Cyclone Softball Camps - Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler

In her second season as Iowa State head coach, Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler continued to reshape the Iowa State softball program into one that can compete in the Big 12, leading the 2007 ISU team to its most wins since the 1989 season. The Cyclones’ 24-40 record included a sweep of Big 12 foe Kansas, marking the first series sweep in conference play by the Cyclones since 2003. The final record doesn’t properly portray the steps taken by the team to become a factor in league play as Iowa State was led in many statistical categories by underclassmen during the 2007 campaign.

In season two under Gemeinhardt-Cesler, the coach’s philosophy of blending speed and power began to take shape on the field as Iowa State nearly doubled its stolen base numbers from the previous year with 63 steals. The improved speed didn’t hinder their power as the Cyclones’ hit 24 homers, the most since 2002.

Individually, Kristy Olsen swiped 17 bases, which is second in school history, and four players belted five or more home runs for the first time in school history. Three of ISU’s top four hitters in 2007 were freshmen, with Alex Johnson racking up a freshman-record 62 hits en route to earning second-team all-Big 12 honors. Johnson had a team-high six homers and tied for the squad lead with 13 doubles during her rookie season. She became the third player to earn all-league honors since Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s arrival at Iowa State.

Injuries to ISU’s pitching staff greatly hindered the Cyclones during non-conference play as four-year starter Alyssa Ransom missed 12 games. Iowa State struggled early in the season. Ransom did earn Big 12 Pitcher-of-the-Week accolades after earning the win in both of ISU’s victories over Kansas. Ransom is the third player under Gemeinhardt-Cesler to be honored by the conference. In the nine years prior to Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s tenure as ISU head coach, the Cyclones garnered two player-of-the-week honors.

For the second-straight season, ISU paced the league in academic all-Big 12 honorees with seven. In two seasons, Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s squads have placed a league-high 16 student-athletes on the list.

In her first season in Ames, ISU showed improvement in nearly every hitting category, including a jump in batting average from just .208 in 2005 to .250 in 2006, the highest team batting average since 2002. Eight ISU hitters had an improved batting average, including all-Big 12 catcher Ashley Killeen, whose average jumped from .257 to .336.

The teams that Gemeinhardt-Cesler has coached throughout her career have displayed a rare blend of speed and power. In her first year at the helm of the ISU program, the Cyclones improved their power numbers and ran the bases more aggressively, en route to the most stolen bases (35) and home runs (19) since 2003.

The Cyclones’ first season under Gemeinhardt-Cesler included wins over No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 16 Nebraska and No. 22 Oklahoma in consecutive Big 12 series. Against the Aggies, ISU showed off its improved offense, pounding out a Big 12 school-record 14 runs in the six-inning win.

Ashley Killeen and Jennifer Bigbee were named all-Big 12, while Killeen joined Katie Reichling on the NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team.

Iowa State also placed a league-high nine student-athletes on the academic all-Big 12 teams.

Gemeinhardt-Cesler, a two-time Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Coach of the Year selection at Division II Emporia State, compiled a 153-76 record (.668) in just four seasons at ESU. Hired as a graduate assistant coach in August 2001, Gemeinhardt-Cesler took over the Hornet program in November following the retirement of Jo Kord and posted a 19-25 mark in her first season. She earned 2003 MIAA Coach of the Year honors after leading her squad to a 37-20 record and a runner-up finish at the MIAA championship. The Hornets returned to the national rankings for the first time since 1996, recording the largest single-season turnaround in program history.

Emporia State won the 2004 MIAA tournament title and earned an NCAA Tournament berth en route to a 43-18 record, the second-most wins in school history. Four Hornets earned all-region recognition, while nine were NFCA Scholar-Athletes.

Gemeinhardt-Cesler earned 2005 league coach-of-the-year honors after a record-breaking season that resulted in a 54-13 record. The Hornets won the MIAA regular-season and tournament championships, logging a league-record 30 shutouts and 54 wins. ESU advanced to the NCAA North Central Regional final, just missing the national tournament with a 4-0 loss to Concordia. Five Hornets earned first-team all-MIAA honors and all-region selections. ESU was ranked as high as eighth nationally.

The Hornet record book was rewritten during Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s tenure, including the school marks for wins, home runs, runs scored, stolen bases and shutouts. Her players set the single-season mark for strikeouts, hits, doubles, RBI and stolen bases. Pitcher Melissa Stevens was named the league’s 2005 MVP and earned NFCA All-America honors. She was tabbed the MIAA Freshman of the Year in Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s second season.

