University of the Cumberlands Athletics

Alyssa Richards has completed her fifth season as an assistant coach for the UC Softball Program after being hired in July of 2017. She works with the pitchers and catchers, while also assisting with the hitters.

The 2022 season proved to be another successful year with Richards on the staff. The team had eight MSC All-Conference winners including three pitchers. Both Talli Burgess and Kaiti White earned MSC Second Team while Morgan Radford earned Honorable Mention. The staff broke the single season ERA record with 2.01. Among the pitching staff UC had three pitchers ranked in the top-five of multiple MSC pitching rankings.

In 2021, Richards was instrumental in the program's best record of 41-16 with a 21-9 conference record to earn fourth in the MSC. She helped coach a pair of pitchers to earn All-Conference honors with Talli Burgess earning First Team and Kaiti White earning Second Team. Richards also helped catcher, Meryn Livingston earn First Team All-Conference honors and a MSC Gold Glove, where she did not commit a single error during the regular season. As a pitching staff, they had an ERA of 2.78, third best in the conference. Burgess also recorded a complete seven inning no-hitter on 4/23/21 against Shawnee State where she struck out six batters and walked zero. The UC pitchers also ranked in the top-three in the MSC in opponent batting average (.242), batters struck out (251) and walks allowed (80). Offensively the team hit a program best 92 doubles with a .312 batting average.

For the 2019 season, Richards assisted in the team's 32-21 record, including a 17-11 record in the Mid-South Conference
to enter the 2019 Mid-South Conference Tournament as the third-seed.  Pitcher Jessica Webb earned First Team All-Conference and also recorded two no-hitters on the seasons, coming in back-to-back appearances, the first time in program history. The first one came on 3/11/19 against Asbury with five strikeouts and then recorded her second on 3/13/19 against Hiwassee with six K's. For the season the pitching staff compiled an ERA of 3.59.

The Anderson County, TN product tabbed the first Patriots no-hitter since Whitney Piar delivered a complete game against Alice Lloyd on March 6, 2008. In addition to the first no-hitters of the Dillender coaching era, Webb marked the first time in Patriots history a pitcher penned no-hitters in consecutive appearances in the circle.

In her first season as assistant coach, Richards helped guide the Patriots to a 17-34 (9-19 Mid-South Conference) record and an appearance in the 2018 Mid-South Conference Tournament where they earned a 6-2 victory over sixth-seeded Pikeville on 5/4/18 in Bowling Green, KY. With her experience, she helped increase the record to 32-21 in 2019, highlighted by eight shutouts, team ERA of 3.59 and batting average against of .254. 

Prior to joining the Patriots, Richards wrapped up a four-year playing career at Tennessee Tech University where she split time between first base and catcher. Richards played in 209 games, while notching 159 hits, 30 home runs, and 22 doubles over her four-year career at Tennessee Tech. She also recorded 105 RBIs, while posting a .280 career batting average. In 2015, Richards helped lead the Golden Eagles to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Richards was also named OVC First Team All-Conference during her senior season.

Richards graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Multi-Disciplinary Studies with a focus in Special Education and Physical Education from Tennessee Tech in May 2016. She also graduated with her Master's Degree in Health and Human Performance and Coaching from Cumberlands in May 2021.