DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball named the coaching staff for the 2019 Women's National Team that will compete in the COPABE Women's Pan-American Championships from August 18-25 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on Friday. Highlighted by the naming of five-time Women's National Team alum Veronica Alvarez as manager, Manny Crespo, Sr., Reynol Mendoza and Alex Oglesby will round out the staff for Team USA.
Alvarez is making her managerial debut with Team USA in 2019 but she is no stranger to donning the stars and stripes. She served as an assistant coach on the 2018 staff and is the first Women's National Team alumna to be named manager of the team, having also played for Team USA five times in her career.
Her time with the red, white and blue started in 2008 and every team she participated on medaled in international competition, including the 2015 Women's National Team that won a gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. She also won bronze medals with Team USA at the 2008 and 2010 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women's Baseball World Cups before winning a silver medal at the 2012 World Baseball Softball Confederation Women's Baseball World Cup.
"This has been a goal of mine since my first time playing for the Women's National Team and I am honored to have been chosen to lead these talented and driven women," Alvarez said. "I am looking forward to working alongside the staff we have put together. We are four individuals with a wealth of diverse knowledge and experience that complement each other, and I am excited to see what we will accomplish."
Since finishing her playing career in 2016, Alvarez has continued to help grow the next generation of female baseball players as a coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017-2019 and the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp in 2018 and 2019, joining the collaboration between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball to foster the next generation of female baseball players in the United States.
Additionally, she served as a coach with the Oakland Athletics at Major League Baseball Spring Training in 2019 and has previously coached at the USA Baseball Women's National Team Identification Series. Most recently, Alvarez was a member of the 2019 12U National Open coaching staff.
"Veronica has represented our organization incredibly well as both a player and a coach for over ten years and we could not be more thrilled to have her serve as the manager for our 2019 Women's National Team," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO, Paul Seiler. "The passion, experience and talent within this group of coaches is unmatched and we cannot wait to watch as they continue to represent and showcase women's baseball at the highest level both on and off the field this summer."
Crespo, who joins the 2019 Women's National Team staff as an assistant coach, is in his 14th year as the Director of Latin American Player Development for the Detroit Tigers. Prior to his time with the Tigers, he worked in the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins organizations. Crespo was selected in the third round of the 1968 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox and spent nine years playing professionally before his retirement in 1978. In addition, Crespo served as a bench coach during the 2013 World Baseball Classic and was a manager during the 2017 event.
Currently the head coach at Eagle Pass High School (Eagle Pass, Texas), Mendoza will serve as Team USA's pitching coach in 2019. Under his guidance, the Eagles have made playoff appearances in each of the last thirteen seasons and played in the regional finals in both 2013 and 2014. The Miami Marlins selected Mendoza in the seventh round of the 1992 MLB Draft and he spent seven years in the Marlins system, including three seasons at the Triple-A level.
Rounding out the 2019 staff is Women's National Team alum Alex Oglesby, who will also serve in an assistant coach role for the 2019 team. Oglesby was a member of the inaugural Women's National Team that won a gold medal at the IBAF Women's Baseball World Cup in 2004 and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Prior to representing the U.S., she played in the Ladies Professional Baseball League and was the youngest player when the league began in 1997. At just 17 years old, Oglesby led the San Jose Spitfires to the league's first World Series Championship and was named both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts. She also helped form the California Women's Baseball League in 2002, where she earned MVP honors twice.
Most recently, Oglesby has served as a coach at the Trailblazer Series in from 2017-2019, as well as at the first-ever Major League Baseball and USA Baseball GRIT in 2019. In addition, she was a member of the coaching staff at the 2018 Women's National Open and the 2018 Women's National Team Trials.
Crespo, Mendoza and Oglesby are all making their national team coaching debuts for USA Baseball in 2019.
The 2019 Women's National Team season will start with an invitation-only Women's National Team Development Program (NTDP) from August 7-10 in Carrollton, Texas. The Women's NTDP will offer identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, an intrasquad series between Stars and Stripes teams, and exposure to the Women's National Team staff. Athletes who participate in the Women's NTDP may be chosen to compete for Team USA this summer.
Following the announcement of the final 20-woman Women's National Team roster on August 10, the 2019 Women's National Team will train in Carrollton, Texas, from August 11-14 before traveling to Aguascalientes, Mexico, for the COPABE Women's Pan-American Championships from August 18-25.
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