Lakeland College

Softball Coaches

Chad Buchmann
Head Coach

Coach Buchmann enters his sixth season as Lakeland's head coach. He is a graduate of Sheboygan North High School and of Lakeland College ('98 and '09).

Over the past four seasons, Buchmann's Muskies have averaged over 21 wins a season and are 66-20 against Northern Athletics Conference opponents.

In 2009, the Muskies were an impressive 30-10 overall and 21-3 in the NAC, good for second place. The season also left numerous marks on the college's record books. The 30 wins surpassed the season record his Muskies set in 2007 of 27 wins; their winning streak of 23 games in a row surpassed the 1994 record of 15; the team's 34 home runs is a school record; and Buchmann has moved into second all-time in coaching wins at Lakeland with 103.

Nationally, the 2009 Muskies ranked first in the nation among NCAA Division III teams in triples per game, first in slugging percentage, third in doubles per game, eighth in scoring and 10th in the nation in team batting average. In the NAC, the Muskies led in nearly every statistical category including triples (20), doubles (58), walks (82), hits (262) and batting average (.394). The 2009 NAC batting and home run champion was also Muskie (KC Blahnik)

Since 2004, three players have received All-Region recognition, nine players have received All-Conference recognition multiple times and six different players have been named to the All-Rookie team. Two different Muskies have been the conferences batting champions since 2006, and in 2009, the Player of the Year in the NAC was a Muskie (KC Blahnik).

During the summers, Buchmann serves as a head coach for USAAI College Softball organization, which competes internationally. He has guided teams to two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Locally, he is a founding member and the coaching coordinator of Sheboygan's only youth girls ASA competitive fastpitch program.

Coach Buchmann returned home to LC in 2004 after a two-year stint in Jamestown, N.D. The Jimmies won a school-record 41 games in his first year and had five all-conference selections that year. In two seasons with the Jimmies, his career record at Jamestown College was 65-41.

Buchmann and his wife, Amy, have a two-year-old son named Brady. Amy is a native of Menomonee Falls and is a UW-Madison School of Nursing graduate. Currently, Amy is a nurse coordinator working in Sheboygan. She also held positions as a nursing instructor at Jamestown College and a nurse at the Mayo Clinic. She finished her master's in nursing in the summer of 2005 and Coach Buchmann completed his master of education in 2009.

The Buchmanns, who reside in Sheboygan, enjoy spending time with their two dogs, Magnus (dachshund) and Regal (beagle).

Coaching Record

Contact Head Coach Chad Buchmann

Jody Monson
Assistant Coach

Coach Monson enters her second season as graduate assistant coach with the Lakeland softball program.

Monson is a graduate of the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.), where she earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science with an emphasis in fitness leadership and the science of sport. She brings four years of championship softball experience to the Muskies' coaching staff, highlighted by a trip to the national tournament in 2005. With her extensive pitching knowledge, she will work primarily with the pitchers.

"Jody is knowledgeable and likes the strategy side of the game," Lakeland head softball coach Chad Buchmann said. "Her championship experiences will help her make coaching adjustments, as well as help our program reach our goal of making the NCAA tournament."

Monson was a vital member of the University of Sioux Falls team that ended up making the school's first ever national tournament, where she picked up the school's only win at a national tournament. She was a pitcher and four-year starter with a career winning percentage of .700. She was a two time all-conference player and 2005 regional MVP.

Off the field, Coach Monson was involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, exercise science club, and coached various levels of travel summer softball teams for four years. Coach Monson is currently working towards her masters in theology. She grew up in South Dakota where she is the youngest of five children.