2016 Hall-of-Fame Inductee: Kelly Handled Some of the Top Pitching Staffs in the History of Wooster Baseball

Tim Kelly played on perhaps some of the most versatile teams right in an era when the tradition-rich baseball program at The College of Wooster was blossoming into one of Div. III’s finest. Kelly served as the glue behind the plate, and helped mold together one of the premier pitching staffs in Div. III at the time. In fact, during his career, Kelly caught for four Fighting Scots who were either drafted by Major League Baseball teams or went on to sign a professional contract.

“I visited the College in the winter of 1977 when the campus was under what seemed like two feet of snow,” recalled Kelly, who also attended Wooster’s basketball camp as a junior high student. “I was immediately impressed by head coach Bob Morgan, and felt like he was in the process of building the baseball program into something special at Wooster. I wanted to be a part of a national-caliber program where I thought I could make a significant impact, and the fit just seemed right.”

Wooster’s baseball program really took off during Kelly’s sophomore year, when the Scots won 40 games for the first time (40-8-1), and advanced to their third-straight regional tournament.

The next year, Kelly had a breakthrough year and earned third-team All-American laurels from the American Baseball Coaches Association. The Scots’ backstop turned in a .394 (71-for-180) clip at the plate, while scoring a school-record 64 runs, a mark that still stands as ninth in the single-season program annals. The Cleveland Indians took notice and selected Kelly in the 32nd round of the amateur draft, but he elected to return to Wooster for his senior year.

Even more impressive was Kelly’s work in commanding the pitching staff. Three of Wooster’s five lowest team ERAs in the Div. III era came during Kelly’s three years as the Scots’ backstop. In fact, during that three-year stretch, Wooster’s pitching staff turned in a 2.35 team ERA, headlined by a single-season program best 1.87 ERA during the 1979 season.

Kelly added three first-team all-Ohio Athletic Conference certificates during his career, while helping the Scots to a trio of OAC North Division titles.

“There are people that play baseball, and there are baseball players,” said Morgan. “Tim was a baseball player. A lot of our success in my years at Wooster can be attributed to having Tim play for me. He was a great defensive catcher who handled our pitching staff and was truly outstanding. He was also a very good and disciplined hitter. As good a player that Tim was, he is an even better person.”

A stellar student in the classroom, Kelly earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors as a senior, and collected honors from the College on his independent study project on “The Art and Science of Hitting.”

After graduating from the College with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, Kelly joined Morgan’s staff at Kent State University, where he served as a graduate assistant while earning a master’s degree in athletic administration. Kelly has spent the majority of his career as a member of the scouting staff of the New York Yankees, starting as a Midwest area scout (1991-99), and then served as the Midwest regional cross checker (2000-10), before being promoted to his current role as the national scouting cross checker, a position he’s held since 2011. Kelly also serves as part of the advance scouting staff for the playoffs, and has assisted the Yankees with their preparations for seven World Series teams.

Kelly met his wife, the former Linda Limbach, also a 1981 graduate, while at the College. The couple has two daughters – Courtney (21) and Makenzie (17) – and resides in Pickerington, Ohio. Kelly makes the most of his family time, which includes visiting Courtney at college, and watching Makenzie play soccer.