If limits are placed on attendance this fall, who gets tickets and who doesn’t? Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos says the priority criteria is being sorted out. Moos and his staff are weighing a number of variables, including whether all or some of the seven scheduled home games are played. How much money the season-ticket holder donates annually and how long he or she has owned the season tickets are also factors to determine priority. Moos is quick to point out that doesn’t mean people down the list would get shut out. Moos said it’s possible some Husker fans would be allowed to attend five games, some four, some three and others two. Moos said he expects to know by mid-July how many Nebraska games will be played and if the season will start as scheduled. Then, once the stadium capacity is established, he’ll set into motion the plan for how holders of the 70,000 season tickets will be accommodated. Regardless of capacity, Moos sees no end to the Huskers’ ongoing NCAA record sellout streak, which stands at 375 games.
In recruiting news, wide receiver Latrell Neville is a top target for the Huskers. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound receiver from Hightower High School near Houston is one of the top 2021 high school receivers in the state of Texas and has Nebraska among his “frontrunners” after a decommitment last week from Virginia Tech. Neville is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals and a high three-star by 247 Sports and ESPN. Nebraska currently has one receiver, Shawn Hardy, committed for the 2021 class. It lost to Iowa State for the services of Kansas City (Missouri) Park Hill’s Jaylin Noel, and will not be the pick when Jacksonville (Florida) Atlantic Coast receiver Patrick Bryant announces his decision on Sunday.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference Council of Presidents released information regarding the fall sports season for 2020. Practice may begin, as defined by the NAIA, no earlier than Saturday, August 15th. Competition, both conference and non-conference, may begin no earlier than Saturday, September 5th for volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, baseball, and softball. Football games will start no earlier than Saturday, September 12th. The football regular season has been reduced to a 9 game conference only schedule. Volleyball will only play 22 games. Soccer has been reduced to 14 games. Among those affected by the decisions will be Hastings College.
England-native Jade Ovendale will be joining Hastings College as the new Head Women’s Soccer Coach. Ovendale comes to Bronco Nation after spending the past two seasons as the head women’s coach at Northern Oklahoma College following three seasons as assistant men’s coach.
A shortened Major League Baseball draft has Nebraska’s draft streak in jeopardy. The Huskers have had at least one player selected in the draft over the past 27 years. This years draft, which starts tonight (wed) at 6 on ESPN, has been cut down from 40 rounds to five because of cost concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unlikely that any current Nebraska players or incoming recruits will be selected. Baseball America does not have any Husker-connected players in its list of 500 top prospects, and there are only 160 picks.
The Hastings Sodbusters announced their schedule late Monday. The Sodbusters will open their season Friday, June 26th, hosting the Fremont Moo at Duncan Field. Hastings will be one of only six teams in the Expedition League this season, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced four teams in the league to forgo their 2020 seasons. The six teams will play 52 games, with the regular season coming to an end Aug. 19th. The teams will still be split into the Lewis and Clark divisions, with the division winners facing each other for the league championship series, which will be Aug. 21-23.
