At the USTA invitational, Gretna freshman Alexis Jensen surrendered 5 home runs and gave up 19 hits in 10.1 innings of work. But she also struck out 21 batters while walking no one and displayed the stuff which led Coach Rhonda Revelle to pop her right into the #2 spot in the Huskers rotation to start 2026. Last weekend, Jensen grooved some pitches late in counts which top D1 hitters jumped all over at times. The stuff was there, but some adjustments were needed.
Consider those adjustments made as
Jensen dominated the dangerous lineup of #10 LSU.
She started the game and threw 4 innings, striking out 6 and walking only one. The Tigers didn’t notch a hit until her final inning of work with one out after which she quickly followed up with another whiff. During that at-bat, catcher Jesse Farrell almost pegged the speedy Sierra Daniel stealing 2nd base – on a Jensen change-up. The ball arrived in time, but Daniel dislodged the throw sliding into the tag.
And with a runner in scoring position, we perhaps saw what Jensen had learned from her first weekend. With a 3-1 count on All-American Tori Edwards, she chose to try the corner and miss for her first walk of the young season and then forced a fly to left to end the inning clean. A weekend earlier? She might have challenged over the heart of the plate and let the Tigers on the board.
Serious gas, a changeup which just buckles hitters plus the ability to adjust and learn – that #2 slot, for now, appears to have grown from a weakness to a strength, folks.
There was no issue in being removed after 4 innings of work; Revelle has stated pre-game she would likely split the innings between Jensen and Jordy Frahm. Frahm struck out 4 in 3 scoreless innings of work, only finding trouble in the 7th when she loaded the bags with no one out.
No problem.
Short fly, grounder to the mound and, of course, a strikeout and the Husker shutout was complete.
The Huskers got on the board in the top of the 3rd when Farrell drove a shot to left doubling in Lauren Camenzind who sailed all the way around from 1st base. They then blew it open in the next frame on the strength of run-scoring doubles by Frahm and Hannah Camenzind to push the lead to 5-0.
They finished the scoring when Sammie Bland blasted yet another double to left center and was then scored by a Frahm single up the gut. Adding that shot to an RBI sac fly in the 4th had to be extra gratifying for Bland who snapped an 0-for-15 cold streak.
The Huskers spread 8 hits around the lineup and showed they could find ways to push runs across without the benefit of the long ball – this was the first game in the opening six in which Nebraska hitters did not leave the yard.
The #8 Huskers will next take on the #17 Georgia Bulldogs who were down 6-0 to Oklahoma State late in that contest at the time of this publishing. Look or Frahm to start that one with Jensen ready if needed. After starting the season ranked 9th, the Huskers rose a spot in two polls while dropping a couple in the other two – evidence of head-scratching caused when you beat #1 but lose to #22, I guess? Personally, I think beating #1 calls for the slight rise.
3:00pm CST on ESPN+ – see everyone then.
