2002 Male Player: Mike O'Connor
/Mike O’Connor
Mike O’Connor was deemed to be too small to make his high school baseball team. A late bloomer, he did not finish growing until after graduation, which was too bad for his high school team.
As a shortstop for downstate powerhouse Belleville Budweiser, as well as the Merchants, A’s, Red Wolf and Bud Light, the Waterloo native went on to compile a .675 lifetime average, with over 400 career home runs, while anchoring their infield.
Between 1982 and 1995, O’Connor helped Belleville Budweiser win two State Championships, including the 1984 USSSA Class B, and finish second or third at five NITs. His teams also competed in twelve USSSA World tournaments, finishing second once and usually finishing in the top ten.
In a 19-year USSSA career, O’Connor earned five Class A and B tournament MVP awards and six Gold Gloves. He also won numerous All-Tournament awards at State and NITs in both USSSA and other associations.
O’Connor’s determination came from playing countless back yard games with his older brother Joe. Not only smaller, but also younger than his teammates, O’Connor simply made up his mind to play that much harder.
“He never let me win,” O’Connor said appreciatively of his big brother.
After Joe brought Mike onto the Belleville Budweiser roster, Mike met another softball mentor in Larry Mohne. Whenever Mohne observed O’Connor being particularly down after a loss, he would take him aside and point out that the sun will still come out in the morning and to let the bad games go.
“We didn’t win a World, though we came close,” O’Connor said referring to Bud’s mid-80s second place finish to Powers at the B World in Rockford.
Mostly though, O’Connor has good memories.
“Softball has been such a big part of my life,” he said. “I’ve met so many good people. Good guys, great competition. It was just fun to play.”
Those people include his brother Joe, Mohne, Leon and Mike Kreher, Jeff Davenport and Rick Beatty.
“Softball has been such a big part of my life. I’ve met so many good people. Good guys, great competition. It was just fun to play.”
In the past, O’Connor never gave much thought to any honors he might win, let alone be a future Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame inductee, and he tended to underplay what he and his teammates had accomplished.
“We just played the game,” O’Connor said. “We were good and competitive, but not great.”
Twenty years later, he’s begun to think differently.
“This is a real big thing,” O’Connor acknowledged. “I look back and I realize we were respected more than I knew.”
The Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame hopes to remove any lingering doubts Mike O’Connor may have as we welcome him into our ranks.