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Randy York’s N-Sider

The most dominant pitcher in Nebraska softball history is from Stratford, Ontario, Canada, which, surprisingly, is a perfect blend for Nebraska’s culture. Just ask Lori Sippel, who excelled so dramatically in academics and athletics during her storied Husker playing career that she was asked to spend the past 26 seasons as a vital part of Nebraska’s coaching staff.

“I love the steadfastness of Nebraska people,” said Sippel, NU's associate head coach. “I love a small town feel with a low tolerance for mediocre effort and high standards to being excellent at what you do and how you can contribute. Effort means something to this state. I came from a rural environment, so I was very comfortable with the mindset of rural living. I was used to neighbor helping neighbor and the long hours of commitment to family, crop, and livestock. In Stratford, the people you work with were also the people you went to school with and played sports with. At Nebraska, the same mindset holds true from the small town to big town.”

Sippel’s straight-from-the-heart observations trigger a meaningful question: When did she know, deep down, that there truly is no place like Nebraska? “Probably when we went to the WCWS (Women’s College World Series) in Omaha my freshman year,” Sippel told me. “The support from the state was unbelievable. That’s when I understood who represents Nebraska and discovered that whoever has the privilege of wearing the Nebraska jersey really means something to the people of Nebraska.”

Career Leader in ERA, Saves, No-Hitters, Perfect Games

That incredible freshman experience became a launch pad for Sippel’s stellar incremental improvements that enabled her to become the first Husker softball pitcher to earn All-America accolades. She was, in fact, a two-time All-American, racked up 73 victories and a .760 career winning percentage. In 695.1 innings, Sippel’s ERA was a miniscule 0.54. She had 838 career strikeouts, 39 shutouts, 80 complete games, 16 saves, six no-hitters and one perfect game. Every stat stood the test of time atop Nebraska’s career charts until 2000. Sippel, however, remains Nebraska's all-time career record-holder in ERA, saves, no-hitters and perfect games.

As staggering as statistics can be, they do not define the person who produced them. Sippel made academics her top priority. “When I played at Nebraska, our academic and life skills programs were both in infancy stages,” she said. “They were not as customary as they are now, but, as usual, Nebraska was still at the forefront and cutting edge. Women student-athletes had academic help. We had study halls and a small computer lab. Tutors were also available, and they were used by many.”

Nebraska Always on Cutting Edge in All Facets of Life  

Sippel, pictured above with Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst, will be the first softball inductee into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in September, and she knows Husker tradition as well as anyone. She follows all Nebraska athletic teams online or via social media. Besides softball, she’s been an especially devout Nebraska volleyball, basketball, baseball, wrestling and football fan. Given the number of Husker athletes and coaches who have competed at the highest level, Sippel says Nebraska has a world-class vision for all varsity sports. She bases that opinion on her own personal experiences. A 2006 International Softball Federation Hall of Fame inductee, Sippel was Team Canada's ace at the 1996 Olympics. She then led Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Olympics as the Canadians' head coach.

“At the Olympic level, you are afforded and expected to seek and use any program available that can shave time here or add distance there,” she said. “If you are not careful, the athletes can begin to feel like scientific experiments for faster, stronger, higher. I feel like Nebraska has always been committed to leaving ‘no stone unturned’ but balance is definitely key here. How a student approaches school, their involvement in community, their relationships, their health, their skill… everything matters!  Nebraska has always been on the cutting edge in terms of identifying what’s necessary to give each person an opportunity to succeed at a high level in all facets of their life. At Nebraska, I always felt that it was a place to become excellent at something… a place where you have the opportunity to leave better than how you arrived."

Milestone after Milestone Proof of Overall Excellence

Sipple is certifiable proof of her own statement. She was the first four-time, first-team all-conference selection in program history. She was a finalist for the 1988 Honda Award, presented to the nation's top collegiate softball player. She was named the 1988 CoSIDA Softball Academic All-American of the Year, and is the only Husker to earn that honor. Sippel's pitching prowess helped lead Nebraska to a 151-49 record in her four seasons. The achievement that Sippel cherishes most is Nebraska winning four Big Eight regular-season championships, winning four conference tournament titles, and taking two trips to the WCWS.