Gemeinhardt-Cesler, a two-time all-conference performer at Missouri, began her coaching career as a student assistant at her alma mater, spending one season on the Tiger bench. The outfielder was a two-time team MVP for Missouri and earned all-region honors three times. A three-time Big 12 Conference all-tournament selection, Gemeinhardt-Cesler also earned NSCA and ASA All-America recognition, as well as academic All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She finished her career ranked among the top 10 in nine career statistical categories, helping the Tigers make two NCAA regional appearances and earn the 1997 Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament championships. Gemeinhardt-Cesler earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Missouri in 2001 and a master’s of business administration from Emporia State in 2004.

Gemeinhardt-Cesler and her husband, Jeff Cesler, were married in December of 2006 and reside in Ames.

Gary Hines

In his third season as an assistant coach at Iowa State, Gary Hines’ positive impact on the Cyclone pitching staff has been repeatedly demonstrated.

Under Hines, Iowa State’s pitchers struck out 323 hitters last season, up 71 from the 2006 campaign. The total also ranks as the second most in Iowa State single-season history. The staff’s control also showed improvement as ISU allowed just 93 walks after allowing 113 in 2006. Alyssa Ransom wrapped up her career with a career-best 138 strikeouts and 12 wins while posting a 2.71 ERA. After Hines’ arrival at ISU, Ransom’s ERA dropped from 3.00 in her first two seasons to 2.57 during the final two years of her career.

In 2006, Hines’ first season with the team, ISU improved in nearly every category. The Cyclones’ team ERA dropped to 2.52, the lowest since 2003. The Cyclones also struck out 109 more batters than in 2005, while holding opponents to a .265 batting average.

When head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler was looking for an assistant coach to work with the pitching staff, she went with a familiar face in Hines. Hines came to Iowa State after serving as a pitching consultant for Gemeinhardt’s Emporia State teams since 2002.

Hines has an impressive résumé of producing top-notch pitching staffs. He served as an assistant at Kansas from 1976-1988, coaching eight all-conference pitchers during his tenure with the Jayhawks under former KU head coach Bob Stanclift.

Hines has been involved with softball for over 30 years as a player or coach. Hines, a Russell, Kan., native, served as pitching coach for the Kansas City Fusion 18 and under team from 2001-05. His summer teams have all qualified for national tournaments, with recent finishes of ninth at the USSSA nationals and fifth at the ASA Northern nationals in 2005. Five of his former players went on to pitch in the collegiate ranks.

While serving as an assistant and consultant, Hines spent the last 15 years as the Athletic Fields Supervisor in Lawrence, Kan. His duties included supervising six full-time and 20 part-time employees while being responsible for 2,000 acres of park land, including three athletic complexes.

Hines is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in addition to the National Sports Turf Managers Association. He also holds membership with MOKAN STMA and the Youth Sports Incorporated Management Board.

Hines has over 15 years of experience playing fastpitch.

Crystal Turner

Crystal Turner, a graduate of Ohio University and accomplished player and coach, enters her third year on Iowa State head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s staff.

Turner works primarily with the infielders and serves as the recruiting coordinator.

Turner’s work as a recruiting coordinator has paid off as three of Iowa State’s top four hitters last season were freshmen that were recruited by the current staff. Alex Johnson was a second-team all-Big 12 selection during her freshman campaign after leading ISU with a .320 batting average and racking up 62 hits. She is just the second player in school-history to top 60 hits in a season.

Having previously coached against Turner, it came as no surprise that Gemeinhardt-Cesler offered Turner a position on her first staff.

Turner came to Iowa State after three seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern. While coaching the Lions, Turner was in charge of many of the everyday functions of the softball program, including organizing practice plans and serving as the recruting coordinator.

Turner’s players accomplished numerous feats both on the field and in the classroom. She coached seven all-MIAA performers, five commissioner honor roll student-athletes and a presidential scholar while assisting on the Lions’ coaching staff.

Turner served as a softball clinician in Kansas City, Mo., in the summer of 2000, working with a variety of age groups, giving instructions on the basic fundamentals of softball.

Turner, the Bobcats’ starting shortstop, was selected as Defensive Player of the Year during her senior season at Ohio. The Raytown, Mo., native also served as a Senior Board Member in 2003 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in adventure recreation.

Turner was a four-year member of the Raytown High School softball team, earning all-state honors at shortstop as a junior and senior. She was also selected as the team’s Top Offensive Player in her junior and senior campaigns.

Turner played summer ball for the HiBoy Pride (1994-96) and Desoto Belles (1996-99).