| 1988 NCAA Division I softball season | |
| Defendingchampions: | Texas A&M |
| Tournament Link: | 1988 NCAA Division I softball tournament |
| Tournament: | Tournament |
| Wcwsduration: | May 25–29, 1988 |
| Wcws Link: | 1988 Women's College World Series |
| Wcws: | Women's College World Series |
| Wcwschamp: | UCLA |
| Wcwstitlecount: | 4th (5th overall) |
| Wcwsrunnerup: | Fresno State |
| Wcwscount: | 4th |
| Wcwscoach: | Sharron Backus |
| Wcwscoachcount: | 4th (5th overall) |
| Prevseason Year: | 1987 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1989 |
The 1988 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1988. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 1988 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 1988 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Sunnyvale, California at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 29, 1988.
The 1988 NCAA Women's College World Series took place from May 25 to May 29, 1988 in Sunnyvale, California.[1]
.484 – Jill Justin, Northern Illinois Huskies
59 – Dori Beach, Charleston Southern Buccaneers
50-8 – Debbie Nichols, Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters
0.29 (11 ER/259.1 IP) – Lisa Longaker, UCLA Bruins
NCAA Division I season shutouts:36 – Debbie Nichols, Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters[2]
NCAA Division I season assists:237 – Charis Monroe, Cal State Fullerton Titans
Freshman class triples:13 – Tricia Popowski, South Carolina Gamecocks
Freshman class assists:230 – Julie Standering, Arizona Wildcats
Sophomore class assists:229 – Carie Dever, Fresno State Bulldogs
Sophomore class wins:50 – Debbie Nichols, Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters
Junior class innings pitched:425.0 – Julie Carpenter, Texas A&M Aggies
Lisa Longaker, UCLA Bruins[3] [4]
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | |
| 1988 | 31 | 4 | 39 | 34 | 34 | 23 | 3 | 259.1 | 136 | 14 | 11 | 31 | 240 | 0.29 | 0.64 |
The following players were members of the All-American Teams.[5]
First Team
| Position | Player | Class | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Longaker | SO. | |||
| Melanie Parrent | SR. | Fresno State Bulldogs | ||
| Debbie Nichols | SO. | Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters | ||
| C | Karen Sanchelli | SR. | South Carolina Gamecocks | |
| 1B | Jody Schwartz | SR. | Creighton Bluejays | |
| 2B | Alison Stowell | SR. | Cal Poly Pomona Broncos | |
| 3B | Janice Parks | JR. | UCLA Bruins | |
| SS | Liz Mizeria | SR. | Texas A&M Aggies | |
| OF | JR. | Northern Illinois Huskies | ||
| Lorraine Maynez | FR. | UCLA Bruins | ||
| Dee Brewer | FR. | Oklahoma State Cowgirls | ||
| UT | JR. | Oklahoma State Cowgirls |
Second Team
| Position | Player | Class | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gretchen Koenig | SR. | South Carolina Gamecocks | ||
| Teresa Cherry | SR. | Arizona Wildcats | ||
| Carie Dever | SO. | Fresno State Bulldogs | ||
| C | Kris Tipmore | SR. | Central Michigan Chippewas | |
| 1B | Gena Strang | SR. | Fresno State Bulldogs | |
| 2B | Julie Thomas | SR. | Sam Houston State Bearkats | |
| 3B | Valerie Douglas | SR. | Cal State Fullerton Titans | |
| SS | Shari Johnson | JR. | Oklahoma State Cowgirls | |
| OF | Linda Smolka | JR. | Princeton Tigers | |
| Amy Lienhardt | SR. | Bowling Green Falcons | ||
| Angie McDonald | SR. | Eastern Michigan Eagles | ||
| UT | Kris Peterson | SR. | Adelphi Panthers |