Karl Steffen

Karl Steffen joins the coaching staff at Russell Sage College for the program’s inaugural campaign in 2021-2022.  Steffen is no stranger to baseball in the Capital District having enjoyed a distinguished 34-year career as the head baseball coach at nearby RPI. During that time, Steffen led the Rensselaer baseball program that included 30 winning seasons, 852 victories, 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 Regional Championship games and two trips to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Hired by RPI in 1985, he posted an 852-470-3 (.644) record over 1,325 games with his teams winning at least 20 games in 28 seasons and earning 30 victories seven times, including a school-record 37 wins in 2009. The Engineers established new school single-season records for wins nine times under Steffen, who guided the team to 13 Liberty League regular-season titles since the conference was established 23 years ago. 

Steffen's teams rewrote the school's record book, including all of the team's batting records and the majority of fielding and pitching standards. In addition, players coached by Steffen hold nearly all of the school's individual marks while six were individual champions in NCAA statistical categories. He mentored more than 20 National All-Americas, nearly 100 NCAA All-Region Team selections, almost 150 All-League honorees and a dozen who were CoSIDA National Academic All-Americas. A dozen players who went on to play professionally, including four who were drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Nine of his former student-athletes have been inducted into the Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame.

Among the many highlights for Steffen were an induction into the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019. He had 30 winning seasons in 34 years as head coach of the Engineers, while during that same time frame also won at least 20 games in 28 of 29 seasons beginning in 1987.  He also coached his squads to 10 NCAA Regional Championship games, while also making two appearances in the College World Series. His 2009 team established the school record with 37 victories. His first NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1990, the first in school history and he backed that season up with a 23-13-1 record and earned an ECAC Tournament berth in 1991.

Steffen also guided the team to 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament bids spanning from 1992 to 2004. His team also eight consecutive conference championships, while the team also led the nation garnering back-to-back NCAA earned run average statistical championships, marking the only time in NCAA history at any level a team has earned the honor. Under his guidance, has mentored more than 20 National All-Americas, nearly 100 NCAA All-Region Team selections, almost 150 All-League honorees, 12 CoSIDA National Academic All-Americas, 12 professional players, four Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft selections and nine Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame inductees. A four-time Liberty League Coach of the Year honoree, he also earned two Regional Coach of the Year citations. During his outstanding career at RPI, he was recognized five times with the Marvin T. Anderson Award, given to the coach who most exemplifies the spirit of RPI Athletics. He is also a member of the Albany Twilight Baseball League Hall of Fame.

A 1978 graduate of Ithaca College, Steffen was a three-time All-Conference selection and was twice named All-District. After college the Troy, NY, native continued his career in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League, where he compiled a 7-0 record in 1977 en route to winning Most Valuable Player honors.

The New York Yankees selected Steffen in the 19th round of the 1978 Major League Baseball draft. He played Class A ball for the Oneonta Yankees for one year before being promoted to Class AA the following campaign.