Head coach Alicia Abbott, who holds an overall 145-173 (.456) record through seven seasons, had yet another historic year at the helm of Loyola University Chicago's softball program, leading the team to its first-ever Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship, resulting in the No. 1 tournament seed and a runners-up finish, and earning A-10 Coach of the Year. It marked the program's eighth overall regular season championship (5th outright) and Abbott became the fifth coach in Loyola softball history to earn a conference Coach of the Year honor.
The Ramblers posted a 28-24 overall record -- the third 20+ win season in Abbott's tenure -- and went 18-6 in conference play, matching the most single-season league wins since 2023. Loyola swept four of its conference series (Dayton, Saint Joseph's, Rhode Island and George Washington), three of which came on the road. After clinching the regular season, the Ramblers received a first round bye in the A-10 tournament, where they fell to the Fordham Rams in the opener and later in the championship game. Loyola defeated Saint Joseph's to stay alive then erased a 7-0 deficit against Dayton and advanced to the championship round on sophomore Kayci Rigby's walk-off home run. The Ramblers rematched an undefeated Rams squad and fell 7-4 in a heartbreaker finale. Four Ramblers earned All-Championship Team honors: freshman pitcher Anna Kiel, senior outfielder Sierra Sass, redshirt sophomore infielder Liz Sedakis and sophomore outfielder Averi Vander Woude.
Overseeing the Ramblers' pitching staff, Abbott coached Kiel to the A-10 Rookie of the Year award, becoming just the fourth-ever Rambler to earn the honor. The left-handed pitcher and two-time A-10 Pitcher/Rookie of the Week went 12-8 in her debut season and had the bullpen-best 2.98 ERA. As the designated hitter, Kiel made 28 starts in 39 appearances at the plate, batting .286 with 22 hits, 20 RBI, 10 doubles and only struck out 11 times. Four more Ramblers tabbed All-Conference honors: junior infielder Nat Lesnicki earned First Team and All-Academic, Sedakis was named to the Second Team alongside Kiel and freshmen duo Katie Geydoshek and Megan Piotrowski joined their freshman counterpart on the All-Rookie Team. The five all-conference selections in 2026 were the most since 2011 (7).
In 2025, the Ramblers finished 19-34 overall and 14-12 in Atlantic 10 play, sweeping series' against Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, UMass and George Mason. Loyola earned the No. 6 seed in the team's third consecutive appearance at the conference tournament. Senior Haley Wallace was tabbed Second Team All-Conference while rookie Alli Pawlowicz claimed a spot on the All-Rookie team.
It was another milestone season for Loyola softball as Abbott clinched her 100th career win against St. John's after Wallace drove in the winning run in walk-off fashion (Feb. 14). A month later in the Ramblers' home opener against Saint Joseph's, senior pitcher Peyton Pepkowski recorded her 600th career strikeout, becoming just the second Rambler to ever meet that feat (March 22). Pepkowski earned back-to-back A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors in 2025 (March 31, April 7) and finished her Loyola career with 696 strikeouts.
The 2024 season was one to remember; Loyola posted a 29-24 overall record and a 16-10 finish in the A-10, earning the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. It marked the second consecutive season in which Abbott led the Ramblers to 20+ wins. In the conference tournament, the Ramblers earned the No. 3 seed and defeated Saint Joseph's and No. 2 Saint Louis to advance to the semifinals before dropping a pair of games to eventual champions, No. 1 Dayton and the Billikens to ultimately end its 2024 season.
Under Abbott's guidance, Sydney Barnett and Peyton Pepkowski brought in Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors, respectively. Among their achievements, Barnett set the single-season home run record with 15 on the year, while Pepkowski retired a single-game high 17 batters vs. St. Bonaventure. Barnett was tabbed A-10 Player of the Week twice, while Pepkowski raked in four weekly awards. Liz Sedakis joined the two with postseason honors, securing first team and All-Rookie accolades.
Abbott and company made history in the inaugural A-10 season, after finishing with a perfect 14-0 home record. It marked the first perfect home season in program history and added to a 27-23 overall record, which clinched the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. It was the first 20+ win season during Abbott's tenure.
