UMBC Softball Builds New Foundation as Chris Stelma Announces Coaching Staff
The rebuilding process for the UMBC softball program took another major step Wednesday as head coach Chris Stelma announced the coaching staff that will help lead the Retrievers into their next chapter.
Taylor Turner and Mike Suppa will join Stelma on the UMBC staff, giving the Retrievers a group with experience in pitching development, defense, recruiting and program building.
For a UMBC program attempting to establish stability and a new identity following a turbulent 2026 season, assembling the right staff was one of Stelma’s most important early assignments.
“I am beyond excited to welcome Coach Taylor and Coach Mike to our staff,” Stelma said in UMBC’s announcement. “They bring a great balance of knowledge of the game as well as a strong desire to develop and care for our Student-Athletes.”
The hires also provide Stelma with familiarity.
Turner worked with Stelma at Oakland University, while Suppa comes from Saint Peter’s, the program Stelma led for eight seasons before taking the Oakland job.
Turner brings pitching development experience
Turner could become an important addition for UMBC’s pitching staff.
She spent the past two seasons working with Stelma at Oakland after completing her collegiate playing career. Her results with the Golden Grizzlies provide UMBC with a strong indication of what she can bring to the Retrievers.
During the 2026 season, Oakland had two pitchers earn First Team All-Horizon League recognition. The Golden Grizzlies also produced a no-hitter, defeated Big Ten opponent Michigan State and had two different pitchers earn Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honors.
One pitcher received the weekly award twice, while another earned it once.
Turner also helped develop a Second Team All-Horizon League and All-Freshman Team pitcher during the 2025 season.
That kind of pitching development could be particularly valuable as Stelma works to build a roster capable of competing consistently in the America East.
Turner also brings considerable playing experience.
She spent three seasons at Miami University in Ohio before playing her final collegiate season at Bowling Green State University. Turner served on her team’s leadership committee and developed experience working with younger players through Total Sports facilities in Wixom, Michigan, and Rossford, Ohio.
Her work there included instruction in pitching and hitting.
Turner now gets an opportunity to continue working alongside Stelma while taking on a significant role in UMBC’s rebuilding process.
“I am beyond grateful for the privilege and the opportunity to join and represent the UMBC softball program,” Turner said. “I am looking forward to hitting the ground running with our student-athletes, continuing to build a strong culture, and working with a coaching staff that believes in the vision of UMBC Athletics.”
Suppa adds defense, recruiting experience
Suppa gives the Retrievers a different skill set.
He spent the previous two seasons at Saint Peter’s, where he focused on defensive coordination and outfield development. During his tenure, Suppa helped develop an All-MAAC Rookie Team outfielder.
His background stretches beyond college softball.
Suppa previously served as an assistant baseball coach at Vernon Township High School, contributing to a program that won two Freedom Division Conference championships.
He also worked as the head baseball recruiter for County College of Morris.
That recruiting experience could become especially important at UMBC.
College softball roster construction has changed considerably with the increased importance of the transfer portal, but traditional recruiting remains critical. UMBC can draw from a productive softball region that includes Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware.
Suppa’s previous recruiting relationships throughout the high school and travel-ball landscape should give Stelma another resource as the Retrievers reshape the roster.
Suppa has also worked within the Sussex County Miners organization and with Kaboom Softball and Baseball, focusing on player development and training.
He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a degree in business administration, concentrating in marketing with a minor in advertising.
“I’m extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the UMBC softball program,” Suppa said. “I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to the program, building strong relationships with our student-athletes, and doing everything I can to help continue building on the success and culture at UMBC.”
Stelma assembling staff for significant rebuild
The formation of the coaching staff represents another important checkpoint since UMBC hired Stelma in July.
Stelma arrived in Catonsville following two seasons as Oakland’s head coach.
His second Oakland team went 25-24 overall and 9-9 in Horizon League play, improving its win total by seven games from his first season. Oakland also defeated Michigan State and produced six All-Horizon League selections, including three First Team selections.
