Congratulations to retired Newport High School baseball coach Ken Riley for being inducted into the Oregon High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame! Riley coached for 30 years and was the head coach for 17 years at NHS. His teams made it to the semifinals six times and finals three times. In Oregon, he is in the top 30 for all time wins!

Coach Riley said he is proud and humbled to even be considered for the Hall of Fame. Winning the 2008 state championship was a highlight of Riley’s career as was the 2007 season which lost the state title. But he is most proud of the fact that year after year, his teams made the Academic All-State list of top ten GPAs in Oregon. “That had nothing to do with me,” Riley said. “It is due to the whole educational community we have working together: great kids, great teachers, great parents and a great booster club. The reason we won games is because of our support system.’”

Current NHS baseball coach Taylor Plesha said Coach Riley’s successful philosophy was that baseball wasn’t about winning — it was about building relationships. “Winning came because of that culture he created,” Plesha said. “What should be celebrated is not just this achievement but that he is a hall of fame human being.”

Plesha made a video of former players crediting Riley for not only being a great coach, but for also being a great mentor. Watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIlDqkSff3Q

Until he watched Plesha’s video, Riley said he wasn’t aware how much impact he had on so many of his players. “You always hope you make a difference, whether you are a coach or a teacher,” he said. “What I cherish the most out of all of this is that video. It’s just extremely touching.”

In his tenure at NHS, Coach Riley was instrumental in upgrading the NHS baseball facilities including the field, club house, batting cage, snack shack, locker rooms with lockers they bought at auction from the Oakland Raider and stadium seats from the MetroDome in Minnesota.

Coach Riley was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame in early November after the ceremony was delayed due to the pandemic. Congratulations Coach Riley on this honor!