University of Missouri Athletics

Ralph was a highly accomplished player and inspirational leader for the Tiger baseball program. He was team captain in 1959, the same year he became the first Mizzou second baseman to earn first-team all-America honors when he hit an impressive .451. He took home all-district and first-team all-Big Eight Conference honors in 1959 as well, when he led the team to a 13-0 start, on the way to a 16-4 overall record. His .451 batting average in 1959 is still the fourth-best single-season mark in program history and included a single-game record three triples in one game against Kansas State. He played on the 1958 Mizzou team that finished as national runners-up at the College World Series, and later played for Team USA when it won the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games. Hochgrebe was inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.