Todd Lillpop enters his 24th season as the head baseball coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2025. Lillpop has posted an impressive 502-557 overall career record with a 167-147 (.532) mark in G-MAC play since the Panthers joined the conference in 2014.
Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Lillpop amassed 15 conference wins each year and earned a G-MAC Tournament win last season.
The 2022 season was a year of resiliency for Panther baseball. After starting the season 0-16, the Panthers would turn things around and post a 26-28 overall record with a 20-12 record in GMAC play. This effort led to Coach Lillpop being named the 2022 G-MAC Coach of the Year. In total, seven players earned All-G-MAC honors with Robert Chayka being named to the First Team.
In 2019, the Panthers and Lillpop set more records of success. For the fifth time in six seasons, Wesleyan won 30 or more games. More impressively, Lillpop helped guide the Panthers to the Great Midwest Title game for the fourth consecutive time. Devin Smith was also named Great Midwest Pitcher of the Year in 2019, as the hard-throwing right-hander became the first pitcher in Kentucky Wesleyan history to earn All-America honors. In total, seven players earned All-G-MAC honors with Alex Franzen being named to the First Team.
The 2018 season brought more success for the defending conference champions as Wesleyan won 10 games in a row at the end of the season. The Panthers finished the year 32-21 before falling in the Great Midwest Conference Championship game. Five players were honored with All-G-MAC honors, as Ostin Clark and Cody Bridges earned spots on the league's First Team and Bridges went on to earn All-Region honors as well.
In 2017, the Panthers played their best at the season's end. Wesleyan marched into the NCAA Tournament after upsetting the top two teams in the Great Midwest Conference Tournament, claiming the championship. The Panthers were not done there as they advanced into the Midwest Regional semi-finals before being eliminated by Wayne State 4-3.
Lillpop won his 300th game as coach at KWC in 2016 with the Panthers defeat of USI. The 2016 season also marked the most successful in KWC baseball history as Lillpop coached the Panthers to a school-record 36 wins, including two wins in the G-MAC Tournament.
The 2015 season marked the most wins in Lillpop's tenure as the Panthers compiled a 32-18 record. This was his second consecutive 31-plus win season.
The 2014 season marked the most successful season in Lillpop’s tenure. KWC compiled a 31-16 record, place second in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season and finished fifth at the G-MAC Championship.
The Panther’s also were ranked in the NCAA Midwest Regional for three straight weeks including a spot at No. 4. The 31 wins was the second most in KWC history.
Lillpop became the second KWC alumnus and the 12th head coach in the college's modern baseball era (1961-present) on July 6, 2001 after two seasons as an assistant to former Panther head coach Greg McVey.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Lillpop on his appointment. "The chance to become head coach at my alma mater in my home town plus coaching in one of the nation's top NCAA Division II baseball leagues where I had tremendous success as a player is a dream come true."
Prior to joining the staff in 2000, Lillpop was a three-year starter for Kentucky Wesleyan in center field (1997-99) where he batted .304 for his career.
He also finished in the top 10 in the seven career categories: No. 3 - six triples; No. 4 - 471 at bats; No. 6 - 143 hits and 37 stolen bases; No. 7 - 138 games played; No. 8 - 100 runs scored; and No. 9 - 27 doubles.
The Owensboro native began his collegiate career at Southeastern Illinois Junior College as a freshman before transferring to KWC.
Lillpop was a four-year starter at Apollo High School in Owensboro.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with a Marketing minor from Kentucky Wesleyan in 2000.
