BALTIMORE - UMBC Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation, Tiffany D. Tucker announced the hiring of Chris Stelma as the Retrievers next softball coach today.
"It's a great day to be a Retriever!" said Tucker. "We are overjoyed to welcome Coach Stelma to Retriever Nation. With 10 years of head coaching experience at the mid-major level, Chris was an extremely intriguing candidate, and we are thankful to have him lead our group of student-athletes through their journeys at UMBC."
Stelma spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Oakland University, leading the program to a 25-24 season in 2025-26, going 9-9 in Horizon League play. Stelma led the Grizzlies to a seven-win improvement from year one to year two, earning a victory over Big Ten foe Michigan State in year two. Stelma coached six student-athletes to All-Horizon League honors, including three first-team selections. The Grizzlies' designated player, Maggie Murphy, earned NFCA Great Lakes All-Region honors under his leadership.
"I'm honored and excited to be named the next head coach of UMBC softball," said Stelma. "This is a program with tremendous potential, and I'm grateful to Athletic Director Tiffany D. Tucker and the search committee for entrusting me with this opportunity."
Prior to his time at Oakland, Stelma led Saint Peter's for eight seasons. While at Saint Peter's, Stelma took a program that hadn't had a 20-win season since 2007, to back-to-back 20-plus win seasons, including a 30-win campaign in 2023, the program's first since 2002. Stelma was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year in 2022 after improving the program's win total by 20 games. Stelma was the first coach in program history to earn the honor. In a three-season stretch from 2022 to 2024, Stelma led his team to 68 wins, the most over a three-year span at Saint Peter's since 2003. In 2024 alone, he coached three All-Conference and an impressive nine MAAC All-Academic student-athletes as well.
"I can't wait to get to work with our student-athletes, build a culture of trust and respect, and compete for championships at the highest level," said Stelma. "I look forward to getting to connect with the department, the area, and the Alumni as well."
As a student-athlete, Stelma was a member of the Rhode Island baseball team, helping the team to an Atlantic-10 Championship. The Rhode Island graduate got his collegiate coaching start as an Assistant Coach at William Paterson in 2015 and was at the helm of Fielder's Choice Baseball and Kaboom Softball in New Jersey from 2011-2024.
