University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Women's Softball

Dwight Sanders was named as the seventh head coach of the UCCS softball team in July 2023 and is heading into his third season with the program in 2025-26.   Sanders led the softball program to a monumental turnaround in his second season at the controls in 2025 as the Mountain Lions posted a 33-24 overall record and came just one win shy of reaching the RMAC Championship game. The program's 33 wins marked the most in a single season by the program since the 2013 campaign and just the sixth time in program history surpassing the 30-win threshold. In addition, UCCS secured multiple wins in the RMAC Tournament for the first time since the 2014 season and won three games in the conference tournament for the first time since 2006. With the leadership of Sanders, Gianna Pancost secured All-RMAC and D2CCA All-Region Second Team accolades while six additional student-athletes were named as All-RMAC Honorable Mentions, including Jacqueline Berkowitz, Laynee Case, Jennavieve Goldsworth, Edyn Lopez, Tayler McCombs, and Halley Redd.  In his debut season at the helm of the softball program in 2024, Sanders led a young Mountain Lion squad to a 19-32 overall record and 16-26 RMAC record, finishing eighth in the conference. Under his guidance, Autumn Kunze and Gianna Pancost received All-RMAC Honorable Mention distinction while nine student-athletes earned recognition on the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll. A native of nearby Fountain, Colo., Sanders joins the Mountain Lion family after spending the last two seasons as the head softball coach at Fort Lewis College. During his two-year stint at FLC, Sanders steered the Skyhawks to a 43-57 overall record and a 41-41 record in RMAC action, leading the program to an appearance in the RMAC Tournament following the 2022 regular season. With Sanders at the helm, the Skyhawks softball program totaled ten All-RMAC selections, eight RMAC All-Academic honors, and three CSC Academic All-District awards.   In addition to his success on the diamond at Fort Lewis, Sanders worked diligently to develop strong community engagement and support in the Durango, Colo., area for the Skyhawk softball team. In two years, he managed to fundraise $65,000 for the program, facilitated the installation of a new fence and batting cage for the institution’s softball facility, and secured multi-year partnerships with both Mizuno and Oakley.   Prior to being hired as the head softball coach at FLC in July of 2021, Sanders served as the head coach of the softball program at Otero Junior College for five years, leading the Rattlers to five winning seasons, four postseason berths, and an impressive overall record of 117-85. While at Otero, Sanders coached his student-athletes to nine NJCAA Region 9 All-Region honors and six NJCAA All-America accolades while helping 26 athletes move on to play at NCAA four-year institutions. Sanders led the Rattlers into the NJCAA national rankings in two separate seasons, surging as high as No. 14 during the 2018-19 season.   In his final season with the Rattlers in 2020-21, Sanders had his team firing on all cylinders on the field and in the classroom, finishing the season ranked inside the top-25 in the nation for multiple team statistical categories, including batting average (.423 – 3rd), on base percentage (.491 – 6th), slugging percentage (.687 – 10th), doubles (108 – 10th), triples (24 – 6th), extra-base hits (176 – 24th), and stolen bases (171 – 7th), while also ranking top-five in the nation with a 3.71 team GPA.   Before beginning his coaching career, Sanders played his prep baseball locally at Fountain Fort Carson High School from 2008-11 before moving on to play collegiately at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C. After one season with the Panthers, Sanders returned to his home state to finish his collegiate baseball career at Colorado State University Pueblo, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in May 2016 and his Master of Business Administration in May 2021.  

The 2026 campaign marks Renae Koppenhafer's first season as the assistant coach of the UCCS softball program.    Koppenhafer joins the UCCS softball coaching staff after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. A four-year collegiate softball athlete, Koppenhafer played her first two seasons at North Idaho College, where she earned her Associate of Arts Degree, before finishing her final two seasons at Augustana University and receiving her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Following the completion of her playing career, Koppenhafer continued her education at Grand Canyon University, where she received her Master of Business in Leadership. In her three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Utah Valley, Koppenhafer played an integral role in the success of the Wolverines' softball program. Charged with developing and implementing comprehensive training programs for all facets of the game and managing game preparations, Koppenhafer helped student-athletes from the UVU softball team collect four All-WAC selections and two All-Region honors throughout her tenure with the program. Off the diamond, Koppenhafer took the lead on all aspects of recruiting, including identifying suitable student-athletes, coordinating visits, and managing communications with potential prospects. In addition, she assisted the Wolverines' head coach with daily tasks, including budgeting, practice planning, and team travel while also serving as the lead administrator and coordinator for all UVU Softball camps.   Prior to beginning her role at Utah Valley, Koppenhafer served one and a half years as the head coach of the softball program at Yakima Valley Community College in Yakima, Wash. During her time at the helm of the Yaks' softball team, Koppenhafer managed all aspects of the program, including the creation and execution of strategic game and practice plans, the oversight of team operations and logistics, and the management of the strength and conditioning program. In her lone season with the Yaks, she coached a pair of student-athletes to All-NWAC honors and saw two student-athletes earn NWAC Spring Academic Awards. Koppenhafer got her start in the coaching realm during the 2020-21 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Southern Utah University, where she helped to develop training programs and provided individual support for catchers and outfielders in addition to assisting the coaching staff with analyzing game strategies.