Union University

Union University Athletic Department
1050 Union University Drive Jackson, TN 38305

Division 2 Tennessee Southeast

Private Small Competitive team

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Coaches

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Sydney Sturner

Sydney Sturner was promoted to interim head coach in June of 2022 after serving as the assistant coach for one season (2021-22). Sturner came to Union from Corvallis, Oregon where she was a high school head coach for three seasons.

In 2022, Sturner was instrumental in helping Union softball return to the GSC Tournament for the first time since 2019.

Sturner was the head varsity softball coach at Crescent Valley High School from 2018-21. She also spent the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach for the 14U Northwest Bullets Fastpitch Organization. She has been giving private pitching lessons since 2013. In addition to her coaching duties at Crescent Valley, Sturner served as Student Behavior Support for three years.

Sturner holds the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) certification from the Nutritional Therapy Association.

Sturner is a 2016 graduate of Southern Oregon University with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. While at Southern Oregon, she completed a successful softball career, being named the Southern Oregon University Softball Player of the Year in 2014. She holds the single-game strikeout record at University Field with 13. In her senior season of 2016, Sturner helped lead Southern Oregon to its first NAIA Region birth in 10 years.

Sturner is a 2012 graduate of Clovis West High School in Clovis, California. She is married to David Sturner and is the daughter of Debbie and David White. She and her husband have a dog, Maui.

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Mark Ritchhart

Mark Ritchhart was named the new assistant softball coach at Union in August of 2022.

Ritchhart came to Union after working as the head softball coach at Bryan College for five years. He was named the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the Year as he led the team to its first AAC Conference Title. He also took the team to the National Tournament where they defeated the #6 ranked team and led the program to a historic season, tallying 31 wins.

Ritchhart coached at Central Christian College for two years where he played a key role in developing the program in a positive direction.

From 2000 to 2015, Ritchhart coached Pine Castle Christian Academy where he held many positions such as Athletic Director, Dean of Students, Director of Student Development, while also coaching varsity softball. While coaching, he was a six-time Florida High School Softball Coach of the Year, District Softball Coach of the Year for nine consecutive years, and won three Florida High School State Championships.

Before coaching High School, Ritchhart worked at Florida Southern College where he coached a competitive water ski team, was an admission counselor, and was the Associate Director of the Wellness/Fitness Center.

From 1997 to 2000, Ritchhart water skied professionally, including several years performing in shows at Sea World and Cypress Gardens. Following his career, Ritchhart was inducted into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame in 2019.

Ritchhart graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also took classes from Florida Southern College and University of Central Florida. Ritchhart graduated high school in 1979 from Oskaloosa Senior High School in Iowa.