Winston-Salem State University Men's Baseball

Ritsche was hired in 2010 to resurrect the baseball program after a 38-year hiatus and instantly took it from non-existent to 30-win Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association champions in 9 months. Since the programs resurrection under Ritsche, it has won 5 consecutive CIAA championships while compiling 30 or more wins every season and 35 or more wins four of the last five seasons. In 2015, the Rams surpassed the 40-win mark for the first time in school history (42-15). Kevin Ritsche Career Kevin Ritsche will begin his 5th season as the head coach for the Winston-Salem State University Rams.  Coach Ritsche resurrected the baseball program in 2010 after a 38-year hiatus and instantly took it from non-existent to 30-win Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champions in nine months.  Since the programs resurrection under Ritsche, it has one 4 consecutive CIAA championships while compiling 30 or more wins in all four seasons and 35 or more wins each of the last three seasons.  The Rams baseball squad has re-written the history books year after year since its resurrection in 2010 as the 2013 squad surpassed the single season wins record with 39 and played host for the first time to the NCAA Regional Tournament.  They also obtained their first national ranking ever climbing up to #23 as the polls closed for the season. 

Woodall was at Veritas Sports Academy as an Associate Athletic Trainer/Assistant Baseball Coach.  We are blessed to have a hitting instructor with as much knowledge as Coach Woodall, his experience coaching and familiarity with division 1 baseball programs is a major addition to our team, commented Head Coach Kevin Ritsche. Coach Woodall has dedicated himself to learning the proper mechanics of the MLB swing.  He began instructing hitters on the rotational hitting platform in 2000 and in 2005 created his own hitting academy, Players Advantage.  Along with other instructors at Players Advantage, Coach Woodall has studied and analyzed over 1000 hours of major league baseball swings.  The slow motion study of these swings has allowed Coach Woodall to isolate the dos and donts of a successful professional hitter.  Coach Woodall has created a simple system of breaking down the swing into basic essential components that allow hitters to maximize bat speed and be aggressive approaching pitches. I am excited that Coach Ritsche has given me this opportunity, Coach Woodall replied, I know we will improve on our team batting average from last year and I will put every effort into making each one of our hitters better.  Coach Woodall is originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and is a 1998 graduate of Florida State University where he received a B.S. in Nutrition and Fitness and completed a Master of Science from Louisiana State University in 2000. Rob and his wife, Melanie, reside in Wallburg, N.C. with their three children, Trey, Riley and Cassie.

Ritsche had a successful playing career as a both a pitcher and a positional at the College of St. Scholastica. Over his 4-year career he ended up tied for 4 place on the all-time wins list with a 23-4 record on the mound.  He also had a career batting average of .364, splitting his time between pitching, shortstop and first base.  Ritsche was an all-region honorable-mention selection after his freshman season, earned four all-conference honors as a pitcher, and was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Player of the year in 2006 as a pitcher and first baseman. Coach Keith and older brother head coach Kevin Ritsche were a perfect 7-0 together on the mound and behind the plate while attending their alma mater together (College of St. Scholastica) in 2004.  Coach Keith also pitched in the Northwoods League, a wooden bat league for elite college baseball players as a member of the Duluth Huskies from 2004-2006. He had a career record of 10-8 as a starter and is one of the all-time Huskies leaders in career innings pitched.  After his college career ended in 2007, Coach Keith went on to sign a professional contract with the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League as a pitcher where he was 1-0. Coach Keith graduated from the College of St. Scholastica with a Bachelors degree in Health Sciences in 2007. In 2008, he received his Masters degree in Occupational Therapy and is now a licensed practitioner in the Guilford County School System in North Carolina.  Coach Keith is engaged (Megan Kaminskas) and resides in Greensboro, N.C.