Hall of Fame
Christine Dillner was a three-year starting centerfielder for the softball team from 1992-1995. A three-time all-conference and all-region selection, she received NFCA All-American honors in 1995.
Dillner’s stellar play helped Cal U softball win four PSAC-West titles and advance to three PSAC finals with four NCAA tournament appearances and the program’s first of five NCAA Division II regional titles, in 1994.
As a player Dillner was a model of consistency whose batting average increased each season. She played her first two seasons under former coach and 2000 Cal U Hall of Fame inductee Linda Kalafatis ’88 and her final two seasons under current Vulcans coach and 2013 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee Rick Bertagnolli.
Dillner praised both coaches.
“If it wasn’t for Coach K letting me come on to the team I wouldn’t be where I am now so I owe her a great shout out,” she said. “They are both incredible coaches and I owe them so much thanks and gratitude for driving me hard to make me the player I was.”
After batting .328 during her 1992 freshman season, Dillner hit .336 with 12 extra-base hits in 1993, when the Vulcans won their fifth consecutive PSAC-West title and made a fourth straight NCAA Division II Tournament regional tourney appearance.
In 1994 she batted .344 with 15 extra-base hits and caught the final out in Cal U’s 2-1 win over Bloomsburg in the 1994 NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game. The 1994 team also began what would become an NCAA record 88-game conference-winning streak.
Nearly two decades later Dillner vividly recalls putting the finishing touches on the program’s most significant win at the time.
“I remember catching the ball and going straight to my knees to be thankful where I was at that moment,” said Dillner. “That’s something you never forget.”
During her senior year Dillner batted .468, which still ranks as fifth best in school history. Her 80 hits and 54 runs scored that season still rank second for a single season, and her 54 RBI ranks fourth. She also produced 13 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 11 stolen bases.
The 1995 squad compiled what was then a school record of 48-7 overall, with separate win streaks of 21 and 20 games. That season’s .405 team batting average and 608 hits remain the school standard 18 years later, and the team achieved the first of four straight 20-0 PSAC-West seasons.
The only senior that year, Dillner said Bertagnolli played an important role in her dominant season.
“Coach B really pushed us and saw the potential we had,” she said. “Since I was the only senior, I think he especially wanted the best out of me and kept pushing and got the results.”
Dillner is still listed among the school leaders in seven different career categories. When she finished playing at Cal U, she held a .376 career batting average with 214 hits, 128 runs, 148 RBI, 38 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 31 walks, 15 stolen bases and 59 extra-base hits.
Cal’s cumulative record during the Dillner years was 151-39-1 with a 47-3 divisional mark.
Though Cal U softball went on to win consecutive NCAA national titles in 1997 and 1998 Bertagnolli believes Dillner and fellow All-American and 2002 Cal U Hall of Fame inductee Jen Wagner ’97 set a blueprint for the program’s longevity of success.
“Christine’s leadership set a tone for that 1995 season and one that still exists in this program today,” Bertagnolli said. “I don’t want to overshadow her athletic abilities and stats because she was a great player but she was just as great as a team leader and a solid person. “
The veteran head coach also looks back at the 1995 team with great respect.
“Even all these years later that 1995 team is regarded as one of the top offensive softball teams in the country and Christine was a tremendously feared hitter at the plate and a great outfielder,” he added.
The 14th softball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Dillner earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in May 1995.
“This is the completion of my career,” Dillner said. “I’ve thought about this for many years and to make the Hall of Fame is the icing of the cake for me. I am absolutely very excited.”
The Pittsburgh-area native was a four-time all-conference softball player at Penn Hills High School and a multi-letter winner in volleyball for the Indians.
Since she graduated, Dillner has been a health care provider for individuals with developmental disabilities and currently works for Davidson Homes, Inc. The power-hitter believes her Cal U education prepared her well.
“My professors were all consistent and what I learned helped me to get where I am at today,” she said. “I remember not wanting to talk in front of everybody in classes and now that’s all I do. They told me this is what you will do one day and they were exactly right. I’m grateful for what I’ve gotten from Cal and can’t say enough about it.”
She resides in Leicester, NC, with her 10-year old daughter, Madison and three people she cares for. Dillner has coached her daughter’s youth softball team for the past four years, and she proudly notes that the team qualified for the state tournament in July.
Dillner is a proud Vulcan who closely follows Cal U softball, keeps in touch with her teammates and regularly returns for the team’s alumni game over Homecoming weekend.
She hopes this year’s momentous return to her alma mater can also be beneficial to her daughter, who plays first base and pitches.
“She’s figuring it out now that softball is really fun and I don’t gloat too much about my playing days because I want her to be her own person and player,” Dillner said. “But when this all came about I said see what can happen if you work hard. Now she’s in total amazement and working hard because she sees there’s something out there for her.”
updated 10/10/13
