Christie Koschke named Runyon Field general manager
BY JEFF LETOFSKY | The Pueblo Chieftain | JAN. 10, 2022
Breaking down barriers, Christie "Zinanti" Koschke is in a position to make a difference.
One of Pueblo's most feted women athletes, Koschke has been named the Runyon Sports Complex general manager, the first woman to hold the position.
What being a pioneer means
Growing up in Pueblo, Koschke knows the history of the Runyon Sports Complex and believes she can make a difference to continue to make it thrive.
"It's huge (being the first woman)," Koschke said. "I'm super excited for this opportunity to continue to push forward and have Runyon grow.
"I know I'm the right person for the job. I bring a little bit of youth and experience. I've been playing softball for years and have been around baseball. I bring a new outlook and definitely don't want to fix what's not broken."
Taking on the Runyon challenge
There are a number of priorities for Koschke and her staff to dive headlong into immediately.
"We want to continue to do improvements on the fields and we're looking forward to the master plan for the complex," she said. "Hobbs (Field) needs some love and that's our first priority.
"We want to continue to make Runyon a place for kids to grow up in and call their own."
Koschke also mentioned she would like to bring in bigger and better baseball and softball tournaments to go along with the tournaments already in place.
She understands that the complex hosts thousands of young baseball and softball players and that will continue to be the goal.
In addition, Koschke wants to take advantage of social media and use it to get information out to parents and players.
"We want people to get to know Runyon on social media," she said. "We want to get that aspect out there to show what we offer here.
"That's what I'm here for. We want to get more exposure for the youth with our leagues and tournaments."
Koschke's athletic history
A Pueblo native, Koschke was recently inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame. Previously, she was inducted into the Pueblo West High School hall of fame.
Koschke's athletic achievements speak for themselves.
Koschke embraces her teammate while celebrating a state title. The Cyclones softball team was the first to earn a team title for Pueblo West in 2004.
She was a three-sport standout at Pueblo West in softball, basketball and golf. She led the Cyclones to back-to-back state softball championships in 2004 and 2005 as a pitcher, being named the Colorado high school pitcher and player of the year as well as the Class 4A most valuable player by a number of publications.
Koschke went on to attend Brigham Young University where she helped the Cougars to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Super Regionals.
She finished her career with 63 wins in the circle, second-most in BYU history and was honored as a first-team all-Mountain West Conference pitcher, the MWC Pitcher of the Year in 2009 and first-team all-region selection.
Moving on professionally
After graduating from BYU in 2011 with her bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Koschke became the assistant coach at New Mexico Highlands University. She helped coach a greatly improved pitching staff that turned in the most wins in program history. While at Highlands, Koschke received her master’s degree in human performance and sport with an emphasis in sports administration.
Koschke returned home in 2012, becoming the fifth head softball coach in school history for Colorado State University Pueblo. As head coach, Koschke became the second-winningest coach in school history and amassed one All-American Honorable Mention, one first-team All-Region, two Academic All-Americans, two academic All-Regions, one RMAC Player of the Year, one RMAC Freshman of the Year, 26 All-RMAC picks, two RMAC Gold Gloves, and 64 RMAC All-Academic recipients.
Koschke and her husband Josh, CSU Pueblo Director of Golf, reside in Pueblo and have one son, Nolan and a daughter, Palmer.
Chieftain senior sports reporter Jeff Letofsky can be reached by email at
