KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan University softball team and head coach Jenny Rohn announced the signing of infielder Riley Dittmar to the program's class of 2023.
 
Reigning from Sterling, Illinois, Dittmar joins Western Michigan softball after spending three seasons with the Panthers of Eastern Illinois University. In 137 appearances and 102 starts, Dittmar batted .279 with 87 hits including 15 doubles, a triple, and eight home runs to bat in 54 total runs. In her sophomore year, she led the team in pinch-hitting opportunities including a 3-for-4 performance with one RBI against Tennessee Tech. As a freshman, Dittmar batted .283 and ranked fourth on the team with 30 RBI. Dittmar highlighted her final day of the regular season with two home runs, the second being the tie for a 15-15 extra inning come-from-behind win over Tennessee Tech. A season-high five-game hitting streak, a six-game streak of reaching bases, an impressive 8-for-8 stolen bases record, and 28 scored runs earned her OVC Academic Medal of Honor and NFCA/ Easton All-America Scholar-Athletes honors.  
 
A two-sport athlete at Sterling High School and Peoria Slugger Gold 18U player, Dittmar was an All-Conference infielder and utility selection. She helped lead the team to an IHSA Class 3A third-place state finish as a senior while hitting .376, including seven doubles and four home runs. Academically, Dittmar was a member of the National Honor Society and earned Rotary Scholar and American Legion Awards.