Iowa softball head coach Renee Gillispie picks up 900th career win at Spring Games
With the 900th win of her career, head coach Renee Gillispie ranks 19th among active Division I head coaches.
Iowa head coach Renee Gillispie talks with her players during a softball game between Iowa and Indiana at Pearl Field on Saturday, April 3, 2021. The Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers 1-0.
February 27, 2022
Iowa softball played in its third tournament of the season this past weekend, finishing 3-1 at the Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida.
The Hawkeyes opened the weekend on Friday, and Iowa took down North Florida, 3-1. Sophomore pitcher Denali Loecker kept her undefeated streak alive, moving to 4-0 on the season. Loecker was also effective at the plate as she finished the game with two hits.
In its second game of the day, Iowa matched up with Notre Dame. The Hawkeyes fell to the Fighting Irish, 2-0. Pitcher Breanna Vasquez picked up her third loss of the season. Iowa struggled to put runners on base, with the Hawkeyes registering only two hits overall.
Iowa then took on Princeton on Saturday, and defeated the Tigers 4-2. Vasquez got the start in the circle, pitching 4.2 innings, and Loecker finished the game with 2.1 innings of relief.
Shortstop Grace Banes was key for the Hawkeyes, as she registered two RBIs.
“I had been struggling the past few at bats,” Banes said in a Saturday release. “I came up with a new approach, really having the RBI mindset before my at bat. It was huge to see the team rally with two outs. Getting those runs in and getting a bigger lead.”
Iowa concluded its weekend at the Spring Games on Sunday, taking on Cornell. The Hawkeyes defeated the Big Red, 9-0, in five innings, with Vasquez picking up her second win of the weekend.
With the win, head coach Renee Gillipse registered the 900th win of her career. Gillispie currently ranks 19th in career victories among active Division I head coaches.
“Nine runs for my 900th win,” Gillispie said in a Sunday release. “That is kinda nice, pretty cool that it happened that way. I was really impressed with our patience at the plate, they did a really good job one through nine. Very excited about seeing that and finishing the weekend that way.”
Iowa will now travel to Memphis to participate in the Blues City Classic on March 4-6. The 8-4 Hawkeyes are set to take on Indiana State, Memphis, University of Tennessee at Martin, Butler, and IUPUI over the course of the weekend.