State softball finals preview: Three title games at Bowlin Stadium

HASTINGS, Neb. — The NSAA state softball tournament moves from the Bill Smith Softball Complex in Hastings to Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln on Monday, Oct. 19, for three championship games. Each title is decided in a single game. None of last year's champions made it, so all three classes will have a new champion.

Class C: No. 1 Kearney Catholic vs. No. 3 Bishop Neumann, noon

Kearney Catholic entered the tournament 22-3 and is 3-0 at state, outscoring its opponents 28-4. It beat Yutan/Mead twice, 10-0 in five innings and 6-0 on Saturday, and beat defending champion Hastings St. Cecilia 12-4 in six. P. Tidwell has pitched both of the Stars' last two games. On Saturday she threw a three-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts.

Bishop Neumann entered 20-4 and is 3-0, outscoring its opponents 27-8. It beat Fort Calhoun 12-4 in five innings, Ashland-Greenwood 5-2 and St. Cecilia 10-2 in five. I. Stuhr struck out 10 against Ashland-Greenwood and allowed four hits against St. Cecilia. A. Furasek drove in four runs Saturday, and A. Hraban went 3-for-3.

Both teams beat St. Cecilia by eight runs. NSAA's finals history lists Neumann titles in 2017, 2021 and 2024 and one earlier final for Kearney Catholic, a 2020 loss to Guardian Angels Central Catholic.

Class B: No. 3 Gretna vs. No. 1 Gretna East, 3:30 p.m.

Gretna entered the tournament 22-5 and is the only unbeaten team left in Class B. It beat Skutt Catholic 11-6, Hastings 2-1 in eight innings and Northwest 4-3 on a two-out run in the bottom of the seventh. T. Rupiper has pitched complete games in both of Gretna's last two wins, with 11 strikeouts against Hastings and eight against Northwest.

Gretna East entered 25-4 and is 3-1 at state. It beat Beatrice 18-9 in six innings and Northwest 9-3, lost 5-3 to Hastings on Saturday, then beat Hastings 5-3 in the if-necessary game. K. Hinerman homered in both Saturday games, and A. Weis hit two homers against Northwest on Friday. B. Beyer pitched both Saturday games, 197 pitches in all.

Both teams beat Northwest, Gretna by one run and Gretna East by six. NSAA's finals history lists Gretna titles in Class B in 2015 and Class A in 2024. It lists no earlier final for Gretna East.

Class A: No. 1 Millard North vs. No. 3 Elkhorn South, 7:00 p.m.

Millard North entered the tournament 30-4 and is 3-0, outscoring its opponents 37-5. It beat Elkhorn North 16-1 in three innings, Millard West 9-1 in six and Lincoln Southwest 12-3 in five. It hit four home runs Saturday, and T. Kampbell drove in five. The Omaha World-Herald noted that this final is a rematch of the Metro Conference tournament title game.

Elkhorn South entered 25-6 and is 3-0, outscoring its opponents 22-15. It beat Omaha Westview 6-5 in eight innings, Lincoln Southwest 6-4 and Millard West 10-6. O. Songster pitched complete games against Lincoln Southwest and Millard West. I. Jackson had two doubles and four RBIs on Saturday.

Both teams beat Lincoln Southwest and Millard West at this tournament. Millard North was the Class A runner-up in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and won its only title in 1993, according to NSAA's finals history. That history lists no Class A final for Elkhorn South, which won the 2016 Class B title.

Watch: NFHS Network carries the NSAA softball postseason on its NSAA softball page. NSAA posts any schedule changes on nsaahome.org and its social media.

Sources: NSAA official box scores, Classes A, B, C, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 (via NSAA Softball Championships HQ); NSAA Class A bracket sheet; NSAA Class B bracket sheet; NSAA Class C bracket sheet (bracket sheets retrieved Oct. 17, 2026, 9:37 p.m. CT); NSAA softball state finals history; Omaha World-Herald (headline and summary only). Innings are noted only where NSAA's results data marks them.

Follow every score on the NEB Preps softball state tournament hub.

All-class state scores and brackets →