North Shore Baseball Association wants to provide an update on the 18U College Prep / AAA tryout process and coach selection as I understand there has been some uncertainty and would like to provide as much clarity as possible.
18U College Prep Coaching:
In the 18U CP division, we had sought to retain an experienced paid coach in 2023 and were very pleased to have Gabe Manalo join the program. However, due to other commitments, Gabe has had to take a step back and so will act as Technical Director this year, focused primarily on leading and supporting player development outside of games, and particularly in the pre-season as the team prepares for competition.
We have not yet named a head coach as we were informed of this situation late in the year and have been working to identify options. However, we also have a strong pool of experienced coaches within NSBA and so at this time, I would like to invite any coaches who are interested in coaching on a volunteer basis (as head or assistant) to please submit an application here: https://northshorebaseball.ca/coach-application-form/
Please note that the deadline to indicate interest in 18U College Prep coaching is January 12, 2024.
We continue to search for a paid coach, but we intend to make a decision on coaching staff no later than January 19, 2024, with the benefit of some information from the 18U CP tryouts. Coaches are selected by the league executive, with any conflicted people recused, so you can contact me with any questions about the selection process.
18U AAA Coaching:
For the 18U AAA division, we will select the head coach from among the pool of qualified applicants following the first 18U AAA tryout. Any 18U AAA head coach applicants should plan to be at the first tryout, which will take place on the evening of February 5, 2024. Additional tryout details are below.
18U Tryout Schedule:
18U College Prep tryouts begin January 8, 2024, with players to be selected from the approximately 31 players signed up for the 2-week evaluation / development camp. Players will be evaluated by Gabe Manalo, as well as a committee including Nicholas Van Dyk, Jon Alpen, and several senior NSBA coaches (to be confirmed over the next few days). This committee will propose the final roster, however the team selection will be finalized after the head coach is appointed and has had an opportunity to review the evaluation data with the committee. The final roster is approved by the league Executive and signed off by me. Anyone who applies as head coach is strongly encouraged to attend the sessions to be as informed as possible.
18U AAA tryouts will commence on February 5, 2024, with additional sessions on February 11th and February 16th (PD day, plan for potential afternoon times). Specific times will be confirmed in a subsequent email.
Final selection of the 18U AAA team is anticipated to be completed by the end of February, subject to the input of the selected head coach. Again, final roster will be approved by the league executive and signed off by me.
18U AA Balancing:
Balancing for the 18U AA teams will take place during late February or March, subject to availability of facilities. Please watch for a future email.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
Regards,
Nicholas Van Dyk, President
North Shore Baseball Association