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Nebraska Cornhuskers softball

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Nebraska Cornhuskers softball
Founded1976; 48 years ago (1976)
UniversityUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
Athletic directorTroy Dannen
Head coachRhonda Revelle (33rd season)
ConferenceBig Ten
LocationLincoln, NE
Home stadiumBowlin Stadium (Capacity: 2,500)
NicknameCornhuskers
ColorsScarlet and cream[1]
   
NCAA WCWS runner-up
1985*
NCAA WCWS appearances
1982, 1984, 1985*, 1987, 1988, 1998, 2002, 2013
NCAA Tournament appearances
1982, 1984, 1985*, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
Big Eight: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988

Big 12: 1998, 2000, 2004

Big Ten: 2022
Regular Season Conference championships
Big Eight: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988

Big 12: 1998, 2001, 2004

Big Ten: 2014
*vacated

The Nebraska Cornhuskers softball team represents the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The program was founded in 1976 as a club sport and became an officially sanctioned varsity sport the next year. NU plays its home games at Bowlin Stadium, constructed in 2001 as part of the Haymarket Park complex.[2] Nebraska has made twenty-five appearances in the NCAA Division I softball tournament, with seven Women's College World Series berths. The team has been coached by Rhonda Revelle since 1993.

History

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Early success

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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 wished to hire a head coach with a college degree.[3] That coach was Nancy Plantz, who led Nebraska to the inaugural NCAA Division I Women's College World Series in 1982 (in its early years, the softball tournament was held in Omaha, longtime host of the College World Series, meaning NU played the 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1987 WCWS less than fifty miles from its Lincoln campus). Plantz's tenure ended following a disastrous 1983 season that featured player walkouts and a last-place conference finish, and ultimately was cut short by the university.[4]

Nebraska was nearly unable to field a team for the 1984 season before hiring former NAIA National Coach of the Year Wayne Daigle to lead the program.[4] The Cornhuskers set a school record for wins and returned to the WCWS in Daigle's first year, and Denise Day was named the first All-American in program history. Daigle's second season saw the breakout of freshman pitcher Lori Sippel, whose no-hitter against Louisiana Tech in the WCWS opener helped send the Cornhuskers to the title game for the first time, where they lost 2–1 to UCLA. Just months after the end of the tournament, Nebraska'a national runner-up finish was vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions; according to the committee's findings, Daigle had allowed a redshirt player to travel with the team and purchased dinner for a recruit and her family.[5] This also made NU ineligible for postseason play following the 1986 season, which would be Daigle's last at Nebraska; he resigned and returned to Texas, where he coached high school softball for the remainder of his career.[6]

Athletic director Bob Devaney selected pitching coach and Nebraska native Ron Wolforth as Daigle's successor.[7] Wolforth led Nebraska back to the WCWS in each of his first two seasons, NU's fourth and fifth appearances in the event's first seven years. However, Wolforth's teams saw less success over the following years, and he grew weary of the NCAA's increasingly stringent rules and guidelines.[7] He resigned in 1992 and started a baseball and softball academy in Vancouver.[7]

Rhonda Revelle era

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Devaney hired former Cornhusker pitcher Rhonda Revelle to replace Wolforth in 1993. Revelle inherited a program which hadn't made the NCAA Tournament since making the College World Series in 1988, but quickly returned the program to national relevance. NU did not miss the tournament from 1995 to 2007 and finished nationally ranked in every season but one. In 1998, Nebraska returned to the College World Series for the first time in a decade and became the first undefeated conference season in Big 12 history. Revelle became the third person to reach the WCWS as a player and a head coach, and the first to do it at their alma mater.[8] Nebraska followed by winning fifty games in three straight seasons, culminating in another WCWS appearance in 2002, where NU was eliminated with a pair of one-run losses.

Nebraska's run of twelve consecutive top-25 national finishes ended in 2007, and the following year the program missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994. Nebraska returned to the tournament in 2010, and in 2011 the program beat a top-ranked team for the first time, a 1–0 win over Florida. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln joined the Big Ten in 2012, and in its second year in the conference NU advanced to the WCWS. On March 13, 2013, Nebraska swept Oklahoma State in a double-header, giving Revelle her 767th and 768th victories at NU and passing former baseball coach John Sanders for the most victories by any coach at Nebraska. Nebraska won the Big Ten for the first time in 2014, losing in a Super Regional to Alabama.

