big Ten Tournament with one walk
• Smashed a two-run homer in game three of the NCAA Regional to help the Huskers past No. 22 Wichita State in extra innings 

Sophomore Season (2022)

• Started 36 games in left field and five games in right field 
• Had a career-best 25 RBI 
• Was 4-for-7 at the Rock Chalk Challenge including one double and one triple and four RBIs  
• Smashed her first career homer against Creighton 
• Added four hits and three doubles with one RBI at the Michigan State series
• Smashed her first career grand slam against Iowa, finishing the doubler header with four RBIs 
• Finished the Minnesota series hitting .700 (7-for-10) with three doubles, one home run and nine RBIs 
• Went 3-for-9 with a double at the Wisconsin series 
• Recorded a run against Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament 

Freshman Season (2021)
Hitting

• Played in 31 games with 21 starts
• Started 14 games in left field, four in center and three in right field
• Also appeared as a pinch runner seven times and as a defensive replacement once in addition to three relief outings as a pitcher
• Started the season opener against Indiana in left field
• Scored a run as a pinch runner in game two vs. the Hoosiers
• Also started in the win against Ohio State
• Went 5-for-12 with three runs and three RBIs in the Purdue series
• Hit safely in all three games, producing her first career hits
• Went 1-for-2 with two runs and her first two career RBIs in game one
• Was 3-for-3 with a run, RBI and stolen base in the series finale
• Had an RBI and scored a run in game one against Penn State
• Produced an RBI single in the series finale with Penn State
• Scored a run as a pinch runner in game three vs. Illinois
• Also scored as a pinch runner in game one at No. 24 Minnesota
• Started both games of the Wisconsin doubleheader in left field
• Had a hit and scored two runs in game one and drove in a run in game two
• Was 2-for-3 with her first two career doubles in the Maryland doubleheader
• Went 1-for-3 in Nebraska’s win at Northwestern
• Her single came as part of Nebraska’s two-run seventh-inning rally from a 4-3 deficit

Pitching

• Made three relief appearances as a freshman
• Made her debut in the circle in game two against No. 23 Michigan
• Tossed a scoreless inning vs. the Wolverines
• Pitched the final 1.1 innings in game three at Rutgers, allowing one run
• Tossed two-thirds of an inning at No. 24 Minnesota

Before Nebraska

• Ranked 30th in her class by Extra Inning Softball
• Was a member of the 2019 USA U17 Women’s National Team
• Helped team USA to a perfect 8-0 record in the Pan American Championships in October 2019
• Helped team USA become the first-ever U17 team to win the gold medal
• Pitched a complete seven-inning shutout and allowed just two hits in the championship game over Argentina
• Played two seasons on varsity for Bradshaw Mountain High School and finished her career with a 23-2 record, a 0.71 ERA, 15 shutouts and 265 strikeouts through 138.0 innings pitched
• Hit .613 with 95 hits, 88 runs, 68 RBIs and 17 homers through two varsity seasons
• Played 11 games as a senior before the rest of the season was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic
• Finished with a 4-1 record, a 0.89 ERA and 61 strikeouts through 31.1 innings pitched in 2020
• HIt .526 with 20 runs, 20 hits, 23 RBIs and eight homers as a senior
• Helped Bradshaw Mountain High to the second round of the state championships as a junior
• Finished with a 0.66 ERA and earned 19 wins in her first varsity season
• Pitched 106.2 innings and recorded 204 strikeouts, while holding opponents to just a .063 batting average
• Earned third-team all-America honors and was a first-team all-region pick by the NFCA as a junior
• Named the MaxPreps Player of the Game six times and was a finalist for the Arizona Republic’s Softball Player of the Year Award 
• Named the Courier Female Athlete of the Year.
•  Played travel ball for the Arizona Desert Thunder, the same club team as former Husker and family friend Mattie Fowler and fellow Husker Sydney Gray
• Coached by Kelly Fowler and Kenzie Fowler Quinn; Fowler Quinn was a former NFCA All-American for Arizona
• Also played for Sliderz Softball under coaches Larry Neal, Victor Hambrick, Brandon Ramirez and Tony Piazza
• Ran track in high school and was named the Most Outstanding Freshman in 2017 
• Finished her career as the school record holder in the javelin

Personal

• Born on Jan. 22, 2002
• Is the daughter of Larry Neal and Kelli Neal
• Has two younger brothers, Jacob and Hardy
• Majoring in child, youth and family studies