Saint Peter’s University Softball

Chris Stelma is entering his sixth season in 2021-22 as the head coach of the softball program at Saint Peter’s.

Stelma’s Peacocks were faced with another difficult season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2021 campaign, but persevered as always to make the most of it. The team played an abbreviated 30-game schedule, consisting of two-day doubleheaders against conference opponents. The team finished the year with two impressive wins over Quinnipiac at home on April 18, defeating the Bobcats 12-5 in Game 1, while the Peacocks hung on for a 6-5 win in the second contest of the day. Under Stelma’s leadership, the Peacocks placed 14 student-athletes to the 2021 MAAC Softball All-Academic Team, which tied for third-most among all MAAC schools. 

Stelma’s fourth campaign in Jersey City was an abbreviated one due to the early cancelation of the spring season during the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. After traveling to California and Virginia for a pair of tournaments against a number of talented schools, the Peacocks had begun to build some momentum in early March, stringing together three straight wins — including a doubleheader sweep at Coppin State — at one point to finish with four overall wins through 14 games. But based on the team’s noteworthy improvements with not even a third of the season complete, the program certainly appeared to be in line for its highest win total in recent memory. 

Regardless of the truncated season, Stelma’s student-athletes were as impressive as ever in the classroom; six Peacocks were named to the 2020 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Academic Team, while the program as a whole boasted a score of 985 in the latest NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) release. The program was also the recipient of the 2019-20 Community Service Award handed out at the annual SP’s Awards, as Stelma and the rest of the squad participated in a variety of community service events on campus and in the community over the course of the academic year.

In 2019, Stelma’s softball team posted its most wins in a season since 2014 and his unit has won more games each season since his hire. The Peacocks improved their MAAC record from a year ago and earned their first conference win since 2017 in a win over rival Rider. The team erupted for 13 runs against UMES on April 18, posting the program’s most runs since 2013. Under Stelma in 2019, 10 student-athletes from were selected to the MAAC All-Academic team.

In his first two seasons as the head coach of the Peacocks, Stelma produced 13 wins, the most in a two-year span for the program in four years. In 2016-17, the Peacocks earned a series sweep for the first time in three years and in 2017-18 the Peacocks won their most contests by mercy-rule (3) since the 2005-06 season. Stelma has produced 18 MAAC All-Academic team members and he has coached one All-MAAC Rookie team member in each of his first two years (Brianna Hutchinson, Theamaris Ramirez).

Prior to Saint Peter’s during the 2016 season, Stelma served as an assistant coach at Division III, William Paterson University in New Jersey. He is the owner of Fielder’s Choice Baseball/Kaboom Softball in Andover, where he coordinates training, league play, tournaments and facilities, and served as the head coach of the U18 Showcase baseball and softball teams. Stelma was previously the baseball head coach at his alma mater, County College of Morris during the fall of 2007.

Stelma earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Rhode Island in 2006. While at URI, Stelma was a member of the baseball team where he played two seasons at shortstop for the Rams, making 31 starts and appearing in over 40 games. Prior to transferring to URI, Stelma began his collegiate career at County College of Morris where he played for former Saint Peter’s assistant coach Ed Moskal in 2003. He was named All-Region and All-Garden State Conference at County College of Morris and ranked in the top 15 among JUCO hitters in 2003.