Something was seemingly missing in Iowa’s softball program. Five seasons slipped through the Hawkeyes’ fingers without a winning record, each lowering the fans’ expectations of returning to the glory the program once boasted under Gayle Blevins.

But a new spark of hope is weaving its way through the softball faithful. Renee Gillispie was introduced as the fifth head coach of Iowa softball in June, and since then, she has assembled an accomplished staff of assistants, each bringing a unique advantage to the Hawkeye program.

Since being added to the staff, Gillispie’s main focus has been to keep Iowa high-school talent in the state. The coaching staff alongside Gillispie contributes immensely to her cause.

Gillispie — Returning home

Iowa’s newest softball coach took the long road home. Gillispie, a native of Danville, Iowa, competed at Kirkwood, where she pitched in two Juco National Championships. Her success in college softball has led to a successful career as a coach.

Gillispie has excelled in creating winning programs from the ground up.

Her coaching career started at Bradley, where, within two years of the program’s creation, she compiled a 33-8 season record. She then spent four years creating Texas Tech’s program, and she took the Red Raiders to a No. 17 national ranking in her fourth and final season in Lubbock.

Gillispie spent her last 18 years as the head coach of Central Florida, where she built the program. She won five conference championships, advanced to seven NCAA regionals, and compiled a 625-403-1 record.

Now, she has found her way back to Iowa, where she has a new but familiar task: create a winning program in her home state.

Prater — A rounded revamp

The first addition to the Hawkeye coaching staff under Gillispie was a familiar one for the head coach. Trena Prater followed her from Central Florida, where she spent a season as Gillispie’s assistant coach.

Prater was tabbed as the hitting and outfield coach for the Hawkeyes. During her college career at LSU, Prater was a three-time All-SEC honoree and set the school record with 27 triples.

Dillinger — The Iowa connection

Nobody is more rooted in Iowa high-school softball than Rick Dillinger. He spent 42 years as a high-school softball coach at three schools: Adel-DeSoto-Minburn, North Polk, and Danville.

 Dillinger has experienced success at each of his coaching homes, acquiring a 1,165-551 all-time record. He also raked in three state championships, 13 conference titles, nine sectional championships, and 11 district championships, and he appeared in 12 Iowa State Softball Tournaments.

 Dillinger is more than familiar with Gillispie. From 1976-79, Iowa’s assistant coach served as the head coach at Danville.

Duncan — A proven record

 As a 10-year head coach of Pleasant Valley High School, Lori Duncan earned a name for herself among Iowa high-school softball personnel.

Duncan also excelled in sending players to the Division-1 level. During her stint at Pleasant Valley, she sent seven players on to the highest level of college softball. She made the state tournament five times and finished runner-up twice.

Before Pleasant Valley, Duncan won a state championship while coaching North Scott in 2002.  

 Duncan rounded out the Hawkeye coaching roster. With a new coaching lineup, Iowa softball goes into its fall slate of games — starting on Sept. 14 against Kirkwood — with newfound hope.