Ritch Price Position: Head Coach Experience: Seventh Season Alma Mater: Willamette `78

After guiding the University of Kansas to new heights in his first six years at the helm, Ritch Price begins his seventh season looking for continued excellence. Price led the Jayhawks to a Big 12 Tournament Championship and a spot in the NCAA Regionals in 2006. It was the school's first conference championship in baseball in nearly 50 years. He has led his teams to 30-plus win seasons in five of his first six years, marking the first time a baseball coach has achieved this at Kansas.

Known around the collegiate baseball community as a tireless worker and enthusiastic recruiter, Price was named the 32nd head baseball coach at the University of Kansas on July 1, 2002.

Price's legacy grew in 2008. The veteran skipper led the Jayhawks to a 30-27 season. Price's team dominated its competition at home, going 18-7 at Hoglund Ballpark. Included in this record was a three-game sweep of Oklahoma - a team that later qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

Price's team also blanked then-No. 12 Missouri, 3-0, at Kauffman Stadium. It was the Jayhawks' first shutout of a ranked opponent in 20 years. KU's wins helped pitchers T.J. Walz and Paul Smyth both earn national team of the week honors by the College Baseball Foundation. Six Jayhawks - Buck Afenir, John Allman, Erik Morrison, Robby Price, Ryne Price and Smyth - were named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Senior infielder Justin Ellrich was also selected Academic All-America, becoming the first Jayhawk to achieve this honor since Pete Smart in 2001.

Price also had six players from the 2008 squad get drafted or sign with professional organizations. During the summer, former Jayhawks John Allman, Nick Czyz, Andres Esquibel, Sam Freeman, Erik Morrison and Ryne Price all played professional baseball after competing for Price at Kansas.

But perhaps the highest honor bestowed on Price during the 2008 season was the induction he received into the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in May. Price was selected to the Hall of Fame with former Grossmont College head coach Ed Olsen and the late Dick Selma, who was an assistant coach at Fresno City College. Price earned the Hall of Fame induction for his eight seasons spent at De Anza Community College in Cupertino, Calif.

The Kansas coach's season didn't end in May however. Prior to the season, Price was named an assistant coach on the USA Baseball National Team. Price helped lead the Americans to a perfect 24-0 record during its 2008 tour, and its third straight FISU World Championship. Price also helped Team USA defeated Cuba twice during the summer, marking the first time an American team has accomplished the feat. During the 2007 season, Price fielded one of the youngest teams in the Big 12 and nearly led the team to an unprecedented fifth-straight 30-win season. Despite a losing record, Price's team competed with some of the best clubs in the country. The Jayhawks earned road wins at No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 25 Missouri, while earned home victories over No. 6 Texas and No. 14 Oklahoma State. KU's best series victory of 2007 came at the expense of No. 27 Oklahoma.

The Jayhawks also had six players earn All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, including Price's two sons, Ryne and Robby.

For the fourth year in a row, Price's team had at least four players selected in the Major League Baseball draft in June, and had three - Zach Ashwood, Kyle Murphy and Brock Simpson - all sign professional contracts.

The 2006 season may have been the most satisfying for Price's Jayhawks. After reaching the Big 12 Baseball Championship as the No. 6 seed, KU reeled off four-straight victories, including a 9-7 triumph over perennial-power Nebraska to capture the program's first conference championship since it was a member of the Big Seven in 1949.

The Jayhawks advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1994 and defeated 25th-ranked Hawaii on the first day of competition. KU's talent was obvious, but was highlighted once again during the MLB Amateur Draft in June. Six Jayhawks were selected by Major League organizations during the two-day draft.

The Jayhawks continued to pile on the accolades after the season as well. Senior relief pitcher Don Czyz was named the National College Baseball Writers' Association Stopper of the Year and became the first Jayhawk to garner All-America honors since 1996. Senior outfielder Matt Baty was named the Big 12 Championship's Most Valuable Player, while five other KU players earned all-conference honors.

It was a banner year for Price's Jayhawks, who won 43 games, the most by a KU team since 1993. Included in the 43 victories were wins at No. 8 Stanford, No. 2 Clemson, No. 18 Baylor and No. 2 Nebraska. The Jayhawks also won home games against No. 13 Wichita State, No. 29 Missouri, No. 26 Texas Tech and No. 8 Oklahoma during the regular season. KU also earned series wins at No. 8 Stanford and against nationally-ranked Texas Tech and Missouri.

During the 2005 season, Price led Kansas to the Big 12 Tournament for the second time in three years. When the Jayhawks defeated rival Missouri in Columbia, Mo., on May 14, Price became the fastest coach in Kansas baseball history to achieve 100 victories. Price reached the milestone in just 184 games, 18 fewer than Kansas coaching legend Floyd Temple.

The Jayhawks were one of only two teams to win a series from eventual College World Series champion Texas during the 2005 campaign. KU did so on national TV, as ESPN2 and ESPNU broadcast the series live from Hoglund Ballpark.

Kansas had five players named either Big 12 Player or Pitcher of the Week. At the conclusion of the season, 11 KU players were named All-Big 12 Second Team or Honorable Mention and outfielder A.J. Van Slyke became the second Jayhawk ever to be named All-Big 12 First Team. In addition, four Jayhawks were selected in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.

