Lori Sippel – 2016
- The University of Nebraska Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel is a truly accomplished player and coach. She has extensive experience, including on the international level, where she is among an elite group of fewer than 150 worldwide members of the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame. As a head coach, she guided Team Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Canada’s best finish ever. Back at home, Sippel has produced 22 all-region pitchers in the last 21 seasons.
- Arguably the most dominant pitcher in NU history, Sippel was a two-time All- American as well as the 1988 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, when she was also a Honda Award nominee. In 2015, she was selected as softball’s inductee in the inaugural Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame class. Her success as a player has translated into the coaching field, where she is widely regarded as one of the top pitching coaches in the country, and she earned high praise on the international level with Team Canada.
- Sippel has had a pitcher earn regional or conference accolades nearly every season over the past 20 years. She has produced 22 NFCA All-Midwest region and coached 23 pitchers to All-Big 12 or All-Big Ten accolades. Sippel has also coached four All-Americans, including two-time selection Tatum Edwards in 2013 and 2014.
- In addition to tutoring the Husker pitchers, Sippel works with all phases of the program, including coaching the outfielders, recruiting, film study and administration.
- A two-time All-American as a player at NU, Sippel still holds one NU single-season record, eight class records and four career records.
- A 13-year member of the Canadian National Team, Sippel was inducted into the Canadian Softball Hall of Fame in 1993. Sippel played for Canada in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Columbus, Ga., in softball’s debut as an Olympic sport. She helped 3-4 Canada to a fifth-place finish.
- An international guest speaker, Sippel graduated from NU in 1988 with a degree in special education. She returned to her alma mater in 1990, after serving one season as an assistant coach at Kansas.