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West High has tabbed Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame member Lisa (Birocci) Banse as its next head softball coach pending board approval.

A standout player at Des Moines Lincoln and the University of Iowa Banse player and later coached at the international level.

Banse takes over a West High program that has won a combined 11 games over the previous three seasons.

“We are excited to welcome Lisa Banse to the Iowa City West community,” West High Athletic Director BJ Mayer said in a release. “Her extensive experience as a player and coach, combined with her passion for the game, will be an incredible asset to our softball program and student-athletes.”

Banse was a four-time first team all-state selection as a prep at Des Moines Lincoln leading the Railsplitters to state titles in 1999 and 2001 and was named 2001 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year.

At Iowa Banse was a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-American and was named the 2003 Big Ten Pitcher of the year.

Banse recorded 90 wins, a 1.20 ERA and 946 strikeouts while tossing 40 shutouts in her collegiate career and also hit 17 home runs.

She was inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in August.

Banse continued her career at the international level playing professionally in Italy, Guatemala and Taiwan and representing the Italian National Team in 2005, 2006, 2009 and from 2019-2021.

She also served as a pitching coach for both Team Italy and Team Spain.

“I’m incredibly honored to lead the Trojan softball program at West High School – where ‘Where Excellence is a Tradition’ is not just a phrase, but a shared daily practice,” Banse said in a release. “I look forward to joining forces with our talented athletes and the wider Iowa City softball community to carry forward the Trojan spirit. Our journey begins now, and it’s so much more than wins and losses. It’s about sparking on-field dreams, shaping leaders who will honor West’s legacy, and fanning the flame of excellence that grows brighter with every lesson on and off the field.”

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