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John Rittman
Feature Softball Writer

 

John Rittman
Head Coach Stanford University

Wherever John Rittman has coached, his influence on the offensive side of the game has enabled his players and teams to set records at an amazing pace.

John Rittman photo


John Rittman enters his fourth season at the helm of the Stanford women’s softball program after being named head coach on July 12, 1996. In just three years on the Farm, Rittman has brought the Stanford softball program from a non-scholarship club-level program to a fully-funded championship contender. A year ago the Cardinal went 40-25 overall and earned a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Despite the fact that the Cardinal had never been nationally ranked prior to the 1998 season, Stanford spent every week of 1999 in the top 25, and won the Easton Showcase Tournament by outscoring its opponents 55-2. Rittman’s team broke 34 individual and team school records and recorded numerous firsts. Among them were the first three perfect games in school history, the first-ever win over Arizona, and the program’s initial first-team All-American, Jessica Mendoza.

One season earlier, Rittman presided over the Stanford softball’s team first NCAA appearance, where the squad advanced to the regional championship game. In addition, the squad finished third in the Pac-10, its highest finish ever, while consistently appearing in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches Poll, where it finished ranked 12th in the country. Three Stanford players were named third-team All-American, All-Pac-10 and All-Tournament at the NCAA Regionals. For his efforts, Rittman was named the 1998 NCAA Pacific Region Coach of the Year.

In his first season at Stanford in 1997, Rittman lead Stanford to its first 30-win season ever, posting a 30-27-1 record. Although Stanford fell just short of earning an NCAA berth, the Cardinal received postseason consideration following a solid performance down the stretch. Over the course of the 1997 season, Rittman’s squad recorded nine wins over ranked opponents, including four over teams ranked in the top 10. Stanford defeated conference and national powerhouses UCLA and Washington for the first time in school history. The Cardinal also defeated two ranked squads en route to a second-place finish at the Campbell/Cartier Softball Classic. Two of Rittman’s players earned Pac-10 All-Conference recognition in 1997, while two individuals were named to the All-Pacific Region team.

Prior to being named head coach at Stanford, Rittman spent four seasons as the assistant coach at Washington. With the Huskies, he was responsible for teaching the fundamentals of hitting as well as defensive play. In just four seasons, the Husky team earned a No. 1 national ranking, the 1996 Pac-10 championship, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and a second-place finish in its first College World Series appearance. Washington became the first team since Texas A&M in 1983 to advance to the championship game in its first appearance at the WCWS. When Rittman was in Seattle the Huskies finished no lower than third in the league in batting each of his four seasons. In 1996, the Huskies set team records with a .343 batting average, 433 runs scored, 218 walks, a .419 on-base percentage and a .466 slugging percentage en route to the NCAA title game. Washington’s .343 batting average ranked fourth in the country and is among the top twenty batting marks in NCAA history. Rittman coached 15 All Pac-10 players and six All-Americans in his four years at UW.

Prior to his appointment at Washington, Rittman spent two seasons as an assistant at Minnesota. During his second year, the Gophers won the Big Ten with a 20-4 conference record. The team batting average jumped from .235 to .269 while the Gophers set team and individual records for almost every offensive category. The Minnesota squad also led the nation in hits and total bases en route to a No. 15 ranking. Rittman also helped produce an All-American in his two years there.

Rittman also had a three-stay as assistant coach at Oregon from 1988-’90. While in Eugene, the Ducks played in the 1989 College Series. During Rittman’s stay, the Ducks set several team and individual offense records while Rittman again saw one of his pupils earn All-American recognition.

Rittman graduated from New Mexico State with a degree in journalism in 1986. He was a three-year letterwinner in baseball as an outfielder at NMSU, after transferring from Yavapai Junior College in Prescott, Arizona. Rittman played two years of semi-pro baseball and fastpitch softball after his college career. Rittman and his wife Lorie, a former All-American softball player at Oklahoma, are the parents of Justin Riley, born Oct. 17, 1995, and Jacob Dean, born Sept. 15, 1999.

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