26 years after he last played baseball at Rice, Jose Cruz Jr. had again wearing an owl shirt Tuesday night. Cruz, 47, was formally introduced as Owls’ new baseball coach at Reckling Park, five days after being hired to replace the fired Matt Bragga.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and what I want to do for a long time,” Cruz said. “I put on the jersey with great pride. I look forward to what we can achieve. The goal is to win a national championship and come together as a rice community.
“I am in ecstasy. I’m very excited. It’s very emotional. I’m looking forward to the challenge, I’m ready. This will be fun to have the rice nation come together. The goal is to be the last (team) to stand. ”
A highly committed alumnus, Cruz has been a long-time supporter of Rice Baseball. Wearing No. 22, Cruz becomes the 22nd head coach of the program.
Cruz is brought in to lift a once proud program that comes from four seasons that lose straight out three under Bragga. Cruz was in his first season as the Detroit Tigers’ assistant coach.
Under Wayne Graham, Rice made 23 straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995-2017, winning the 2003 National Championship in Omaha, Neb.
Cruz played for Graham from 1992-95 and was a three-time All-America outfielder before starting a 12-year major league career in which the substitute made up 204 home runs. Number 3 of the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 draft, Cruz played for nine franchises. He ended his career in 2008 with the Astros.
“This is an exciting day for Rice Baseball,” said Rice Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard, “when we welcome one of the architects of the dynasty who sent seven owls to Omaha and won a national title 18 years ago.
“Jose is ready for this challenge, and we are ready to support him in bringing Rice Baseball forward with championships and trips to Omaha. This is the right match at the right time. ”
The Cruz family is synonymous with baseball in Houston. Father Jose Sr. was a longtime member of the Astros. Cruz Jr.’s brother, as well as two sons, have played on Rice, including Trei Cruz, a third-round pick of the Tigers in the 2020 draft.
Jose Cruz Sr. was a proud father on Tuesday, a special day that gathered a large number of Rice supporters for the well-received introduction to the son.
“It’s an emotional day for me because I’m glad his dream came true,” said Cruz Sr. “He has always wanted to be a coach at Rice, and I have been coming here for years. I’m glad this happened and we’ll have a great time watching Rice games.
“He will bring good communication with the players. They have a great person to lead the team. ”
A mix of old-school and progressive baseball will highlight Cruz Jr.’s style of coaching. And he said he did not want to be a screamer or a screamer.
“Communication is the key,” Cruz said. “I’m evolving. I try to teach people how to get better. ”
As far as a quick turnaround, Cruz said it starts with pitching.
“It’s going to be our fastest way to succeed,” Cruz said. “It will be exciting to see how good our pitching staff can be in a year, and then look at it in two years, three years, and see how much we will grow.”
Bragga was fired on May 25 after three disappointing seasons, and collected a losing record in each.
Under Bragga, Rice went 51-76 overall and 25-36 in Conference USA, and finished no better than seventh. Last season, the Owls went 23-29-1 and 11-20-1 and finished in 10th place out of 12 C-USA teams.
Bragga replaced Graham, who made Rice a great baseball program nationally. In a 19-year stretch under Graham, Rice won either a conference season or a tournament championship.
Cruz said the Owls will become a player again on the national stage, and in the process balance the educational side of college with baseball.
“I want the guys to come here to upgrade,” Cruz said. “I played professional baseball and graduated. So it’s definitely doable. I will give them a perspective on how they can achieve both. ”