Reggie Gene Willits (born May 30, 1981) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

and associate head baseball coach for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Ru ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

from 2006 through 2011, and was the first base coach for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

from 2018 through 2021.

Early life

Reggie is the son of Gene and Judy Willits of Fort Cobb, Oklahoma. He attended junior high and high school at Fort Cobb-Broxton. He attended Seminole State College in

Seminole, Oklahoma Seminole ( sac, Sheminônîheki) is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,488 at the 2010 census. Seminole experienced a large population growth in the 1920s due to an oil boom. History The city was platted i ...

, and transferred to the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

, where he played for the

Playing career

The

selected Willits in the seventh round, with the 210th overall selection, of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft. Willits made his Major League Baseball debut with the Angels on April 26, 2006. He made the Angels' Opening Day roster in 2007. On August 17, 2011, he was designated for assignment by the Angels after five seasons in Anaheim. After the 2011 season, he elected for free agency.

Coaching career

In 2013, Willits became the head baseball

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

for Binger-Oney High School. Willits joined the

' organization in 2015 as their outfield and baserunning coordinator. He was promoted to first base coach for the 2018 season. After the 2021 season, Willits accepted a volunteer coaching assistant position with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Personal life

Willits married Amber Klugh of Fort Cobb; they met while in the sixth grade and married while attending the University of Oklahoma. they have three children, Jaxon, Hunter and Eli. Reggie has an older sister Wendi Willits Wells, who played basketball at Arkansas and for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. She's been head girls' basketball coach at Shawnee Oklahoma High School since 2008-09. Her teams have reached the state tournament the last four years and won the 5A championship in 2011-12. Willits and his wife began building a home in 2003 in Fort Cobb, with the first completed structure a standalone 60-by-35 foot

batting cage A batting cage (or tunnel) is an enclosed area for baseball or softball players to practice the skill of batting. The optimal material for batting cages is netting, and they are typically rectangular in shape. Chain-link fence is not required bu ...

. Willits decided to save money and work on his game by moving the family into the batting cage, outfitted with an

open plan Open plan is the generic term used in architectural and interior design for any floor plan that makes use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices. The term can also refer to landscaping of h ...

. In 2007, the home was completed. Reggie was named after Reggie Jackson.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Willits, Reggie 1981 births Living people People from Chickasha, Oklahoma Baseball coaches from Oklahoma Baseball players from Oklahoma Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball first base coaches Los Angeles Angels players New York Yankees coaches Seminole State Trojans baseball players Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Provo Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Salt Lake Bees players Inland Empire 66ers players Minor league baseball coaches Oklahoma Sooners baseball coaches