Here's some summer reading for college softball fans! It's the story of the short-lived Kennedy College of Wahoo, Nebraska, which not only fielded a successful women's softball team but was also instrumental in the creation of a Women's College World Series. The article from the Lincoln Journal Star is available here. Thanks to Merritt Clifton, whose message to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) e-mail discussion group brought the Kennedy College story to my attention.
The college softball world has thrown us a "Curve Bahl," if you will. Such is the unexpected news that Oklahoma ace Jordy Bahl has announced that she will transfer to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Bahl is from the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. Three thoughts jump out at me: Bahl was absolutely indispensable to the Sooners' 61-1 national championship season, coming up with numerous clutch strikeouts in tight tournament games against Clemson (super-regionals, Game 2 ) and Stanford ( WCWS semifinals ). OU benefited greatly this season via the transfer portal, bringing in Haley Lee from Texas A&M, Alex Storako from Michigan, and Cydney Sanders and Alynah Torres from Arizona State. Bahl's transfer is the first major one in the modern portal era (to my knowledge) in the other direction. Nebraska becomes an instant national championship contender, in my mind. Other players around the country may find it attractive to join Bahl in Lincoln but even if