Josh Ellison will make his return to the dugout with USA Baseball, coaching at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier this summer in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. This time around, Ellison will be coaching in an environment previously unfamiliar to him.
Ellison has served USA Baseball in a multitude of positions, assisting at a variety of different events including: last summer’s 12U and 15U National Team Training Camps, the 2021 and 2022 Athlete Development Program (ADP), and the 2019 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP). Although Ellison has spent time with national teams before, the trip to Honduras will mark the first time Ellison has been on a national team staff with USA Baseball.
The road to defend the gold medal can be a long and difficult journey, but Ellison is confident that the staff can put together a complete lineup after a promising second day at training camp.
“Training Camp has been really good so far. We're starting to get guys moving around, seeing what they're capable of,” said Ellison. “We’re trying to figure out the dynamic of the team and making sure that we don't miss in our selection process. We’ll pick the right 18 players that we need to go over to Honduras and compete for a gold medal.”
Although the trip abroad will be a new journey for Ellison, he is sure that his experience both playing and coaching will help him and the rest of the coaching staff prepare for overseas play.
“I’m making sure I'm dotting all of the ‘I's’ crossing all of the ‘T's’ and making sure that as a staff we over communicate each and every detail of what we're trying to accomplish on a day-to-day basis so that we are able to achieve our goals.”
Ellison is no rookie when it comes to baseball. He was selected in the eleventh round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners and registered five years of professional baseball experience. Ellison’s experiences have left him with lessons that he wants to pass along to his players.
“I have two things for them. They have to believe in themselves more than anybody else believes in you. They’ll also need to make sure that they're getting the right rest and utilizing all 24 hours in a day wisely. When they have some down time, they need to really rest their bodies and mind together so that when they come to the field, they’re ready to roll.”
At the end of the day, Ellison is eager to get his first international game as a coach under his belt and knows the extent to which this opportunity brings to the table as he will get to represent the red, white, and blue.
“Oh, man, it's everything to me. Being a United States citizen, a Florida boy, but more than anything, I'm an American man. That's what it means to me. It means the world.”
