NU Honored As Regional Staff of the Year

The Nebraska softball coaching staff was honored as the Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Thursday, June 9. 

Head Coach Rhonda Revelle shared the award with Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel and Assistant Coach Diane Miller. A Revelle-led staff earned the regional coaching honor for the fifth time.

The coaching staff led Nebraska to its first Big Ten Tournament title and the eighth 40-win regular season in school history. The Huskers finished the 2022 season at the NCAA Stillwater Regional, going 1-2. The Huskers also finished the 2022 season with a 17-5 Big Ten record, its best conference record since 2014 and second-best since joining the conference. 

The pitching staff, led by Sippel, produced a pair of all-region pitchers. Courtney Wallace earned her second straight all-region honor after finishing with a 17-8 record and a 3.12 ERA. Olivia Ferrell compiled a 20-7 record with a 2.00 ERA in 2022. Led by Ferrell and Wallace, Nebraska posted its best ERA since 2014 with a 2.78. 

At the plate, Miller’s offense set several school records in 2022. The Huskers posted the most home runs and best slugging percentage in school history. Nebraska also had top-five finishes in batting average, runs scored, doubles, extra-base hits and RBIs in school history. Billie Andrews notched 20 home runs in 2022, which is the most by a Husker sophomore in program history. Andrews finished with 59 hits, 54 runs and 51 RBIs, only the fifth Husker to reach 50 in each category in a season. Cam Ybarra added 65 hits, including 14 doubles and 10 home runs while taking home third-team All-America honors. 

Revelle, Sippel and Miller completed their 14th season together in 2022. Revelle holds a 1,061-620 career record at Nebraska after 30 seasons at the helm of the Husker program. Sippel has been with the Husker softball program for 33 seasons, while Miller finished her 14th season on the Husker staff.

The trio of Revelle, Sippel and Miller along with Volunteer Assistant Mackenzi Steele earned Nebraska’s first regional coaching staff of the year honor since 2014.