JACKSON, Tenn. - Union University's incoming Director of Athletics, Mark Campbell, has lifted the interim head coach tag for Sydney Sturner and has named her as the head coach for the softball program. 

Sydney Sturner was named head coach of the Union University softball program in May of 2023. She was the interim head coach for the 2023 season after serving as the assistant coach for one season in 2022. Sturner came to Union from Corvallis, Oregon where she was a high school head coach for three seasons. 

Incoming Director of Athletics, Mark Campbell said, "I have really enjoyed getting to know Sydney over the past year. It is evident that she fits perfectly into the culture at Union University, and she has a heart for the mission of the university. I am confident that she has the humility, determination, courage, and Love necessary moving forward. These four attributes are very important in our athletic department, and she will use these attributes to grow the softball program. Her passion for making an impact on the lives of her players has really been the thing that has stuck out over the course of the year, and I look forward to seeing all that God will do in her and through her."

During her 2023 season as interim, Sturner led Union to its second straight GSC Tournament. It was the fourth trip overall for Union softball, but the first time Union made back-to-back trips. In the 2023 season, Union posted two winning streaks of seven games, setting the longest winning streak for Union softball since moving to NCAA D2 in 2012-13. In 2022 as the assistant coach, Sturner was instrumental in helping Union softball return to the GSC Tournament for the first time since 2019. 

Sturner said, "I am honored for the opportunity to continue as head softball coach at Union University. It has been a blessing to be a part of Union's community and pour into the young women of this program. I am so thankful for the encouragement, belief, and support of the Union Athletics family. This year was full of growth and I am excited to see God continue to move through this program, and the lives it impacts. God is so good!"

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.

-UNION-