American Baseball Coaches Association
The American Baseball Coaches Association is the world's largest amateur baseball coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coaches. Now, the ABCA is composed of nearly 13,000 baseball coaches from all levels of amateur baseball, including youth, high school, travel ball, NJCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and NCAA Divisions I, II and III, among others.
History
The American Baseball Coaches Association, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its nearly 13,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.Membership
The association has almost 13,000 members hailing from all 50 U.S. states and 25 different countries. The membership includes coaches from all ranks of amateur baseball as well as some coaches with pro affiliation. The membership year for the ABCA runs from September 1 through August 31.:
- ABCA Coaching Resource Library access, which contains drill videos, charts and diagrams that can easily be utilized and downloaded to implement with your team. New content is added weekly to the resource library.
- Inside Pitch Magazine subscription with issues mailed every other month.
- $1 million Personal Liability insurance coverage for U.S. residents.
- ABCA Press Box weekly e-newsletter with links to articles about baseball news, coaching tips and training.
- Membership Discount Program - discounts on ABCA Partner products including companies such as Wilson Sporting Goods, Driveline Baseball, Franklin, Baseball America, Turface Athletics and more! Members also receive discounts on hotel and rental car bookings for team and personal use.
- Free Job Board postings & Open Schedule Date Listings
National Convention
The convention is on a rotating schedule around the United States. Upcoming locations include Washington, D.C., Chicago, Nashville, Dallas and Las Vegas.
A major draw are the over 50 clinic speakers each year. These include some of the most knowledgeable baseball coaches and minds in the world and are on-hand to share their experiences and expertise with fellow coaches. Attendees receive each clinic video for free at the end of the convention on . The clinics are also live streamed on . After the convention, all clinics are available for purchase as on-demand video.
At the ABCA Trade Show, over 350 companies fill up nearly 200,000 square feet of exhibit space with state-of-the-art equipment and products, including coaching aids, apparel, field equipment, pitching machines and software. Many products are displayed for the first time and some items are even raffled off as prizes.
Barnstormers Regional Coaching Clinics
The ABCA hosts 20 regional coaching clinics throughout the United States and Canada each fall. The one-day clinics, known as , feature presentations and on-field demonstrations by ABCA member coaches within that region. Presentations vary from video instruction to on-field demonstrations to live practice commentary, and focus on fundamentals, practical position-specific drills, coaching cues, and practice organization tips.The clinics are free for members to attend! At least half of the clinic sites are filmed each year with the on-demand videos available on .
My ABCA mobile app
The was launched in Fall 2019 in both the & Stores. Members and non-members can download the free app! Within the app, members can access their membership benefits year-round as well as stay up-to-date with ABCA news and content.Additional features include the ability to collaborate with other members in forums and through direct messaging, register for the ABCA Convention and Barnstormer Regional Clinics, update member profiles and access the Coaching Resource Library.
The app allows users to view the ABCA Clinic Videos as well as tune in to the ABCA Podcast as well!
Hall of Fame
Induction to the ABCA Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by the ABCA organization. The ABCA Hall of Fame was established in 1966 with the inaugural 18-member class. Each year's Hall of Fame class is inducted during the Hall of Fame Banquet at the annual ABCA Convention in January. The entire ABCA Hall of Fame can be found online at .Awards
ABCA/Diamond Sports Coaches of the Year
- The prestigious ABCA/Diamond Sports National & Regional Coaches of the Year are selected by member coaches in 11 divisions. The Coaches of the Year are recognized annually at the ABCA Convention.
- *NCAA Division I National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *NCAA Division II National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *NCAA Division III National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *NAIA National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *NJCAA Division I National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *NJCAA Division II National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *NJCAA Division III National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *Pacific Association Division National and Regional Coaches of the Year
- *High School National and Regional Coaches of the Year
ABCA/Baseball America National Assistant Coaches of the Year
- The ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year Award, selected in 11 divisions, recognizes coaching expertise, recruiting, loyalty to the program and respect for the players and the game, among other criteria. The Coaches of the Year are recognized annually at the ABCA Convention.
- *NCAA Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *NCAA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *NCAA Division III National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *NJCAA Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *NJCAA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *NJCAA Division III National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *Pacific Association Division National Assistant Coach of the Year
- *High School National Assistant Coach of the Year
Lefty Gomez Award
ABCA/Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award
ABCA Ethics in Coaching Award honors individuals who embody the ABCA Code of Ethics. The ABCA strives for sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity to the highest degree.ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams
The ABCA has selected All-American Teams in each division of the ABCA, as well as an All-American/Coach of the Year Committee, as well as All-Region Teams. Each division also selects a National Player of the Year, as well as All-Region Coaches of the Year and National Coaches of the Year. Each year, over 1,700 All-Region Players and 330 All-American Players are selected.ABCA/Rawlings Position Players & Pitchers of the Year
- ABCA/Rawlings Players of the Year:
- *NCAA Division I Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *NCAA Division II Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *NCAA Division III Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *NAIA Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *NJCAA Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *NJCAA Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *NJCAA Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *Pacific Association Division Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
- *High School Position Player of the Year & Pitcher of the Year
ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans
- ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans:
- *NCAA Division I All-Americans
- *NCAA Division II All-Americans
- *NCAA Division III All-Americans
- *NAIA All-Americans
- *NJCAA Division I All-Americans
- *NJCAA Division II All-Americans
- *NJCAA Division III All-Americans
- *Pacific Association Division All-Americans
- *High School All-Americans
ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Awards
- ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Awards:
- *NCAA Division I Gold Glove
- *NCAA Division II Gold Glove
- *NCAA Division III Gold Glove
- *NAIA Gold Glove
- *NJCAA Division I Gold Glove
- *NJCAA Division II Gold Glove
- *NJCAA Division III Gold Glove
- *Pacific Association Division Gold Glove
- *High School Gold Glove
ABCA/Rawlings All-Region
- ABCA/Rawlings All-Region:
- *NCAA Division I All-Region
- *NCAA Division II All-Region
- *NCAA Division III All-Region
- *NAIA All-Region
- *NJCAA Division I All-Region
- *NJCAA Division II All-Region
- *NJCAA Division III All-Region
- *Pacific Association Division All-Region
- *High School All-Region
ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award