Christi Musser was hired as the 10th Head Coach in Charleston Southern's softball history in January 2021. She took over the Buccaneers’ reins with 17 years of Division I softball coaching experience under her belt; including stops at the University of Kansas, the University of New Mexico, and Grand Canyon University
Musser wrapped up her fourth season at the helm in 2024, finishing with a 23-27 record and was 9-9 in conference play, which earned her team a spot in the Big South Tournament as a No. 4 seed.
The Buccaneers had six players receive conference honors at the end of the season, which was the most representatives since 2017. The list included two players in Gracie Prince and Nealy Lamb make the first team, Madelyne Lee and Carsten Sandvig on the second team and BriAnna Brooks, who was an honorable mention. Musser was also involved in the recruitment of Nealy Lamb, who became the first player in Big South history to be named Big South All-Freshman, Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Conference and Pitcher of the Year.
In 2023, where her team finished with an overall record of 22-27 and their best conference record during her tenure at 11-9, winning five of their final six games. That was good enough for a top-four finish in the conference and a trip to the Big South Tournament.
Under her watch, the 2023 squad was second in the Big South with a .963 fielding percentage and had a team ERA of 3.99. She had one player, RHP Annah Junge, earn conference honors, as Junge was named Second-Team All-Big South as well as Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year.
In 2022, Musser's squad finished with their most wins since 2014 with 27, upping their win total in 2021 by 16. The 2022 season included a win over ACC foe Virginia in the CSU Buc Up Tournament. After sweeping Hampton in the final series of the regular season, the Bucs finished with a conference record of 12-13 and earned a No. 5 seed in the Big South Tournament.
Her team finished fourth in the conference that year with a .264 batting average and third in the conference with a .962 fielding percentage. She had one player named to the Big South All-Conference team. That was Ashley Meckley, who owned a .292 batting average and .407 slugging percentage. Three other CSU hitters had batting averages over .300, including Lilly Bishop (.344), Raleigh Lewis (.333) and Taylor Gleason (.306).
Musser's first season in 2021 saw the Bucs hit .255 as a team with 58 extra-base hits in 35 games. CSU baserunners were caught stealing just twice all season (40-42), the fewest total in the Big South. Ashley Meckley became the first Buc to reach double-digit home runs in three years, while Brooklynn Brewington earned first team all-conference honors at second base.
A four-star master coach as recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Conference, Prior to arriving in Charleston, Musser spent six years on the coaching staff. at Grand Canyon University, where she served as the associate head coach from 2015-2020. 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).
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.
Musser also spent time in New Mexico, where she was the state's 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.She also was on the staff at New Mexico, where she was the hitting instructor for a Lobo squad that led the nation with 96 home runs in 2012.
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.
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.
Musser graduated from Kansas in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management.
