Nebraska Cornhuskers softball

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers softball team competes as part of NCAA Division I, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference. The team has played at Bowlin Stadium since 2002.

The program was founded in 1976 as a club sport and became an officially sanctioned varsity sport the next year. Nebraska has made twenty-eight appearances in the NCAA Division I tournament with nine Women's College World Series berths. Longtime head coach Rhonda Revelle is the school's leader in career victories across all sports.

History

Early success

Nebraska's softball program began in 1976 as a club sport and was officially sanctioned as a varsity sport in 1977 in the wake of Title IX. Don Isherwood led the program in its early years but was fired in 1980 as the university wanted a head coach with a college degree.[3] NU hired Nancy Plantz, who led the Cornhuskers to the inaugural NCAA Division IWomen's College World Series in 1982 (in its early years the tournament was held in Omaha, longtime host of the College World Series, meaning NU played the WCWS less than fifty miles from its Lincoln campus). Plantz's tenure ended in a disastrous 1983 season that was cut short by the university after player walkouts and a last-place conference finish.[4]

Nebraska was nearly unable to field a team in 1984 before hiring former NAIA Coach of the Year Wayne Daigle to lead the program.[4] Shortstop Denise Day was named the first All-American in program history and led the Cornhuskers to a school record for wins and a return to the WCWS. Daigle's second season saw the breakout of freshman pitcher Lori Sippel, whose no-hitter against Louisiana Tech in the WCWS opener helped Nebraska reach its first title game, where it lost to UCLA. Months later, Nebraska's national runner-up finish was vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions; according to the committee, Daigle allowed a redshirt player to travel with the team and purchased dinner for a recruit and her family.[2] NU was ineligible for postseason play in 1986, which would be Daigle's last season at Nebraska. He resigned and returned to Texas, where he coached high school softball for the remainder of his career.[5]

Athletic director Bob Devaney named pitching coach Ron Wolforth Daigle's successor.[6] Wolforth led Nebraska back to the WCWS in each of his first two seasons, its fourth and fifth appearances in the event's first seven years. Wolforth's teams were less successful in the later years of his tenure and he grew weary of the NCAA's increasingly stringent rules and guidelines.[6] He resigned in 1992 to start a baseball and softball academy in Vancouver.[6]

Rhonda Revelle era

Devaney hired former Nebraska pitcher Rhonda Revelle to replace Wolforth in 1993. Revelle inherited a program that hadn't made the NCAA tournament since 1988 but soon returned NU to national relevance. Nebraska did not miss the tournament from 1995 to 2007 and became a fixture in the national top twenty-five. In 1998, Nebraska completed the first undefeated season in Big 12 history and returned to the Women's College World Series – Revelle became the third person to reach the WCWS as a player and a head coach, and the first to do it at the same school.[7] Nebraska won at least fifty games in each of the next three seasons, culminating in another WCWS appearance in 2002. NU's run of twelve consecutive top-twenty-five national finishes ended in 2007, and the following year the program missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.

NU reached the WCWS in its second season in the Big Ten, the same year Revelle won her 768th game to pass former baseball coach John Sanders for the most victories by any coach at the university. Nebraska won the Big Ten for the first time in 2014. In 2019, Revelle was placed on paid administrative leave after allegations she harassed and emotionally abused players, but was reinstated after investigation without further punishment.[8][9] Revelle won her 1,000th game at Nebraska in 2021. Revelle won her 1,200th game during a weekend series sweep over Rutgers in April 2026.

Conference affiliations

Coaches

Coaching history

No.CoachTenureOverallConference
1Don Isherwood1976–1980106–85 (.555)16–24 (.400)
2Nancy Plantz1981–198377–53 (.592)17–16 (.515)
3Wayne Daigle1984–1986110–31 (.780)26–6 (.813)
4Ron Wolforth1987–1992188–126 (.599)29–25 (.537)
5Rhonda Revelle1993–present1,222–688(.640)402–257(.610)

Coaching staff

NamePositionFirst yearAlma mater
Rhonda RevelleHead coach1993Nebraska
Olivia FerrellAssistant coach2024Nebraska
Jordy FrahmAssistant coach2027Nebraska
Diane MillerAssistant coach2009Missouri Southern State

Venues

Nebraska played its first six seasons at Ballard Ballfield, a public park in Lincoln's Havelock District, before moving to the NU Softball Complex, which was located directly north of Mabel Lee Hall on the university campus. Bowlin Stadium has served as the program's home venue since it was built as part of the Haymarket Park complex in 2002. It has a listed capacity of 2,796, with nearly 1,000 chairback seats in addition to metal bleachers down the first base line and all-grass berms down both foul lines. Nebraska has ranked in the national top ten in attendance five times and hosted five NCAA Regionals since moving to Bowlin Stadium.[11] On April 27, 2024, a stadium-record crowd of 2,691 saw Northwestern defeat Nebraska 8–1. Bowlin Stadium is adjacent to the larger Hawks Field, which hosts Nebraska's baseball team.

Championships and awards

Conference championships

Regular season
Tournament

National awards

Conference awards

Player of the year
Pitcher of the year
Freshman of the year
Coach of the year

All-Americans

Nebraska has had 20 players who have combined for 33 NFCA All-American awards. In 2026, Jordy (Bahl) Frahm joined Ali Viola, as the only players in Nebraska softball history to garner multiple First-Team All-American honors. With Frahm's 2026 first-team selection, she also became just the 14th player in NCAA Division 1 softball history to be named a four-time First-Team All-American. Frahm spent her first two collegiate seasons playing at the University of Oklahoma.

