La Plume, Pa. – Alison Ritter has been named the head softball coach at Keystone College according to an announcement made today by Dr. Matthew Grimaldi, Director of Athletics.  Ritter will guide the Giants after spending five years as an assistant coach at East Stroudsburg University which followed an outstanding, four-year playing career at Salisbury University that included four NCAA Tournament appearances highlighted by a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series in 2009.
 
Ritter replaces Renee Barrows, who stepped down from her position recently after four seasons and will begin her duties at Keystone on August 1 and will also be the department's Senior Woman Administrator (SWA).
 
Keystone posted a 15-23 overall record last spring and finished one game out of the sixth and final Colonial States Athletic Conference playoff spot with a 10-12 mark in league play.
 
Ritter was an assistant coach at Division II East Stroudsburg from November 2010 to June 2015 and led the Warriors to a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Athletic Conference playoff berth in her final season with the program.  Ritter was active in all aspects of the program and, on the field, was primarily responsible for working with the team's hitters as well as individual and team defense.  Ritter also played an integral role in the team's recruiting and fundraising efforts along with alumni involvement and running camps and clinics.
 
During her time at East Stroudsburg, Ritter coached six First Team All-PSAC East honorees, four Second Team All-PSAC East picks, three Daktronics Atlantic Region picks, one NFCA All-Atlantic Region selection, one PSAC East Player of the Year, and one PSAC East Rookie of the Year award winner.  The Warriors enjoyed success in the classroom as well during that time with 36 PSAC Scholar-Athlete recipients, five D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement selections, three Academic All-District honorees, and a pair of Capital One Academic All-Americans.
 
Ritter also helped East Stroudsburg's softball team become a strong contributor in the community, organizing the first East Stroudsburg University Softball Strikeout Cancer Event which raised nearly $1,700 for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.  Ritter and the Warriors completed multiple community service projects during her tenure including the Halloween Crosswalk Monitor, Friends of Jaclyn Network, the River Ramble Ranger Education Run, serving as Sanofi Pasteur Charity Softball Umpires, volunteering at the Pocono Mountain Iron Man Race, and participating in the Women and Girls in Sports Day Celebration and United Way Day of Caring.
 
A member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), Ritter has served as instructor at numerous camps and clinics including the Spooky Nook/Team USA Showcase Clinic, seasonal camps and clinics at East Stroudsburg, the Kutztown University Clinic, the Saint Peter's University Winter Showcase Clinic, the Gallaudet University Softball Clinic, and the Nike Softball Camp.
 
Ritter joined the Warriors' coaching staff fresh off of highly decorated playing career at Salisbury in which she led the Seagulls to four-straight Capital Athletic Conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances from 2007-2010 highlighted by a run to the NCAA Division III World Series in 2009.  During that time, Salisbury posted a 147-27 record for a remarkable, .844 winning percentage. 
 
Ritter was a three-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region Team honoree, earning First Team accolades as a designated player in her freshman year before garnering Third Team accolades at first base in her final two seasons for the Atlantic Region.  She also earned CAC All-Conference honors all four seasons including three First Team nods and was named to the NCAA Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team as a senior. 
 
A standout in the classroom as well, Ritter earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors in her junior and senior years and was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District award recipient, earning Second Team recognition as a senior after a Third Team nod the previous spring.  Ritter also captured CAC Academic All-Conference laurels all four years at Salisbury. 
 
Ritter was also heavily involved in the community while at Salisbury, with service projects including the United Way Day of Caring, Relay for Life, Eastern Shore Games, Shoeboxes for Kids, the Children by the Sea Toy Drive, Phi Epsilon Kappa Canned Food Drive, and the Salisbury University Fun Day.
 
Ritter graduated from Salisbury in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education for grades K-12 with a minor in Health Education.