Former Mustang Coach Ritch Price Inducted to ABCA Hall of Fame
7/3/2026 12:30:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Former Cal Poly Baseball Head Coach Ritch Price, responsible for guiding the Mustangs into the Division I era before spending 20 seasons at Kansas, was inducted to the ABCA Hall of Fame Class of 2027 on Wednesday.
Price was announced alongside Scott Berry (Southern Miss), Stu Fritz (Hope College), Tim Mead (Walsh), Beauford Sanders (Campbellsville), Brian Shoop (UAB), and Dave Van Horn (Arkansas).
These distinguished individuals will be formally honored during the ABCA Hall of Fame Banquet presented by C&H Baseball on January 8, 2027, as part of the 83rd annual ABCA Convention in Chicago, Ill. More info can be found in the ABCA’s release here.
Across 28 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, Price compiled 798 total wins and developed over 100 all-conference selections. In 2008, Price also served as an assistant coach for the undefeated USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that posted the first team’s perfect 24-0 record and won the FISU World Championship.
Prior to his career at Cal Poly and Kansas, Ritch Price coached high school in Oregon and Texas before finally breaking through with Menlo College (1983-86), where he was named conference coach of the year in 1986. He continued his career as director of athletics and head coach at De Anza Community College (1988-94), where he was again named conference coach of the Year from 1992-94.
Price then received his first Division I job opportunity, while having the historic honor of guiding Cal Poly (1995-2002) through its transition to college baseball’s top level. He was named WAC Coach of the Year in 1996, putting together a winning record (30-23) and third-place finish in just his second season. Among players he produced at Cal Poly was future big leaguer Kevin Correia. He finished his Mustang career with a 217-228-1 overall record and 103-117 conference mark.
In two decades at Kansas (2002-22), Price became the winningest coach in school history with a 581-558-3 (.510) record and guided the Jayhawks to three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006, 2009, and 2014. At the time of his retirement, Price was the longest-tenured coach in the Big 12 Conference and matched Texas' Augie Garrido, also a former Mustang head coach (1970-72), for the longest coaching tenure in conference baseball history.
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