June 09, 2010
ST. LOUIS, MO. – University of Missouri-St. Louis Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan announced today that Chuck Sosnowski has resigned as the Tritons’ softball coach.
Sosnowski, who recently completed his fifth year at the helm of the program following a one-year stint as an assistant coach, leaves with a 123-129 record (.488), recording more wins than any other UMSL softball coach.
“We want to thank Chuck for all his contributions to the University of Missouri-St. Louis softball program,” said Flanagan. “He provided our student-athletes with a quality experience at UMSL both on and off the field. Chuck was not just a teacher of the sport of softball, but also helped prepare his players for life after college. This program flourished under his guidance and we wish him nothing but continued success in his future endeavors.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent with the UMSL softball program the last six years, as well as the chance to compete in the highly-competitive Great Lakes Valley Conference,” said Sosnowski. “I would like to thank the University for the opportunity they gave me in resurrecting this program. I wish the best to the program and believe UMSL softball will see continued success in the future.”
Since Sosnowski’s appointment as head coach in 2006, the program has seen vast improvement. After going 33-63 in his first two seasons, Sosnowski directed the program to three straight winning seasons and a record of 90-66.
This past season, Sosnowski guided the program to another 20-win season and its third straight Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament appearance, finishing with a 26-21 record, including a 15-11 league mark. Offensively, the squad shattered numerous school offensive records, including team batting average (.312), home runs in a season (59) and slugging percentage (.508). Additionally, the 250 RBIs recorded were the second most in program history, while its 275 runs scored were the third most.
Under his direction, senior Katie Bartlett earned second team Academic All-American honors, while senior Meaghan Bauer and junior JaCee Ellis earned all-region honors in addition to first team all-GLVC honors. Junior Karey Kruse was a second team all-conference honoree.
Sosnowki’s most successful season came in 2009 when he led the program to its first NCAA Regional bid in 20 years and an overall record of 36-19 – the second most wins in program history. UMSL achieved a national ranking of No. 15 mid-way through the season and claimed its first-ever regular season GLVC title. For his efforts, Sosnowski was named GLVC Coach of the Year.
That season, Sosnowski also coached senior ace Allyson DeFosset to GLVC Pitcher of the Year, Daktronics Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year and Daktronics Third Team All-American honors. Senior Kelly Essner also earned first team all-GLVC accolades.
In 2008, Sosnowski guided UMSL to a 28-26 overall record – it’s first winning season since 2002 - and its first GLVC Tournament appearance since 2005. There, the Tritons posted a 2-2 mark. He also coached senior Megan Riggs to third team all-GLVC honors.
In 2007, he led a revamped offense that set numerous then-school records, including most home runs in a season (32) and most players (10) on one team hitting a home run in the same season. The .292 team batting average during the 2007 season was the highest for an UMSL team since the 1999 season and was the fifth highest in school history. The .429 slugging percentage set a new school team record and the 230 runs scored were the third highest in school history. The team finished with a 20-30 record, recording the most wins since the 2004 team.
Senior Alex Pepin earned second team all-GLVC honors that season under the guidance of Sosnowski – the first UMSL player to receive all-conference honors since 2003.
In his first season, UMSL went 13-33.
Prior to working at UMSL, Sosnowski served as the head softball coach at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., for two seasons. He led the team to the NJCAA Region III Championship in 2002 and finished runner-up at the NJCAA Division III National Tournament. Sosnowski earned Mountain Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2002 as well.
Sosnowski served two stints on the coaching staff at Herkimer County Community College in Herkimer, N.Y. He served as the assistant coach in 1990 and the head coach in 1991. After a four-year break, he returned to serve as the head coach from 1996 through 1998. In all four seasons as head coach at Herkimer (1991, 1996–1998) he guided the team to the Mountain Valley Conference Championship.
Sosnowski earned Mountain Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors three consecutive seasons, 1996, 1997 and 1998, and was named the NJCAA Region III Coach of the Year in 1996 and again in 1998. He led the team to an NJCAA Region II Championship in 1996 and a runner up finish in 1998. In 1998, he led the team to a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division III National Tournament. In his six seasons as a head coach at the junior college level, he has compiled a career record of 168-52, including a 41-win season at Herkimer in 1998.
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