Softball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- crissy-strimple@utulsa.edu
- Phone:
- 918.631.5093
Crissy Strimple is in her fifth season as head softball coach at The University of Tulsa and her 19th year coaching with the Golden Hurricane program.
The Oklahoma native spent two seasons (2002-03) as a Hurricane infielder, four years (2008-11) as an assistant coach and eight years (2012-19) as associate head coach before serving the past four seasons (2020-23) as head coach.
Strimple has been in the Tulsa dugout for a total 634 wins, including an 82-45 record as a player. In her coaching tenure, she has been a part of 552 wins, 10 NCAA tournament appearances, six postseason conference championships, including three each in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference. The Hurricane has also made the conference championship game three more times with Strimple on the coaching staff, including last year’s American Athletic Conference Championship.
Tulsa advanced to the 2023 AAC Championship Game after defeating No. 20-ranked Wichita State in the semifinals, 2-1.
Strimple took over the reins as head coach on June 12, 2019, when John Bargfeldt announced his retirement from head coaching following 14 years at the helm. Strimple stepped into the top role after 14 seasons in the Tulsa dugout as a player and coach.
In her first four years, Strimple’s teams have compiled an 81-85-1 record with five wins against top-25 teams while facing a schedule in that time span that has included eight games against College World Series participants.
Strimple’s first season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The Hurricane had the second-best start in program history at 7-0, trailing only an 8-0 start in 2002, and finished with a 13-11 record in 2020. Three of Tulsa’s setbacks came against top-20 ranked teams while nine were by no more than two runs, including six one-run losses.
In 2021, Strimple guided the Hurricane women to a 25-16 record and a 15-8 mark in The American. Tulsa constructed a season-best eight-game winning streak and downed the 22nd-ranked UCF Knights in three of four matchups. The 2022 team faced a schedule with nine games against top-25 teams and three CWS finalists, including national champion Oklahoma.
During her coaching tenure, Tulsa has had 71 all-conference selections, 32 NFCA all-region recipients and six NFCA All-Americans. Twelve of those all-league recipients have come in the last three seasons under Strimple’s leadership.
As associate head coach (2012-19), Strimple mentored the Tulsa infielders and served as the recruiting coordinator. Her infielders produced six NFCA All-Region selections, 23 all-conference awards and one All-America honor. Strimple was instrumental in the development of Jill Barrett, who claimed three all-conference honors and closed her career as the 2014 Conference USA Player of the Year and a second-team All-American.
After returning to the program in 2008, Strimple coached an infield defense that contributed to two record-setting seasons for fielding percentage and one for fewest errors. The 2010 squad committed a program-low 36 errors, and the 2010 and 2011 teams fielded at a .975 clip, matching the 2005 team for best fielding percentage. The 2017 team nearly matched that mark with a .974 fielding percentage. In that time, the Hurricane offense set eight separate single-season school records, including for batting average, hits, runs, RBI, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Before returning to her alma mater, Strimple spent the 2007 season as an assistant coach at Central Arkansas, where she was responsible for coordination of the Lady Bears’ recruiting efforts and academic progress. She also worked heavily with UCA’s defensive schemes.
Previously, Strimple was the director of softball operations at Arkansas for two seasons (2005-06). Her duties included team travel, equipment, field maintenance and general management of the softball office.
Strimple played third base for TU during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, following a two-year career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. She led the Hurricane with 10 home runs as a senior and was the team’s Offensive Player of the Year in each of her two seasons. Defensively, she established the top two single season assist totals in school history.
At NEO A&M, Strimple became the first freshman in school history to earn first-team NJCAA Region II and All-America honors while starting at shortstop. She was inducted into the NEO Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Strimple graduated from Tulsa in 2003 with a degree in exercise & sports science before earning her master’s degree in education with an emphasis on sports administration in 2006 from Arkansas.
THE STRIMPLE FILE
Hometown: Moore, Okla.
Alma Mater: Tulsa ‘04
Degree: Exercise & Sports Science
Head Coaching Record: 81-85-1 (4 years)
Playing Career:
2000-01 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (shortstop)
2002-03 Tulsa (third base)
Coaching Career:
2005-06 Arkansas (Director of Operations)
2007 Central Arkansas (Assistant Coach)
2008-11 Tulsa (Assistant Coach
2012-19 Tulsa (Associate Head Coach)
2020-pres. Tulsa (Head Coach)
Coaching Highlights:
• Has been a part of coaching 71 all-conference selections, 32 NFCA all-region recipients and six NFCA All-Americans at Tulsa
• As a Tulsa coach, she has been a part of 552 wins, 10 NCAA tournament appearances and six postseason conference championships
• Became the Tulsa head coach on June 12, 2019
• Led her first team in the covid-shortened 2020 season to the second-best start in program history at 7-0
