Hixson High School is excited about hiring Rickey Ritchie to lead its softball program.
Ritchie was an assistant the past five years at Soddy-Daisy as the Lady Trojans went 96-54 in that span, and during his time as Bledsoe County's head coach, he led that program to its lone TSSAA Spring Fling berth as the 2011 Lady Warriors qualified for the Class AA state tournament.
"What really stood out to us during the hiring process about Coach Ritchie is his experience and the way he has brought life and success to every program he has been a part of," Hixson athletic director Brian Bray said Wednesday. "He has so much passion for the game and his players. He wants to help Hixson be a very successful program. He has a great vision that matched up with exactly what we want for the program."
Ritchie's daughter Lydia was a star pitcher for East Carolina from 2014-17 after graduating from Bledsoe County. She posted a combined 30 wins her final two seasons as she pitched 390 innings, struck out 321 batters and had a 2.69 ERA.
As a Soddy-Daisy assistant, Coach Ritchie helped shape standout pitchers, also worked well with hitters and coached third base this past season for Kelsey Nunley-Moore's Lady Trojans.
Hixson won 13 games this past spring and will return five hitters from its starting lineup. Ritchie takes over for Ashley Beverly, who stepped down from softball but will continue to coach girls' soccer at Hixson.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.