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4 Candidates Illinois Softball Should Consider for Head Coach

The Fighting Illini parted ways with Tyra Perry on Monday.
Nicole Reitz|
Danielle Zymkowitz is an Illinois softball legend.
Danielle Zymkowitz is an Illinois softball legend. | Wisconsin Athletics

The Illinois Fighting Illini parted ways with softball head coach Tyra Perry on Monday. Now, a national search for a new leader by Chief Sports Officer Sara Burton has begun. 

Here are several standout names that could be under consideration for the role. 

Danielle Zymkowitz, Associate Head Coach Wisconsin Badgers

Though Danielle Zymkowitz is in her ninth season with the Badgers, she’s a legendary product of the Illinois program. The former Fighting Illini slugger is the program’s all-time leader in batting average (.384), stolen bases (91), runs (202), and hits (277). She ranks second in triples with 13 and stolen base percentage (.858, 91-106). 

Now with the Badgers, she’s had much success over the years, including leading the team to the second-most wins in program history in 2019. The team went 43-14 overall and 15-8 in conference play, and saw its third straight NCAA Tournament 

In her first year in Madison, the Badgers completed a 35-17 season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The offense saw incredible improvement, recording the most RBIs, walks, and sac flies in any season, and ranking in the top 10 nationally in hits, doubles, and homers. 

Kristi Paulson, Co-Head Coach EIU Panthers 

Though in just her second season as head coach of the Panthers, Kristi Paulson has made such an impact in the game that a Big Ten leadership opportunity could be hers. 

In her first year at the helm, she posted a 34-22 record, winning both the OVC regular-season and tournament titles. The Panthers went on to make the NCAA Tournament, appearing in the Austin Regional. 

Paulson has Champagne, Ill., roots, having served as co-head coach at Parkland College for five seasons before heading to EIU. There, she helped the program to a 205-56 record, seeing three NJCAA Division II College World Series appearances. 

Jenna Hall, Head Coach Ohio University Bobcats 

Jenna Hall is another legend in the Illinois program. 

The NFCA First Team All-American closed out her career in 2006 as the all-time program leader in batting average (.357), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.580), home runs (33), RBI (142), walks (148) and total bases (361). She owns the single-season batting average program record after recording a .481 average as a senior and finished her career ranked sixth in NCAA Division I history in career intentional walks (26), while ranking ninth in single-season intentional walks (26) and 15th in total career walks (148).

Named head coach of the Bobcats in 2022, she’s made an immediate impact. In 2025, Hall was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons, after leading the team to a runner-up finish at the 2025 MAC Tournament. 

The Bobcats are currently 35-18 with a conference record of 17-10. 

Mandy Gardner-Colgate, Head Coach Miami Ohio Redhawks 

Mandy Gardner-Colgate is only in her second season with the Redhawks, but she has completely transformed the program. Reconstruction like that is exactly what Illinois needs right now. 

In her first year with the RedHawks, she guided the team to a 36-26 overall record, the sixth-most single-season wins in program history. Miami added a 20-7 conference record, capturing a MAC Regular Season Championship and a MAC Tournament crown.

Gardner-Colgate is no stranger to the Big Ten either, as she was a national champion with Michigan before playing for three years in Maryland.

Prior to taking the lead role at Miami, she spent time as Iowa’s pitching coach, where the bullpen saw dramatic improvements. She is credited with decreasing her team's ERA from 5.03 to 2.57 in just one season. 

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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