Reggie Willits
| Reggie Willits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Willits while with the Angels | |||
| Outfielder | |||
|
Born: May 30, 1981 Chickasha, Oklahoma | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| April 26, 2006, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 3, 2011, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .258 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 58 | ||
| Stolen bases | 40 | ||
| Teams | |||
Reggie Gene Willits (born May 30, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He is currently the baseball coach at Binger-Oney (Oklahoma) high school.[1]
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 is an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, and he played junior college baseball at Seminole State in Seminole, Oklahoma.
Career
Willits was drafted by the Angels in the 7th round (210th overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. Willits made his Major League Baseball debut with the Angels on April 26, 2006.
On August 17, 2011, he was designated for assignment by the Angels after five seasons in Anaheim.[2] After the 2011 season, he elected for free agency.[3]
Personal
Willits married Amber Klugh of Fort Cobb; they have two children, Jaxon 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.[4]
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. Willits decided to save money and work on his game by moving the family into the batting cage, outfitted with an open plan. In 2007, the home was finally completed. Reggie was named after Reggie Jackson. Coincidentally, Willits' first son is named Jaxon. The idea to name their son first came from one of Reggie's first host families, the Donnells. When Reggie was playing for the minor league affiliate, the Provo Angels, his host sister Mollie was talking about baby names with his wife Amber. Around the same time, Mollie's brother (who no longer lived with the Donnells) was naming his kid Jaxon, and Mollie jokingly suggested the name. Amber loved it, and she knew Reggie would as well because of the significance it held for them. Reggie and his wife have another son Eli Willits born December 9, 2007. A third son, Hunter was born recently.[5]
References
- ↑ http://newsok.com/high-schools-former-big-leaguer-reggie-willits-back-in-pressure-situation-as-binger-oney-baseball-coach/article/3775312/?page=2
- ↑ Nicholson-Smith, Ben. "Angels Designate Reggie Willits For Assignment". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ↑ Axisa, Mike. "22 Triple-A Players Elect Free Agency". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ↑ David Moore (June 29, 2007). "Angels fans cheering 'Reggie, Reggie' once again". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
- ↑ Lee Jenkins (July 1, 2007). "Life in a Cage: Baby Sleeps, Mom Cooks, Dad Bats". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)