First Team
  • Denise Day – 1985
  • Lori Richins – 1986
  • Ali Viola – 1996, 1998
  • Jenny Voss – 1998
  • Jennifer Lizama – 1999
  • Taylor Edwards – 2014
  • M. J. Knighten – 2016
  • Jordyn (Bahl) Frahm – 2022 (at Oklahoma), 2023 (at Oklahoma), 2025, 2026
Second Team
  • Denise Day - 1984
  • Lori Sippel - 1986, 1987
  • Lori Richins - 1987
  • Tobin Echo-Hawk - 1995
  • Ali Viola - 1995
  • Jennifer Lizama – 1997, 2000
  • Christie McCoy - 1998
  • Leigh Ann Walker - 2000
  • Peaches James - 2004
  • Tatum Edwards - 2013
Third Team
  • Tobin Echo-Hawk - 1996
  • Kim Ogee - 2002
  • Anne Steffan - 2005
  • Taylor Edwards - 2011
  • Tatum Edwards - 2014
  • Kiki Stokes - 2015, 2016
  • Cam Ybarra - 2022
  • Billie Andrews - 2023, 2024
  • Alexis Jensen - 2026

NCAA Division I tournament results

Nebraska has appeared in twenty-nine NCAA Division I tournaments with a record of 75-60, including eight trips to the Women's College World Series.

NCAA Tournament seeding history

National seeding began in 2005.

Years →'13'26
Seeds →144

Seasons

Regular season championTournament championRegular season and tournament champion
YearCoachOverallConferenceStandingPostseason[b]Finalrank[c]
Big Eight Conference(1977–1995)
1977Don Isherwood12–151–4T–4th
197825–144–37th
197933–183–86th
198027–238–94th
1981Nancy Plantz27–215–63rd
198233–149–31stNCAA Division I College World Series
198317–183–77th
1984Wayne Daigle39–136–21stNCAA Division I College World Series
198533–811–11stNCAA Division I runner-up[a]
198638–109–31st
1987Ron Wolforth41–118–21stNCAA Division I College World Series
198839–207–31stNCAA Division I College World Series
198932–286–43rd
199031–193–55th
199122–183–55th
199223–302–65th
1993Rhonda Revelle18–235–115th
199421–335–156th
199543–2010–63rdNCAA Division I regional18
Big 12 Conference(1996–2011)
1996Rhonda Revelle42–2310–84thNCAA Division I regional18
199729–2410–64thNCAA Division I regional25
199848–1216–01stNCAA Division I College World Series5
199935–2110–84thNCAA Division I regional20
200052–2115–22ndNCAA Division I regional14
200151–1516–21stNCAA Division I regional14
200250–1411–52ndNCAA Division I College World Series6
200339–1710–86thNCAA Division I regional13
200445–1714–31stNCAA Division I regional14
200536–239–97thNCAA Division I regional25
200644–1213–42ndNCAA Division I regional15
200737–2010–85thNCAA Division I regional
200825–284–14T–9th
200935–199–95thNCAA Division I regional
201030–297–11T–6thNCAA Division I regional
201141–149–96thNCAA Division I regional21
Big Ten Conference(2012–present)
2012Rhonda Revelle33–2314–93rd
201345–1616–62ndNCAA Division I College World Series8
201444–1818–5T–1stNCAA Division I super regional16
201535–2317–63rdNCAA Division I regional
201635–2113–95thNCAA Division I regional
201724–2913–105th
201831–239–139th
201921–319–14T–8th
20209–14Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
202122–226th
202241–1617–52ndNCAA Division I regional
202336–2213–104thNCAA Division I regional
202430–2312–94th
202543–1517–53rdNCAA Division I super regional12
202652-823-11stNCAA Division I College World Series5
2027
Total:1,703–704 (.708)490–328 (.599)

[10]

Olympians

OlympiadCityPlayer[d]PositionCountryFinish
1996 (XXXVI)United StatesAtlantaLori SippelPCanadaCanadaGroup stage
2004 (XXVIII)GreeceAthensSheena Lawrick1BCanadaCanadaPreliminary round
Stephanie Skegas-MaxwellPGreeceGreece
2008 (XXIX)ChinaBeijingSheena Lawrick1BCanadaCanadaFourth place
Robin MackinP
Lori SippelCoach

Notes

  1. 12345Nebraska's 1985 national runner-up finish was vacated by the NCAA in 1986.[2]
  2. ↑The AIAW ran the premier women's collegiate softball championship until the first NCAA Division I tournament was held in 1982.
  3. ↑USA Today began weekly polling of college softball coaches in 1995.[12]
  4. ↑Catcher Taylor Edwards served as an alternate on the United States's 2020 silver-medal team.

References

  1. ↑"The Power of Color"(PDF). Nebraska Athletics Brand Guide. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. 12"University of Nebraska softball team disqualified from NCAA playoffs". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 1986. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  3. ↑Jeff Sheldon (October 16, 2002). "Pioneers remember Title IX's inauguration". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  4. 12Jack Denker (September 9, 1983). "New women's softball coach revives team's hopes and spirits"(PDF). The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  5. ↑"Discouraged Daigle resigns". Lincoln Journal Star. July 31, 1986. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  6. 123Dirk Chatelain (June 21, 2014). "New approach could help lessen arm woes". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  7. ↑"Nebraska WCWS Stats". NCAA. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  8. ↑"Nebraska Softball players filed complaints of harassment, emotional abuse against Revelle". KOLN. August 30, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  9. ↑"Nebraska Reinstates Head Coach Rhonda Revelle After Review". Softball America. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  10. 12"Softball Records". Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  11. ↑"Bowlin Stadium - Facilities". Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  12. ↑"Polls for 2022; View Previous Years". NFCA. March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.