Chris O’Brien is in his first season with the Rogers State softball program, joining the Hillcats in August after a very successful professional baseball career and two years of working as a personal instructor in hitting, catching and fielding with athletes from all over the state of Oklahoma.
O’Brien will assist with the offensive instruction, as well as working with the with catchers and infielders.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma native and Bishop Kelley High School product played three seasons for Wichita State, earning All-American honors and Missouri Valley Player of the Year honors in 2011 before he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
O’Brien would go on to spend seven seasons in professional baseball, working through High A and AA with the Dodgers before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles organization. O’Brien would advance from AA to AAA with the Orioles before retiring from professional baseball in 2017.
O’Brien spent the majority of his career as a catcher and third baseman. At Bishop Kelley, O’Brien was a four-year starter and led the team to an Oklahoma State Championship in 2006. He was named the Metro Lakes Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, as well as earning All-State catcher honors in 2008 and Rawlings High School All American honors the same year.
At Wichita State, the all-conference athlete and catcher of the year led the league in batting average and RBIS. O’Brien was a Golden Spikes Finalist in 2011, as well as the Johnny Bench Award Finalist the same season. In between his three seasons at Wichita State, O’Brien spent two years playing in the Cape Cod Summer League.
