Andrew Rich begins his third season as an assistant coach for the Sonoma State softball team in 2019.
A 2015 graduate of California State University, Fresno, Andrew spent the 2016 season as a member of the NCAA Division I Fresno State softball coaching staff, helping to guide the Bulldogs to a 42-12-1 record, a Mountain West Conference championship after enjoying the best start in MWC history (winning 22 straight games to open up conference play), and the No. 2 seed at the UCLA Regional. For their efforts, the coaching staff was named the 2016 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
While an undergrad at Fresno State, Andrew was also an assistant coach at his alma mater, Washington Union High School, from 2012 to 2015 where he helped lead the Panthers to a school-record 25 wins and the first league title in the 100-year history of the school in 2014. It was there that Andrew is credited for starting the Washington Union Invitational, a high school softball tournament that, in three years of existence, has featured schools from five different states.
Also active in club softball, he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Central California Krush from 2011 to 2014. During his time with the Krush, they placed fifth at the 16U Champions Cup, which was the highest finish at the national tournament in the history of the organization.
In December of 2015, Andrew obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Administration from Fresno State. In addition to his coaching duties as an undergrad on and off campus, he also worked as a student assistant in the Bulldogs' Athletic Communications office, serving as the lead contact for Swimming/Diving and Cross Country, and as the secondary contact for men's basketball and baseball. Andrew also assisted ESPN, CBS Sports Network and ROOT Sports with statistics for home football and men's basketball games, in addition to women's soccer play-by-play announcing for the Mountain West Network.
A student-athlete himself back in high school, Andrew was a four-year varsity letterwinner in both baseball and basketball, and as a senior in 2009, he was tabbed as the Cal-Hi Sports Small School Player of the Year in baseball, as he led the Panthers to a No. 1 ranking in the state in Division 4 after the team went 32-3.
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