Derek O'Reilly
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Senior middle infielder Derek O’Reilly enters his final season at South Alabama in 2009. He played in 34 games and made 24 starts a year ago, but with the departure of middle infielders Bunky Kateon and Ryne Jernigan, he’s expected to jump into a starting role this year.
O’Reilly hit .295 (26-for-88) with 11 RBI and 14 runs scored in his first season at USA after transferring from Fresno City Community College. With a year of experience, O’Reilly showed that he’s ready to take over as a full-time starter after an impressive fall.
O’Reilly knocked more hits in 17 fall games than in 34 games a season ago. He ranked third on the team in batting average (.422), second in runs (19) and third in on-base percentage (.472). Over the last seven games of the fall, O’Reilly recorded six multi-hit games, scored nine runs and collected eight RBI.
An Oakhurst, Calif. native, O’Reilly sat down to discuss his life outside of baseball, the upcoming season, and what he plans to do after graduation.
Q: What baseball team did you root for as a child?
DO: All of my family is from Los Angeles, so I always rooted for the Dodgers. My grandma loves the Dodgers.
Q: Who were your favorite players at that time?
DO: Frank Thomas was my favorite player. My older brother is about eight years older than me, and Frank Thomas was his favorite player, so I really liked him.
Q: If you could go to one ballpark that you’ve never been to, which one would it be?
DO: I hate the Yankees, but I’d love to go to Yankee Stadium just because it’s so historical.
Q: What sports do you like other than baseball?
DO: I played soccer growing up, but I quit when I was 12. I played one year of Pop Warner football, and it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had, but I just didn’t have any business on the field once I got to high school. I was just too small.
Q: Who are your best friends on the team?
DO: Ryan Bohanan is one of them because he was my roommate on the road last year. Miles Ethridge is another. I live with him every day, and I know him really well.
Q: What are you studying in school, and what are your plans for after graduation?
DO: My major is communication with a focus on advertising. My minor is sociology. I want to own my own business, but if that doesn’t work out then I’ll go to an advertising agency and work on putting stuff together for a major corporation doing in-home advertising.
Q: Have you lived in California your entire life?
DO: Yeah, I’ve always lived there.
Q: What is something you’d like to see improve at South Alabama:
DO: I’d like to see more students in the fan base. We come out and plays games with most of our crowd being parents and people from the community, and we’d really like to see more school spirit from students.
Q: What road trip do you most look forward to?
DO: Louisiana-Lafayette. They’re in the conference, they’re our rival, and it’s so much fun to play there. They pack their stands out, especially when we come to town. They don’t like us, and it’s just a good environment.”
Q: Do you feel you have a leadership role as a senior?
DO: Yeah, I do. I do what I can do. I’m not a big rah-rah guy, I’m not going to get into anybody’s face or anything like that, but if I can set an example that people want to follow, that’s fine. I’m not going to jump on or yell at anybody. I’ll talk to them, but I’m not the kind of guy to get into anybody’s face.
Q: You’re expected to start this year, and you’ll likely be working next to Zach Grichor in the middle infield. What’s the chemistry like between middle infielders?
DO: I hang out with Zach a lot. He got here around the same time as I did this year, and ever since then I’ve been hanging out with him as much as I can. In high school and junior college I hung out with our second basemen a lot, and I think it helps. Just knowing each other really well helps out – knowing what each can and can’t do.
Q: What are your expectations for this year?
DO: I really think we’re going to be good. I really do. After seeing SEC teams last year, our lineup matches up with anybody. I think we’re just as good as any team in the country.
Click below to view previous editions of “In the Dugout with …”
David Doss
Ryan Bohanan
Greg Johnson
Michael Logan
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
