Former KU baseball coach Ritch Price to be inducted in ABCA Hall of Fame
Former University of Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price is one of seven individuals to be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2027, the organization announced Wednesday.
Price, who was head coach at KU for 20 seasons (2003-22), will be enshrined on Jan. 8, 2027 in Chicago. Other inductees are: Scott Berry (Southern Mississippi), Stu Fritz (Hope), Tim Meade (Walsh), Beauford Sanders (Campbellsville), Brian Shoop (UAB) and Dave Van Horn (Arkansas).
Price finished his career at KU with 581 wins (against 558 losses). He led the Jayhawks to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2009, 2014), which was more than the combined number of appearances the program made in its first 112 seasons before Price.
At KU he coached players to 117 all-Big 12 selections, 189 academic all-Big 12 honorees, 75 professional contracts, two Big 12 newcomer of the year awards, two All-Americans and one NCBWA national (relief) stopper of the year.
The 75 professional contracts signed by Jayhawks included 10 top 10-round draft picks.
Eight Jayhawks in the Price era reached the major leagues: pitchers Ryan Zeferjahn, Wes Benjamin, Sam Freeman, Mike Zagurski, Tom Gorzelanny, Colton Murray and Brett Bochy and third baseman Travis Metcalf.
His 20 years in the Big 12 Conference matched Texas’ Augie Garrido for the longest tenured coach in league history.
Price became the all-time winningest coach in program history when he directed KU to an 11-7 win over Northwestern State on March 4, 2017. His 439th win passed Floyd Temple’s 438 victories.
In 2008, Price was named an assistant coach for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Price helped lead Team USA to a perfect 24-0 record in international play, the only USA Baseball Collegiate National Team to go undefeated.
Price coached baseball for 44 years. He amassed 1,199 wins between the Division I, junior college and high school levels. He accumulated 798 wins during his 28 years coaching at the Division I level and coached in more than 1,500 games.
Price, a native of Sweet Home, Oregon, graduated from Willamette University in 1978. He was the head coach at Cal Poly (1994-2002), where he transitioned the Mustangs into a Division I program. He also was head coach at De Anza Community College (1987-94) and Menlo College (1983-86).
Price currently is manager of the Alaska Baseball League’s Anchorage Glacier Pilots, a collegiate summer league team.
Induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame is the top honor given by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Since the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1966, the ABCA has recognized more than 350 individuals with induction.
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level with 15,000 members representing 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association members have broadened to include NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.
