Life can take a funny path. Sometimes, what we want isn't what we need, and vice versa. Often, our destiny lies in our disappointments. As Garth Brooks memorably sang, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." For Bucknell Softball senior third baseman Nicole Lioumis, while her playing career has been cut short by injury, her academic future is bright. With a trip to Yale's Nursing School on the horizon, the upcoming years promise to be a home run.
Lioumis gravitated to softball at an early age. Her hometown area, southeastern Pennsylvania, is a softball hotbed, and she caught the bug. She played basketball and soccer - her father, Ted Lioumis, enjoyed a successful career at Penn State - but softball refused to relinquish its hold.
Despite growing up in Pennsylvania, Lioumis was unaware of Bucknell's existence until the recruiting process. Her travel ball team - the lifeblood for collegiate hopefuls - was based in central Pennsylvania, and tons of Keystone State schools reached out to her. The previous coach, Sarah Caffrey, reached out to Lioumis, and the pair instantly bonded.
"I loved Coach Si. She was really awesome. She took me on a visit, I remember, in July, and I loved the campus. It was like one of those moments where you just step on the campus, and you say, this is it."
Most incoming students pick Bucknell for its academic prestige, but ironically, considering her future stop, Lioumis was not focused on that aspect. Her focus was on remaining close to her baby sister. She disregarded Holy Cross because of the distance. The decision certainly harmed the Crusaders. Lioumis hit a walk-off single this season against Holy Cross.
"I wasn't really looking for high academic, or academics in general, and it just happened to work out that way, which was awesome, and definitely has helped me in my path to Yale, which is pretty cool."
Lioumis entered Bucknell as a catcher/third baseman combo, but a freshman year hip injury ended her career behind the plate. Injuries plagued her first two seasons in Lewisburg. Both seasons saw Lioumis sidelined before the team returned north for home games. The injury bug returned this year after the Holy Cross walkoff win, prematurely halting her senior year and career. Despite the injuries, Lioumis has shone in multiple situations. She clubbed two home runs with four RBIs against Wagner in 2025 and added a triple in Bucknell's historic 25-2 win over Saint Francis this season. She has flashed the leather, posting numerous highlight-worthy plays at the hot corner.
Most importantly, Lioumis has remained the consummate teammate. It would be easy to sulk in frustration and anger over her situation. She leads as a senior should by example and with hearty cheering. Her leadership is needed as Bucknell wrestles to return to the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth straight season. Lioumis' senior class returned the Bison to their rightful station, and all five soon-to-be graduates want to go 4-for-4 in appearances.
"I guess it's just everything that happens for a reason. At the end of the day, I can't really dwell on the injuries because they're kind of out of my control, and while it sucks to be injured, it is kind of nice to be there and watch teammates get opportunities and thrive, and it's pretty cool to be on the bench and see them thrive in their roles, whether it's that day or that weekend or that season. It's pretty cool to be there for your teammates and put your kind of stuff to the side."
Her senior season has allowed for a great deal of reflection amidst a coaching change. Angela Stackhouse, a class of 2004 graduate, took the wheel and has connected with Lioumis and the team. After some early growing pains, the team has begun to find its groove in Patriot League play, despite injuries and some crazy situations.
"Coach Stack is a breath of fresh air. She's just so maternal. She loves us, and I can tell that she loves spending time with her kids. It's really nice to feel that all the time. She really provides a lot for us. She goes out of her way more than anyone I know, cutting up fruit for our post-game snacks. Little things like that. She's really smart on the bases, and I think she's great. I love her down there at third base. She's doing a great job."
Lioumis has played under a variety of coaches during her four years at Bucknell, and she's appreciative of every single one. She learned something from each coach that has progressed her softball journey.
"I've been honestly so lucky to have Coach Si, Coach Stack, Coach Brad, Coach Jo, Coach Wall, and Coach Kirk. They're all great. I have heard horror stories at other schools about coaches forcing transfers. I've had such a great experience, and I've gotten so lucky to have such awesome coaches."
Lioumis' journey towards nursing took an circuitous route. She knew medical school, due to cost and time, was not in the cards. Nor was spending her life chained to a 9-to-5 desk jockey job. Like many students, a professor played a crucial role in shaping her life's path. Dr. Lauer taught a biology class and sparked a passion in Lioumis.
"I took a biology class my freshman year and my professor, Dr. Lauer, was so awesome. I remember her saying on the first day, "I wasn't even into bio either. I had 15 other jobs before I even really fell in love with medicine." That spoke to me."
Several events solidified her love for medicine. Lioumis observed surgeries at Rothman in Philadelphia during her sophomore and junior years. She met several cool nurses who influenced her to apply to nurse practitioner programs.
The second event involved her time spent in Ireland at historic Trinity College. She worked in a lab involving ovarian cancer research. Lioumis, once again, observed surgeries, gathered samples, and ran them through machines looking for the circulating T cells common in ovarian cancer.
Unlike her undergraduate choice, Lioumis applied to New England schools, including Boston College, Northeastern, and, of course, Yale. Her career development went from not stressing about academics when she applied to Bucknell to landing at one of the nation's most prestigious universities. Life has a humorous side.
"I wanted to stay up close to home-ish. Yale ended up not being what I was expecting. I think it was a reach for me, or at least I thought it would be a reach, and I ended up going in my favorite. Super awesome! Super excited! I can't even believe I am saying that out loud sometimes."
She starts in August and, if nursing school won't be enough responsibility, Lioumis enlisted as a volunteer assistant coach for the Yale softball team. Softball has a way of worming itself into a heart and staying there. The sport is clearly not done with Lioumis yet. Perhaps a coaching career lies in the future. She could be the first coach-trainer combo!
"I thought I was going to hang up the cleats, but I don't think I can sit still. So I thought, what about staying involved? So it'll be nice."
Her coaching mentors are in the back of her mind as she embarks upon this new experience. No person is a tabula rasa. Lioumis's coaches impacted her softball career, and her knowledge will extend to another lineage.
"I feel like, as I take on that new role, the lens of Coach Wall, Coach Kirk, Coach Jo, and Coach Brad are definitely the influences that will guide me. I remember Coach Jo coming up to me after she heard I applied for this graduate assistant role, and she was so happy for me."
After finishing her degree, Lioumis will be a pediatric nurse practitioner working in the primary care units. That position will allow her to follow up and build relationships. Her location remains TBA. Boston feels alluring, as does Pennsylvania, but she wants to stay in the Northeast. Lioumis offered this reflection as her four years at Bucknell come to a close. Like most Bison student-athletes, she is supremely grateful for her tenure at the University Among the Susquehanna.
"It was just the biggest blessing finding a school like this and having such a great student-athlete experience. In the classroom, I've had some pretty amazing professors who have done some pretty remarkable things, and to be taught by them and to have had the experience under them has been seriously so cool. I'm so excited to take that into the real world. Even today, having all these injuries and as a biology major, it's cool to ask these doctors questions that I've learned in class. It's really cool to apply my sports knowledge to real-life orthopedic experiences. I'm super, super grateful for the time that I've had here. I can't wait to come back for alumni weekend and support Bucknell softball and Bucknell as a whole. I'm going to be the best alumnus."
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