JOLIET, Ill. -- Gordie Gillespie, college baseball's
winningest coach, earned his 1,800th career victory Friday as the
University of St. Francis defeated Robert Morris 7-2.
The 82-year-old Gillespie is 1,800-910 in 57 seasons, including
the last 23 at St. Francis. He began his coaching career in 1953 at
Lewis College, where he spent 24 years, and also coached 10 years
at Ripon College.
Gillespie was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame last
week, the first small-school inductee selected in the hall's four
years.
Gillespie, who turns 83 on April 14, signed a four-year contract
extension before the season to coach at St. Francis through the
2012.
"In my 57 years of baseball coaching, I haven't changed my
enthusiasm one bit," Gillespie said last week after the Hall of
Fame announcement. "To see the kids doing what they do, the plays
that they make is a real thrill. Every day is a World Series day
for me. There's nothing else like it."