Tournament Of Stars Coaches Unveiled

USA Baseball on Tuesday unveiled the five-man task force and the six three-man coaching staffs for the Tournament of Stars.

The staffs and task force will help the 18U National Team evaluate 108 players in Cary from June 21-26, and aid in the selection process for the September national team trials in Houston.

The players attending the Tournament of Stars will be split into teams of 18, with a manager, assistant coach and pitching coach for each team.

Former East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin will manage the Brave team, with assistant coach Chris Carter of Woodmont High School (Piedmont, S.C.) and pitching coach Elliott Cribby of Seattle.

Stanford pitching coach Rusty Filter will manage the Free team, with assistant coach Mike Davenport of Madison College and former major leaguer Brian Moehler, who is an area scout for the Red Sox, acting as pitching coach.

Northwestern coach Spencer Allen takes the helm of the Pride team, with former Nationals coach Mark Weidemaier as the assistant coach and Jim Wladyka as pitching coach.

Leading the Stars team will be Mets crosschecker John Hendricks. John Sarna of Hampshire (Ill.) High is the assistant coach, and Charlotte recruiting coordinator and pitching coach Brandon Hall is the pitching coach.

Eastern Kentucky coach Edwin Thompson will lead the Stripes team, with assistant coach Scott French of Ball State and pitching coach Todd Coryell, an area scout for the Giants.

The United team will be managed by Carmen Carcone, area scout for the Marlins. Steve Stone of Hebron High (Carrollton, Texas) will be the assistant coach, and Illinois’ Drew Dickinson is the pitching coach.

The five-man task force includes N.C. State assistant Taylor Black, Jesse Cassard of Zachary (La.) Community Schools,Hutchinson CC coach Ryan Schmidt, former Beverly Hills Sports Council agent Wes Theriot—Ryan’s brother—and former indy ball player Kevin Wilson, a hitting consultant.

Approximately 40 of the 108 players will go to the trials in Houston, with the final roster for the COPABE Pan Am Championships selected there. The 18U team will try to defend its three straight goals medals—2009, 2011, and 2014—in Monterrey, Mexico from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2.