Oct. 11, 2012

2012 Coaching Changes  

Colonials Get Top Choice, Finally

Ritchie named head coach at George Washington

Gregg Ritchie, hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been hired as head coach at his alma mater, George Washington.

Ritchie graduated from GW in 1986, batting .492 during his senior season, the second highest in the nation. Ritchie was also 6-3 on the mound with a 1.91 ERA. He was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 outfielder and was A-10 Player of the Year in 1986. Ritchie was inducted into the GW Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

The San Francisco Giants picked Ritchie in the eighth round of the 1986 MLB Draft. He played seven years in the Giants system, including three at Triple-A Phoenix. Ritchie concluded his playing career in 1995 at Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Texas Rangers system.

Ritchie began coaching in the Chicago White Sox organization in 1996 with Bristol in the Appalachian League. He spent 10 years in the White Sox system. Ritchie was the hitting coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the past two seasons after spending five years as Pittsburgh’s minor league hitting coordinator.

Ritchie runs his own baseball school, The Starting Lineup, during the winter months. He also owns KaeLo Sports Inc., a company for products that he invented and patented, including The Hitter’s Seat and The Pitch.
 

The coaching staff for Ritchie will include associate head coach Tom Sheridan, assistant coach Dave Lorber, volunteer assistant coach Stephanos Stroop and coordinator of baseball operations Bobby Lucas, Jr.

Ritchie’s wife, the former Kelly Siegel, is also a 1986 graduate of GW and was a member of the Colonials rowing team. They have four children: daughters Kaety (20), Riley (14) and Arizona (12), and son Logan (19).