Asked to reflect on wearing a Husker uniform and what means the most in her illustrious career, Sippel doesn’t need a pause before answering. “The Women’s College World Series Final against UCLA in Omaha my freshman year,” she said. “It was an extra-inning loss. We were devastated after the loss but the crowd stayed. I didn’t want to leave the team. I’d rather stay with them in our disappointment than be anywhere else. It was hard when it is over, but we learned that regardless of how your season ends, you always feel a loss because you no longer get to play with those teammates again.” That poignant life lesson rings true every year, and Sippel could not have been prouder while experiencing Nebraska's electric 2013 season that ended at the Women's College World Series (team photo pictured above). More than anyone, Sippel could understand the inherent hurt of a team that fell one-run short in a 15-inning WCWS loss to No.2-ranked Florida. It was an epic elimination on a Saturday night in Oklahoma City. Sippel, head Coach Rhonda Revelle and assistant coach Diane Miller loved the heart of that inspired team and will never forget that 5-hour, 20-minute marathon on national television.

'Three Things' Accelerated a Desire to Inspire Others

Sippel’s devout belief in team is reflected in her No. 16 retired jersey, one of four such jerseys in program history. Following her Husker career, Sippel became one of softball’s top international pitchers. In 1988, she earned a University of Nebraska Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a double major in coaching and special education-mild/moderately handicapped. Upon graduation, she immediately entered the coaching profession. Half of her 26 seasons as a Nebraska assistant have been served as the Huskers' associate head coach.

Such devotion begs for a strategic question: How has Nebraska equipped Sippel to strive for excellence as a female student-athlete and create a path to provide the same opportunity for others? Sippel, pictured below, said “three things” made her strive higher at Nebraska, and these are her own words: 1) The athletes and not just softball athletes. “All of them. I was driven by the athleticism around me. I didn’t want to be the weak link in softball or in the athletic department. The mindset of the people around me just drew me into a higher level of expectancy of myself.” 2)  Energy and standard of play. “I saw the energy at the practices and the coach’s attention to details...I hadn’t even considered such things before. Coaches and teammates that asked for more was exactly what I knew I needed to get better, and that drew me to this team; and 3) Reliving her own recruiting visit. “I marveled at the facilities…even back then. The fact that I could come here and go to school and still work at softball when it was cold outside was so exciting to me. If I didn’t succeed at Nebraska, it was going to be a total shame on me.”

Nationally or Internationally, Sport Has Its Own Vocabulary

Sippel’s insight is so profound, you can’t help but ask her about three of the 22 inaugural inductees into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame who now live in Australia, Slovenia and South Africa. “Sport has its own vocabulary,” Sippel told me. “I realized that when I participated in multisport events, such as Pan Am Games, World Championships, and the Olympics. You could be surrounded by 15 different athletes, different sports, different languages spoken, and still know exactly what was going on and what was at stake for each person. Athletes get other athletes. We have basic needs…opportunity, effort, a fair chance. All three things are valued by this state, this school and this athletic department, so why not Nebraska? Lincoln was a big city to me but had a manageable feel. It has grown but has also maintained the clean, safe reputation that all parents and families would hope for their son or daughter. The university has grown so much. The commitment to staying current for the student is important but not in a keeping up with the Jones’ way. Everything I could want or need I can get here. I love it.”

In Sippel’s sweeping view of the overall student-athlete experience, the biggest prize is the journey. “I’ve won championships and lost heartbreakers,” she said. “Regardless, the loneliest time always comes on the trip home after finishing a season. You will never get those moments back, even when you feel like you’ve been a part of something. Every season and team is like a snowflake… no two are ever alike, so cherish the one you’re in right now.”

Huskers Satisfied Passengers on Their Own Energy Bus

Nebraska’s softball team exudes energy on and off the diamond. The program’s players, coaches, and staff embrace the positive thoughts and greatest success strategies shared by author Jon Gordon. Hewrote The Energy Bus, Training Camp and other books that create communication, reinforce principles, influence leadership, and engage teamwork within a positive-minded culture. Sharpening a team’s vision and competing together became a way of life for Lori Sippel. “Jon Gordon just has a way of messaging the obvious in a very real, motivational way,” she said. “Everyone that reads his books can finish saying…I can do that or I can be that! His message is relatable. It’s kind of like a good sermon…you get lost in how you plan to put action to the message.” Such action eventually becomes a mindset, and with a certain passion, definitive confidence, and assured steadfastness, they take a daydream believer from a rural environment on a remarkable journey that produces national prominence, Olympic excellence, and the pride that can only be felt when you live in a state like no other.

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