COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following three successful seasons with the Mountain Lions, University of Colorado Colorado Springs head softball coach Dwight Sanders has accepted the head softball coaching position at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., as announced by the institution on Wednesday morning.
 
"UCCS will always hold a special place in my heart," said Sanders. I'm incredibly grateful to our student-athletes, staff, administration, and fans for believing in our vision. Together, we built something I'm truly proud of, and I'm excited to see the program continue to grow. I'll be watching from afar. Go Mountain Lions!" 
 
During his three-year tenure leading the Mountain Lion softball program, Sanders guided UCCS to an 85-78 overall record and returned the team back to the conference tournament for the first time since the 2022 season, making back-to-back appearances in the RMAC Softball Tournament in 2025 and 2026. Under the direction of Sanders, the Mountain Lions recorded 33 wins in each of his final two seasons (2025-26), marking just the fifth and sixth 30+ win seasons in program history.
 
In his final season with the Mountain Lions this past spring, Sanders led the program to a 33-22 overall record and a 26-18 conference record while guiding the team to the RMAC tournament semifinals. The Mountain Lions boasted one of the most prolific offenses in the RMAC and NCAA Division II as they finished the season ranked among the top three teams in the RMAC in nearly every major offensive category and inside the top 25 in NCAA Division II in batting average (5th), hits (10th), slugging percentage (10th), runs per game (11th), stolen bases (11th), RBIs (13th), triples (13th), doubles (18th), and on-base percentage (24th).

A national search for the next head softball coach will begin in the near future.
 
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