The 2023 season will be Coach McKnight's second at the helm for Franciscan.
In McKnight's first season, he led freshman Kimberly McDaniels to earning PAC Player of the Year honors. McDaniels is the first player in program history to earn Conference Player of the Year honors, as well as being the first freshman to earn First Team All-Conference recognition. The team picked up their first wins in program history against Geneva and Westminster while numerous young players made strides. Three seniors reach 100 hits in their career this season, as Jenny Massey, Rachel Cooper, and Chloe Cross joined the exclsuive 100 hit club at Franciscan.
He is the Lady Barons' seventh head coach since the program's inception in 2009 when his hiring was announced in January of 2022.
"We are thrilled to bring on Chris as our next softball head coach," said Franciscan Director of Athletics Scott Greve. "He brings with him great success as a player and years of coaching experience with various with players of all ages. We are very excited to have him on board, and he will hit the ground running with the season less than two months away."
McKnight has coached over sixty athletic teams over the years. This includes recreational softball, recreational basketball, travel basketball, AAU basketball and travel softball. He coached for the Pittsburgh Power travel softball organization in 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U and 18+. These Pittsburgh Power teams won twelve tournaments and finished second in six tournaments in a multi-state area.
During his playing time at Penn State's main campus, McKnight was named MVP of the team his senior year. That season he batted .379, best on the team, and led the Nittany Lions in hits and RBIs.
In addition to his coaching experience, McKnight has worked in industrial sales for 40 years based in the Pittsburgh area with responsibilities nationally. He currently resides in Venetia, Pennsylvania where he works as an independent contractor for his own company. McKnight earned his Master of Business Administration from Robert Morris University in 1994. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Penn State University in 1980.
Year by Year Results at Franciscan
| Year |
Record |
Pct. |
PAC |
Postseason |
| 2022 |
7-23 |
.233 |
3-15 / 10th |
|
| Total |
7-23 |
.233 |
3-15 (.167) |
|
Updated 7/6/22
