Tim Reilly is in his first season as head coach of the Lafayette baseball program, taking the reigns on July 1, 2020. For three seasons, Reilly served as an assistant coach under Joe Kinney, who stepped aside after his 21 years at Lafayette.
Reilly, a catcher during his playing days at Rutgers, has worked closely with all areas of the Lafayette program, including serving as its recruiting coordinator for three seasons. His role has evolved in his time on College Hill, charged with the team’s hitting and catching in his first season before taking over as the pitching coach the past two seasons.
Prior to Lafayette, Reilly spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers. He worked closely with the catchers and helped develop the team's offensive approach while also serving as the program's recruiting coordinator. During his six years at Rutgers, four Scarlet Knight catchers earned All-Conference honors.
Reilly was integral in the development of All-Big Ten catcher R.J. Devish, who entered the program as an infielder. Reilly mentored Devish to eventually become the starting catcher as a junior, throwing out 15 runners attempting to steal. That led to a breakout 2016 season in which Devish was named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list as one of the top catchers in the nation, while hitting .375 with a .524 on-base percentage, to rank sixth nationally. In addition to All-Big Ten honors, Devish was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) District II Player of the Year.
In 2015, Reilly helped the program transition into the Big Ten Conference, earning three series wins, including taking a weekend over No. 13 Iowa at Bainton Field as well as helping lead sophomore outfielder Tom Marcinczyk to a All-Big Ten Third Team nod after hitting .337 with seven home runs.
Reilly was promoted to assistant coach for the 2014 season that saw the Scarlet Knights earn 30 wins and finish tied for third in the American Athletic Conference standings. Six players from that squad earned all-conference honors and nine picked up all-state honors. As a hitting instructor, Reilly helped the offense to a .283 average, second-best in the conference.
As a volunteer assistant coach in 2012 and 2013, Reilly helped mentor all-league and Johnny Bench Award candidate Jeff Melillo to one of the top catchers in the nation. The 2012 and 2013 teams combined for seven All-Big East selections, with the 2013 squad reaching the playoff semifinals.
As a player, Reilly played under former head coach Fred Hill and was behind the plate for the 2007 team that record a program-record-tying 42 wins en route to a Big East Championship, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Reilly stayed on at Rutgers in 2010 as a student assistant coach, helping lead a 30-win Scarlet Knight team that advanced to the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament and saw three players drafted.
In 2011, Reilly joined the coaching staff at Rider University. He was responsible for the catchers and hitters while coaching third base on game days and helped coach four Rider hitters to being named to the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) All-State team including Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, NJCBA Rookie of the Year and MAAC Rookie of the Year, Nick Crescenzo. In addition, three Rider hitters were honored on the All-MAAC team. Rider finished the 2011 season 33-18 and ranked second in the conference with the assistance of Reilly's coaching.
In 2012, he also had a quick stop with the Monmouth Monarchs, a collegiate summer baseball team based in Middletown, New Jersey where he served as the head coach, overseeing all aspects of the team for its summer league.
