Michael Kernan enters his first season at Thiel in 2026 after being hired in Nov. 2025.
Kernan joins Thiel with more than two decades of successful coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels. Most recently, he led Canfield High School to back-to-back Ohio Division II State Championship appearances, winning the crown in 2024 and finishing as runners-up in 2023. During his tenure, Canfield compiled an impressive 72-11-3 record, produced multiple All-State selections and earned consecutive conference titles.
Before his success at Canfield, Kernan served as an assistant coach at fellow Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) school Hiram College. During the 2022 season, he helped guide Hiram to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship and a runner-up finish at the NCAA DePauw Regional, marking one of the most successful campaigns in program history.
Kernan started his coaching journey at Ursuline High School in Ohio. He compiled 373 wins in his nearly 20 years with the program. Under his leadership, Ursuline won eight district championships, was a state championship finalist and claimed 17 sectional championships.
In addition to his collegiate and high school coaching accomplishments, Kernan has extensive experience in player instruction and program development. He previously founded and operated Softball U Academy in Youngstown, Ohio, training hundreds of athletes who went on to collegiate careers.
His career accolades include inductions into four different hall of fame's, including the Hiram Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and Ohio High School Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.Â
A Hiram alumnus, Kernan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management with a minor in Computer Science. A decorated multi-sport athlete during his collegiate career, he was a Pizza Hut All-American and three-time All-PAC honoree in football.
