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The seventh annual British Baseball & Softball Coaching Awards, presented by Net World Sports, took place on the night of 28 January 2023, as part of Coach Summit 2023. 

CLICK TO REVEAL THE 2023 WINNERS

The following awards are presented each year:

  • Young Coach of the Year: The coach aged 25 or younger deemed to have made the biggest contribution to coaching, managing and supporting baseball and/or softball in Britain.
  • Baseball Youth Coach of the Year: Outstanding contribution to coaching young people in baseball in Britain.
  • Softball Youth Coach of the Year: Outstanding contribution to coaching young people in softball in Britain.
  • Baseball Adult Coach of the Year: Outstanding contribution to adult baseball coaching in Britain.
  • Softball Adult Coach of the Year: Outstanding contribution to adult softball coaching in Britain.
  • Volunteer of the Year: A volunteer in a non-coaching role who has given up a substantial amount of time to support their local club, team or league and who has made a significant impact on the development of our sports.
  • Services to Coaching: the individual who best personifies what it means to be a baseball or softball coach; someone who understands their sport and can use the lessons learned on the pitch to motivate and engage others. They have probably played a great number of roles, and without their services to coaching, your club, your league or perhaps even your national teams wouldn’t be the same.
  • *NEW FOR 2023* Equality, Inclusion and Diversity: Recognises a contribution made by a coach towards tackling inequality and removing barriers to participants from underrepresented groups. The underrepresented groups that have been identified are Women & Girls, disability, socio-economic status, ethnic diversity & LGBTQ+.

2022 British Baseball & Softball Coaching Award Winners

Baseball Youth Coach of the Year

The nominees were Paul Smith, Hartlepool Seals; Will Zucker, Herts Baseball Club; and Scott Bourgeois, London Youth Baseball League

Winner: Will Zucker

Softball Youth Coach of the Year

The nominees were Julie Spittle, GB Cubs; Holly Ireland, RBI Wales; and Natalie Fox, Lytham St Annes Softball Club

Winner: Holly Ireland

Baseball Adult Coach of the Year

The nominees were Cole Ryan, London Capitals Baseball Team; Martin Andrews, Leicester Diamonds Baseball Club; Ruari Dunn, Baseball Scotland & Edinburgh Cannons; and Rhodri Theaker, Bristol Baseball Club

Winner: Martin Andrews

Softball Adult Coach of the Year

The nominees were Leanne Plummer, Leicester Royals Softball Club; Trevor Sykes, Coventry Blitz Softball Club; and Adam Bee, Milton Keynes Softball Club

Winner: Trevor Sykes

Young Coach of the Year

The nominees were Jess Vernon, Belles Baseball/Bracknell Baseball & Softball Club/GB Baseball/Team UK Baseball; Pau Miquel Mir, Bristol Baseball Club; and Rose Bhanji, London Mets Baseball & Softball Club

Winner: Jess Vernon

Volunteer of the Year

The nominees were Alan Le Marquand, BSUK Academy Softball/Windsor & Maidenhead Softball League/GB Softball/Maidenhead Softball Club; Amanda “Doris” Hocking, WB-UK; Christian Carter, Kent Buccaneers & British Baseball Federation; and Kellie Whitaker, Manchester Thunder Softball & GB Softball

Winner: Amanda "Doris" Hocking

Services to Coaching

The nominees were Ian Tomlin, GB Softball U-18 & U-23 Teams; Holly Ireland, RBI Wales; and Chris Ward, Guildford Mavericks/Belles Baseball Team/GB U-12 Programme

Winner: Ian Tomlin

2018-2021 AWARDS HISTORY

YOUNG COACH OF THE YEAR*

  • 2021 - Andreas Fopp, Norwich Iceni Baseball Club
  • 2019 - Dan Patterson, Reading Knights University Softball Club
  • 2018 - Will Zucker, Durham University Baseball Club

Prior to 2020, Young Coach of the Year was open to coaches aged 22 and under; In 2021, the award was opened to ages 25 and under. There was no award given in 2020.

BASEBALL YOUTH COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2021 - Casey Mackenzie, Aberdeen Baseball Club & Baseball Scotland
  • 2020 - Josh Mills-Knutsen, London Mets Baseball & Softball Club
  • 2019 - John Ferlazzo, London Mets Baseball & Softball Club
  • 2018 - Chris Stevenson, Brighton Baseball Club

SOFTBALL YOUTH COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2021 - Kim Roberts, Horsham Broncos Softball Club
  • 2020 - Paul Archer, London Borough of Newham/New City Primary School
  • 2019 - Alexis Markham-Hill, BaseballSoftballUK Academy/HPA & Free Agents (Great Britain Fastpitch League)
  • 2018 - David Morris, Chichester Falcons Softball Club

BASEBALL ADULT COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2021 - Greg Gillette, London Mustangs
  • 2020 - Luc Chignell, University of Nottingham Baseball & Softball Club
  • 2019 - Darrel Barsby, South Coast Pirates Baseball Club
  • 2018 - Paul Rance, Northants Baseball Club

SOFTBALL ADULT COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2021 - Whitney Hollis, London Softball League
  • 2020 - Jodie Bull, MK Diamonds Softball Club, and Rachael Watkeys, GB Women’s National Fastpitch Team
  • 2019 - Ryan Turtill, Softball 101
  • 2018 - Rachael Watkeys, GB Women’s National Fastpitch Team

SERVICES TO COACHING

  • 2021 - Barry Marshall, GB Baseball and Hull Scorpions
  • 2020 - Liam Carroll, GB Baseball Senior Team & BaseballSoftballUK Academy/HPA 
  • 2019 - Joss Thompson
  • 2018 - Paul Vernon, Bracknell Scorchers Softball Club, MLB & BSUK

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

  • 2021 - Al Binns, Newcastle Nighthawks
  • 2020 - Richard Evans, Bristol Baseball Club
  • 2019 - Kim Hannessen, GB Softball
  • 2018 - Simon Mortimer, GB Softball

2016-2017 AWARDS HISTORY

Prior to 2018, the following categories were honoured during the British Baseball & Softball Coaching Awards:

YOUNG COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2017 - Callum Vinall, BaseballSoftballUK Academy, Northants Baseball Club & Northampton University Baseball Club
  • 2016 - Matt Tomlin, York University Baseball Club

Prior to 2020, Young Coach of the Year was open to coaches aged 22 and under; In 2021, the award was opened to ages 25 and under

 YOUTH COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2017- Jared Hendrickson and Robin Banerjee, Brighton Baseball Club
  • 2016 - Matt Crawshaw, Leicester Blue Sox

PARTICIPATION COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2017 - Linni Mitchell, BaseballSoftballUK

COMMUNITY COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2017 - Mike Lott, Crosby Vikings Softball Club
  • 2016 - Kal Dimitrov, Herts Baseball Club

COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 2017 - Liam Carroll, GB Baseball Senior Team & BSUK Academy/HPA 
  • 2016 - Erick Henson, London Mets Baseball & Softball Club

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

  • 2017 - David Jones, Guildford Mavericks

UMPIRE OF THE YEAR

  • 2017 - Bridget Cameron, Great Britain Fastpitch League & British Association of Softball Umpires