University of St. Thomas Athletics
Softball’s Tschida To Step Down After Season
4/26/2021 4:00:00 PM | Softball
Coach John Tschida announced Monday that he will resign as the head softball coach at St. Thomas to become the next head coach at his alma mater, Saint Mary's University, following the 2021 season.
"I want to thank the University of St. Thomas and President Sullivan for the great opportunity to coach in one of the most successful athletic programs in the nation over the last 21 years," said Tschida. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and appreciate the winning culture former Athletic Director, Steve Fritz, and our present-day Athletic Director, Phil Esten have developed. I am thankful for the relationships I have developed with my coaching colleagues, our Sport Administrator, Jemal Griffin and the rest of the staff on campus.
"The student-athletes I have worked with have been nothing short of remarkable. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be around and see develop as people on and off the field. They are what make coaching so enjoyable and exciting."
Tschida, who has led the program for 21 seasons, is the winningest coach in program history with 792 wins. He led the Tommies to back-to-back national titles in 2004 and 2005, and a runner-up finish in 2006. His teams have appeared in 16 consecutive NCAA Playoff fields, collecting 30 MIAC championships, including 16 regular season and 14 playoffs.
A two-time National Coach of the Year, Tschida has been named the MIAC Coach of the Year 13 times and was voted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame in December 2016. His coaching staffs have been named the Division III Midwest Regional Coaches of the Year by the NFCA three times in the last seven seasons.
Under Tschida, the Tommies have won 14 of the 16 contested MIAC Playoff titles with a 47-6 all-time record in the conference postseason. He has coached 35 players to All-American honors, as well as three National Players of the Year.
"We are deeply grateful to Coach Tschida for his leadership and all that he has done for our softball program," said Vice President, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Phil Esten. "John has demonstrated a true understanding of comprehensive excellence and has represented the Tommie Purple with class for the past 21 years. Even more impressive than his record is his genuine care for developing students as both athletes and people. We wish him all the best as he begins his time in Winona."
Tschida began his coaching career at Saint Mary's in 1994. He spent six seasons with the Cardinals from 1994 through spring 2000 before beginning his tenure at St. Thomas in the fall of 2000. Combined, his teams have won 999 games with just 193 losses for a winning percentage of .838. He is the winningest coach in NCAA Division softball history, active or retired.
Off the field, Tschida's teams have embodied comprehensive excellence. His players have garnered 17 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. The Tommies are coming off their most successful academic performance in recent years after achieving a 3.63 team GPA during the 2019-20 academic year.
In the community, Tschida has instilled servanthood in the program. The Tommies have been active in community clean up, mentoring, pen pal programs, and much more.
"The University of St. Thomas is making the bold move into Division I and it is an exciting time," finished Tschida. "Although it is the right move for the institution, I have decided to return to my alma mater where my coaching career started and where we won our first national championship. I am a big fan of St. Thomas and am expecting a very successful transition into Division I. I will be proudly wearing purple when I cheer on the Tommies!"
A national search for the next head softball coach will begin in the coming weeks.
"I want to thank the University of St. Thomas and President Sullivan for the great opportunity to coach in one of the most successful athletic programs in the nation over the last 21 years," said Tschida. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and appreciate the winning culture former Athletic Director, Steve Fritz, and our present-day Athletic Director, Phil Esten have developed. I am thankful for the relationships I have developed with my coaching colleagues, our Sport Administrator, Jemal Griffin and the rest of the staff on campus.
"The student-athletes I have worked with have been nothing short of remarkable. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be around and see develop as people on and off the field. They are what make coaching so enjoyable and exciting."
Tschida, who has led the program for 21 seasons, is the winningest coach in program history with 792 wins. He led the Tommies to back-to-back national titles in 2004 and 2005, and a runner-up finish in 2006. His teams have appeared in 16 consecutive NCAA Playoff fields, collecting 30 MIAC championships, including 16 regular season and 14 playoffs.
A two-time National Coach of the Year, Tschida has been named the MIAC Coach of the Year 13 times and was voted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame in December 2016. His coaching staffs have been named the Division III Midwest Regional Coaches of the Year by the NFCA three times in the last seven seasons.
Under Tschida, the Tommies have won 14 of the 16 contested MIAC Playoff titles with a 47-6 all-time record in the conference postseason. He has coached 35 players to All-American honors, as well as three National Players of the Year.
"We are deeply grateful to Coach Tschida for his leadership and all that he has done for our softball program," said Vice President, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Phil Esten. "John has demonstrated a true understanding of comprehensive excellence and has represented the Tommie Purple with class for the past 21 years. Even more impressive than his record is his genuine care for developing students as both athletes and people. We wish him all the best as he begins his time in Winona."
Tschida began his coaching career at Saint Mary's in 1994. He spent six seasons with the Cardinals from 1994 through spring 2000 before beginning his tenure at St. Thomas in the fall of 2000. Combined, his teams have won 999 games with just 193 losses for a winning percentage of .838. He is the winningest coach in NCAA Division softball history, active or retired.
Off the field, Tschida's teams have embodied comprehensive excellence. His players have garnered 17 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. The Tommies are coming off their most successful academic performance in recent years after achieving a 3.63 team GPA during the 2019-20 academic year.
In the community, Tschida has instilled servanthood in the program. The Tommies have been active in community clean up, mentoring, pen pal programs, and much more.
"The University of St. Thomas is making the bold move into Division I and it is an exciting time," finished Tschida. "Although it is the right move for the institution, I have decided to return to my alma mater where my coaching career started and where we won our first national championship. I am a big fan of St. Thomas and am expecting a very successful transition into Division I. I will be proudly wearing purple when I cheer on the Tommies!"
A national search for the next head softball coach will begin in the coming weeks.
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Friday, March 06
Homegrown Tommies: Anya Schmidt
Tuesday, March 03
Pre-Summit League Tournament Press Conference: Tommie Women's Basketball
Monday, March 02
Pre-Summit League Tournament Press Conference: Tommie Men's Basketball
Monday, March 02
