Coaches

Mike Christner
Head Softball Coach/Assistant AD
673-1707
christnerm@wmpenn.edu
Gymnasium

Mike Christner enters his seventh season as head women's softball coach, guiding the team to its second NAIA national tournament in three years and sixth-consecutive Region VII Tournament appearance this past spring.

Christner, a two-time Region VII Coach of the Year, was also at the helm during the most successful campaign in program history in 2005 when the squad advanced to its first-ever national tournament. Under his guidance, the Lady Statesmen broke numerous individual and team records, including wins in a season, as Penn finished the 2005 year at 51-22.

Christner, who currently owns a 247-115 (.682) career coaching record, served eight years as an assistant baseball coach prior to becoming the head softball coach and now currently also serves as an assistant athletics director.

Christner, a 1985 graduate of Penn with a B.A. in recreation, is originally from Sigourney. He also has an A.A. from Indian Hills. Christner worked at Penn from 1984-88 and then went to work for UPS from 1988-98. He managed a business in his hometown from 1998-99 before returning to Penn. He was an assistant high school softball coach for three years, the men's softball ASA commissioner of the Ottumwa district for ten years, and an all-conference infielder his senior season at Northeast Missouri State. He played in ten ASA national tournaments and ISC world championships. Christner has also coached ASA girls softball for four years, with one of his teams placing third in the state.

Christner lives in Oskaloosa with his wife Cammie.  The couple has three children: Steph, 23, Ryne, 21, and Matthew, 17.

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Steph Christner
Assistant Softball Coach
673-1705
christners@wmpenn.edu
Gymnasium

Steph Christner enters her second year as assistant softball coach this past spring.

Christner returns to Penn after serving as head softball coach at Ashford University last spring.  A 2005 graduate of Penn, she spent two years in the Lady Statesmen softball program after one season each at NCAA Division I Michigan State and then at Indian Hills Community College.  While she had considerable success at her two previous schools, Christner peaked in her time at Penn, becoming one of the top pitchers in the NAIA in guiding her 2005 squad to the school's first-ever national tournament appearance.

Among her accolades in the pitching circle, Christner was named an NFCA First-Team All-American in addition to claiming two all-Midwest Classic Conference awards in 2004 and 2005 and also MCC Co-Pitcher of the Year laurels as a senior.  She also broke several school records in both pitching and hitting, including strikeouts in a season (354) and career (644), wins in a season (28), pitching starts in a season (36), innings pitched in a season (247), and hits in a season (79).

She has had success in the coaching ranks as well, leading Cardinal of Eldon HS to back-to-back Class 1A state championships in 2003 and 2004.  Her 2005 team also reached the state tournament, claiming eighth place.

Christner, who was an assistant volleyball coach at Penn in 2005, will also assist in the transportation department at Penn.