Kansas
⚾️ Kansas Baseball Head Coach Ritch Price Announces Retirement After 20 Seasons Leading the Jayhawks
LAWRENCE, Kan. —Ritch Worth, the winningest coach in Kansas Baseball historical past, introduced his retirement on Sunday after 20 seasons on the helm for the Jayhawks. One of the vital revered faculty baseball coaches within the nation, Worth led Kansas to 581 victories, one Large 12 Match Championship and three NCAA regional appearances throughout his tenure in Lawrence.
He completed his distinguished profession at Kansas with a report of 581-558-3 (.510).
““Ritch Worth poured his coronary heart and soul into the Kansas Baseball program for twenty years, and we’re ceaselessly grateful for his important contributions to our college, athletic division and baseball program. His pleasure for Kansas Baseball is unmatched and he has made an indelible impression on numerous younger males and our program. On behalf of your entire athletic division, we want Ritch the perfect in his well-deserved retirement.””
Director of Athletics Travis Goff
Worth was named the thirty third head baseball coach at Kansas on July 1, 2002. In his first season at KU, he led them to a profitable report and 35 wins, marking essentially the most by this system in eight seasons. He posted 11 profitable seasons with the Jayhawks, together with a 43-25 mark in 2006, a 39-24 report in 2009 and a 35-26 report in 2014 and main all three of these squads to the NCAA Match.
In his time at Kansas, Worth has coached 109 all-conference choices, 147 tutorial all-conference honorees and has seen 75 Jayhawks go on to play skilled baseball, together with 10 Prime 10 spherical draft picks.
As well as, Worth mentored two Large 12 Newcomers of the Yr in Jordan Piché in 2013 & Ben Krauth in 2015, two All-People in Don Czyz in 2006 & Tony Thompson in 2009, and one Nationwide Stopper of the Yr, with Czyz incomes the glory in 2006.
Czyz had probably the most dominant seasons ever by a Kansas pitcher in 2006 when he led the nation with 19 saves and posted a 6-0 report with a 1.56 ERA. With Czyz on the backend of the bullpen, Kansas received 43 video games, the Large 12 Match Championship and superior to the NCAA Match for the primary time since 1993. He was a seventh-round draft choose of the Florida Marlins.
Thompson grew to become the primary participant in Large 12 Convention historical past to win the Triple Crown, main the league in batting common (.389), residence runs (21) and RBI (84) throughout a breakout season in 2009. He was named All-Large 12 First Workforce, a second-team All-American and was chosen for the NCAA Chapel Hill Area All-Match Workforce. He additionally tied for third nationally in doubles with 27.
Czyz and Thompson had been simply two of the 14 All-Large 12 first-team choices Worth coached throughout his time at Kansas, together with his youngest son, Robby, who earned the glory in 2010. Worth additionally pressured the significance of succeeding off the sphere, having not less than one participant named Tutorial All-Large 12 first-team in 18 of his 19 seasons.
Worth additionally ready his student-athletes for the following degree, having 4 gamers – pitchers Jackson Goddard, Ryan Zeferjahn and Wes Benjamin and catcher Jaxx Groshans – drafted within the prime 5 rounds of the Main League Baseball Draft. At the very least one participant on Worth’s roster was both signed or drafted in 18 of his 19 seasons. In 2010, headlined by Thompson’s choice within the sixth spherical, Worth noticed seven gamers drafted, together with a pair of Lawrence merchandise in Travis Blankenship and Brian Heere.
In his time as Kansas coach, Worth noticed seven Jayhawks make it to the Main Leagues, together with pitchers Wes Benjamin, Sam Freeman, Mike Zagurski, Tom Gorzelanny, Colton Murray and Brett Bochy and third baseman Travis Metcalf.
In his remaining two seasons, Worth helped develop sophomore shortstop Maui Ahuna who completed the 2022 season with a .396 batting common, the best mark by a KU participant since 1997. Ahuna is touted as a prime draft prospect for the 2023 MLB Draft.
