Renee Luers-Gillispie Position: Head Coach Experience: 11th Season Record at UCF: 363-265-1

Renee Luers-Gillispie is in her 11th year at the helm of the UCF softball program in 2011-12. Since starting the program in 2002, Gillispie has led the team to two conference championships and a trio of NCAA Regional Tournament appearances. The Knights and Gillispie have a record of 363-265-1 over the last 10 years, while Gillispie owns a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) record of 615-469-3 and an NCAA record of 568-441-3.

Gillispie guided the Knights to their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their second appearance in the Conference USA Championship Game in 2010. The Black and Gold defeated No. 7 Alabama, No. 16 Tennessee and No. 22 Ohio State and earned the program's first at-large bid into the Regional Tournament.

Gillispie guided her squad to its most successful season on record in 2008, as the Knights claimed the program's first Conference USA Championship crown with a victory over No. 9 Houston on its home field, and fought its way to the NCAA Regional Championship Game with a win over No. 1 Florida. The team's 49 wins on the season were the most in program history, while its 26 votes in the final NFCA Coaches Poll were its most tallies to date. Gillispie also posted her 500th career win in 2008.

The Black and Gold cruised through the C-USA Softball Championship with a 3-0 record, with freshmn Tiffany Lane earning tournament MVP honors for her play throughout the event. Allison Kime, Breanne Javier, Marquita Council and Hillary Barrow joined Lane on the all-tournament team, while the squad earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

In 2005, Gillispie led the Knights to their first Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship and the team received the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, the Knights picked up their first postseason win with a 5-3 victory over Florida on their home field. In the regular season, UCF picked up wins over No. 8 Washington, No. 20 Florida International and No. 20 Georgia Tech in addition to the program's first win over in-state rival Florida State. Stephanie Best was named A-Sun Player of the Year for the third-consecutive year after leading the nation in home runs (26).

Best was the first UCF softball player to be drafted by the National Pro Fastpitch league when the New England Riptide took her in the fourth round. She ended her career with a .384 batting average, .756 slugging percentage, 71 home runs, 285 hits, 216 runs scored and 213 RBI.

During the 2004 season, Gillispie guided the Knights to a No. 30 ranking in the NFCA Coaches Poll and the team finished the season with a 42-21 overall record. Gillispie earned her 100th win at UCF, while several players earned all-conference and all-region awards.

In the 2003 season, the Knights compiled a 37-31 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the A-Sun. Best was named A-Sun Player of the Year and was recognized by the NFCA on the all-south region team, while pitcher Dottie Cupp and Shinhoster received A-Sun All-Conference honors.

During the inaugural season in 2002, the Black and Gold had a 46-19 record and posted a 21-game winning streak, setting an A-Sun record. Cupp and Shinhoster were named all-conference and all-region while Best earned all-conference.

To date, Gillispie's players have earned 23 all-conference honors, 10 all-freshman honors, three conference player of the year awards, one co-newcomer of the year award and one freshman of the year honor. Three former Knights have also gone on to play in the NPF.

Academically, UCF has garnered 10 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, eight C-USA All-Academic Team accolades, 90 league honor roll members and 17 academic medal recipeints under Gillispie.

Prior to UCF, Gillispie spent four years building the Texas Tech program. She led the Red Raiders to a No. 17 national ranking in 1998 and a No. 24 ranking the following season. Her teams earned runner-up honors at the 1999 NCAA Regional Championship, third place in the 1999 Big 12 Conference Tournament and fourth place in the 1998 conference tournament.

In addition to her successful career at Texas Tech, Gillispie rebuilt softball programs at Bradley University and Joliet Junior College. In 1993, she took over the Bradley program that finished 12-25 in 1992 and in two short years posted a record-breaking 33-8 season. The 1994 team also finished in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference and was ranked fifth in the nation for winning percentage.

Gillispie received N4C Conference Coach of the Year honors as head coach of the 1992 Joliet (Ill.) Junior College team that won the conference championship. She had inherited a 2-29 team in 1991 and transformed that same team into an NJCAA Regional Runner-up with a 32-12 record by 1992.

In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Gillispie has served as an international speaker for the Italian Softball and Baseball Federation Coaches Convention and also traveled to Athens, Greece as a guest coach for the Greek National Team in 2001.

While she directs her own softball camps and clinics, she has also worked as an instructor with the Griffey International Gold Medal Camp and Higher Ground Camps and Clinics under British National coach Bobby Simpson. Gillispie began her playing career as a pitcher at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she pitched in two NJCAA National Championship Tournaments. In 1981, she was ranked ninth nationally as a NJCAA pitcher.

Moving on to West Texas A&M, she set nine career pitching records including most wins, most strikeouts and most saves.

In 2005, Gillispie was inducted into the West Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame.

Gillispie and her husband, Mark, have been married for 28 years and reside in Oviedo.