CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern Director of Athletics Jeff Barber announced Christi Musser has been named the new head softball coach on Friday evening.

Musser becomes the 10th CSU head softball coach in program history. She takes over the Buccaneers' reins bringing 17 years of Division I softball coaching experience with stops at the University of Kansas, the University of New Mexico, and Grand Canyon University.

"We are extremely excited to have Christi take over the reins of Buccaneer softball," Barber said. "Her faith and testimony are a perfect match for our university and her 17 years of D1 experience will be a huge ingredient to our growth. Ten days ago, I said that I was confident God already had the right person in place for this position. Little did I know at that time that Christi was the coach He had chosen."

A four-star master coach as recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Conference, Musser comes to the Buccaneers after a six-year coaching stint at Grand Canyon University where she served as the associate head coach from August 2015-May 2020. Her efforts as both the hitting instructor and outfield coach helped pace GCU to becoming one of the top hitting teams in the NCAA in both batting average and doubles.

From 2016-18, the Lopes were ranked among the top-15 hitting teams in the NCAA Division I in batting average, finishing sixth overall in 2016 (.342). GCU also finished in the top-eight in doubles per game, ranking second overall in the country in 2016 (1.88) and fourth in 2017 (1.62).

Musser looks forward to making her mark on the CSU softball program as she takes over the reins heading into the 2021 season.

"I couldn't be more excited to be a named the head softball coach at Charleston Southern University," Musser said. "I love the family atmosphere, the focus on faith, and truly believe in the vision and mission of the University. I look forward to being a part of the CSU family. I want to thank Athletic Director Jeff Barber and SWA Lisa Gilmore for this great opportunity."

During her tenure at GCU, Musser was a part of a staff that earned the program's first Division I era victory over a nationally-No. 1 ranked team of any program at GCU (Florida State, March 6, 2019), while also helping the program tally its eighth 30-win season. She coached three All-Conference players with the Lopes, including a pair of First Team All-WAC outfielders in the 2018 season with Laynee Gomez and Bianca Boling both earning the recognition.

Prior to her time at GCU, Musser served as the New Mexico state director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Over her year and a half with the organization, she helped create the strategic vision plan for the state, while also training and equipping the staff, volunteers, and board members to carry out the organization's ministry goals.

Musser's first collegiate coaching position came at her alma mater, Kansas, from 2003 to 2010. She assisted the Jayhawks on the field as a hitting instructor and served as recruiting coordinator during her tenure. She then joined the staff at New Mexico in July 2010 and enjoyed a successful three-year run that included serving as the hitting instructor for a Lobo squad that, in 2012, led the nation with 96 home runs. 

During her playing career at Kansas, Musser earned All-American honors in 2002 as an outfielder and was a four-time All-Big 12 selection. In her senior season, she hit .354 with 35 runs, 30 RBI, and nine home runs, while also earning All-Region and All-Big 12 honors.

During the summers of her college career, Musser played three seasons in the Women's Major for the Arizona Storm, winning a national championship in 1999 and finishing as a runner-up in 2000.

CSU will announce the 2021 softball schedule in the coming weeks.