Michelle Gardner’s time in charge of the IU softball program brought consistency to the team, although not the type of consistency a head coach would want.
Gardner resigned as head coach of the Hoosiers on Wednesday having lost at least 30 games in six of her nine seasons in charge of the program. Assistant coach Mike Perniciaro will serve as the interim head coach.
Senior Associate Athletic Director Scott Joraanstad will lead the search for a new head coach.
“I want to thank everyone at Indiana University for the tremendous opportunity to be the head softball coach these last nine years,” Gardner said in a release from IU Athletics. “I want to especially thank all of the players and staff who have helped me along the way.”
After assuming the head coaching position in June 2008, Gardner began to turn around IU softball. The team enjoyed a 37-win season in 2011 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.
However, IU regressed in recent seasons. From 2013 to 2017, IU recorded just one winning season.
“While I am excited for new opportunities, it has been an honor to coach at a great institution and wish the program all the best moving forward,” Gardner said.
Gardner’s resignation comes almost two weeks after IU’s 2017 season came to an end in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Her resignation was accepted by IU Athletic Director Fred Glass.
“We thank Michelle for her dedication and many contributions to Indiana University softball over these last nine years,” Glass said in the release. “I have great respect for Michelle and wish her and her family well in all of their future endeavors.”
The IU Athletics release stated that Perniciaro and assistant coach Ben Sorden will continue their roles until a new coach is hired. At that point, the new coach would decide whether to retain them or not.
