Former Aragon softball star Olivia DiNardo transfers to Nebraska

If there’s anyone who knows what catching means to DiNardo, it’s Aragon head coach Liz Roscoe, who took over the program in 2022 for DiNardo’s senior year.

“It means a lot,” Roscoe said. “I just think she’s a player that wants to do it all, and does it all well. She’s just a good player. It’s hard to take that away from a player that’s that good.”

DiNardo listed as a catcher through four varsity seasons at Aragon (sans her 2020 sophomore season, cancelled due to the pandemic) but did not catch as a senior. Roscoe said at the time the reasoning was to rest the then-senior, who went on to catch during the summer with her Warrior Softball Academy travel team.

She went on to start 51 games at Arizona as a freshman, 20 of them as a catcher. Her playing time behind the plate was reduced markedly in 2024.

“She’s the hardest working athlete that I’ve ever know,” Roscoe said. “Knowing her, I know she’s working on it just to get back in that game.”

DiNardo still produced this season as a designated player for the Wildcats, and how. She was named Pac-12 Player of the Week just days before her 20th birthday for the week of April 8-14, then enjoyed a happy homecoming in the Pac-12 Softball Tournament at Stanford in May, being named to the all-tournament team, going 5 for 7 with a home run and six RBIs through two games against Washington and UCLA.

She was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-West Region third team, along with Arizona senior first baseman Carlie Scupin.

“Olivia DiNardo is an exceptional softball talent, and we are so excited that she is joining the [Cornhuskers],” Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle said via press release. “She is a fierce competitor who loves to compete and win. She has the ability to immediately step on the field for the Huskers and make a big impact on both sides of the ball.”

Arizona got knocked out of the Pac-12 Tournament with a 6-5 loss in the semifinals to UCLA, and DiNardo’s former Aragon teammate Megan Grant. The Wildcats led 4-0 going into the fifth inning, when UCLA rallied for six runs to take the lead. DiNardo homered in the sixth inning, a solo shot, to bring Arizona closer. UCLA, however, went on to win the game, and the tournament the following night with a 2-1 win over Utah.

The Wildcats qualified for the NCAA postseason, and swept through the Fayetteville regional with wins against Villanova 14-3, Arkansas 2-1, and Villanova 9-4. DiNardo had a modest showing, going 1 for 8 with two RBIs. Arizona went on to get swept in the Super Regionals at Oklahoma State, with DiNardo going 1 for 6 with a double and an RBI in the tourney.

DiNardo entered the transfer portal at the end of May, turning to social media May 30 with a message reading “Thank you Tucson” followed by the hashtag “freeagent.”

If the star align, DiNardo stands to catch one of the top pitchers in the country at Nebraska in junior right-hander Jordy Bahl. The native of Papillion, Nebraska transferred from University of Oklahoma after the 2023 season, after leading the Sooners to two national championships with a 44-2 career record. Ball pitched one game for Nebraska in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Also on roster at Nebraska is outfielder Talia Tokheim, a 2022 graduate of Sequoia, who appeared in nine games with the Cornhuskers as a sophomore in 2024. Tokheim went 5 for 20 on the season, but three of those hits were home runs. Through two seasons in Lincoln, she owns a slash line of .322/.388/.780 in 59 at-bats.