The 1996 squad was Emporia State's first NCAA Softball Tournament qualifier and the first to host a regional tournament. The Hornets went 38-20 on the season and advanced to the regional championship game. They just missed advancing to the World Series at the Trusler Sports Complex, losing 8-7 to Neb.-Kearney in the second regional title game. Emporia State was led by pitcher Andrea Peters who was the MIAA MVP and a second-team All-American selection. However they were a fairly deep team as 13 different players started at least ten games.