The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Wortham to be inducted into College Baseball Hall of Fame
02.18.2010 | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2010
Jason Womack, Texas Media Relations
AUSTIN, Texas -- Former University of Texas pitcher Richard Wortham has been selected for induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
A four-year starting pitcher from 1973-1976, Wortham appeared in 75 games for the Longhorns and played an integral part on the 1975 national championship team.
"I don't know if it's really sunk in yet," Wortham said of his selection. "This is truly one of the top two highlights of my baseball career."
Over the span of his career at UT, Wortham pitched a total of 456 innings, the most all-time in school history, and tallied 481 strikeouts, second all-time at UT. He's also the all-time leader in wins at UT with his 50-7 record.
As a freshman in 1973 went a perfect 11-0, and tossed 12 shutouts throughout his career.
Wortham's finest season for the Longhorns came in 1976. During that year he posted 141 strikeouts, held opposing hitters to a batting average of .171, and was selected a first-team member for the All-Southwest Conference and All-American teams.
Other highlights of his 1976 season include four shutouts, a winning record of 14-2 and winning the team's MVP award.
Wortham was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1994, and believes his selection to the Hall of Fame is the perfect way to close the book on his impressive career.
"As I look at the program back then, it was obviously the best choice for me," Wortham said. "I've had a lot of wonderful memories from The University, and I still have a lot of great friends from there."
Wortham will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on Jul. 1, 2010, in a ceremony in Lubbock, Texas. With Wortham's selection, UT leads all schools with nine Longhorns in the Hall of Fame.
