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.
