Staff

Chrissy Schoonmaker - Head Coach

Chrissy Schoonmaker was named the third Head Coach in Houston Softball history on June 10, 2025, following four seasons as the head coach at George Washington where she led the Buff and Blue to a 113-92 record and the 2022 Atlantic 10 regular-season championship in her first season at the helm.

In 2025, Schoonmaker tutored her second A-10 Pitcher of the Year in four seasons while guiding George Washington to the 25th-best ERA in the nation and leading the A-10 in ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, shutouts, strikeouts per seven innings and WHIP. Previously in 2024, Schoonmaker guided the Buff and Blue to the top spot in the A-10 in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and scoring.

Over four seasons at George Washington, Schoonmaker led GW to two 30+ win seasons and turned the Revolutionaries around from 17 wins in 2023 to 27 victories in 2024 and 33 wins in 2025, a 16-win improvement over the last two years.

Schoonmaker rejoins the Big 12 Conference after beginning her coaching career at Texas Tech in 2012 and has mentored 18 All-Conference selections, two Pitchers of the Year and a Player of the Year.

Led by NFCA All-American Sierra Lange and A-10 Player of the Year Alexa Williams, GW went 36-17 in 2022, including a 21-3 mark in conference play, and advanced to the A-10 Championship final before concluding its season at the National Invitational Softball Championship in Fort Collins, Colo.

After a 6-10 start, the group surged down the stretch by winning 27 of 30 to finish the regular season, highlighted by a 13-game winning streak which tied a program record.

The Buff and Blue finished the regular season ranked among the top 100 nationally in RPI and ended up among the national leaders in several statistical categories. They were recognized for a memorable spring with Lange and Williams pacing a program-record five All-Conference First-Team selections.

A veteran leader with more than a decade of experience at the highest levels of the sport, Schoonmaker arrived at Houston for her second head coach position after four years at GW and assistant coach stints at Harvard, UConn, Houston, Texas Tech and her alma mater South Carolina.

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Jeff Cottrill – Assistant Coach

Jeff Cottrill, a long-time hitting coach with stops at Missouri and Oklahoma State, has joined the University of Houston Softball staff, Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker announced Wednesday.

"I am super excited to get started," Cottrill said. "I want to thank Coach Schoonmaker and the University of Houston for this opportunity. It was evident early in our discussions that Chrissy and I share the same philosophies and values in coaching which will allow our staff to provide and promote a positive experience for our student-athletes."

Cottrill most recently served as the hitting coach at Mizzou after a stop at Oklahoma State where he spent time as assistant coach and director of operations. Cottrill has been a part of a Power Four staff since beginning his collegiate coaching career in 2017.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jeff and his family to Houston," Schoonmaker said. "Jeff has immense experience at the highest levels of collegiate softball and his knowledge and experience will immediately impact our student-athletes. Jeff has a passion for developing young people, he has deep recruiting ties both in Texas and nationally and when you pair that with his commitment to excellence — it makes him a perfect fit for this program. Jeff is a proven coach with a desire to build the Houston program into a contender. It's an exciting time to be a Houston Cougar and we are excited to welcome Jeff to the coaching staff."

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Nyree White – Assistant Coach

Nyree White, who played at Stanford from 2012-14 and spent time in both the U.S. Women's National Team and New Zealand National Team systems, has joined the University of Houston Softball coaching staff, Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker announced Tuesday.

"I couldn't be more excited to be a part of the Houston Softball staff and to help elevate the program to the next level," White said. "I'd like to thank Coach Schoonmaker for the opportunity, and I can't wait to get in the bullpen with the pitchers to get to work!"

"We are thrilled to welcome Nyree to Houston," Schoonmaker said. "Nyree has an extensive and proven background in player and pitching development and we are excited to see her get to work with our bullpen. Her experience both collegiately and internationally as a player will serve our student-athletes well and we look forward to seeing our battery thrive under her direction. Nyree has deep ties to Texas, knows the region well and will be a valuable addition to our coaching staff."

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Jordan Gontram – Assistant Coach

Jordan Gontram, who served on Houston Softball Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker's staff at George Washington, has joined the Cougar staff, the team announced Thursday.

"I want to thank Chrissy for the opportunity to join her staff at Houston," Gontram said. "I am extremely grateful for our time spent together at George Washington and look forward to building something special here. Her vision for the program is something that I believe in wholeheartedly, and I'm excited to help bring that vision to life."

Gontram arrives in Houston following a two-season stint with George Washington where she worked under Schoonmaker as an outfield and hitting coach and a year as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III William Paterson University.

"We are overjoyed to welcome Jordan to our coaching staff. Jordan and I had the opportunity to work side by side the last two years and I've had a front row seat to the excellence that she brings to a program," Schoonmaker said. "Her passion and enthusiasm for teaching, recruiting and elite player development make her a perfect fit as we transition to Houston.

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Danielle Schoenly – Director of Operations

JDanielle Schoenly, a 2025 Ohio State Tennis graduate and daughter of long-time softball head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly, has joined Houston Softball Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker's staff as Director of Operations, the program announced Monday.

"I'm honored to join the University of Houston Softball program as the Director of Operations," Schoenly said. "I want to thank Coach Schoonmaker for this incredible opportunity. I'm excited to support such a competitive team and passionate staff and I look forward to contributing behind the scenes to help the program thrive on and off the field. Go Coogs!"

Schoenly bring a wealth of experience in operations to Schoonmaker's staff highlighted with her first-hand knowledge of a collegiate athletics team as a student-athlete and as daughter of Kovach Schoenly, who spent 18 years leading collegiate softball programs, including 12 at Ohio State.

"We are thrilled to welcome Danielle to our staff," Schoonmaker said. "As a former collegiate student-athlete she brings a wealth of knowledge to our program. She has first-hand knowledge of how to operate a program at a high level, experience coordinating team events, knows what goes on behind the scenes and she has a drive for excellence which aligns with our program vision. Danielle stood out through the process with her organization, her communication skillset, her knowledge of our sport and her experience around successful programs. We are looking forward to introducing her to our team and know she will be a valuable asset to our program."

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