Rich Wallace

Rich Wallace, an Orlando native and former UCF baseball player and Knight assistant coach, brings two decades of experience as a Division I baseball coach with him in his return to Orlando as UCF’s seventh head baseball coach. The 2024 season marked Wallace's first season as UCF's head coach as well as the program's first year of competition in the Big 12 Conference.

During his first season at the helm of his alma mater in 2024, Wallace led his Knights to a 37-21 record and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017—with a trip to the 2024 NCAA Tallahassee Regional. He also led the Black and Gold to six conference series victories in the program's inaugural season of competition in the Big 12 Conference to finish eighth in the league with a 14-15 conference record.

With a possible postseason bid on the line, Wallace then led the Knights to a deep run at the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship by going 2-1 and reaching the semifinal round. UCF then received an at-large selection as a No 3 seed at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional and the Black and Gold went on to record wins over Alabama and Stetson to reach the finals of the regional before falling to the host and No. 8 Florida State Seminoles.

Wallace helped his 2024 squad enter the Top 25 national rankings for the first time since February of 2021, as the team spent two weeks in early April in the national rankings. The Knights were ranked as high as 16th by the NCBWA and 17th by D1Baseball. Wallace also guided the Knights to a 19-3 non-conference record during the regular season, which included an impressive 11-1 record in midweek action. The 2024 Knights also finished the season with a 14-4 record against in-state opponents as well as posted the nation’s 33rd-best RPI.

The UCF alum had six players earn All-Big 12 recognition following the season, as junior pitcher Dom Stagliano received All-Big 12 Second Team honors, and Dominic Castellano (Jr., LHP), Chase Centala (Sr., RHP), Kyle Kramer (Sr., RHP), Danny Neri (Sr., C), and Matt Prevesk (Jr., OF) all earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. The left-hander Castellano also became UCF’s first pitcher to earn All-Region honors since 2017, as he was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I Southeast All-Region Second Team. Wallace also had a pair of Knights drafted following his first season, as right-handed pitchers Najer Victor and Chase Centala were respectively selected by the Angels and Marlins in the 2024 MLB Draft.

By recording the NCAA Tournament appearance 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).

Prior to becoming UCF's head coach, Wallace spent the 2023 season as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State. He previously coached at Notre Dame (2020-22), Jacksonville (2018-19), Creighton (2015-17), High Point (2009-14) and UCF (2004-08). Wallace helped teams at UCF in 2004, Jacksonville in 2018 and Notre Dame in 2021 and 2022 to NCAA Championship appearances.
 
A 2004 UCF graduate, Wallace becomes the first alumnus to be named 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 .529 on-base percentage. He played a key role as UCF won the ASUN regular season in 2000-02 and the ASUN conference tournament in 2001 and 2002. Wallace helped the 2001 UCF squad win a school-record 51 games.
 
His combined NCAA Championship experience includes three times as a UCF player and four times as an assistant coach (two Super Regional appearances and one College World Series berth).
 
Wallace spent four seasons working with head coach Link Jarrett at Notre Dame (2020-22) and Florida State (2023). In South Bend he served as recruiting coordinator and third-base coach while also working with Irish hitters and catchers. He oversaw defensive alignments, managed opposing pitcher video scouting reports, helped coordinate baserunning instruction and assisted with game management during his tenure in South Bend. His role in Tallahassee also featured the recruiting coordinator assignment.
 
Under Wallace’s guidance, Notre Dame led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked in the top 15 nationally in fielding percentage in both 2021 and 2022. Notre Dame threw out more than 35 percent of attempted base stealers, while Irish runners finished in the top four in the league in stolen bases each season.
 

 
In Wallace’s three years at Notre Dame the Irish were 86-32 (.729), second-best winning percentage in the country over that span. Notre Dame’s 44-21 (.677) three-year ACC record was the best in the league, and the Irish won the conference’s regular-season title (their first ACC crown) by 4.5 games in 2021. Notre Dame finished 41-17 in 2022 (most wins for the Irish since 2006) and set a single-season home run record with 79.
 
Wallace helped guide the Irish to back-to-back NCAA Super Regionals (first time at Notre Dame) and the 2022 College World Series in the third trip to Omaha in program history. In 2021, first baseman Niko Kavadas became a first-team All-American--Notre Dame’s first since 2002--and set the school record with 22 home runs (second in the ACC and third in the nation).
 
At Notre Dame, Wallace coached two All-Americans, three All-ACC selections and 14 players were named to the All-ACC Academic Team. Throughout his career Wallace’s teams have produced 53 Major League Baseball draft selections and coached more than 60 all-conference performers.
 
He spent the 2018-19 seasons back in his home state as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Jacksonville under head coach Chris Hayes. In 2018 Wallace and the Dolphins finished 40-21 and reached the NCAA Championship as a two seed, highest in program history. That season, the Dolphins led the ASUN in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored and fielding percentage.
 
Wallace was the recruiting coordinator at Creighton (2015-17 under head coach Ed Servais) and High Point (2009-14 under head coach Craig Cozart). He was named the Big East Recruiter of the Year by D1Baseball in 2016 at Creighton. At High Point he helped bring in consecutive nationally ranked recruiting classes for the first time in school history.
 
Wallace began his coaching career at UCF (2004-08 under head coach Jay Bergman), coaching the catchers and outfielders while coordinating the camps. UCF won the ASUN regular-season title in 2004 and reached the NCAA Championship.
 
He remains in UCF’s top 10 in single-season on-base percentage (.529 in 2000) and career hit by pitch (46). Wallace in 2000 was an honorable mention Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and a third-team All-ASUN selection as a designated hitter. In his four seasons with the Knights, UCF won a combined 166 games (51-14 in 2001, 43-19 in 2000, 41-22 in 2002), including a combined 67-17 mark in ASUN play in 2000-02.
 
After his playing career as a 6-1, 220-pound infielder with the Knights concluded, Wallace earned his degree in 2004 from UCF’s College of Undergraduate Studies with a major in interdisciplinary studies and a minor in criminal justice. He graduated from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando.