2026 ABCA Convention Speakers – Main Stage
Friday, Jan. 9
9:00 Jay Johnson, LSU Building a Championship Program
9:40 Tony Abbatine, Frozen Ropes The Swing Works, Your Eyes Don’t! Swing Decisions and Chase Rates Matter
10:20 Robert Woodard, UNC Charlotte Charlotte’s Balanced Attack: GTO Meets Exploitative Pitching
11:00 Rachel Folden, Chicago Cubs Hitting Coaches: Therapists in Disguise
12:40 Diamyn Hall, Baltimore Orioles Coaching the Mental Game: Skill Acquisition from the Neck Up
1:20 Karl Nonemaker, Auburn Infield Training That Translates to In-Game Performance
2:00 Tony Clark, MLB Players Association Protecting America’s Pastime
2:40 Dan Perlmutter, Duke Turning Strength into Power: Data-Driven, Velocity-Based Training for Development
3:20 Josh Jordan, LSU Grit Meets the Gear: The Powerhouse of Catching
Saturday, Jan. 10
8:30 Justin Haire, Ohio State Hard To Kill: Building a Bulletproof Pressure-Driven Offense
9:10 Brian Johnson, Author of Areté Forging Excellence On and Off the Field
10:20 Jeremy Sheetinger, Georgia Gwinnett IT: The Thin Line Between Where We Are and Where We Want to Go
11:00 Kyle Crookes, Central Missouri Winning 90 Feet at a Time: A Systems Approach to Aggressive Baserunning
12:40 Tim Held, Archbishop Moeller HS Unlocking the Power of a Dynamic Offense
1:20 Don Mattingly, Toronto Blue Jays; Harold Reynolds, MLB Network Keeping Hitting Simple With Don Mattingly
2:00 Jamie Pinzino, East Tennessee State Evaluating Pitchers and Creating an Efficient Feedback Loop
2:40 John Vodenlich, Wisconsin-Whitewater Fundamental Baseball That Wins Games
3:20 Omar Johnson, Jackson State Using Bunting to Create Offense
4:00 Mitch Canham, Oregon State Growth Through Player Development Plans
Sunday, Jan. 11
8:30 Conor Burke, Iona Using Pillars to Organize Outfield Development
9:10 Clay Cox, Paris Junior College Developing Dynamic Infielders: The Power of Athletic Freedom
9:50 Jason Whited, Centerville HS Creating Outs That Win the Game: A Deep Dive Into Pickoffs
10:30 Mike Deegan, Denison Culture, Training, & Competition: A Systematic Approach to Development
2025 ABCA Youth Coaches Speakers
Friday, Jan. 9
9:40 Jack Ferrick, Catchers U Cutting Through the Noise: Catching Simplified
10:20 Charles Bolden, East Coast Havoc Outfield Play: From the Ground Up
11:00 Jason Rathbun, St. Bonaventure Pitching Mindset: It is More Than Just Throwing, But You Have to Throw!
12:40 Cody Wheeler, Canes Baseball (VA) PDG Academy: Developing Better Baseball Players
1:20 Paul Babcock, Andrew HS (IL) Transformational Coach: Lessons from Gordie Gillespie
2:40p Rob Henry, Kentucky State Developing a Swiss Army Knife Approach to Improving Offensive Performance
3:20 Rudy Arguelles, Riverside City College Practicing for Purpose and Tempo
Saturday, Jan. 10
8:30 Troy Marrow, Above the Shoulders The Four Pillars of Infield Play
9:10 Ryan Alexander, Bo Jackson Elite Competitive Practice: Bridging the Gap from Practice to THE Game
10:20 Dr. Steve Kelly, Foothill HS (CA) Let the Kids Play: Gamifying Athletic Development
11:00 Chase Brewster, Texas A&M Texarkana A Thin Line: The Similarities Between College and Travel Ball
12:40 Ryan Terrill, Georgia Gwinnett Attacking the Bases: Grizzlies on the Hunt for 90 Feet
1:20 Derek Stecklein, Pleasant Valley HS (IA) Practice Efficiency: Mastering Player Time
Hot Stove Panelists
Rookie Coaches Mentorship Panel
Thursday, Jan. 8, 9:00pm
Paul Blanchard, Southwest Minnesota St.
Tyrone Brooks, Major League Baseball
Aaron DeBord, Cloverleaf HS (OH)
Bryan Faulds, Akron
Tyler Simmons, Charlotte
Baseball Operations Hot Stove Panel
Friday, Jan. 9, 7:00pm
Sam Gjormand, College of Charleston
Mickey Bassett, Duke
Mickey Beach, Coastal Carolina
Brian Mundorf, Louisville
Outfield Hot Stove Panel
Friday, Jan. 9, 9:00pm
Rudy Garbalosa, Lynn
Andrew Baslow, Orange Lutheran HS (CA)
Mike Davenport, Madison Area Tech
Tripp Keister, Kansas City Royals
Pitching Hot Stove Panel
Friday, Jan. 9, 9:00pm
Pat Pinkman, Elite Sports Advising
Todd Carroll, MIT
Kevin Cobb, Northeastern
Ryne Romick, Denison
Youth & Travel Baseball Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2:45pm
Jordan Baltimore, NYEmpire Baseball
Duke Baxter, Zoned Sports Academy (NJ)
Frank Decembrino, Boilermakers BB (PA)
Cameron Ginger, Propel Hitting
Rob Hahne, N. Virginia Travel Baseball
Taylor McCollough, Perfect Game
Deven Morgan, Driveline Baseball
Charlie Tilson, Major League Baseball
Culture & Leadership Hot Stove Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 5:00pm
Craig Gianinno, Y-D Red Sox
Jamey Carroll, Evansville
Dr. Barry Davis, Author
Diamyn Hall, Baltimore Orioles
Clint Hurdle, Colorado Rockies
Baserunning Hot Stove Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 5:00pm
Matt Talarico, Chicago Cubs
Julio Borbón, Milwaukee Brewers
Jim Koerner, USA Baseball
Nick McIntyre, Miami Marlins
Mike Roberts, MR5
Ryan Terrill, Georgia Gwinnett
Hitting Hot Stove Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 7:00pm
Anthony Ferro, Butte College
Tony Brunicardi, Skyline CC
Kevin Coe, Cincinnati Reds
Matt Denny, Casteel HS (AZ)
Jake Valentine, Michigan
Tony Demello, Arizona
Chris Hanks, Colorado Mesa
Strength & Conditioning Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 7:00pm
Dr. James Oñate, Ohio State
Kevin Enchelmeyer, Ohio State
Dr. Ismael Gallo, Baseball Flows
Dr. Steve Kelly, Foothill HS (CA)
Infield Hot Stove Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 9:00pm
Tyler Gillum, Savannah Bananas
Clay Cox, Paris JC
Casey Demko, Abilene Christian
Cody Dennis, Bo Jackson Elite (OH)
Bryan Madsen, Episcopal School (FL)
Troy Marrow, Above the Shoulders
Nate Trosky, Trosky Baseball
Catching Hot Stove Panel
Saturday, Jan. 10, 9:00pm
Jerry Weinstein, Chicago Cubs
Xan Barksdale, Catching 101
Jack Ferrick, Catchers U
Tom Griffin, Carson-Newman