In 2004, Price led the Jayhawks to a 31-31-1 overall record to give KU back-to-back 30-win seasons for only the third time in school history. In addition, the team led the Big 12 Conference in hitting, posting a .316 batting average. The 2004 season was highlighted by a late season sweep of in-state rival Kansas State and a series win over rival Missouri to clinch the season-long Border Showdown series between the schools.

During 2004, sophomore outfielder Matt Baty became the initial Jayhawk to be selected All-Big 12 First Team. Joining Baty on the All-Big 12 coaches' teams were sophomore shortstop Ritchie Price and junior catcher Sean Richardson, who earned second team honors. Five Kansas players were named honorable mention, giving KU the most Big 12 honorees in program history.

In his first season at KU, Price wasted no time assembling a talented squad which went on to win 35 games in 2003, third most in school history, and the most since the 1994 season.

Not only did he lead the Jayhawks to their first winning season in five years, but he also was the driving force behind KU's run to its first Big 12 Tournament apprearance. The first-year Kansas skipper made a habit of setting school firsts in 2003, including KU's first ever road series sweep of a Top-10 opponent as the Jayhawks topped perennial power LSU in a three-game set in Baton Rouge - College Baseball Insider tabbed KU the National Team of Week. He also molded the Jayhawk defense into the best-ever at Kansas, setting a team fielding percentage of .970, which also was tops in the Big 12 Conference. Individually, Price helped develop two National Players of the Week in Ryan Baty, who finished the season with a school record 97 hits in 2003, and Travis Metcalf, who spurned an offer from the Minnesota Twins to come back and play his senior season.

Under the guidance of Price in 2003, rookie Ritchie Price shattered the freshman record for hits in a season with 75. In addition, KU boasted five Big 12 Players/Pitchers of the Week.

Before Kansas
A well-known and respected coach on the West Coast, Price spent eight seasons at Cal Poly. In his last three seasons with the Mustangs, Price led the team to three-straight 30-win seasons, including a third-place finish in the Big West Conference in 2002.

Price has a collegiate head coaching career record of 821-618-2 (.570) (at Kansas, Cal Poly, De Anza Community College and Menlo College) and has developed a reputation as a coach who builds baseball programs. After turning Menlo College into a winner from 1983-86, he put De Anza Community College on the map with four conference titles during his eight-year reign. Price was named head coach at Cal Poly on July 26, 1994, and was chosen to guide the Mustangs from NCAA II into the Division I era. After success at Cal Poly, Price was named the head coach at Kansas in 2002.

Price has been named conference coach of the year nine times during his time as a leader on the diamond. His first collegiate honor came in 1986 when he guided Menlo College to one of the best seasons in school history. He was named Coach of the Year in the Coast Conference four times during his eight seasons at De Anza Community College and was also the top coach in the Western Athletic Conference at Cal Poly in 1996. Cal Poly recorded 21 wins in its inaugural D-I season, defeating several NCAA Tournament teams and sweeping WAC rivals Hawaii and San Diego State. In 1996, the Mustangs finished with a 30-23 record (.566) and a third-place league finish. The team closed the year strong by winning 11 of its last 13 contests to finish just three games out of first place.

In 1997, Cal Poly moved to the Big West Conference as Price led the Mustangs to a 37-21 (.638) mark, their best record during his career. Mustang hitters ravaged the record book that season, breaking 10 school records with three future professionals, six All-Big West members and the league's batting champion.

The 2000 season resulted in a 32-24 mark and a tie for third place in the Big West while his 2001 squad finished 30-26. In 2002, Price guided the team to its third-straight 30-win season by finishing 30-29-1. On the `02 squad was junior Kevin Correia, a fourth round pick by the San Francisco Giants. On July 10, 2003, he became the first player drafted in 2002 to reach the big leagues. Price has turned many of his athletes into professional baseball players. During his eight-year coaching tenure at Cal Poly, 21 former players continued their careers by signing professional contracts.

Prior to his time at Cal Poly, Price served as director of athletics for five years (1988-94) and head baseball coach for eight seasons at De Anza Community College in Cupertino, Calif. During his tenure, the Dons won four Coast Conference titles -- the first in 1988, then three in a row from 1992-94. Price's Dons were dominant from 1992-94, posting a 107-36 (.760) record. Price was named Coast Conference Coach of the Year for those years. A total of 61 players earned scholarships to Division I programs and 96 percent transferred to four-year schools. Price also guided and developed former St. Louis Cardinal Jason Simontacchi who broke into the big leagues on May 4, 2002.

After stints as a high school coach in Phoenix, Ore., and Jasper, Texas, Price served as head baseball coach and assistant football coach at Menlo College from 1983-86. He was named Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 1986. Price, a Sweet Home, Ore., native and a 1978 graduate of Willamette University (Salem, Ore.), was inducted into the NWCAA Hall of Fame (Oregon & Washington Community Colleges) in 1998. He received his master's degree in physical education from Cal State Hayward in 1987.

Price and his wife, Cindy, have three sons, Ritchie, Ryne and Robby. Both Ritchie and Ryne were drafted by professional baseball franchises, while Robby is a junior infielder with the Jayhawks.