Rounding Third Softball

Iowa has announced that Head Coach Renee Gillispie is stepping away from leading the Hawkeyes for the 2025 season due to a personal health matter.

Gillispie has lead Iowa for six seasons. In 2024 the Hawkeyes went 18-28 and 6-17 in Big 10 play.

Assistant Coach Brian Levin has been named interim head coach.

Terry Schweikert has been named the new head coach at Whittier College. The coaching veteran spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Cal State Northridge. She has also had stops on staff at Missouri, Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton, Texas A&M, and UC Riverside during a nearly four decade career.

Wally King has joined the coaching staff at Brown. King will work with both the defense and offensive, while coordinating recruiting. He spent the last two seasons on the coaching staff at Madonna. King also had head coaching stops at Furman and Ferris State . His assistant coaching stops include South Florida and Syracuse. King is also one of the top clinicians nationally.

RTS is saddened to report the passing of longtime Coach Fred Gillum. The coaching journeyman spent parts of three decades on the collegiate level before retiring from the profession to Michigan to work with College Connect and pursue his passion of golf. Gillum had successful head coaching stops at Sue Bennett College, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Mars Hill University, and Tusculum University. He also worked on coaching staffs as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin, Piedmont, and Belmont. Gillum was a stalwart instructor at many national camps and clinics, and one of the most beloved personalities in the coaching profession.

Trisha Senyo had stepped down as head coach at Whittier College to accept an assistant position on staff at Cal State Fullerton. Senyo has coached the Poets since 2018 amassing a 114-95-2 record. She also served as Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator at Whittier.

RTS is saddened to report the passing of former Armstrong State Head Coach Ted Evans. Evans coached the Pirates for 12 seasons between 2005-2016 compiling a 418-213-1 record. During that time the program advanced to three NCAA DII World Series. He also had runs as an assistant with JUCO powerhouse Chattanooga State, and finished his coaching career assisting at Bryan College.

A former player in the Cincinnati Reds organization, Evans played and coached competitive men’s fastpitch for 19 years being named Player of the Year three times in the nationally renowned Dixie Major League in Chattanooga.

Brady Tigert has departed as head coach at Catawba College. The institute announced a change in leadership on Tuesday. Tigert led the Indians for three seasons compiling a 54-79 record. Program alum and Athletics Hall of Famer Allie Lyerly will serve as interim head coach for the 2025 season.

Georgia has unveiled their new training facility at Jack Turner Stadium. The 20,000 square foot $38.5 million facility includes a four-lane batting cage with a full practice turf infield, weight room, locker room, team lounge and nutrition space, video room, athletic training room, and equipment room.

Sources have confirmed to RTS that former Oklahoma Sooner and Texas A&M Aggie Hayley Lee will be named an assistant coach at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Lee spent four standout seasons with the Aggies before a final Redshirt Senior Season with the Sooners. She was named an All-Central Region Second Team selection and was on the All-Big 12 First Team while helping OU to the 2023 National Championship.

She now joins new UT Dallas Head Coach and Oklahoma Alumnus Casey Dickson as the Comets join the ranks of Division II as a member of the Lone Star Conference for the 2025 season.

UAB has announced former Head Coach Marla Townsend will be inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. The founder of the Blazer Program, she coached from 2000-2018 leading the program to five straight NCAA Postseasons including the 2013 Super Regional. Townsend was a three-time Conference USA Coach of the Year.