Hope College baseball coach Stu Fritz has been
honored by his alma mater, Wartburg College of Iowa, as its
alumni coach of the year.
Fritz, a 1988 Wartburg graduate who has guided Hope's
baseball fortunes the past five seasons, was recently presented
the John Kurtt Alumni Coach-of-the-Year award. John Kurtt served
Wartburg as a coach and athletic director for 32 years.
This spring Fritz led the Flying Dutchmen to the
championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(MIAA) and Hope's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III
championships. The team posted a school-record 25 victories in
winning its third conference championship in three seasons.
Fritz has a career mark of 86-83-2 overall and a 57-34 mark in
conference games.
He enjoyed a banner 1997-98 school year, serving as
quarterbacks coach for Hope's MIAA championship football team
last fall.
This summer, for the fourth year in-a-row, he will coach in
the Roberto Clemente Allstars program in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Fritz received the masters degree in sports administration
from the University of Northern Colorado. He and wife Carol
reside in Holland. Carol is a member of the Hope College
admissions staff.