1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - DP LIVE from Big Ten Softball Tournament: May 7th, 2026, 12:00pm

Episode Date: May 7, 2026

DP calls in from College Park Maryland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

with D.P. Coming at you live from the heart of Lincoln America, a 93-7-the-ticket and the ticketfm.com. Sponsored by the Downtown Lincoln Foundation. Here is your host, Derek Pearson. Thursday, boom, here from us here at one-on-one on 93-7, the ticket. It is one-on-one. Adam Kerker out today.

He will be back tomorrow, ready to talk some football. He already sent me some text, so I know a little bit about what we've got going on there. But as for today's episode, I've got Austin Orman in studio with me. And we've got DP on the phone line as he is covering the Big Ten softball tournament with Nebraska, getting ready to go here in about 25 minutes. So I want to jump right to the interview. That way, DP has a little bit of time to settle down.

And once we hang up here. But DP, thanks for joining us once again from a place that you've known quite well in Maryland. I think a big question mark going into this. Is there enough seating out there? everybody. Yeah. So here's my thing. Of course, D.C. There's been three different climates already. In a short morning, it started cloudy and then rainy, then

adjusted to a breeze, more rain, spots of rain, and then the sun popped out and it was rather warm. Now, just in the duration of this call, the clouds came back. So we're expecting a percentage of rain over the next three hours. So who knows? But the thing is it has affected defense because when you go from clouds to sun, sunglasses become the issue of whether you have them on or don't have them on is a thing.

The crowd, this will be, game two will be a Oscar crowd. It will be a Husker home game. Yeah, that's been obvious. There's some very notable Husker folks in the building, of course, Husker basketball coach, Women's Basketball Coach, Amy Williams. That family is here amongst it. And yeah, it's a pretty good, a lot of the Husker alumni are here. As a matter of fact, a lot of recent players, Abby Squire being among them that I've seen walking around.

So it'll be enough today with a Saturday and a later. start at 5 o'clock tomorrow local time, I would imagine more folks come in and the place will get a little more interesting when it comes to the crowd. That'll be fun, certainly, and it's good to hear Nebraska fans out there supporting the Huskers.

Is there a game going on now? I know there was an early game ahead of the Nebraska game. Yeah, this one is the Battle of the Fleet who plays Nebraska, four-seat Indiana and five-seat University of Washington. Currently in the bottom of the six, the Hoosiers lead six two. It hasn't been the most cleanly played softball.

I don't remember what. Four errors, three by the Huskies, and I would say that actually more, but I would think that I want to make sure the count is right, but I think there have been four base running out from leaving early to being. to bring, you know, caught stealing. It costs both teams runs because they got, you know, runners got displaced and then a hit follow it. So, but 6-2 looks like the Hoosiers are playing better

and putting more pressure on and getting their head 6-2 as we sit in the bottom of the 6th inning. What's up, D.P., good to hear from you. The public travels went well for you. When you think about these two teams that are playing today, right, the eternal rest versus rust debate. From the Nebraska perspective, sitting, watching, but getting ready to play tomorrow,

what's most important for Nebraska to look rested and not rusty against teams that have come in and yet already had to play a game, but have also gotten to play a game and maybe have a little better sense of the surroundings and have knocked some of that rust off. Well, there's a convenience when you are an elite softball team with death.

So you never really take the day off. travel plays into it. But if you're going to scrimmage in-house for the Huskers and Hannah Kamen's and company are your three and four pitchers, yeah. You're doing okay.

You're going to face good pitching, so that's not it. And they're comfortable. They're familiar with this Michigan team. These two teams have played three times with the Huskers sweeping it. And there are a couple of five, two games and then a 12-run game for the Huskers.

but familiarity matters. Yeah, Michigan got some momentum coming into this thing, but I don't think that Rhonda Roveau and this group really thinks that way. It's win in advance, go one and O, all the cliches, but it's what got them to a 41 season in the first place. Are there any kind of big storylands, obviously, other than the championship, and I got to figure someone, I don't know if you could give this answer, is it feel like Nebraska versus the field out there?

I know Oregon and UCLA and the other bottom part of the bracket certainly had some pretty darn good seasons as well. But Nebraska obviously got to feel like the overwhelming favorite coming in. Well, I mean, you're the favorite. You're the one seat and it's earned. It's been earned. You faced all the demons and dogs of the Big Ten, but it is the Big Ten.

So, and on any given day, a high pitcher changes the discussion. Bats go cold. It changes the discussion. But this is the favorite team. This is the team that everybody's talking about, yeah, on the other side of the bracket, you know, you've got some dogs. But here's the thing. You've seen them all.

