How Tuttle assistant baseball coach Kirk Reimers earned his 900th win in inspiring way

Since his very first coaching gig, Kirk Reimers has been driven to leave a lasting impact on Oklahoma high school baseball.

Reimers vividly remembers his first practice as a head coach in his inaugural season at Paden High School in 1989. His message to players then mirrors what he preaches to current Tuttle players as an assistant alongside head coach Breck Draper.

"I remember telling my players on that day that nothing in life can be accomplished without hard work," Reimers said. "At my age, I've learned to appreciate everything I worked for to reach this point."

That hard work was represented with a surprise 900th career win Tuesday evening in Tuttle's 12-0 victory over Harding Charter. For one more game, Reimers was a head coach again, locking up a milestone few realized he was just one win away from when he retired a dozen years ago.

Reimers became the 23rd Oklahoma high school coach to reach 900 career wins.

"It's a truly humbling accomplishment for me," Reimers said. "Being stuck at 899 wasn't something that I lost sleep over, but it is really awesome to say I reached that 900-win plateau. It really shows the heart of gold that (Tuttle coach) Breck (Draper) has and how much of an ambassador for baseball he is for our high school kids.

"In the end, I'd be nothing without the great kids I was blessed to coach all these years."

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Reimers had called it quits on his head coaching career in 2012 following his final season at Moss, concluding with 899 wins in his 23-year career.

After reading a bio on Reimers, Draper was astonished by his win total. He dug through multiple record books to confirm the number before approaching the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association with an idea.

"Once I heard he was stuck at 899 wins after all these years, I went to the OBCA like, 'Hey, we have to get this guy to 900 wins,'" Draper said.

Shortly after the committee received Draper's request to make Reimers Tuttle's head baseball coach for a day, the board unanimously decided that allowing the 2010 OBCA Hall of Fame inductee to make history was a "no-brainer."

It was a surprise that took a month's worth of planning.

"We have a great relationship," Draper said. He's always been willing to help me out in any capacity I need. We're just baseball guys who love helping the kids out, so showing appreciation for Coach Reimers' help during my career was a no-brainer."

Reimers spent 23 years and 41 seasons as a head baseball coach, with multiple statewide coaching stints during the spring and fall seasons. Reimers had coaching stops at a host of small schools, such as Paden, Taloga, Fletcher, Binger-Oney, and Snyder before spending his final season at Moss.

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Reimers is content with his coaching success but now has his hands full at Tuttle.

Reimers was a basketball and baseball coach at Tuttle Middle School until Draper reached out to him to aid the Tigers baseball program as an assistant. Reimers now also works as high school basketball assistant.

He was integral to Tuttle's dominant run in 2023, helping the Tigers win their fifth state championship in school history. Tuttle is off to a 20-2 start this spring.

Now, Reimers' legacy on the Oklahoma baseball community has not been overlooked. He hopes his journey inspires the next generation of coaches and players to remain driven by purpose, no matter the sport or limitations.

"I never viewed myself as a legendary figure, to be honest," Reimers said. "I just love the game of baseball. I've been blessed to be a part of it and be around good people — because of that, I've learned a lot of life lessons. So hopefully, I've left a legacy that shows you can and will do anything you want."

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Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tuttle assistant baseball coach Kirk Reimers earns 900th career win