In 2019, Revelle was placed on paid administrative leave by the university after multiple player complaints of emotional abuse and harassing text messages.[9] Several colleagues and former players voiced support for Revelle,[9][10] who was later reinstated with no further punishment. Revelle won her 1,000th game at Nebraska in 2021, a season in which NU played only conference games due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Bowlin Stadium

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Bowlin Stadium, part of the Haymarket Park complex in downtown Lincoln, has been the home venue of Nebraska's softball team since 2002. It has a listed capacity of 2,500, including 750 chairback seats with room for approximately two thousand more guests in metal bleachers down the first base line and all-grass berms down both foul lines. Nebraska has ranked in the top ten nationally in attendance four times since moving to Bowlin Stadium.[11] The highest recorded attendance at the stadium was on April 9, 2016, when a crowd of 2,302 watched Michigan defeat Nebraska 4–1. Bowlin Stadium is adjacent to the larger Hawks Field, which hosts Nebraska's baseball team.

The stadium has hosted five NCAA Regionals. The Kentucky bluegrass playing surface at Bowlin Stadium was named the collegiate softball "Field of the Year" in 2004 by the Sports Field Management Association.[11]

Coaches

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Coaching history

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No. Coach[12] Tenure Overall Conference Accomplishments
1 Don Isherwood 1976–80 106–85 (.555) 16–24 (.400)
2 Nancy Plantz 1981–83 77–53 (.592) 17–16 (.515) Women's College World Series (1982)
Conference champion (1982)
Conference tournament champion (1982)
3 Wayne Daigle 1984–86 110–31 (.780) 26–6 (.813) Women's College World Series (1984,1985)
Conference champion (1984–86)
Conference tournament champion (1984–86)
4 Ron Wolforth 1987–92 188–126 (.599) 29–25 (.537) Women's College World Series (1987,1988)
Conference champion (1987,1988)
Conference tournament champion (1987,1988)
5 Rhonda Revelle 1993– 1,135–681 (.625) 366–256 (.588) Women's College World Series (1998,2002,2013)
Conference champion (1998,2001,2004,2014)
Conference tournament champion (1998,2000,2004,2022)

Coaching staff

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Name[13] Position First year Alma mater
Rhonda Revelle Head coach 1993 Nebraska
Lori Sippel Associate head coach 1990 Nebraska
Olivia Ferrell Assistant coach 2024 Nebraska
Diane Miller Assistant coach 2009 Missouri Southern State

Awards and honors

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National awards

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NFCA Catcher of the Year
  • Taylor Edwards – 2014

Conference awards

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Big Eight Player of the Year
Big 12 Player of the Year
  • Ali Viola – 1998
  • Peaches James – 2004
Big Ten Pitcher of the Year
  • Tatum Edwards – 2013
Big Eight Freshman of the Year
  • Ali Viola – 1995
Big 12 Freshman of the Year
  • Jennifer Lizama – 1997
Big 12 Coach of the Year
Big Ten Coach of the Year
  • Rhonda Revelle – 2014

All-Americans

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First Team

  • Denise Day – 1985
  • Lori Richins – 1986
  • Ali Viola – 1996, 1998
  • Jenny Voss – 1998
  • Jennifer Lizama – 1999
  • Taylor Edwards – 2015
  • M.J. Knighten – 2016

Second Team

  • Denise Day– 1984
  • Lori Richins – 1987
  • Lori Sippel – 1986, 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

