Message from Head Coach Rachel Rhode

It has been an exciting fall here in Fayette as we continue building something special with Peacock Softball!

This year, we welcomed a lot of new faces into our program, and one of the things I have enjoyed most is watching this group come together. With so many new teammates, personalities, and backgrounds, we have been working hard to establish the culture and relationships that will help shape the future of Peacock Softball.

Our program motto, Built to Last, is about so much more than what happens on the softball field. It’s about the relationships we build, the standards we hold ourselves to, and the memories and experiences that stay with our student-athletes long after their playing careers are over.

As we look ahead to the spring, we have an exciting schedule planned with preseason tournaments in Oklahoma, Chicago, and Kansas City. These trips will give our players the opportunity to compete against talented programs from different conferences and regions, helping prepare us for another competitive season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

But one of the experiences I am most excited to give our team this year is our spring break trip to Florida!

With so many new faces in our program, I truly believe opportunities like this are some of the most important experiences we can provide our student-athletes. Yes, we are going to Florida to play softball and compete against great teams, but the value of this trip goes far beyond the games themselves.

It’s the time spent traveling together, sharing meals, laughing with teammates, supporting one another, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Those are the moments when teammates become friends, friendships become family, and a team truly begins to build its identity.

As coaches, we ask a lot of our student-athletes. They put in countless hours balancing academics, practices, workouts, games, and everything else that comes with being a college athlete. We want to make sure that while we challenge them to grow and compete at a high level, we are also giving them the best possible experience during their time at Upper Iowa.

Our players deserve opportunities to see new places, compete against new teams, experience new things, and make memories they will carry with them forever.

That is what makes college athletics so special, and it’s something we take tremendous pride in providing here at Upper Iowa.

The Power of Your Support

We are incredibly grateful for the generosity our Peacock Softball family has shown through past Peacock Power Giving Challenges. Your support has made a real difference in the opportunities and resources we are able to provide our student-athletes.

This year, our biggest fundraising focus is helping provide these meaningful experiences for our players, with our spring break trip to Florida being our largest financial commitment.

Between flights, rental homes, meals, and transportation, taking an entire team to Florida comes with significant expenses. However, we believe the value of giving our student-athletes this experience is worth every effort we put into making it possible.

Our other preseason tournaments in Oklahoma, Chicago, and Kansas City also bring travel expenses, but they are important opportunities for our team to compete against programs from different conferences and regions while continuing to grow together.

Beyond travel, we are also looking to purchase new bats, fill-in jerseys for our incoming players, and other essential equipment and travel gear. We are fortunate to reuse many of the items we have purchased in previous years, allowing us to focus more of our fundraising efforts on the experiences and opportunities we want to provide this year’s team.

When you support Peacock Softball, you are doing so much more than helping us cover expenses. You are investing in the experiences, friendships, and memories that help shape our student-athletes’ college careers.

Every gift, no matter the amount, helps us continue building the kind of program where our players feel supported, challenged, valued, and proud to be Peacocks.

We want our student-athletes to look back on their time at Upper Iowa and remember not only the games they played, but the places they went, the teammates they shared those moments with, and the family they became part of.

Thank you for believing in our players, supporting our vision, and helping us create something truly special.

We couldn’t do it without our Peacock family!

Built to Last. Go Peacocks!

Softball Program Needs

1. Spring Break Trip to Florida – Our Top Priority: Our biggest priority this year is providing our student-athletes with an unforgettable spring break experience in Florida. With so many new players joining our program, this trip is an incredible opportunity to strengthen our team culture, build relationships, and create lifelong memories while competing against programs from across the country. Donations will help offset the costs of flights, rental housing, meals, groceries, and transportation throughout the trip.

2. Non-Conference Tournament Travel: Our tournaments in Oklahoma, Chicago, and Kansas City allow our student-athletes to experience different competition, travel to new places, and prepare for the challenges of conference play. Contributions help cover hotels, transportation, meals, and other travel expenses.

3. New Bats and Softball Equipment: We are looking to add new bats and replace essential equipment that experiences wear throughout the season. Having quality equipment helps our student-athletes prepare, develop, and compete at their best.

4. Uniforms and Team Travel Gear: With several new faces joining Peacock Softball, we need additional jerseys and uniform pieces to accommodate our roster. We also hope to supplement our travel gear to ensure our student-athletes are equipped and ready to represent Upper Iowa wherever we compete.

5. General Program Needs: We continue to take pride in our facilities and the resources available to our players. While we are able to reuse much of our existing equipment, smaller improvements, replacement training equipment, and general field maintenance remain important to providing a quality student-athlete experience.