Loyola received a first round bye in the conference tournament and forced a winner-take-all game on championship Sunday. It was their first championship game appearance since 2014. The Ramblers ultimately fell to No. 4 George Mason who took the crown, but not before Loyola played a part in sending No. 3 Dayton and No. 1 Saint Louis home.
Two no-hitters were tossed by Peyton Pepkowski (March 5) and Andie Broniewicz (March 28). Both pitchers went on to earn Pitcher of the Week honors, while teammate Madison Ebeling was a two-time Player of the Week this season. In addition to the weekly awards, 2023 was highlighted by four individuals being honored with A-10 yearly honors. Ebeling was a first team honoree, while Amelia Thomas and Pepkowski were tabbed to the second team. Sierra Sass represented the Maroon an Gold on the All-Rookie Team. Thomas also took home All-Academic honors for her hard work on and off the field.
In its final season in The Valley, Loyola posted a 17-30 overall record and went 10-17 in league play, in 2022. The Ramblers clinched the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament, shutting out Evansville in game one before falling to Bradley. Senior Abbey Jacobsen and rookie Peyton Pepkowski were named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team in their respective positions while senior Madison Ebeling secured a spot on the All-MVC Defensive Team.
While navigating the challenges of playing a season during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Abbott piloted the Ramblers to a victory at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, just the third time Loyola has picked up a win at the postseason tournament since joining The Valley for the 2014 campaign. For the second time in three seasons, the Ramblers placed three players on All-MVC teams in 2021. First baseman Allyson Ivey, who earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team as well as First Team All-MVC honors for the second time as a Rambler, also capped a remarkable four-year run by setting the Loyola career record for runs batted in with 128. Meanwhile, pitcher Sydney Ruggles put it all together in a breakthrough campaign that ended with Second Team All-MVC recognition after she recorded the most strikeouts by a Rambler (169) right-hander since 2004, and shortstop Madison Ebeling blossomed into one of the top players in the league, earning Second Team All-MVC and MVC Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
Hired in August 2019, Abbott’s first season at Loyola in 2020 was far from typical as the coronavirus pandemic forced the premature cancelation of remainder of the Ramblers’ schedule games in the spring. Nonetheless, in an abbreviated slate, Abbott steered Loyola to a 12-9 ledger, its first winning season since 2017. Despite the shortened campaign, a pair of Ramblers made their way to the top of Loyola’s career record book, with Jessica Shields wrapping up the season as the program’s all-time leader in batting average (.379), while Shannon McGee joined Brooke Andresen atop the all-time runs scored list with 116.
Before arriving in Rogers Park, Abbott, a New Lenox, Ill. native, spent the previous five seasons as the associate head coach at Northern Illinois University, where she helped the Huskies claim the Mid-American Conference West Division championship in 2016.
During her five-year tenure in DeKalb, Abbott helped Northern Illinois to 147 wins, including a 27-25 mark in 2019. Under Abbott’s tutelage, the Huskies set five single-season team records – stolen bases (103), home runs (59), runs score (306), RBI (283) and slugging percentage (.483). At NIU, she helped develop 19 All-MAC honorees, 44 Academic All-MAC selections and eight National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region players. In 2016, Emily Naegele collected All-America and CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition.
Prior to her stint at NIU, Abbott spent the 2014 campaign as an assistant coach at SIU Edwardsville, where she played a key role as the Cougars posted 30 wins and captured the Ohio Valley Conference West Division title, an OVC Tournament crown and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Before returning to her home state of Illinois, Abbott served as the top assistant coach at Newberry College in South Carolina for two seasons, working with the infielders, while also filling the role of hitting coach. She got her start in coaching as a volunteer assistant coach at North Carolina State University in 2012.
Abbott began her collegiate career at UIC and was the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2008 after batting .307 and starting all 57 contests. Following her sophomore season, Abbott transferred to North Carolina State, hitting .283 in her two-year career with the Wolfpack.
She graduated from North Carolina State in 2011 with a degree in public and interpersonal communication and earned her master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology from Northern Illinois in 2019.
