Purdue University Northwest

Niki Stansell enters her third year at the helm of the Pride squad. During the 2019 season, the Pride became back-to-back GLIAC Tournament contenders for the first time in program history.

With a record of 50-51 (.490) at Purdue Northwest, she has led the Black and Gold to many school records and her squads have earned various firsts for the Pride softball program all the while transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The end of the 2019 season concluded their transitional period and the 2020 season is the first in which the Pride are eligible for the NCAA post-season.

In 2019, Pride softball earned a GLIAC tournament appearance, 1 GLIAC Player of the Week, PNW Athlete of the Year, PNW Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and PNW Freshman of the Year.

In 2018, Stansell and staff took the Pride to their first ever GLIAC tournament appearance, 2 GLIAC Player of the Week, and PNW Athlete of the Year.

Under Stansell’s tutelage, Pride softball student-athletes have earned a combined 1 NFCA Third Team All-American honor, 1 GLIAC Player of the Year honor, 1 GLIAC First Team All-Conference honor, 3 GLIAC All-Conference Second Team honors, and 4 GLIAC Honorable Mentions.

The Pride have not only excelled on the field but in the classroom as well under Stansell. Since taking over in 2018, PNW student-athletes have had 5 GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honors, 11 GLIAC All-Academic honors, and have remained at a 3.2 or higher in team GPA including a program high of 3.44 (2018).

Prior to arriving at Purdue Northwest, she was the lead assistant at the University of Illinois-Springfield. Defensively, under the watch of Stansell, the Prairie Stars rose to as high as 6th in the nation in fielding percentage in 2015 after ranking 125th the year prior and ending that season at 15th. The Prairie Stars improved their fielding percentage to over a .964 or higher in all three seasons and a program record of 36 double plays in 2017.

As the hitting coach at UIS, Stansell improved the offensive numbers of the Prairie Stars as they saw a rise in average and on-base percentage while hitting more triples and equaled their home run total from the year prior in eight fewer games. In 2015, UIS saw an increase in doubles and homeruns, as well as an increase in total runs, RBI, and total bases. 

Among other school records and a Top-10 national ranking in the Midwest Region in 2017, the UIS program also reached another important mark: obtaining a 3.71 team grade point average, the highest in UIS department history. 

Stansell was also a major force in recruiting 27 student-athletes to the Illinois-Springfield softball program in three seasons, and coached 1 All-Region player, 3 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference players, and 1 CoSIDA Academic All-American. 

She also spent one season as the first assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan, helping the squad set the single-season record for wins (41) that went along with a stellar 21-game winning streak. IWU reached the NCAA Super Regional after capturing both the regular-season and conference tournament championships. The Titan coaches received the Coaching Staff of the Year for their incredible year.

After graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in Recreation and Park Administration, Stansell also served in multiple roles while earning her master’s degree in Kinesiology and Recreation such as academic advisor, softball graduate student, and student assistant coach. 

As a player, Stansell started her college career at Seminole State Junior College (NJCAA). As a freshman she tied for the highest regular-season batting average at Seminole State in 2007 with a .447 mark at the plate, struck out just four times in 199 plate appearances, while contributing eight home runs. She transferred to Georgia, where she started on the NCAA Super Regionals as a sophomore. She then transferred to Illinois State University which she calls home. 

At Illinois State, she was the starting shortstop for two years. For her athletic, academic and community involvement, she was named a Lowes Senior Award Nominee in 2010 and was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree, including first team honors in 2010. As a senior, she was named the Missouri Valley Player of the Week, started in the NCAA Regional, was a part of the four consecutive homeruns hit in one game which tied an NCAA record and in the same game turned a triple play. She led the team with 154 assists, second on team with 171 at bats. 

The Stansell File 

• Hometown: Meeker, Oklahoma 
• College: Illinois State University, M.S. in Kinesiology and Recreation, 2012 
• Parents: Rick and Cathy Stansell 
• Record at PNW: 50-51 (.490) 
• Overall Record: 50-51 (.490) 
• GLIAC Appearances: 2 – (2018, 2019) (PNW) 

Coaching Experience: 

• 2017 - Present: Purdue University Northwest, Head Coach 
• 2014 - 2017: University of Illinois-Springfield, Assistant Coach 
• 2013 - 2014: Illinois Wesleyan University, Assistant Coach 

Playing Experience:

• 2008-2010 Illinois State University 
• 2007-2008 University of Georgia 
• 2006-2007 Seminole State Junior College 

Coaching Accolades: 

• NFCA DIII National Coaching Staff of the Year 1 – 2014 

Stansell’s Year-By-Year Record:

Athletic Awards Earned Under Stansell:

• NFCA All-Americans:
  • 2018 - Kyleigh Payne 
• GLIAC Player of the Year
  • 2018 - Kyleigh Payne 
• GLIAC All-Conference First Team
  • 2018 - Kyleigh Payne 
• GLIAC All-Conference Second Team
  • 2018 - Holly Pagan
  • 2019 - Taylor Kotzo
  • 2019 - Madi Schultz
• GLIAC Honorable Mentions:
  • 2018 - Samme Miller
  • 2018 - Taylor Kotzo
  •  2019 - Kalyn Learnard 
  • 2019 - Courtney Blackwell 

Academic Awards Earned Under Stansell:

• GLIAC All-Academic Excellence
  • 2018 - Tessa Steffens
  • 2019 - Tessa Steffens 
  • 2019 - Zoee Anderson 
  •  2019 - Courtney Blackwell 
  • 2019 - Taylor Mendenhall 

• GLIAC All-Academic:
  • 2018 - Emma Hendricks
  • 2018 - Taylor Kotzo
  • 2018 - Lauren Maynard
  • 2018 - Holly Pagan
  • 2018 - Olivia Sardella
  • 2019 - Kalyn Learnard
  • 2019 - Mia Stevens
  • 2019 - Lauren Maynard
  • 2019 - Taylor Kotzo
  • 2019 - Emma Hendricks
  • 2019 - Olivia Sardella