Hope College Baseball Coach Stu Fritz (photo courtesy Hope College Athletics)
Stu Fritz, the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Hope College baseball history, has announced that he will retire following the 2024 season.
Fritz has guided the Flying Dutchmen on the diamond since 1994. Over 31 seasons and 1,124 games, Hope has won 652 games, earned 10 MIAA championships and made four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.
During his tenure, Fritz also served as assistant football coach for 17 seasons and as an associate professor of kinesiology with a specialty in assessing Hope’s future physical educators. He was president of the American Baseball Coaches Association for one year.
“My journey has been indescribable, not only from the coaching side, but also from the instructional side. From my point of view, there is just nothing better than being able to mentor young people during their college years,” Fritz said. “To my department colleagues and Physical Plant friends, thank you. My heart is full. I leave at this time having had the honor to coach at an incredible institution and walk alongside so many fantastic young men through our baseball and football programs, specifically. Victories on the field have been fulfilling, but more importantly, seeing players victorious in their lives as men has been my wife Carol’s and my biggest blessing. We have made this a way of life and to have her love and support has been a difference-maker for me and our student athletes. It truly brings me great pride to see how they represent our program and institution daily in the lives they lead. I’m looking forward to continuing to tell the Hope story and supporting Hope College for many years to come. Thank you to all who have contributed to my journey and added to my story, most importantly the numerous players and coaches. You truly are and will be my greatest joy in this profession.”
Director of Athletics Tim Schoonveld said Fritz has been a transformational force on campus as a coach, professor, colleague and friend.
“Today is bittersweet for the athletic department and the college. We are so grateful to Stu and celebrate his amazing career. He has had a transformational impact on thousands of lives during his time at Hope,” Schoonveld said. “While he has had a tremendous impact on the field, the real beauty of his career has been his ability to develop deep and meaningful relationships with those from all walks of life. Baseball players, students in his classes, colleagues across the country in the baseball world, and all of his colleagues at Hope have had their lives positively impacted through their relationship with Stu.I am so thankful for the legacy he is leaving behind within our program and campus,” Schoonveld said. “He is a friend who has helped me in my role, has been a leader in our department, and can share the story of Hope and Hope athletics as well as anyone at the college. The impact of Stu and Carol on the lives of student-athletes at Hope will be felt for years to come. We look forward to enjoying this season with them and thank them for all they have done and are doing.”
A search for a new head coach will begin this spring, Schoonveld said.
Fritz’s overall record heading into the 2024 season is 652-468-2, a winning percentage of .575. He reached the 600-win mark on May 7, 2021, with a 6-4 victory at Boeve Stadium in Game 1 of a doubleheader vs. Trine University.
Fritz’s teams have won nearly two-thirds of their MIAA games (444-246, .643). His 10 MIAA titles are the second-most in league history.
Hope claimed MIAA regular-season championships in 2022, 2013, 2007, 2006, 2003, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1994. The Flying Dutchmen appeared in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships in 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2007.
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