MOORHEAD - Chris Coste announced that he will step down as head coach of the Concordia baseball program at the end of the 2023 season.
"I have come to the decision that it is time for me to step down at the end of the season," Coste said. "This wasn't an easy decision to make as Concordia holds a special place for me and I have loved being the head coach more than I can put into words. As college coaches we try to have a positive influence on our student athletes, but I can easily say the student-athletes I have been blessed to be around the last nine years have impacted me more and have made me a better person each and every day."
Coste is currently in his ninth season as head coach of the Cobbers. During that time he has put together a 140-127 overall record and a 72-67 mark in conference play.
The Cobbers are coming off a 2022 season that saw the team finish in a tie for fourth place in the league standings and advance to the MIAC tournament in seven years.
Coste's top finish as head coach came in his very first year in 2015, when he guided Concordia to a second-place finish in conference play with a 12-6 record. CC went on to the semifinal game of the tournament, and finished the year with a 26-11 record.
Coste was named the head coach for Concordia in the summer of 2014 after serving as the assistant coach for Bucky Burgau for three seasons.
I also want to thank Bucky (former head coach Bucky Burgau) and everyone at Concordia, Coste added. Bucky has been instrumental in my baseball career, both as a player and as a coach, and I will miss being with him on a daily basis."
Coste, who was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, played third base and pitcher for Concordia during the mid 1990's. He earned three consecutive All-American awards and still holds the school record for career batting average and career earned run average. Coste helped the Cobbers win the MIAC championship in 1995. The 1995 squad finished second at the NCAA Midwest Regional, and is the only Concordia team to win 30 games in a single season.
Coste went on to play professionally, and played for the Philadelphia Phillies when they won the World Series in 2008.
He also played in the major leagues for the Houston Astros, New York Mets and Washington Nationals organizations. Coste appeared in 299 Major League Baseball games and has a lifetime MLB average of .272.