Gary Adcock to be Inducted into Riverside Sport Hall of Fame
11/29/2023 2:05:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE--- The Riverside Sports Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that California Baptist University head baseball coach, Gary Adcock, would be inducted as part of the Class of 2024. Adcock has a career record of 695-362-1 in his 20 years as the Lancer's skipper and will be inducted as part of the Coaches category which includes all-time greats such as Dusty Baker and Jerry Tarkanian. He will be joining CBU President Dr. Ronald Ellis, who was inducted a year ago as part of the Class of 2023.
"In the world of college athletics, few coaches are able to sustain long term success, but Coach Adcock has been able to navigate our baseball team to championships at the NAIA, NCAA II and NCAA I level," remarks CBU Vice President for Athletics Dr. Micah Parker. "It's fun to see our coaches recognized for their success on the field, but Gary's teams have also done well in the classroom and in life after baseball. Riverside should be proud of one of their own doing so well."
Adcock's first coaching position was as an assistant for California Baptist in 1995 under the direction of John Martin. He went on to hold coaching positions at UC Riverside, Riverside Community College, Purdue, and UCLA, serving primarily as a pitching coach. Adcock cemented his place in Riverside in 2004 when he took the job as head coach of the Lancers and led the team to a 30-22 overall mark, which included a third-place finish in the GSAC, and a runner-up finish in the Region II Tournament. He went on to lead the Lancers to a 282-150-1 record through CBU's final eight years in the NAIA before the university's transition to the NCAA.
Adcock continued his winning ways at the Division II level as part of the PacWest Conference, where he culminated an impressive 43-13 first season record in DII, winning the PacWest Conference Championship by six games. Adcock continued to dominate the Division II era for the next six years and compiled a remarkable 268-134 DII record, complete with a pair of NCCAA Championships and two PacWest Coach of the Year nods.
Adcock has been top-notch in the NCAA Division I level, earning a 64.8% winning percentage that is the top mark among teams that have made the transition since 1998. He also grabbed a share of the Western Athletic Conference Regular Season title during the first year of the DI era in 2019, and then again in 2021. Adcock also qualified for the WAC Tournament during the first season eligible and has earned numerous awards in the WAC, including Freshman of the Year in 2021, Defender of the Year in 2022, Player of the Year in 2021, and Pitcher of the Year in both 2019 and 2023. In total, Adcock has accumulated 25 All-WAC honorees.
His career record of 695-362-1 is the best in program history as he's led the Lancers to a total of eight conference championships, has had 29 players drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft, and garnered 11 All-Americans, making him the most successful baseball coach in the history of the California Baptist Baseball program.
"Shocked and grateful, are just some of the words that describe my emotions after hearing of my inclusion to the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame," says Adcock. "To be included with so many amazing people in this city who have impacted countless lives, is humbling to say the least. So many of these Riverside Legends inspired me, guided me, mentored me, and I still rely on them today. I am blessed beyond measure! Thank you to all my players, coaches, colleagues, friends, and family!"
The induction ceremony will be held during a gala celebration on Monday, May 6th at the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center. Ticket information will be available at https://www.riversidesporthalloffame.com/.