Maggie Murphy earned NFCA Great Lakes All-Region honors while playing for Stelma.
The Oakland results followed a lengthy rebuilding job at Saint Peter’s.
Stelma spent eight seasons leading the Peacocks and eventually turned a struggling program into a consistent winner.
Saint Peter’s had not recorded a 20-win season since 2007 before Stelma guided the Peacocks to consecutive seasons with at least 20 victories.
The breakthrough included a 30-win season in 2023, Saint Peter’s first since 2002.
Stelma earned MAAC Coach of the Year honors in 2022 after the Peacocks improved their win total by 20 games. From 2022 through 2024, Saint Peter’s accumulated 68 victories, its best three-year total since 2003.
That résumé matters because UMBC is not simply looking for a coach to manage an established contender.
The Retrievers need someone capable of rebuilding.
UMBC looking for a fresh start
The 2026 season became one of the most unusual and difficult seasons in the history of UMBC softball.
UMBC canceled the remainder of its season on March 31 after the athletic department determined it did not have enough participating student-athletes to safely continue competition.
The Retrievers had last played March 15.
Former Catholic University head coach Bruce McConkey was slated to guide UMBC on an interim basis before the remainder of the schedule was canceled. He remained in that role until the school conducted its search for a permanent head coach.
UMBC ultimately selected Stelma.
That background makes Wednesday’s staff announcement more significant than the typical offseason addition of assistant coaches.
UMBC is essentially establishing a new foundation.
Stelma needs to rebuild trust, develop the roster, establish expectations and ultimately return the Retrievers to contention in the America East.
Turner and Suppa will play important roles in that process.
A program with a foundation to build upon
UMBC softball has demonstrated in the past that it can compete at a high level in the America East.
The challenge now is creating stability and returning the program to a position where conference championships and postseason appearances become realistic goals again.
Stelma’s history suggests he understands how to build programs gradually rather than looking for an instant turnaround.
His work at Saint Peter’s may be the best example.
The Peacocks did not become a 30-win program overnight. Stelma built the roster, developed players and eventually created one of the best stretches the program had enjoyed in decades.
Turner already understands his system after coaching with him at Oakland.
Suppa, meanwhile, has experience in a Saint Peter’s environment that Stelma helped shape.
Those connections should allow UMBC’s new coaching staff to establish its culture more quickly.
There will still be considerable work ahead.
The Retrievers need to develop their current players, recruit effectively and establish consistency after the disruption of last season. Results should ultimately determine the success of the new era, but building the organizational structure comes first.
UMBC now has that structure in place.
Chris Stelma is the head coach.
Taylor Turner will bring her pitching background and existing familiarity with Stelma’s approach.
Mike Suppa brings defensive instruction, player development and recruiting experience.
Together, they will be responsible for writing the next chapter of UMBC softball.
MSB Take
UMBC did not need a cosmetic change after what happened during the 2026 season. The Retrievers needed a legitimate reset, and the early moves under Chris Stelma look like they are being made with that understanding.
I particularly like the addition of Taylor Turner.
Pitching can change a softball program quickly, and Turner’s results at Oakland are encouraging. Having two First Team All-Horizon League pitchers in the same season is noteworthy, and her previous experience working directly with Stelma should make the transition easier.
Suppa is also an intriguing hire because his background complements Turner’s. UMBC is getting someone who has coached defense, developed outfielders and worked extensively in recruiting.
Most importantly, Stelma is surrounding himself with coaches who appear to fit his developmental philosophy.
Nobody should expect UMBC to completely erase the difficulties of 2026 overnight. Rebuilding a college program requires recruiting, player development, culture and patience.
But there is a difference between simply saying a program is beginning a new era and actually constructing one.
With Stelma, Turner and Suppa now in place, UMBC softball has started putting the pieces together.
For the first time since the 2026 season ended prematurely, the focus can begin shifting away from what happened and toward what UMBC softball can become.
