By Stu Bobcat - St. Thomas University
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Thomas University's head baseball coach, Jorge Perez, far right, has been selected as assistant and first base coach for USA Baseball's 2018 Collegiate National Team.
MIAMI GARDENS | St. Thomas University's head baseball coach, Jorge Perez, has been named to the coaching staff of USA Baseball’s 2018 Collegiate National Team. Perez joins the 2018 Team USA staff as an assistant and first base coach under LSU head coach and STU Sports Hall of Famer Paul Mainieri.
Mainieri will serve as the manager of the USA Baseball National Team with Perez, Clif Godwin (ECU), Jim Hendry (New York Yankees) and Brian O’Connor (Virginia) serving as assistant coaches.
“We could not be more excited about the staff that USA Baseball’s general manager of National Teams, Eric Campbell, and Paul Mainieri have selected to lead this year’s Collegiate National Team,” said USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “Each one of these coaches brings a wealth of baseball experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to our athletes.”
Perez has led the Bobcats to six appearances in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, including a runner-up finish at the NAIA World Series in 2015 – the best finish in school history. This year’s team is ranked number four nationally in Perfect Game’s preseason NAIA poll and is off to a 7-1 start.
“I am greatly honored and humbled to be selected as part of the USA Baseball National Team staff,” said Perez. “It is a tremendous privilege to have the chance to represent Team USA and to work with such accomplished coaches. I am grateful to Coach Mainieri and all those at USA Baseball for this amazing opportunity. Moreover, I am proud of how far we have come as a program at St. Thomas. This appointment is a testament to what our student-athletes, coaches and administrators have created at STU.”
Perez, Mainieri, and Hendry are all alumni of St. Thomas University. Perez, who recently began his 10th season as head coach of the Bobcats, received his master’s degree in educational leadership from STU in 2012. Mainieri, who started his collegiate career as head baseball coach and director of athletics at St. Thomas, graduated in 1982 from STU with a master’s in sports administration. Hendry, currently a special assignment scout with the New York Yankees, received his master’s degree in sports administration from St. Thomas in 1981.
The 2018 Collegiate National Team will train at the USA Baseball's National Training Complex in Cary, N. C., and compete against teams in the Coastal Plain League June 26 and 27, before hosting the 18th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series from June 28 to July 2. All seven of these games will be streamed live on USABaseball.com and Facebook Live.
The team will then host the 42nd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series from July 3 to 9. Finally, Team USA will travel to Cuba for the seventh annual USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series that will take place July 13-18.
