E-mail Coach O'Reilly
The dean of Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball coaches, Irish O'Reilly is in his 29th season at Lewis University and in his 38th year in coaching overall.
Earlier this year, O'Reilly was honored for his numerous accomplishments in, and contributions to, college baseball by being inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame. Lewis baseball has had just three head coaches in its history, and two - O'Reilly and Gordie Gillespie - are ABCA Hall of Fame members.
In his first 37 years as a head coach at the college, junior college and high school levels, O'Reilly compiled a 1238-869-8 overall record, which translates into a .587 winning percentage. With a 28-year Lewis record of 974-724-8 (.573), he ranks eighth in victories among all coaches in NCAA Division II history and sixth in victories among active Division II coaches.
All but seven of O'Reilly's teams have enjoyed a winning season, and 23 of his teams have reached NAIA or NCAA postseason play. His Lewis teams have averaged 35 victories per season.
The Flyers established themselves as one of the nation's perennial Division II powers during the early years of O'Reilly's tenure. Lewis has placed among the top five at the NCAA Division II Championship five times, including third place in 1988, 1990 and 1994, and has won six Great Lakes Valley Conference titles.
O'Reilly coached Lewis to an NAIA national runner-up finish in 1980 when the Flyers won a school-record 61 games. He was named NAIA Area Coach of the Year.
O'Reilly often has been recognized for his team's success. He earned his sixth GLVC Coach of the Year honor in 1994 (he also won the award in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1992) and also was named North Central Region Coach of the Year that season, the fifth time he has been voted top coach in the region.
Before arriving at Lewis in the 1978-79 academic year, O'Reilly served four years as head baseball coach and director of athletics at Kankakee Community College. He amassed a 130-66 record and guided the 1974 team to seventh place at the NJCAA Championship. O'Reilly previously had compiled a 134-79 ledger in five seasons at his high school alma mater, Bishop McNamara (formerly St. Patrick Central).
A 1967 Illinois State University graduate, O'Reilly was a four-year starting pitcher for the Redbirds. He co-captained the 1966 team, and his 10-3 mound record that year helped lead ISU to a 28-4 mark. O'Reilly finished his collegiate career ranked second on the school's career strikeouts list with 286.
Following graduation, O'Reilly signed with the Boston Red Sox and played three seasons in the minor leagues. He was inducted into the Illinois State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983, the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Bishop McNamara High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000.
O'Reilly conceived the idea for the ABCA's free clinic held annually in conjunction with the Division II Championship in Montgomery, Ala. The "Clinic of Champions" serves 600 participants every year at the national tournament. An ABCA member for 37 years, O'Reilly served as the organization's president in 2005 and is chairman of the Division II All-America committee. He served nine years on the NCAA Division II National Baseball Championship Committee.
In addition to his coaching duties, O'Reilly serves as the University's Associate Director of Development for athletics. In his community of Manteno, he is president of "Save Our Golf Course, Inc.," a non-profit corporation formed to manage and run the Village of Manteno golf course. He also serves as a consultant to the Manteno Education Foundation he helped form in 1998.
O'Reilly served 12 years as an elected village trustee in Manteno, overseeing the parks and recreation commission and golf commission, and also served four years on the Bishop McNamara High School Board.
O'Reilly and his wife, Patricia, have been married for 36 years and have three daughters - Tricia Dotson, Jennifer and Karissa Fletcher. They are grandparents of Cambria, Midori and Aidan Dotson, daughters of Tricia and son-in-law Adam, and Aubriana, a daughter born to Karissa and Dan Fletcher in December.
The O'Reillys are celebrating several recent educational accomplishments of their daughters and son-in-law. Tricia and Jennifer have completed requirements for their master's degrees in education, Karissa graduated with a bachelor's degree in education and Adam earned a master's degree in public administration.
