Hamline University Women's Softball

Alex Card will embark on his fifth season as Hamline University head swimming & diving coach in 2026-27. In Card's first season as head coach in 2022-23, the women achieved their first NCAA Division III Championship qualifier in at least 16 years courtesy of Courtney Broyles in the one and three meter dives.  No stranger to NCAA Division III, Card was previously the assistant men’s and women’s swimming & diving coach at Cal Lutheran for three seasons. He helped mold seven College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-Americans, and a National Champion in his tenure at Cal Lutheran. Card also spent three seasons at University of Chicago, where he was the assistant men’s and women’s swimming & diving coach. The Maroons accumulated 39 All-Americans throughout Card’s three seasons. He was also responsible for development, and organization of the Master’s Swim Team at Chicago. The Prior Lake, Minnesota native kicked off his collegiate coaching career with a two-season stint as assistant coach at UW-Eau Claire, where he was a student-athlete with the men’s swimming & diving program. He was a six-time All-American in the 100, and 200-yard breaststroke. Card’s stellar collegiate career culminated in him being named 2014 UW-Eau Claire Male Student-Athlete of the Year.

Jim Rubbelke, arguably one of the greatest softball coaches in MIAC history, is in his 20th season leading the Pipers after taking over the program in 2008. The St. Paul native is the winningest softball coach in school history with an overall mark of 342-326-2. He brings a diverse amount of coaching experience and a lifelong passion for the game to the program. In addition to coaching at Hamline, Rubbelke works with the Minnesota Magic club program, coaching the 16u Gold team. In 2019, he guided his team to a USSSA National Championship in Kansas City. With Rubbelke at the helm, the Pipers have qualified for the MIAC Playoff Tournament nine different times. In 2015 he was named MIAC Coach of the Year after his team finished second in the conference with a 17-5 MIAC record, the highest finish ever for a HU softball team. In his career, he has coached 20 All-Region selections, and 45 All-Conference nods. Success has followed Rubbelke since taking the job at Hamline. In his first season, he took the Pipers to a third-place regular season finish and a second-place finish in the MIAC tournament en route to compiling a 26-14 overall mark. Three of his players were named to the MIAC All-Tournament Team. That same number of players earned Third Team All-Region honors for their play during the season. During Rubbelke's second season, the Pipers lost to the regular season conference champion Gusties in the semifinal game of the MIAC tournament. The team finished the regular season in third place and had five athletes earn MIAC post-season honors while two were named All-Region. In all, his teams have had 10 winning seasons in his 17 years as head coach.   In 2017, the Pipers contended for a conference championship en route to a 23-15 final record. HU defeated St. Thomas three times without a loss, including knocking them out of the MIAC playoffs on the Tommies' home field. HU advanced to the conference championship game of the tournament for the second time in school history. The team returned to the championship game again in 2019, falling 1-0 in 11 innings. In 2016, the Pipers qualified for the MIAC playoffs for the second consecutive season with a 15-7 league standard. HU won one game in the tournament to finish with an overall mark of 26-17. HU tied a school record when five players were named to the All-Conference team.  In 2022, the Pipers qualified for the MIAC playoffs for the first time in three seasons finishing 19-15 on the season. The Pipers also had four All-Conference players including MIAC Rookie of the Year Jenna Rubbelke. Prior to coming to HU, Rubbelke served as the assistant head coach of the Concordia University (St. Paul) softball program from 1998-2002.  During that time, he helped lead the Golden Bears during their transition from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (a member of the NAIA) to the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). His teams posted a 147-81 overall record during those years, and his successes included a 1998 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference title and the 2001 NSIC regular season and tournament titles. While at Concordia, Rubbelke also coached his players to several individual honors. He placed six of his players on NSIC All-Tournament teams in two years, including the 2000 and 2001 Most Valuable Pitcher. He also coached a two-time All-NSIC shortstop and an All-NSIC third baseman. He previously worked as the head football (2001-2007) and baseball coach (2003-2007) at Harding High School in St. Paul. In 2000, he was the offensive coordinator for Harding. He also has experience coaching hockey as the White Bear Lake High School (1993-1995) and Johnson Senior High School (1985-1991) junior varsity head coach. Rubbelke served as a clinic coach at the Stanford University softball camp from 1999-2002. An athlete himself, Rubbelke was a three-sport competitor at Johnson High School, and was named to the Top 100 Male Athletes of the St. Paul City Conference in 1999. He played fastpitch softball for over fifteen years in St. Paul, including competing in several national tournaments. He grew up watching his father, Jim Rubbelke, Sr., take to the field. Rubbelke, Sr. was a 2003 inductee to the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame.  Rubbelke and his wife, Rita, have five children - sons Joe and Nate and daughters Jamie, Megan, and Jenna. Joe had an outstanding career at Hamline that saw him named to three All-MIAC ice hockey teams as a defenseman. He also played two years of baseball. Jamie, who graduated in 2016, played volleyball and softball for four seasons. In the latter sport, she ranks seventh all-time in school history with 177 hits. She was named to the All-Conference team three times and also earned a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. Nate graduated from Hamline in 2019, serving as a relief pitcher for four seasons. Megan, who graduated from Hamline in 2022, played both volleyball and softball for the Pipers. Jenna is currently a senior with the Pipers volleyball and softball teams. Jim Rubbelke Hamline Coaching Numbers: Year Overall MIAC Playoffs 2008 26-14 18-8 (3rd) 2-2 2009 28-11 19-6 (3rd) 1-2 2010 19-19 13-9 (T-5th) - 2011 21-19 14-8 (T-4th) 0-2 2012 10-28 9-13 (9th) - 2013 18-16 12-8 (3rd) 1-1 2014 18-17-1 12-8 (5th) - 2015 27-13 17-5 (2nd) 0-2 2016 26-17 15-7 (T-3rd) 1-2 2017 23-15 16-6 (T-3rd) 2-2 2018 17-19 10-12 (7th) - 2019 25-17 16-6 (T-2nd) 2-2 2020* 3-1 - - 2021 6-22 3-19 (11th) - 2022 19-15 10-10 (5th) 0-1 2023 16-19-1 10-12 (7th) - 2024 16-20 6-16 (9th) - 2025 17-23 7-15 (10th) - 2026 7-31 4-18 (10th) - Totals 342-326-2 226-186 9-16 *Season cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic

