Ritchie Richardson (1,198-480) returns for his ninth season as head coach of the Railsplitter softball program after guiding it to national prominence in recent years. This past spring, Richardson guided the Splitters to a 34-20 record and the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.
During his tenure, Richardson has guided the Railsplitters to two South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Regular Season Championships (2019, 2023), two SAC Tournament Championships (2022, 2023), and one SAC Tournament Runner-Up finish (2021). His squads have consistently competed at a high level, with LMU reaching the SAC Tournament in six of the last seven seasons (2019, 2021–2025).
Under Richardson’s leadership, LMU has made five NCAA Tournament appearances (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025), winning the Southeast Region Championship twice (2019, 2022) and advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals both years. The 2019 appearance marked the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history.
Under his direction, the program has produced 23 All-SAC selections, including SAC Player of the Year, 2 SAC Pitchers of the Year, 1 SAC Freshman of the Year, 1 SAC Tournament MVP, and 14 SAC All-Tournament Team selections. Under Richardson, there have also been 10 SAC Player of the Week honors, 6 Pitcher of the Week honors, and 1 TSWA Player of the Week honor.
LMU players have also garnered national and regional accolades: 10 D2CCA All-Region honors, 3 D2CCA All-Americans, 7 NFCA All-Region selections, and inclusion on the NFCA DII Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist in 2020 and 2025
Academically, Richardson’s teams have set a high standard.
The 2024 squad earned national recognition with the NFCA Top 10 Team GPA Award, finishing 2nd in NCAA Division II with a 3.829 cumulative GPA. There has also been 58 NFCA Scholar-Athlete honors and 17 CSC Academic All-District selections.
Richardson has reached two significant coaching milestones during his time at LMU: his 1,000th career win on April 13, 2019, and his 200th victory as LMU head coach on February 24, 2024. He is a two-time SAC Coach of the Year and has guided LMU to peak national rankings including a program-best #6 in 2021 and most recently #23 in 2025.
Richardson made his way back to LMU after spending the 2017 campaign at Purdue University Northwest. In his one and only season leading the Pride, Richardson guided PNW to a 29-23-1 record and a 15-9 mark in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. Led by four All-CCAC selections, the 29 wins represented a single-season program record.
Prior to his stint at Purdue Northwest, Richardson, who at the time was the second-winningest coach in NAIA history with an all-time record of 946-339-2, accumulated a 917-316-1 mark over 20 seasons at Olivet Nazarene University. During his two decades in Bourbonnais, Ill., Richardson guided the Tigers to 11 CCAC regular-season titles and 12 tournament championships. The Tigers made 10 appearances in the NAIA National Tournament and finished as high as third during his tenure. Richardson compiled 10 seasons with at least 50 wins and captured five National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championships.
Richardson's coaching accolades include 12 CCAC Coach of the Year awards, 10 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honors, and five NAIA Region Coach of the Year plaudits. That is in addition to his five National Christian College Athletic Association National Coach of the Year awards.
He has also coached 29 NAIA All-Americans and one NAIA National Player of the Year. In his brief tenure at LMU he has already earned South Atlantic Conference Coach of the year twice and overseen 23 Splitters who have received All-SAC recognition including the program’s first ever SAC Freshman of the Year (Sierra Hucklebee); SAC Pitcher of the Year (Emma Frost, Halle Grace Patton); and SAC Player of the Year (Ty-Kella Goins).Four Splitters have earned NFCA All-Southeast Region honors and 7 have received D2CCA All-Southeast Region honors. Three have gone on to be named D2CCA All-Americans.
In addition to the on-the-field success, Richardson's teams have also thrived in the classroom. His 2024 squad finished 2nd nationally in NCAA II with a 3.829 cumulative gpa. Richardson belongs to five hall-of-fames - two as a player and three as a coach. Along with his 2009 induction into the LMU Athlete's Hall of Fame in recognition for a standout baseball career with the Railsplitters, Richardson is a member of the Union County High School Legacy Hall of Fame (2009), the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (2005), the Olivet Nazarene University Athletic Hall of Fame (2011) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame (2016). Richardson is also the recipient of the National Christian College Athletic Association Meritorious Service Award.
Beyond his tenures at PNW and Olivet Nazarene, Richardson spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois in 2001, helping the Fighting Illini finish fourth in the Big Ten in their inaugural season with a 49-23 overall record. The 49 wins still stands as the most wins in program history. Illinois compiled a 12-8 conference record and finished third in its Big Ten Tournament debut featuring a roster of 18 freshmen.
Richardson graduated from LMU in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned his master's degree in secondary education from Olivet Nazarene in 1993.
Following his college career, Richardson played seven seasons in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Men's Major and Major Modified Fastpitch Softball circuit and made an appearance in the 1988 ASA Men's Major Modified World Tournament as a member of the Warren Tire Expos.
Richardson resides in Knoxville, Tenn., with his wife Krista. He has one daughter, Anna.
