Scott Brosius returns to lead USA Baseball’s 18U Team

Scott Brosius returns to lead USA Baseball’s 18U Team
23/03/2012

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball announced Friday that Scott Brosius will return in 2012 as manager of the 18U National Team. The former Yankee, and three-time World Series champion, led the 18U Team to a 9-0 record and a gold medal in the 2011 COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American Championships.

Press Release USA Baseball

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball announced Friday that Scott Brosius will return in 2012 as manager of the 18U National Team. The former Yankee, and three-time World Series champion, led the 18U Team to a 9-0 record and a gold medal in the 2011 COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American Championships.

The Brosius-led 18U squad outscored opponents 88-8 over nine games, capping off their tournament run with a 12-2 victory over Canada in the gold-medal game.

Following the teams gold medal in Cartagena, Columbia, Brosius was named the 2011 Coach of the Year. The 1998 World Series MVP is entering his fifth season as head baseball coach at Linfield College (McMinnville, Ore.).

A former Linfield Wildcat player, Brosius has led the team to three conference championships, two regional championships and a pair of top-five finishes at the NCAA Division III Finals. As of March 21, the Wildcats were ranked eighth in the country with a record of 12-4, pushing Brosius career record to 145-53.

Brosius will be joined on the coaching staff by familiar faces Jim Lawler (pitching coach) and Brooks Badeaux (assistant coach), who both served on the 2011 18U staff.

Lawler’s pitching staff dominated in 2011, posting a 1.74 ERA over 124 innings. Lawler is entering his fourth season as pitching coach at Midland College in Midland, Texas.

A 1972 draft pick of the New York Yankees, Lawler played one minor league season before embarking on his coaching career. Lawler spent two seasons as the head coach at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. He moved on to the University of Texas El Paso in 1980, and four years later joined the staff at Texas A&M University. Lawler spent 21 years at Texas A&M, culminating in the 2005 National Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year award.

Lawler’s Aggies teams compiled an 876-433-3 record, made 13 NCAA playoffs and appeared in the College World Series twice. He would be named the head coach at the University of Arkansas Little Rock following his time at Texas A&M, and served in that capacity until taking his current position with Midland College in 2008.

Badeaux was a great presence on the 2011 gold-medal winning staff. The 10-year veteran of professional baseball participated as a player with Team USA at the 1995 World University Games and was a member of the 2005 World Cup Team.

The former Florida State Seminole made three trips to the College World Series, and earned All-ACC, Academic All-ACC and All-Atlantic Region honors during his collegiate career.

Badeaux spent nine seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, broken up by a one year stint in the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2006. He returned to the Rays in 2007 before retiring from professional baseball. He was a career .264 hitter in 10 seasons, playing shortstop, second base, third base and outfield.

He has spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Teurlings Catholic High school and Comeaux High School.

The 2012 staff will be rounded out by former major leaguer Travis Chapman, while Josh Therrien and Cody Wilcoxson will serve as the certified athletic trainer and press officer, respectively.

Chapman is entering his fifth year as coach at Nease High School in Ponte Verda, Fla. The 2010 District 4 4A Coach of the Year also serves as a social studies teacher at the high school. His team won the 2011 District championship.

As a star at Mississippi State, Chapman appeared in two College World Series and finished in the top 10 in several major offensive and defensive categories, including second all-time in hits.

He was drafted in the 17th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent four seasons in the Phillies organization, earning all-star honors at four different levels before being called-up to the Major Leagues in 2003. Chapman would spend time in three different organizations before retiring from professional baseball in 2006.

The staff will assemble the team this summer following the 2012 Tournament of Stars presented by Major League Baseball. They will then have two months to prepare for the IBAF 18U World Championships in Seoul, South Korea. The team will compete for a gold medal Aug. 30-Sept. 8.