Former Stanford head coach John Rittman is expected to be named the new head coach at Clemson, according to sources close to the program.
Rittman has most recently been the associate head coach at Kansas. After his inaugural season with the Jayhawks, Rittman joined the Florida coaching staff for less than a month in the summer of 2015 before ultimately returning to Lawrence, where he spent the 2017 season.
The architect of some of Stanford’s finest seasons and the tutor of some all-time greats of the game, including Jessica Mendoza, Rittman spent eighteen seasons at the helm of the Cardinal , amassing 711 career wins and thirteen seasons that saw his squad post forty or more wins.
Under Rittman’s leadership, the Cardinal appeared in the NCAA tournament fifteen times and the Women’s College World Series twice, in 2001 and 2004.
Rittman resigned from Stanford after the 2014 season amidst allegations of significant misconduct and lack of oversight of support staff. Those same allegations were later disputed by several members of the team, as well as program alumni.
Rittman has also served as a member of the Team USA coaching staff for several years, including as an assistant coach this past summer.
At Clemson, Rittman will be tasked with building the program from the ground up, including recruiting a complete roster and overseeing the construction of a new softball stadium. According to previous media reports, a new stadium has received Phase I approval from the university’s board of trustees and the process of beginning construction is in the works.
Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich announced in March that the school would be adding softball to its roster of varsity sports. The Tigers are expected to take the softball diamond and begin competition in the spring of 2020.
