Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson will be entering her second season as Alabama State University's softball head coach for the 2015-2016 academic year.
In her 10-year collegiate coaching career, Steiner-Wilcoxson has posted a 339-210-2 record, winning more than 61 percent of her games.
Coach Chris brought immediate success to the program in her first year by guiding the Lady Hornets to a 21-win season and a trip to the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship game against Texas Southern at Wilson Morgan Park in Decatur, Ala.
The win total was four more victories than the prior season.
ASU earned a No. 2 seed in the SWAC East Division as the team went 11-6 in conference play for the second consecutive season.
Down the stretch, Alabama State won 10 of 15 games from April 11 through May 8 to help solidfy their spot in the SWAC Championship.
Coach Chris was instrumental in helping the Lady Hornets sport the best all-around offense in the SWAC as the team held league-best marks in batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.465), on-base percentage (.391), runs scored (272), hits (471), RBI (247), doubles (79), triples (22), home runs (30), total bases (684), and hits by pitch (43).
Under her watch,
Chelsea King was the recipient of three awards including Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year and All-SWAC First Team for pitcher.
Junior
Carly Evans was also a big winner, garnering both the Newcomer of the Year award and an All-SWAC First Team selection at first base.
Joining King and Evans on the All-SWAC First Team were outfielders
Valerie Centeno and
Jenna Mae Thorne.
Junior
Aleesa Yanez scooped up an All-SWAC Second Team nod at the catcher position.
Steiner-Wilcoxson, who led Auburn-Montgomery to the 2014 national championship, was named head softball coach at Alabama State in August, 2014.
In six seasons at AUM, Steiner-Wilcoxson led the Warhawks to three consecutive NAIA Tournament appearances and the first national championship in program history. AUM won at least 30 games every season, including 40 or more victories in her last three seasons with the team. Steiner-Wilcoxson compiled a 234-97-2 record at AUM.
In 2014, Steiner-Wilcoxson led the Warhawks to a 44-7 record, including a school-record 24-game winning streak. AUM won the Southern States Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 25-1 record, as she earned SSAC Coach of the Year accolades for the second time in her career.
In December 2014, her coaching staff at AUM was recognized with the 2014 National Fast Pitch Softball Association Coaching Staff of the Year award.
During her tenure, AUM was ranked in the NAIA Coaches’ Top-25 Poll for 44 consecutive weeks, including 22 straight weeks inside the top 10. In the NAIA postseason poll following the 2012 season, AUM entered the top 10 for the first time, coming in at No. 7 to close out the season. The Warhawks spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons ranked in the Top 10 and were the unanimous No. 1 selection in the 2014 postseason edition.
Prior to AUM, Steiner-Wilcoxson had a three-year stint at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Ga., where she launched the Eagles’ softball program in 2005. At Reinhardt, she compiled an 84-80 overall record, including a 55-31 record in conference games.
During this span between her time at AUM and Reinhardt, she won more than 30 games in eight consecutive seasons. In her second year at the helm at Reinhardt, Steiner-Wilcoxson was named the 2006 Southern States Athletic Conference Softball Coach of the Year following her team’s third-place finish in the SSAC regular season and runner-up finish at the conference tournament. The Eagles were ranked No. 21 in the final NAIA poll that year and posted a third-place finish at the Region XIII tournament.
Prior to Steiner-Wilcoxson’s move to Reinhardt, she served as head coach at Palmetto (Fla.) High School, where she coached from 2000-2004. She won two District 15 titles and was selected to coach the Florida West All-Star team twice. Her squad set a school record for victories in 2003 with 30, and her teams ranked in the top five of the state’s 4-A ratings in each year of her leadership.
Steiner-Wilcoxson began her coaching career in 1999 at Eufaula High School, where she established a school record for wins in a season with 29 in 2000 and finished as district runner-up and sub-state finalist.
A two-time team captain at Auburn University, Steiner-Wilcoxson was a three-year starter for the Tigers during the AU program’s first three seasons in existence. She hit the first home run in Tigers’ softball history and was selected to the Southeastern Conference All-Academic team twice. Steiner-Wilcoxson led Auburn in home runs in 1997 and closed her playing career in 1999 by leading the team in at-bats, triples and stolen bases. She currently ranks third in the Auburn record book in career stolen bases and triples. She transferred to Auburn following her freshman year at Huntingdon College, where she played varsity softball and volleyball.
A 1994 graduate of Robertsdale High School in Robertsdale, Ala., Steiner-Wilcoxson was a four-year starter in softball, volleyball and basketball, earning 12 varsity letters. She was inducted in the RHS Hall of Fame in 2006.
Steiner-Wilcoxson is the proud parent of three children, Easton, Auburn and Rylee.
