On Thursday, the Rice Owls fired head coach Jose Cruz Jr. He has been the head coach for the team in Houston since the 2022 college baseball season.
As of today, he will end his career with a 63-126 record at Rice. The Owls did not get off to a good start in 2025. They currently have a 2-14 record and have lost 10 games in a row. Their only wins this season are against the USC Trojans and Sam Houston.
BREAKING: @RiceBaseball is parting ways with head coach Jose Cruz Jr. after 3 1/2 seasons with the program, @D1Baseball has learned. Cruz, one of the all-time greats in #Rice history, is out with the Owls currently having a 2-14 overall record this season. pic.twitter.com/DQUHX2369Y
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) March 13, 2025
Cruz is a former MLB player who had a playing career that lasted from 1997-2008. In 2003, he won a gold glove with the San Francisco Giants.
From 1992 to 1995, he played for the Rice Owls at the collegiate level and returned to coach his alma mater nearly 30 years later.
Following the firing of Cruz Jr., Rice will look to snap its massive losing skid against Houston Christian this weekend at home in Reckling Park. The series will begin on Friday, Mar. 14. That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. E.T.
