Lincoln Memorial University Women's Softball

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.

Coach Rhileigh Alred enters her second season as Director of Spirit Programs and head coach of the LMU Cheer team in the 2025-2026 season. Coach Alred made history with the LMU Cheer team in her inaugural season as head coach. In their first year competing at the UCA College Nationals in January 2025, the Lady Railsplitters placed 4th in the Open All Girl Game Day Division. The weekend began with LMU competing against 19 other schools in the division, advancing to the finals after placing eighth on day one. The Lady Railsplitters finished the preliminary round with a raw score of 89.1333, but one deduction brought their score to 88.1333—just 0.4334 points behind Widener University for 7th place and 4.9334 points behind the leader, Pearl River Community College. On day two, LMU came out strong in the finals, improving their score by nearly four points to a 92.6 with zero deductions. That performance was enough to secure fourth place in the division and marked a significant milestone for the program. Alred was named as the Director of Spirit Programs in July 2023.   Prior to becoming head coach for LMU, Alred was a former LMU cheerleader. She has served as a Cheer Squad Choreographer at Cawood Elementary School, Bell County Middle School, and Evarts Elementary. Additionally, Alred has gained valuable experience as a Substitute Teacher for Harlan County Schools and as a Teacher Assistant at Ellen Myers Elementary. Her involvement in various cheerleading events and competitions, including judging cheer tryouts and coaching, highlights her ongoing commitment to the field. Alred’s exceptional dedication and achievements have earned her several honors, including membership on the All-Railsplitter Team, the Virginia Householder Memorial Art Scholarship, and the Lillian A. Ralston Art Award. She has been recognized for academic excellence with Dean’s List honors and multiple scholarships. Furthermore, Alred is a KAPOS Certified Cheerleading Judge. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art 2D from Lincoln Memorial University in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Teaching at the University of the Cumberlands. Her dedication to both academics and the arts is a strong foundation for her continued success in this leadership role.  

Andy Bricker enters the 2025-2026 season in his fifth year as Director of Wrestling at Lincoln Memorial University where he leads both the men’s and women’s wrestling programs. Under Bricker’s leadership, LMU has seen notable progress across both programs. On the women’s side, Ashley Morris advanced to the NCWWC National Championship in 2023 after finishing 4th in the 116-pound weight class at the NCWWC Regional. That year, the women’s team placed 7th overall. Several wrestlers have earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors, including three selections in recent seasons. Since Bricker took the helm, the women’s program has gone 2-19.  The men’s team has also seen consistent improvement. LMU advanced to the NCAA Super Regional in both 2023 and 2024. The team placed 6th nationally in GPA in the 2024 NWCA academic rankings, and multiple athletes have received NWCA Scholar All-American recognition (three in one season, four in another). Since the beginning of the program, the men’s program has developed a record of 6-29. The program has also earned two South Atlantic Conference Carolinas (SACC) Men’s Wrestler of the Week honors during Bricker’s tenure. Prior to LMU, Bricker was the head coach of Tampa Preparatory School. During his time at Tampa Prep, he led the program to four top-five state finishes, coaching seven individual state champions and nine runners-up. Several of his athletes continued their careers at NCAA Division I and II institutions. He was responsible for all aspects of the program, including technique instruction, strength and conditioning design, scheduling, travel logistics, media relations, and social media. While in Tampa, Bricker also contributed to the Tampa Bay Area Brawlers Wrestling Club, the NCWA Wrestling Club at the University of Tampa, and the Florida Cadet and Junior Freestyle/Greco-Roman National Team. He provided instruction and training, organized clinics and camps, and helped develop several national champions and runners-up. In 2011, Bricker was part of the coaching staff for El Salvador at the Pan-American Games and World Championships. He worked specifically with the women's team, managing practices and conditioning while also serving as a training partner. Before Tampa, Bricker served as the head assistant coach at NAIA Campbellsville University in Kentucky. His responsibilities included recruiting, scheduling, athlete development, and public relations. During his tenure, the team produced 13 All-Americans, one national champion, six Academic All-Americans, and finished seventh at the 2007 National Duals. Bricker began his collegiate coaching career at Division I Campbell University, where he assisted in coaching and supervising the team during travel. As a student-athlete at Campbell, Bricker was a four-year scholarship wrestler and two-time team MVP. A three-time all-conference performer and Colonial Athletic Association finalist, he served as team captain and ranks eighth in career wins in program history. He graduated in 2004 from Campbell University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education (Teacher Education).  

Caitlin Gambone joins the Railsplitter coaching staff after a three-year stint as assistant coach at Bradley University in Peoria, IL.  Gambone, who served as Bradley’s hitting coach, helped the Braves to a 5th place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2024.  Prior to her time at Bradley University, Gambone helped Ohio Dominican University to a 53-17 record in the Great Midwest Conference during three seasons in Columbus (2019, 2021 & 2022).  In fact, the Panthers claimed a regular-season league title in her first season (2019) and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022 after winning the 2021 and 2022 Great Midwest Conference Tournament.  Overall, Gambone mentored three NFCA All-Region performers, five first-team all-conference selections and a total of 17 all-league honorees in her three seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio Dominican.  In addition, Ohio Dominican produced both the Great Midwest Pitcher and Freshman of the Year in 2022.  Gambone also served as a Head Coach for the Florida Gulf Coast League, the first collegiate softball league in Sarasota, Florida. Caitlin graduated from Akron in 2018 with a degree in marketing management after a four-year career in which she started 197 of her 207 career games.  She ranks among the top 10 in Zips’ history in career games played, sacrifices and assists.    Gambone first ventured into coaching with the Ohio Lasers travel team (2014-18) and Canton Spikes Baseball (2017).  She has also served as an instructor at Diamond Dreams Sports Academy.