Esther Fleigle comes from an extensive athletics background. A St. Paul native. Esther attended Concordia University St. Paul where she competed in the pole vault and the women's multi event. She became an event specialist in the pole vault and provisionally qualified for the NCAA national meet multiple times, making national meet appearances indoor(2014) and outdoor(2015). She holds CSP's indoor and outdoor school records and was inducted into their athletic hall of fame in October of 2025.  During her tenure coaching track and field, Fleigle has collected many accolades at multiple high schools and Concordia University 2019-21. At each school her athletes have earned numerous All-Conference, Sectional and All-State honors. Fleigle started a track and field club, Fleigles Athletics LLC, with her husband in 2018. As a club program Fleigle has taken athletes to the USATF Junior Olympic National Championships, New Balance National Championships, the USATF U20 National Championships and coached an athlete at the IAAF Outdoor U20 World Championships in 2018. Fleigle coached the current boys and girls All-Time Minnesota State Record holders, Julia Fixsen (4.25m 2018) and Jarod White (5.11m 2022). And now she is ready to take on the challenge of rewriting the Pipers record book.  USA Track and Field Level 1 Certified  USA Track and Field Level 2 (Jumps) Certified  USATF Registered Coach and Certified Official A member of the National Pole Vault Summit Staff  Esther Fleigle has found great success in focusing on the whole person that she coaches. Part of that stems from her knowledge and interest in performance psychology and the importance of a healthy mental well-being. Fleigle has an interest in pursuing certification in performance psychology.

Casey Jones started coaching at Hamline in 2017 and is in her eighth season with the Hamline swimming and diving team during the 2025-26 academic year. Jones works with the Piper divers, providing support inside and outside the pool, while establishing training plans and strength programs to help each athlete foster their talent and reach their full potential.   Casey was a competitive springboard diver for ten years, finishing her career at the University of St. Thomas where she was introduced to the camaraderie and competitive spirit of the MIAC diving community. Given the chance to immediately jump into coaching, Casey tentatively stepped into the role of HU dive coach in 2016/2017 and hasn't looked back since. She's managed to get at least one athlete into the Top 8 at conference every year, attend the Zone regional meet every season since 2019/2020, and is itching to return to the NCAA national meet. One of the best parts about being a coach for Hamline is having the chance to be a part of the MIAC diving community. Collectively, we want every athlete to be able to walk away from the meet happy with how they competed, which creates a collaborative atmosphere I've never experienced anywhere else. There's a level of excellence within the MIAC that's difficult to explain. Nearly the entire diving coaching staff within the conference were MIAC divers themselves, showing just how big of an impact not only the sport, but the community we've created has had on us. It means more than I can say to be a part of the MIAC legacy, especially being tied to Hamline, and I cannot wait to see what every season brings.