Riley Wertz - Blue Dragon Softball

Bio

Former Blue Dragon pitcher Riley Wertz joins the Hutchinson Community College softball coaching staff for the 2025-26 season.

A native of Wichita, Wertz begins her softball coaching career with the Blue Dragons after completing her playing eligibility this past spring at Friends University in Wichita.

During her sophomore season at Hutchinson in 2023, Wertz became the Jayhawk Conference career record holder for saves. After eight saves in 2023, Wertz completed 17 career saves in her two years as a Blue Dragon.

As a sophomore, Wertz made 36 appearances in Hutchinson’s 2023 Jayhawk Conference-championship season, posting a 3-2 record with a 1.88 ERA, the sixth-lowest ERA in single-game Blue Dragon history. Over 67 inning of work, Wertz struck out 117 batters, 13th most in single-season history.

As a freshman Wertz went 13-1 with nine saves, which led the nation, and a 1.35 earned-run average. Wertz earned third-team NJCAA Division I All-America honors.

Wertz played a major role in Hutchinson posting a 41-8 overall record and finishing 15th in the final NJCAA Rankings. The Blue Dragons went 29-3 and finished second in the KJCCC and third in the Region 6 Tournament.

Wertz was the 10th Blue Dragon to earn NJCAA All-America honors, the fourth under head coach Jaime Rose. Wertz won her first 10 decisions of the season and her ERA is the first sub-2.00 mark since Holley Kelley in 2016. Her 1.35 ERA is the third-lowest in program history.

For her Blue Dragon career, Wertz went 16-3 with 17 saves and a 1.59 earned run average. In 149 2-3 innings, Wertz had 269 career strikeouts, fifth most in program history.

Wertz continued to have tremendous success after moving onto Friends University.

As a senior, Wertz received 2025 NAIA Softball All-American honors as a third-team selection. Wertz also earned 2025 KCAC Pitcher of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-KCAC performer in addition to receiving NAIA NFCA All-Region III first-team recognition.

She finished fourth in the NAIA with a school single-season (modern-era) record 248 strikeouts along with a 22-8 record in pitching the Falcons to their first KCAC regular season championship since 2016.

Wertz's season highlight reel also includes pitching the first perfect game for the program since 2008 in a victory over Bethany College wrapping up the season with a 1.92 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to a .201 batting average.

As a freshman in 2024, Wertz went 6-5 with a 2.51 ERA, racking up 109 strikeouts in 83 2-3 innings.

Wertz is a 2021 graduate of Maize High School, a 2023 graduate of Hutchinson Community College and a 2025 graduate of Friends University in Wichita. Wertz earned her Associate of Science degree from Hutchinson and graduated from Friends with a bachelors degree in Health and Physical Education with a minor in coaching.

Wertz has a corgi named Yoda, who was the Blue Dragon team mascot during her two seasons at Hutchinson.