Regardless of tough Midwest climate situations confronted every season, Worth all the time targeted on discovering a means for his squads to compete and play basically sturdy baseball. A staple of Worth’s groups was sturdy protection. In 2012, Kansas established a brand new program report in fielding proportion at .977. Moreover, the Jayhawks led the Large 12 in fielding every of the previous two full seasons in 2019 and 2021. During the last 10 seasons, Kansas has by no means had a fielding proportion under .965.
Worth guided KU to 12 30-win seasons in his tenure. The dean of the convention, he has additionally coached greater than 250 Large 12 baseball video games, greater than another energetic coach within the league. His 20 years within the Large 12 Convention match Texas’ Augie Garrido for the longest tenured coach in league historical past.
Worth has been teaching baseball for 44 years and amassed 1,199 wins in his profession between the Division I, junior faculty and highschool ranges. Previous to his 20 seasons at Kansas, Worth was the top coach at Cal Poly (1994-2002) the place he transitioned the Mustangs right into a Division I program; at De Anza Neighborhood Faculty (1987-94) the place he was additionally the director of athletics; at Menlo Faculty (1983-86); and bought his begin at each Phoenix Excessive Faculty (1978-81) and at Jasper Excessive Faculty (1982-83). His Division I report finishes at 798-786-4 (.504).
The Candy House, Oregon, native and 1978 graduate of Willamette College is a Corridor of Famer as a participant and a coach. Worth was inducted into the NWCA Corridor of Fame as a participant in 1998 for his two seasons at Linn-Benton Neighborhood Faculty. Then, in Might 2009 Worth was inducted into the California Neighborhood Faculty Baseball Coaches Affiliation Corridor of Fame for his eight seasons teaching at De Anza Neighborhood Faculty.
The seek for the following chief of Kansas Baseball will start instantly and Affiliate Head Coach Ryan Graves has agreed to function the interim head coach.
Assertion from Ritch Worth
“For the previous 20 years, I’ve been honored and privileged to function the top baseball coach on the College of Kansas. After assembly with Travis Goff as we speak, we agreed that it’s time for me to announce my retirement.
“First, I want to “thank” everybody in Kansas Athletics who I’ve met, developed relationships with and have labored with the baseball program over the past twenty years. That is a unprecedented place and you’re the those that make it nice.
“There are such a lot of particular person those that I need to say “thanks” to for his or her dedication and dedication to our gamers, coaches and program. Our sport administrator and Deputy Athletics Director, Sean Lester, our head baseball athletic coach, Ken Wainwright, our power and conditioning coach, Luke Bradford, our tutorial advisor, Glenn Fast, our gear managers, Demetrius Daniels and Mike Hill Sr., our sports activities info administrators, Brandon Perel and Mike Cummings, our director of baseball operations, Wally Marciel, and the world well-known, Marcia Bagby.
“All of you kind an unbelievable group and supply the experience and sources to offer our gamers a “Large Time” Energy 5 faculty expertise.
“I need to “thank” the entire assistant coaches that I’ve been privileged to work with over the past 20 years. We grinded, competed, and overachieved to win essentially the most video games in program historical past!
“I need to personally say “thanks” to the numerous donors, alumni, followers and mates of KU Baseball. Your generosity, monetary assist and fervour have helped our program develop and lift $7 million for upgrades to Hoglund Ballpark throughout my tenure as head baseball coach. These upgrades have been instrumental in serving to us develop our gamers to efficiently compete within the Large 12 Convention.
“Lastly, I need to thank the entire gamers that I’ve had the glory to educate and mentor over the previous 20 years. I’ve all the time believed that baseball is a participant’s sport and I’ve all the time taken nice pleasure in being a participant’s coach. I’m so pleased with the student-athletes who’ve performed at KU throughout my tenure. My guys have represented our baseball program on the sphere, within the classroom and in our neighborhood in a first-class method. I like you boys, you’re one of the best!
“As I’ve mentioned many instances, I’m a Jayhawk for all times!”