Episcopal Academy grad Jack O’Reilly making an impact for Villanova baseball
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Penn. (BVM) — Jack O’Reilly is preparing for his fourth baseball season at the college level. The Episcopal Academy graduate will be entering his third season with the Villanova Wildcats after playing his freshman year at Notre Dame.
O’Reilly was born in Villanova as the youngest of four children. His father, Matt, played college basketball at William & Mary so his athletic foundation was already built. As a child, he picked up multiple sports including tennis, pickleball, and biking. He was encouraged to pick up t-ball by his father and brother around the age of six which sparked a life around baseball.
Before graduating in 2019 from The Episcopal Academy, O’Reilly collected many awards both on and off the field. He was awarded 12 varsity letters with five from baseball, four from water polo and three from basketball. In baseball, he achieved four All-Philly first-team nominations, led the team in hits and batting average his freshman and sophomore seasons and led the team in strikeouts his junior and senior seasons.
An outstanding athlete, O’Reilly has shown he’s more than just how he performs in sports. He earned the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete award and the Crawford Cup as a senior which recognizes athletes with high athletic achievement coupled with the highest level of sportsmanship.
After graduation, O’Reilly attended Notre Dame and played baseball for Fighting Irish, appearing in five games off the bench in the shortened 2020 season. He transferred to Villanova following his first season and has been there since.
His Wildcat career has been impactful thus far. O’Reilly has started 83 of the 84 games that he’s appeared in and held down the Villanova infield with a .967 fielding percentage. He has consistently landed among the top on the team in categories like batting average, slugging percentage and plate appearances. He never let his academics slip, earning a spot on the Big East All-Academic team and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll during his sophomore and junior years.
O’Reilly and the Villanova baseball team will be back in action next February for the start of the 2023 spring season. Fans of his at The Episcopal Academy know that his list of achievements is far from over.
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