Season-by-season results

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Regular season champion Tournament champion Regular season and tournament champion
Year Coach Overall Conf. Standing Postseason[a] Final
rank[b]
Big Eight Conference (1977–1995)
1977 Don Isherwood 12–15 1–4 T–4th
1978 25–14 4–3 7th
1979 33–18 3–8 6th
1980 27–23 8–9 4th
1981 Nancy Plantz 27–21 5–6 3rd
1982 33–14 9–3 1st NCAA Division I College World Series
1983 17–18 3–7 7th
1984 Wayne Daigle 39–13 6–2 1st NCAA Division I College World Series
1985 33–8 11–1 1st NCAA Division I Runner-up[c]
1986 38–10 9–3 1st
1987 Ron Wolforth 41–11 8–2 1st NCAA Division I College World Series
1988 39–20 7–3 1st NCAA Division I College World Series
1989 32–28 6–4 3rd
1990 31–19 3–5 5th
1991 22–18 3–5 5th
1992 23–30 2–6 5th
1993 Rhonda Revelle 18–23 5–11 5th
1994 21–33 5–15 6th
1995 43–20 10–6 3rd NCAA Division I Regional 18
Big 12 Conference (1996–2011)
1996 Rhonda Revelle 42–23 10–8 4th NCAA Division I Regional 18
1997 29–24 10–6 4th NCAA Division I Regional 25
1998 48–12 16–0 1st NCAA Division I College World Series 5
1999 35–21 10–8 4th NCAA Division I Regional 20
2000 52–21 15–2 2nd NCAA Division I Regional 14
2001 51–15 16–2 1st NCAA Division I Regional 14
2002 50–14 11–5 2nd NCAA Division I College World Series 6
2003 39–17 10–8 6th NCAA Division I Regional 13
2004 45–17 14–3 1st NCAA Division I Regional 14
2005 36–23 9–9 7th NCAA Division I Regional 25
2006 44–12 13–4 2nd NCAA Division I Regional 15
2007 37–20 10–8 5th NCAA Division I Regional
2008 25–28 4–14 T–9th
2009 35–19 9–9 5th NCAA Division I Regional
2010 30–29 7–11 T–6th NCAA Division I Regional
2011 41–14 9–9 6th NCAA Division I Regional 21
Big Ten Conference (2012–present)
2012 Rhonda Revelle 33–23 14–9 3rd
2013 45–16 16–6 2nd NCAA Division I College World Series 8
2014 44–18 18–5 T–1st NCAA Division I Super Regional 16
2015 35–23 17–6 3rd NCAA Division I Regional
2016 35–21 13–9 5th NCAA Division I Regional
2017 24–29 13–10 5th
2018 31–23 9–13 9th
2019 21–31 9–14 T–8th
2020 9–14 Canceled[d]
2021 22–22 6th
2022 41–16 17–5 2nd NCAA Division I Regional
2023 36–22 13–10 4th NCAA Division I Regional
2024 30–23 12–9 4th

Notes

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  1. ^ From 1969 to 1981, the AIAW sponsored a women's collegiate softball tournament. The NCAA began sponsoring the sport following the 1980–81 academic year
  2. ^ USA Today began weekly polling of college softball coaches in 1995[14]
  3. ^ Vacated by the NCAA in 1986[15]
  4. ^ Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

References

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  1. ^ "The Power of Color" (PDF). Nebraska Athletics Brand Guide. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bowlin Stadium". Huskers.com. Nebraska Huskers. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  3. ^ Jeff Sheldon (16 October 2002). "Pioneers remember Title IX's inauguration". Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b Jack Denker (9 September 1983). "New women's softball coach revives team's hopes and spirits" (PDF). Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  5. ^ "University of Nebraska softball team disqualified from NCAA playoffs". Los Angeles Times. 21 May 1986. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Discouraged Daigle resigns". Lincoln Journal Star. 31 July 1986. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Dirk Chatelain (21 June 2014). "New approach could help lessen arm woes". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Nebraska WCWS Stats". Ncaa.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  9. ^ a b "Nebraska Softball players filed complaints of harassment, emotional abuse against Revelle". 1011 Now. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  10. ^ "Nebraska Reinstates Head Coach Rhonda Revelle After Review". Softball America. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  11. ^ a b "Bowlin Stadium - Facilities". Huskers.com. Nebraska Cornhuskers. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Nebraska Yearly Coaching Records" (PDF). Huskers.com. Nebraska Cornhuskers. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Nebraska Huskers Softball Coaches". Huskers.com. Nebraska Cornhushers. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Polls for 2022; View Previous Years". NFCA. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  15. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Nebraska Penalized". New York Times. 21 October 1986. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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