SPRINGFIELD, NJ — Arguably the top baseball instruction in the northeast continues next month in Union County when some of the finest baseball minds will congregate to offer their expertise.
College, high school, travel and youth coaches from the area and beyond will not want to miss attending the fourth annual Garden State Baseball Coaches Clinic, scheduled for 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Springfield.
Running the clinic, for two days for the second straight year, is the New Jersey High School Baseball Coaches Association and Gamers Baseball and Softball Academy, located in Kenilworth.
The clinic is powered by GameChanger and also presented by Leading Edge Fundraising.
“I think our event is right up there among the best coaches’ clinics in the east,” said NJHSBCA Vice President Chris Roof, who is in charge of speakers and clinics.
There will also be a roundtable on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 9 to 10 p.m.
“We had one last year and it was a big hit,” said Roof, who this year guided the Governor Livingston High School baseball team to its fourth Union County Tournament championship, all under his guidance, and to the fourth Group 2 state championship in program history and the third under his leadership as head coach.
Also, for those interested, the clinic will be providing a professional development certificate if anyone needs one on the second day of the clinic.
Here’s the lineup of guest speakers and what they will each be discussing:
• Butch Chaffin, USA Baseball: Everything before contact. “Teaching approach.”
• Kevin McMullan, associate head coach, University of Virginia: “Training the swing and teaching them how to hit.” Roof’s shortstop, junior Zach Geertsma, has given a verbal commitment to play at Virginia.
• Mike Rooney, ESPN College Baseball analyst, ESPN College Baseball: “Team defense: challenging historical paradigms.”
• Steve Trimper, head coach, Stetson University: “Managing your teams and the locker room beyond 2024. Building culture for success in the ever-changing world of amateur baseball.”
• Tim Griffin, head coach, Carson–Newman University: “The big three: catching.” Griffin, with vast experience as a head coach at the collegiate level, is a Roxbury native.
• Adam Moseley, head coach and pitching coach, Hoover High School, Birmingham, Alabama: “Do hard things. Pitch to prepare them for life.”
• Jeremy Sheetinger, head coach, Georgia Gwinnett College: “Championship team offense: sexy swings or scoring runs?”
Trimper has been a valued speaker at every clinic, while this will be Rooney’s second year, after his debut last year. The other five speakers will be making their Garden State Baseball Coaches Clinic debuts.
McMullen, Rooney and Trimper will be speaking on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Chaffin, Griffin, Moseley and Sheetinger will be speaking on Friday, Dec. 6. Rooney will head the roundtable on Thursday, Dec. 5.
“These are all big-time clinicians who are also very popular on X (twitter),” Roof said.
The first two times, in December 2021 and December 2022, the event was one day at Gamers Academy, a top-level indoor baseball and softball training facility in Kenilworth.
Last year’s event, also in early December, was increased to two days for the first time and at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.
“It was everything that we thought it would be,” Roof said. “We had 150 coaches and 15 vendors. The hotel was bigger for what we wanted to do and the right move.
“It was a fun night and day.”
The first clinic three years ago drew 50 coaches, while the number rose to 110 for the 2022 event.
Roof said that 15-20 vendors will be promoting products at this year’s event.
Ticket prices include: two days, $125; NJHSBCA members, $110; Thursday, Dec. 5, only, $50; and Friday, Dec. 6, only, $75.
More information about the clinic may be obtained by contacting Roof at: [email protected].
Photos Courtesy of Chris Roof and JR Parachini