Softball Staff Named Regional Coaching Staff of the Year

The Nebraska softball coaching staff was recognized as the Mountain Region Coaching Staff of the Year, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Friday. 

 

The staff consists of Head Coach Rhonda Revelle, Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel, who recently announced her retirement, Assistant Coaches Diane Miller and Olivia Ferrell and Director of Player Development Mandie Nocita. It is the sixth time that a staff led by Revelle has won the regional coaching award. 

 

The coaches led NU to one of the best seasons in program history, as the Huskers finished with a 52-8 record and went 23-1 in Big Ten play. The 52 victories tied a program record for wins in a season, and included a school-record 27-game win streak that spanned two months of the year. The Big Red’s 23-1 mark in conference competition was the most in program history and tied a Big Ten record for conference wins in a season. 

 

Nebraska also advanced to its eighth overall NCAA Women’s College World Series and first since 2013. The Huskers grabbed their first win at the WCWS since 2002. NU swept its way though Regionals and Super Regionals and hosted the first Super Regional in program history after finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 in the NFCA Coaches Poll. 

 

Led by Sippel and assisted by Ferrell, Nebraska’s pitching staff produced a pair of All-American pitchers in Jordy Frahm and Alexis Jensen. Frahm received her fourth First-Team All-America honor and Jensen earned a spot on the third team. Frahm was also the NFCA and USA Softball Player of the Year. Nebraska’s pitchers ranked second nationally in strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk ratio, fourth in ERA, fifth in WHIP, seventh in hits allowed per seven innings and ninth in shutouts. They ended the season atop the Husker record charts in six different team or individual categories. 

 

Nebraska’s offense, captained by Miller, finished the 2026 season ranked in the top 25 in seven different stat categories. The Huskers garnered top-three finishes in school history in batting average (.325), hits (539), runs scored (407), doubles (99), home runs (97), extra-base hits (210), RBIs (383), slugging percentage (.577), total bases (957) and on-base percentage (.405).

 

Revelle wrapped up her 34th season with Nebraska in 2026, while Sippel finished her 37th and Miller finished her 18th. Ferrell has been on the coaching staff for three years and Nocita has been with the Huskers for four seasons.