Parkside Athletics

 Laura Fillipp is back for her 13th season as head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers in 2013-2014. In just her second season, she led the Rangers to the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game. In 2004, she navigated the Rangers to another winning season with a 32-20 record. And, in 2005, 2007, and 2008 the Rangers found themselves back in the league finals.

Coach Fillipp has a record of 270-309-1 at UW-Parkside, heading into the 2014 season. Her team's at UWP have enjoyed three 30 win seasons and three others of at least 25 victories. Fillipp’s players have won 25 all-conference awards under her watch.

Fillipp began her career in athletic administration as the athletic director and physical education teacher at St. Francis de Sales School in Lake Zurich, Ill, while coaching basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer at Barrington High School. Also, during that time, Fillipp was the head volleyball coach at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Ill., for three seasons.  

 She took a similar administrative position at School of Mary in Lake Forest, Ill. For five years. Then, she accepted an assistant coaching position at Penn State University. As an assistant at Penn State, Fillipp was responsible for recruiting, working with pitchers and catchers, hitting, outfield travel and monitoring the academic progress of the student-athletes. Her guidance was instrumental in the squad’s diligent classroom work ethic. 

The team was ranked fourth, fifth and seventh among all NCAA Division I softball teams in grade point average. In addition, Fillipp recruited the most successful pitcher, stolen base leader and many other category leaders in Penn State history.

 Four years later, Fillipp returned to Illinois to take the athletic director and head softball coaching position at Immaculate Heart of Mary High School in Westchester, Ill. She held that position up until her appointment at Wisconsin-Parkside.

 Fillipp’s high school teams have all finished in the top three places of their respective league standings in an 11-year span. While at Penn State, the team more than doubled the number of Big 10 wins for a season.

 A graduate of Southern Illinois-Carbondale and a graduate of the College of Lake County, Fillipp lettered in softball while earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and a minor in Coaching.

Fillipp enjoyed a distinguished playing career, playing on four national championship teams in the women’s major division. In November of 1993, she was inducted into the USSSA National Hall of Fame. She is the first Illinois native and the 12th female to receive that honor. In 1995, Fillipp was inducted into the College of Lake County Athletic Department Hall of Fame and in 1996 Fillipp was honored by being selected for the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame.

 A left-handed power hitter, Fillipp hit over 200 home runs in her career. She has been recognized several times as an all-state selection, MVP, and was the home run leader at the 1985 Women’s World Tournament in Concord, Cal.

 In 1990, Fillipp was a member of a team that was chosen to represent the United States on a softball tour of Russia. For more than 18 years, Fillipp has offered instruction and coordinated clinics around the country and has been an instructor and director of pitchers and hitters at Grand Slam U.S.A. 

In the summer of 2009, Fillipp was the head coach of a United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) all-star team which took on the Chicago Bandits pro team.