Former Eastern Illinois baseball coach and program alumnus Tom "Skip" McDevitt passed away over the weekend at the age of 88. He was born on December 25, 1934 in Effingham, Illinois.
McDevitt played baseball at EIU in the 1950's twice earning All-IIAC honors as a second baseman in 1955 and '56. He led the team in hitting in 1955 finishing the year with a .474 average. Following his playing days at EIU, McDevitt signed a professional baseball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and played in their minor league system for several years.
He served as head baseball coach at EIU for 11 seasons from 1978-88 guiding the team to 299 wins with 11 consecutive winning seasons. He had two teams reach the NCAA Division II College World Series placing fifth in the nation in 1978 and second in the nation in 1981. He guided the program in its transition to the NCAA Division I level winning two regular season Mid-Continent Conference division championships and finishing runner-up in the Mid-Con post-season tournament five straight seasons.
McDevitt had 28 of his former players sign professional contracts with two first round MLB Draft selections and five of those players reaching the Major Leagues. Following his time as the head baseball coach at EIU, McDevitt worked as a major league baseball scout working for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cleveland Indians.
McDevitt graduated from Effingham HS and earned his bacehlor's degree from Eastern Illinois. He later earned a master's degree from Southern Illinois. McDevitt was inducted into the EIU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 am on July 22nd at Sacred Heart Church in Effingham, with the Rev. Father John Titus officiating. Burial will follow at St. Anthony Cemetery in Effingham. Visitation will be held on July 21st from 4-7 pm at Bauer Funeral Home in Effingham. In lieu of flowers, Tom requested that any memorials be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
