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FSU assistant coach Rich Wallace hired as head coach of UCF Knights baseball

ehsan kassim, tallahassee democrat
·3 min read
Florida State University baseball assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator Rich Wallace

Florida State baseball will need to look at the market for a new assistant coach and recruiting coordinator as Rich Wallace is the new head coach at the University of Central Florida.

UCF made the official announcement Monday afternoon.

Wallace, who played for the Knights in the early 2000s, will be the first alumnus hired as a men's sports head coach at UCF.

“To come back to UCF as the head baseball coach is absolutely a dream come true for myself and my family,” Wallace said in a university release. “I’m truly grateful to Terry Mohajir and (University president) Dr. Alex Cartwright for this opportunity.

"I can’t wait to get to work.”

Wallace joined the FSU staff with head coach Link Jarrett when Jarrett took over the job last year.

He also served as Jarrett's recruiting coordinator and third base coach at Notre Dame for three seasons from 2020-22.

Jarrett and Wallace led the Irish to the College World Series in 2022.

The second-year FSU head coach will now seek his second assistant coach in as many years leading the Seminoles.

FSU is coming off a 23-31 record in year one under Jarrett.

It was the first losing season in program history and the end of FSU's 44-year NCAA Tournament streak that was tied for the longest in NCAA history.

In 2000, Wallace hit .380 with a .529 on-base percentage and Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball.

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Following his collegiate career, he was a graduate assistant and volunteer coach at UCF from 2004-08.

He spent the next several years working under Craig Cozart at High Point (2009-14) and Creighton (2015-17) before returning to Florida as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Jacksonville in 2018-19.

At one point, UCF had zeroed in on former Major League Baseball manager Joe Girardi, who coached the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.

Girardi turned down the offer Thursday, according to reports.

Before accepting the UCF job, Wallace and FSU landed three transfers from the Knights: infielder Drew Faurot, RHP Cam Leiter, and LHP Jacob Marlowe.

More: Kassim: Why early end to Florida State baseball season could be a blessing in disguise

Cap Cod League

According to Noles247, here's a list of FSU baseball players playing in the Cape Cod League this summer.

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU baseball: Rich Wallace hired as head coach of UCF Knights baseball