Sippel First Husker to Have Jersey Retired

On April 30, 1995, Lori Sippel became the first Husker to have her jersey retired. In an on-field presentation, Sippel's No. 16 jersey was officially retired and a banner now hangs on the outfield fence at Bowlin Stadium to signify all that Sippel has meant to Nebraska softball.

Sippel has been a lifelong Husker, completing a four year playing career from 1985 to 1988, before returning to NU as a coach from 1990 to the present. She came to Lincoln from Stratford, Ontario, Canda and enjoyed a stellar career that culminated with her being named the GTE Academic All-American of the Year and a nomination for the Honda Broderick award in her senior season of 1988.

In 1985, Sippel won Big Eight Tournament MVP honors, as the Huskers claimed their second-ever league title. That season, the Huskers made their third appearance in the Women's College World Series and recorded the best season in school history by earning a runner-up finish. Sippel demonstrated her poise and maturity when she made her series debut against Louisiana Tech in the first round and tossed a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts.

In 1987 and 1988, Sippel captained the Huskers to two more WCWS appearances, where Nebraska finished third and fifth, respectively. Sippel also claimed two more conference tournament MVP awards in those season.

In addition to her three Big Eight Tournament MVP awards, Sippel was a two-time second-team All-American, as well as a four-time All-Big Eight selection for the Huskers, who won the league title in each of Sippel's four seasons.

Few players may ever come close to equaling Sippel's pitching accomplishments. Sippel racked up 73 victories, 695.1 innings pitched, a 0.54 earned-run average, 838 strikeouts, 39 shutouts, 80 complete games, 16 saves and 10 no-hitters, which all stood atop the Husker career charts until 2000. Sippel’s career strikeouts record stood until the 2002 season, when All-American Leigh Ann Walker surpassed her mark. Despite these numbers, Sippel never captured first-team All-America honors, although she was a second-team selection in both 1986 and 1987.

During the 1987 season, Sippel posted arguably the most impressive pitching season in NU history. She went 20-3 with a 0.38 ERA and six saves to lead NU to a WCWS semifinal appearance.

In addition to having her jersey retired, Sippel was inducted into the Nebraska Softball Hall of Fame in the spring of 1997 and earned the top honor in international softball when she was inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in the summer of 2006.