DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced the coaching staff for the 2020 Women's National Team on Tuesday, highlighted by the return of 2019 USA Baseball Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year and five-time Team USA alum, Veronica Alvarez, as the manager. The remaining members of the coaching staff from 2019 will also return to lead the program in 2020 with Reynol Mendoza serving as the team's pitching coach and Manny Crespo, Sr. and Alex Oglesby as assistant coaches.
Following an undefeated run to a gold medal at the 2019 COBAPE Women's Pan-American Championships, the staff will look to guide this year's team to the program's first world championship title since 2006-and third overall-at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's Baseball World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, from September 11-20.
"Veronica and her staff did an outstanding job guiding, teaching and helping our athletes to grow both on and off the field last year," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO, Paul Seiler. "We could not be more excited to have this incredibly talented staff back in 2020 and we look forward to watching them develop a team that will look to compete for another world championship."
Alvarez became the first woman to be named the organization's Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year for her work at the helm of the 2019 Women's National Team. Under her direction, Team USA finished its tournament with a perfect 7-0 record and the program's first gold medal since the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The U.S. outscored its opponents 124-20, held a cumulative .500 batting average and hit a record 11 home runs. The team was also named USA Baseball's Team of the Year after its dominating performance last summer.
In addition to making her managerial debut with the Women's National Team in 2019, Alvarez also served as an assistant coach on the 2018 staff and played for Team USA five times in her career as a catcher. Her time with the red, white and blue started in 2008 and every team she participated on medaled in international competition.
"Coaching together in 2019 allowed us the opportunity to build a foundation of trust, understanding and respect, and I am extremely excited to work with this group once again in 2020," Alvarez said. "That foundation, combined with the knowledge and passion that these coaches have, will bring the best out in each of our players and that will ultimately lead to a world championship."
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, Alvarez will serve as a coach with the Oakland Athletics at Major League Baseball Spring Training for the second consecutive year in 2020 and she has previously coached at the USA Baseball Women's National Team Identification Series and the 2019 12U National Open.
Crespo returns to the Women's National Team staff in 2020 as an assistant coach. Most recently, he spent 14 seasons as the Director of Latin American Player Development for the Detroit Tigers and has also 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.
Also rejoining the Women's National Team coaching staff is Mendoza, who will once again serve as the team's pitching coach in 2020. Under his leadership, the 2019 pitching staff finished with a collective 3.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 37 innings of work. He is currently the head coach at Eagle Pass High School (Eagle Pass, Texas), where 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 staff is Women's National Team alum Alex Oglesby, who also returns to her role as assistant coach after serving in the same capacity in 2019. 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 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.
The 2020 Women's National Team identification process will begin with the Women's National Open from July 3-5 at The First Academy in Orlando, Florida. Forty athletes will then be selected from the event and remain in Orlando to compete at Women's National Team Trials from July 6-9 for a spot on the 2020 Women's National Team roster. The final 20-player roster will be announced following the conclusion of Trials.
The 2020 Women's National Team will train from September 4-8 before traveling to Monterrey, Mexico, for the 2020 WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup, taking place from September 11-20.
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