641-673-1707
christnerm@wmpenn.edu

Mike Christner enters his ninth season as head softball coach this coming spring.

Christner has guided his team to two NAIA national tournaments in the past five years and seven straight Region VII Tournament appearances from 2002-2008.  The winningest coach in program history, he owns a 321-154 (.676) career coaching record.

Christner, a four-time Midwest Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year and two-time Region VII Coach of the Year, was 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 served eight years as an assistant baseball coach prior to becoming the head softball coach and now also serves as assistant athletics director.

Christner, a 1985 graduate of Penn with a degree in recreation, is originally from Sigourney. He also has an associate's degree from Indian Hills CC. 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 University (now Truman 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.

A great Champion of Character, Christner was named the Region VII Coach of Character in 2007.

Christner lives in Oskaloosa with his wife Cammie. The couple has three children: Steph, Ryne, and Matt.