Otterbein University Athletics

Christine Steines enters her ninth season as head coach of the Otterbein softball program this spring.

Steines served as a graduate assistant softball coach at Otterbein in 2005, and was named the interim coach in 2009 before ultimately taking the reigns as head coach in 2010. 

Steines led the Cardinals to a record-breaking season in 2016, posting a program-best 29 wins while also clinching the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular-season championship for the first time in team history. Otterbein was also ranked as high as No. 18 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) national poll and finished atop all of NCAA Division III in batting average (.387), leading to its hosting of the conference tournament.

Steines, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, came to Otterbein from the University of Dayton where she served as assistant softball coach for two years. While at Dayton she helped lead the Flyers to their first 20-win campaign in three years and more than doubled their Atlantic 10 Conference win total from their previous season in 2007.

Prior to coaching at Dayton, Steines had spent two seasons (2006 and 2007) as an assistant softball coach at her alma mater, Clarke College (Iowa). At Clarke, Steines helped coach the Crusaders to back-to-back 20-plus win seasons.

A 2004 graduate of Clarke, Steines earned four varsity letters and was a three-time first team All-Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC) selection at catcher. She served as team captain and was voted team Most Valuable Player three times.

During her career, Steines competed in two NCAA Division III tournaments and also helped her team win the NIIC Conference Championship in both 2003 and 2004. In addition to her success on the field, she was an All-American Scholar Athlete and served as president of the NCAA Student Athletic Association Committee. Steines also competed as a collegiate athlete in volleyball and basketball.

Steines, who received her master’s degree in business administration from Clarke in 2006, currently resides in New Albany.