NCTC Softball Coach, Van Hedrick Reaches 1,000 Career Wins

Coach Van Hedrick and the NCTC softball team won against Cisco on April 17th, 2024. This win has secured Coach Hedrick his 1,000th career win.

Van Hedrick has been the only head softball coach in the 25-year history of the North Central Texas College program. After serving as the assistant baseball coach at NCTC for several years, he started the softball program from scratch in 1999.

Since the inception of the program, Coach Hedrick has made sure his team is actively involved in the community. Whether it be volunteering with a community playground build, reading to kindergarten students at local schools, working at a hot-air balloon festival to benefit a local hospital, or cleaning up a church playground, the Lady Lions softball team is always looking for ways to help out the community. Since 2005, Hedrick has served as Athletic Director at NCTC. Each year, NCTC teams donate the proceeds from gate admissions to local organizations including the American Red Cross and local animal shelters and food pantries. Tens of thousands of dollars have gone to local non-profit organizations because of this program.

Coach Hedrick attended Vernon Regional Junior College from 1986-1988, playing shortstop and serving as a team tri-captain. After earning his Associate degree there, Hedrick attended Tarleton State University from 1988 to 1990. At Tarleton, he moved to the outfield and was used as a relief pitcher. An arm injury sidelined him for most of his junior season. During Hedrick's senior year at Tarleton, however, he was named "Comeback Player of the Year."

In 1990, Coach Hedrick earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Physical Education. After a year as the assistant coach at Hill College, he returned to Tarleton State and was a graduate assistant coach for two years while completing his Master of Education degree in 1992.

Coach Hedrick is married to Robyn Ruzicka Hedrick and they have three daughters: Ashley, Allison and Autumn. No doubt one of the highlights of Coach Hedrick's career came in 2017 when his oldest daughter, Ashley, signed with NCTC Softball.

Coach Hedrick has now reached 1,000 career wins, winning more than 65 percent of his games. That win total makes him the winningest active junior college coach in Texas, and ranks him 10th among all active NJCAA Division I coaches. His teams have won two NTJCAC Championships, three NJCAA Region V North Championships and have advanced to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament three times in a span of nine years.