You've faced them all. And if you do what you practice doing and you have two elite arms to get you in and out of situations if they pop up, plus you swing the bat at a high efficiency efficiency, it's one at a time. It really is it's the big 10 though. Anything happened to the big 10 tournament. I like Nebraska's odds. Yeah, yeah, it looks like it should be a fun time out there. Specifically for this Nebraska-Michigan game,

do you think then there's going to be a little bit of a delay here before we get into the supposed 1230 first pitch? Yeah, I don't think you make the 12-30. As I said, this hasn't been the cleanest game I've ever seen. Again, bottom of the six, but Washington, you know, three outs away from, from the closest thing out at the top of the inning? I would shoot more like 1245 as likely because Michigan is sitting directly across the me

and the bleachers, Nebraska's gathered behind me here off to my left as a matter of fact. So they're not pre-warming again. There will be a full warm-up, and then, of course, pitchers require their own warm-up time, specific warm-up time. There won't be any batting practice or infield, but it will be 30 minutes post of this game,

which I think has another life of 10 or 15 minutes itself. D.P., I'm going to tap into your coach brain here, and put yourself in Rhonda Ravelle's shoes. This is a team that gets the top seed, right? They win the Big 10 outright. And they're being talked about, obviously, regional host, potential super regional host, and then Women's College World Series.

As a coach, what's the message to your team to keep them in the moment? not looking ahead to make sure this isn't just a, you know, a one-day trip out there to play one game. How do you keep them focused on the here and now? Well, remembering and reminding them that, yeah, there are bigger things still in store. Well, Rhonda talks about it all the time. By the way, Indiana just hit a three-run bomb to extend the lead to 9-2.

So that puts them in play. Coach Rovell's been really culturally loud about win the pitch. Win the pitch. It doesn't get any more complicated. He doesn't have to look at next opponent. next hit bat, next play. It's next pitch. And no matter what side of that pitch you're on, do your job.

And that removes all that forward thinking, let me getting out over my skis. That's been the rule and the culture and the process throughout this entire 40 plus win season. That's how you do that in the Big Ten. Listen, if you win 40 games and you're playing in the Meat and Potato's conference, it's impressive. To go 40 plus of the Big Ten against this type of schedule,

you have to be extremely profound in win the pitch. And that doesn't change based on situation. It is, this is what Nebraska softball is. They win the pitch. On either side of the ball, win the pitch. That's their focus. The results come because you're trusting the process. All right.

Well, we got mostly through the interview. I know you didn't want to lead with this, but I did notice a little bit of playing issues again. Did you have a tough time getting out there, D.P? I, you know, I don't even understand what's going on now. Whoever was responsible, shame on them. First of all, on the positive, the best part about the trip was sitting in the frequent flyer lounge at Lincoln Airport, right? All the coffee, all the snacks, the goodies, right?

You hold on to that. Then you get an hour delay. So, okay, not their fault. at least you're comfortable right comfy seats TVs are on you know get all the coffee you want the delay was in at O'Hare and we landed early compared to when we were supposed to on the second leg but guys there's a thing that happened we taxied after landing we taxied for 50 53 minutes we just drove around the tarmac we just drove around the tarmac we just drove around because the gates were all taken,

because once the schedule's torn off, the entire thing is there. But there weren't any planes on fire this time, right? Yeah, there's no air, there's no wire on the plane. So I'm a bit saucy. I'm a bit feisty. And planning to get to D.C. at 9 o'clock and then getting in an 11, yeah, yeah.

I was rather feisty, but I had a good night's sleep. so and I had a snickers. You're not you when you're hungry. Yeah, I'm not me, man. That airline fight was incredible. Well, hopefully you're covering a little bit today. You'll be out there all weekend for us covering the softball tournament. So we'll hear hopefully be able to call in here from you again tomorrow here on one-on-one.

Yeah, tomorrow will be easier. As a matter of fact, I'll be able to stream in tomorrow because Huskers win, they play at 5 o'clock. Okay. So I'll have time to stream in and be a part of whatever you're doing at whatever level you guys need or want. And then the whole weekend and then Tuesday, I'm going to stay until Wednesday, Tuesday night. First of all Tuesday morning, my sister has the surgery. So we're accepting all prayers from my sister, Michelle. But then Tuesday night, my high school is honoring the 1980 baseball team.

We were pretty elite. so they're going to honor that squad and all the guys are getting back together. So if you get 911 text for bail, that party got out of hand. That sounds like a lot of fun. Hopefully you are looking forward to that and hopefully have a lot of fun out there. Thanks again, D.P. We will check in with you tomorrow. Thanks for covering for me, guys, for making this thing work.

It's 9-2 still in the bottom of the sticks. it's going to be a thing. It looks like the Hoosers will face the winner of Nebraska and Michigan. Well, there you have, Nebraska looking ahead. Maybe with the Hoosiers first, they've got to get back Michigan, like you said, and that game might not start quite on time, but we will be looking forward to seeing if the Oscars can get it done. Thanks again, D.P.

Thank you, guys. All right, there he goes. Derek Pearson live from the Big Ten softball tournament out there in Maryland, some of his old stomping grounds. So that should help out to there. Let's go ahead and take quick break when he come back. Austin, I want to know the toughest, or not the toughest, the most important three game stretch for Nebraska football coming up this year.

I was trying to go through it in my own mind last night, and I was debating between a couple of them. So I want to get your thoughts on that. We'll back from next year on one-on-one on 93-7 the ticket. Watch live on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitch. You're listening to One-on-One-on-1 with DP on 93-7 the ticket in the ticket FM. dot com.