ORLANDO – Rich Wallace has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the helm of UCF baseball through the 2030 season, UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir announced on Friday.
“Rich has done a great job building our baseball program and positioning UCF to compete at a high level in the Big 12 and nationally,” UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir said. “Leading our program to the NCAA Tournament twice in his first three seasons speaks to the culture and foundation he has established. We’re excited about the future under Rich’s leadership and look forward to building on the momentum he and our student-athletes have created.”
Wallace is coming off a stellar 2026 campaign in which he guided UCF to its most successful season as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The UCF alum led the Knights to a third-place finish in the league standings, the program’s highest in the Big 12 era, with an impressive 19-11 conference record. After securing the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Championship, Wallace then led the Black and Gold to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in his three seasons as head coach.
“UCF has always been home, and I’m honored to continue leading this program through the 2030 season,” Wallace said. “I’m grateful to Terry Mohajir and our administration for their continued trust and support. We have tremendous momentum right now, and I’m excited about the future of UCF baseball. Together, we’ll continue building a program that makes our university, alumni and Knight Nation proud while competing for championships at the highest level.”
An Orlando native, former UCF baseball student-athlete and Knight assistant coach, Wallace returned to his alma mater as the program’s seventh head coach ahead of the 2024 season. In his three years leading the Knights, he has compiled a 98-70 overall record and guided UCF to 42 Big 12 Conference victories. Wallace has also led the program to NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2024 (Tallahassee Regional) and 2026 (Auburn Regional), highlighted by a run to the regional final against host Florida State in 2024.
In each of his three seasons at the helm, Wallace has guided UCF’s pitching staff to a top-two ranking in the Big 12 in both ERA and WHIP. Offensively, his teams have been equally impressive, highlighted by a conference-leading .319 batting average in 2025 that ranked sixth nationally. Defensively, Wallace’s squads have consistently played at a high level, finishing among the top three in the Big 12 in fielding percentage in two of his three seasons and in the top half of the conference every year.
Under Wallace’s guidance, the Black and Gold have garnered national attention, earning a spot in the national rankings during each of his three seasons as head coach. In his debut campaign in 2024, Wallace led UCF back into the Top 25 for the first time since February 2021, as the Knights spent two weeks in the national polls. His 2025 squad followed with a weeklong appearance in the rankings in mid-March, while the 2026 team spent three weeks in the national polls and climbed as high as No. 12 in the April 6 D1Baseball Top 25, marking the program’s highest ranking under his leadership.
Over his three seasons at the helm, Wallace has coached 19 All-Big 12 honorees, including five players who earned Second Team All-Big 12 recognition: John Smith III (OF, 2026), Camden Wicker (RHP, 2026), Andrew Williamson (OF, 2026), Antonio Jimenez (SS, 2025), and Dom Stagliano (RHP, 2024). He has also mentored an All-Region selection in left-handed pitcher Dominic Castellano, who earned the distinction following the 2024 season.
Wallace has also demonstrated a strong track record of developing professional talent, with 10 Knights selected in the Major League Baseball Draft during his three seasons as head coach. UCF saw two players drafted in 2024, including right-handed pitchers Najer Victor (Los Angeles Angels, 14th Round) and Chase Centala (Miami Marlins, 20th Round). The number grew to five in 2025 with Antonio Jimenez (New York Mets, 3rd Round), Edian Espinal (Detroit Tigers, 10th Round), Alex Galvan (Arizona Diamondbacks, 13th Round), Dylan King (Cincinnati Reds, 17th Round), and Angelo Smith (Los Angeles Angels, 18th Round) all hearing their names called. The Knights then added three more draft selections in 2026: Andrew Williamson (St. Louis Cardinals, 2nd Round Competitive Balance-B), Braden Smith (Baltimore Orioles, 15th Round), and John Smith III (19th Round). Williamson’s second-round selection marked UCF’s highest draft pick since 2004 and represented the program’s second top-three-round selection under Wallace’s leadership, further highlighting his success in preparing student-athletes for professional baseball.
A 2004 UCF graduate, Wallace is the first alumnus to serve as head coach of an NCAA-sponsored men’s sport at UCF since 1988. He played four seasons of baseball for the Knights from 2000-03, helping those teams reach the NCAA Championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002. As a freshman, he led UCF with a .380 batting average and a .529 on-base percentage. He played a key role as UCF won the ASUN regular-season championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and the ASUN conference tournament in 2001 and 2002. Wallace helped the 2001 UCF squad win a school-record 51 games.
By leading his Knights to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, Wallace became the first person in program history to have appeared in NCAA postseason play as a player (2000, 2001, 2002), an assistant coach (2004), and a head coach (2024, 2026).
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.