Oklahoma State University Athletics
Rick Kranitz & Don Wallace
Kranitz, Wallace To Be Inducted Into Cowboy Baseball Hall Of Fame
December 07, 2021 | Cowboy Baseball
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will induct two new members in its Class of 2022 as Rick Kranitz and Don Wallace will be honored with that distinction. The duo will be honored at the OSU Baseball First Pitch Banquet in January.
Kranitz starred for the Cowboys during the 1978 and 1979 seasons and has established himself as a successful coach at the Major League Baseball level, while Wallace enjoyed an All-American career during his three seasons in Stillwater before eventually playing in the big leagues.
"We're thrilled to recognize and welcome Rick Kranitz and Don Wallace into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "These two guys have unique stories and a great place in Cowboy baseball history. It's so important that we continue to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of people like Don and Rick who were part of achieving excellence and building a foundation in the 60s and 70s that allowed Cowboy baseball to blossom into the powerhouse it became in the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s.
"It will be exciting to welcome these two men back to campus and celebrate their lives both at Oklahoma State and beyond."
Kranitz starred for head coach Gary Ward's first two OSU teams and turned in a 19-6 record and 3.41 ERA during his time in Stillwater.
A right-hander, Kranitz made 34 appearances for the Cowboys, including 23 starts, and also tallied 12 complete games, four saves and a pair of shutouts while recording 183 strikeouts in 177 innings of work.
In 1978, Kranitz earned All-Big Eight Conference honors after going 9-3 with three saves and a 3.27 ERA. He followed that by going 10-3 the following season as he tossed seven complete games and posted a 3.54 ERA.
Selected in the fourth round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft by Milwaukee, the third time he was a MLB Draft pick, Kranitz played seven years of professional baseball.
Now a coaching veteran of nearly four decades, Kranitz has served as pitching coach for Miami, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and he has won over 1,000 games as a pitching coach.
Named the 2006 Baseball America Major League Coach of the Year as pitching coach of the Marlins, Kranitz is coming off a 2021 season in which he served as pitching coach for the World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Wallace's storied OSU career saw him twice earn All-America and All-Big Eight honors, achieving that status in both 1961 and 1962.
A shortstop for the Pokes, Wallace was a career .335 hitter while posting 25 RBIs, 11 doubles, five triples and 12 stolen bases.
Wallace played on two College World Series teams – the 1960 club that finished third in Omaha, and the 1961 NCAA runner-up team as he was named to the CWS All-Tournament Team that year.
After leading the Cowboys with a .343 batting average in 1962, Wallace signed with the Baltimore Orioles and began a successful pro career that saw him win a Northern League batting title in his first season.
In 1967, Wallace signed a Major League Baseball contract with the California Angels and played in 23 big league games that season.
Following his retirement from baseball in 1968, Wallace, who earned a master's degree in education from OSU, was a successful middle school teacher, coach and principal for more than three decades before retiring in 2005.
A five-person committee selects the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame inductees. The panel evaluates candidates based on their accomplishments both at Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, had Major League Baseball careers or were first-round draft picks or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.
With the addition of Kranitz and Wallace, the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will grow to 60 members.
OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Kranitz and Wallace, as well as share the excitement of the current Cowboy ballclub for the upcoming 2022 season, can purchase tickets for the annual First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU campus. Tickets are limited, with each of the previous banquets selling out, and are on sale now at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/okstate/EN/buy/details/22BBANQ.
"It's exciting to the players, coaches and staff to once again host our First Pitch Banquet," Holliday said. "We look forward to seeing our best friends in that audience on that Saturday night to get excited about the upcoming season, celebrate the past, embrace the current team and look forward to what should be an exciting 2022 season.
"We realize after not being able to hold the banquet last year just what a special night that is and how it signifies to all of us that the season is right around the corner. I hope our fans will join us and enjoy a night of baseball together as we look forward to 2022."
Kranitz starred for the Cowboys during the 1978 and 1979 seasons and has established himself as a successful coach at the Major League Baseball level, while Wallace enjoyed an All-American career during his three seasons in Stillwater before eventually playing in the big leagues.
"We're thrilled to recognize and welcome Rick Kranitz and Don Wallace into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "These two guys have unique stories and a great place in Cowboy baseball history. It's so important that we continue to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of people like Don and Rick who were part of achieving excellence and building a foundation in the 60s and 70s that allowed Cowboy baseball to blossom into the powerhouse it became in the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s.
"It will be exciting to welcome these two men back to campus and celebrate their lives both at Oklahoma State and beyond."
Kranitz starred for head coach Gary Ward's first two OSU teams and turned in a 19-6 record and 3.41 ERA during his time in Stillwater.
A right-hander, Kranitz made 34 appearances for the Cowboys, including 23 starts, and also tallied 12 complete games, four saves and a pair of shutouts while recording 183 strikeouts in 177 innings of work.
In 1978, Kranitz earned All-Big Eight Conference honors after going 9-3 with three saves and a 3.27 ERA. He followed that by going 10-3 the following season as he tossed seven complete games and posted a 3.54 ERA.
Selected in the fourth round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft by Milwaukee, the third time he was a MLB Draft pick, Kranitz played seven years of professional baseball.
Now a coaching veteran of nearly four decades, Kranitz has served as pitching coach for Miami, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and he has won over 1,000 games as a pitching coach.
Named the 2006 Baseball America Major League Coach of the Year as pitching coach of the Marlins, Kranitz is coming off a 2021 season in which he served as pitching coach for the World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Wallace's storied OSU career saw him twice earn All-America and All-Big Eight honors, achieving that status in both 1961 and 1962.
A shortstop for the Pokes, Wallace was a career .335 hitter while posting 25 RBIs, 11 doubles, five triples and 12 stolen bases.
Wallace played on two College World Series teams – the 1960 club that finished third in Omaha, and the 1961 NCAA runner-up team as he was named to the CWS All-Tournament Team that year.
After leading the Cowboys with a .343 batting average in 1962, Wallace signed with the Baltimore Orioles and began a successful pro career that saw him win a Northern League batting title in his first season.
In 1967, Wallace signed a Major League Baseball contract with the California Angels and played in 23 big league games that season.
Following his retirement from baseball in 1968, Wallace, who earned a master's degree in education from OSU, was a successful middle school teacher, coach and principal for more than three decades before retiring in 2005.
A five-person committee selects the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame inductees. The panel evaluates candidates based on their accomplishments both at Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, had Major League Baseball careers or were first-round draft picks or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.
With the addition of Kranitz and Wallace, the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will grow to 60 members.
OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Kranitz and Wallace, as well as share the excitement of the current Cowboy ballclub for the upcoming 2022 season, can purchase tickets for the annual First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU campus. Tickets are limited, with each of the previous banquets selling out, and are on sale now at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/okstate/EN/buy/details/22BBANQ.
"It's exciting to the players, coaches and staff to once again host our First Pitch Banquet," Holliday said. "We look forward to seeing our best friends in that audience on that Saturday night to get excited about the upcoming season, celebrate the past, embrace the current team and look forward to what should be an exciting 2022 season.
"We realize after not being able to hold the banquet last year just what a special night that is and how it signifies to all of us that the season is right around the corner. I hope our fans will join us and enjoy a night of baseball together as we look forward to 2022."
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