The Omaha softball team is having a historic 2026 season, and head coach Mike Heard’s culture is a big reason why.
The Mavericks (34-10, 15-2 Summit League) secured their first-ever outright Summit League regular-season championship on April 30, defeating South Dakota 3-1 on the road to clinch the title.
“I think our culture is just so fun,” senior outfielder Ava Rongisch said. “Our practices, you would be surprised how fun and relaxed we are, with I feel how well we play. Once, obviously, game time comes, we kind of lock in and everything like that.”
Rongisch added she’s enjoyed learning from Heard.
“Playing for Mike has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said. “He totally lets us play how we want to play, and obviously, it’s something I couldn’t imagine if I didn’t choose to play for Omaha.”
Senior shortstop Taylor Sedlacek transferred to Omaha from Wichita State before the 2026 season. The Bennington product said she’s learned a lot from Heard.
“He’s definitely not the coach that most people are like,” she said earlier this season. “He’s very calm, very collected, a man of few words, but the words are really important and meaningful. He really lets the players kind of just play how they can and everything, and he has pointers.
“He’s helped me a lot in the infield this year. He’s really intelligent on the defensive perspective of the game, but he just really allows us to play the game, and trust his players, and he really respects us, which then I obviously have immense respect for him, but I think that’s awesome in a coach.”
Sedlacek said the culture is difficult to describe, but the strong relationships among the Mavericks have helped them succeed as well.
“We just have that connection, that bond, that mutual respect throughout the team for each other,” Sedlacek said. “It’s just really nice to see, and really nice to be a part of. It’s not something you get everywhere.”
Rongisch echoed Sedlacek’s sentiment.
“We are all so close as a team, and I think Mike, (assistant coach) Jen (Brauer) and (assistant coach) Brooke (Dumont) all allow us to play how we want to play and just be who we want to be,” Rongisch said. “I think that really frees us up on the field, and it obviously shows.”
Omaha got off to a fast start this season, winning its first 11 games and only dropping two in league play.
“At the start of the year, just watching our practices, I was like, ‘Wow, this team can be something special,’” Rongisch said. “Just getting to see us play finally at the start of the season, I’ve never been more confident in a team, in a lineup, in a pitching staff, in our defense, just everything.
“We work so well, we mesh so well. I think that confidence, we all have it, and that just helps us play.”
The Mavericks have had sustained success since Heard took over in August 2021. He has guided the Mavericks to three consecutive Summit League tournament titles, and Omaha has reached the Summit League tournament title game four years in a row. The Mavericks have made back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, winning at least one game each time and reaching the regional final against Missouri in 2024.
Heard, who earned Summit League coach of the year honors on Tuesday, has built his roster around Nebraska natives since taking the Omaha job. The Mavericks have 12 in-state athletes, including Rongisch (Millard West), Maddia Groff (Marian), Alexis Wiggins (Norris), Sammy Schmidt (Hastings) and Katherine Johnson (Millard North).
Rongisch said she’s enjoyed watching college softball grow around Nebraska.
“It’s so cool to see just because all these girls from Creighton and Nebraska I’ve always played against, or played with a lot of the girls,” she said. “Just being able to show how Nebraska softball is and (how) Midwest softball is and how strong it is, is super cool to see, and just being able to push that out there toward the rest of the world.”
The Mavericks will showcase their brand once again in this week’s Summit League Tournament in Minneapolis.
Rongisch said she believes Omaha can have another successful finish and potentially win games in the NCAA Tournament again.
“It truly has been one of the best years, so far at Omaha, and I just can’t wait to see how far we go,” she said.
The top-seeded Mavericks will face either No. 4 seed South Dakota when they begin Summit League Championship play on Thursday in Minneapolis. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. CT.
