LIVONIA, Mich. - Madonna University baseball head coach Justin Karn announced Tuesday, September 5th that he will be leaving the program. In three seasons, Karn finished with a 83-47 overall record, two NAIA National Tournament appearances, and one WHAC Tournament title. 

This past season he led the Crusaders to a 36-17 overall record and 24-6 mark in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play. It was the most wins for Madonna since the 2016 campaign when they won 41 games. Karn led the program to their first WHAC Tournament title since 2018 and had six players earn First Team All-WHAC honors. They included Jace Matkin, Bobby Cavin, Nate Blain, Brady Krzciok, Alex Garbacik, and Anthony Sharkas. Sharkas was also named NAIA Second Team All-American under Karn after hitting .455 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs. Madonna's season ended in the NAIA Opening Round with a loss to Central Methodist University (Mo.).  

In 2022, Madonna went 28-15 and 15-7 in the WHAC. Karn led the Crusaders to the WHAC Tournament finals where they were defeated by top-seeded UNOH. Despite this, the Crusaders made the NAIA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Matkin, Blain, and Zachary Beadle were named First Team All-WHAC, while Sharkas, Garbacik, Matt Staelgraeve, and Carson Collins earned Second Team All-WHAC honors. 

Karn led Madonna to a 19-15 overall record in 2021 and 12-8 mark in the WHAC. The Crusaders made a run to the WHAC Tournament finals where they fell to UNOH. Beadle, Blain, and Adrian Reed earned First Team All-WHAC honors during the campaign. 

Prior to Madonna, Karn was the interim head coach and recruiting coordinator at Oakland University (Mich.). Before joining the Golden Grizzlies, he was a pitching coach at Ave Maria University (Fla.) and St. Thomas Aquinas College (N.Y). The Iona College graduate got his start in coaching at SUNY Ulster County in 2009. 

Assistant coach Christian Penn will serve as the interim head coach moving forward while Madonna University will conduct a national search for the next leader of the baseball program. 

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