Kentucky Wesleyan Head Baseball Coach Todd Lillpop recently reached his 500th win with the Panthers. The milestone was achieved on May 2 after the Panthers defeated Cedarville 5-2.
Already the winningest coach in KWC’s history, the new milestone is the latest in Lillpop’s list of accomplishments with the team. He is one of 54 active Division II coaches to reach 500 wins, and he is one of just 31 to achieve all of those with a single program.
Getting to 500 wasn’t a solo effort, as Lillpop said his coaching staff and players are the ones doing most of the work.
“You can’t do anything without your assistant coaches, players, or the support of your family,” he said. “My immediate family of my parents, my kids, and my wife; I can’t do any of this without their support. Your assistant coaches and your players are the ones doing the dirty work, though.”
Lillpop has always tried to think long-term when it comes to player development. Not only does he hone their skills on the diamond, but he makes sure to try to help each and every one of his players grow as people, too. Lillpop takes this aspect of coaching seriously, as the trust that the players’ families place in him and the staff isn’t taken for granted.
“Being a young guy, I just wanted to always do things the right way,” he said. “When you’re coaching the game and you’re around people you care about every day it makes it a lot more enjoyable, but your word means everything. Not just in sports and baseball, but in everyday life.”
He added, “Your word is your life, so I’ve always tried to hold that standard and be truthful with these families. These families are entrusting me and our staff with their 18- to 22-year-olds for 4 years. They got to trust us to grow these kids into men, and hopefully they are better people, fathers, husbands, etc. because of it.”
Lillpop started coaching at KWC not long after completing his playing career with the Panthers. He began as a student assistant coach, then was named head assistant coach before being put at the helm in the 2001-02 season at just 24 years old. In his first year as head coach, Lillpop said, he even coached players who were once his teammates.
In just his third season as head coach, Lillpop led Wesleyan to their first 30-win season in 16 years with a record of 31-25. Lillpop led the Panthers to eight consecutive winning seasons from 2014-2021, and they won a G-MAC tournament title and made an NCAA Regional appearance in 2017. The NCAA Regional appearance marked the first for the program since 1988. Lillpop has also helped KWC become one of just two schools to qualify for the G-MAC tournament for 10 seasons in a row.
Lillpop acknowledged that he has had a rather unique ride with KWC, going from player to coach at a young age, and he hopes his future with the Panthers simply allows him to continue having fun and enjoying the sport of baseball. He also wishes to continue to foster and grow the culture around Panthers baseball that he’s had a big hand in helping establish.
“I just want to continue carrying on the culture that we’ve built,” he said. “Our culture is: it’s all about the players. It’s all about making sure they become the people that their families want them to become and what we want them to become when they leave.”
He continued, “It’s been a blast and the people that I am around are awesome. I’ve just been blessed to be a part of something special for some time. Not many people get the opportunity to do what I’ve done. It keeps me in the game, and I love it. In some ways, it also keeps me young.”
