Renee Gillispie Out as Iowa Softball Head Coach, National Search Begins
The University of Iowa is moving on from head coach Renee Gillispie, according to an announcement from the athletic department on Tuesday afternoon.
Gillispie had previously stepped away from the program ahead of the 2025 season due to a personal health matter. At the time, the rest of the coaching staff and student-athletes were told not to have any contact with her, and she could not be in contact with them.
“We would like to thank Coach Gillispie for her dedication and passion in the world of softball,” Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz said in a statement. “In her over 30-year collegiate softball coaching career, she impacted hundreds of student-athletes, and we appreciate her time at Iowa.”
Iowa announced on Tuesday that Renee Gillispie will not be returning as the head coach. https://t.co/Y6TOPjFRIB
— Softball America (@SoftbalAmerica) April 29, 2025
Assistant coach Brian Levin took over as the interim head coach immediately following Gillispie's initial announcement but stepped away in March after calling the program's culture into question.
Levin was let go in early March and told The Daily Iowan in an exclusive audio message that, "there’s been a cultural problem in the softball program since I arrived."
After an 18-28 record last year, the Hawkeyes started the 2025 season with a 14-5 record.
From there, pitching coach Karl Golan took over as acting head coach and has led the Hawkeyes to a 17-9 record, including a historic two-game split with UCLA. Iowa is currently 31-17 overall and 12-7 in Big Ten play.
Details regarding Gililspie's decision not to return to Iowa remain undisclosed, and Iowa will begin a national coaching search immediately.
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-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.