[1][2] Luers-Gillispie first attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she played for the softball team in 1981.
As a player, she set nine career pitching records including most wins, most strikeouts and most saves at West Texas A&M.
[2] Luers-Gillispie began her coaching career at Joliet Junior College in 1991.
She became the head coach at Bradley University in 1993, and was named to the same position at Texas Tech in 1996.
[3] In 2000, Luers-Gillispie was hired by UCF to start the Knights softball program.