High School

Elite Coaches Named for Women's Baseball Classic

Historic event, powered by USA Baseball, fosters new talent in women's baseball

Levi Payton

Jul 20, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; United States left fielder Tamara Holmes (22) hits an RBI double in the third inning against Venezuela during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Holmes, a three-time gold medalist, has been announced as a manager for the Rockford Peaches in the 2025 All-American Women's Baseball Classic, powered by USA Baseball.
Jul 20, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; United States left fielder Tamara Holmes (22) hits an RBI double in the third inning against Venezuela during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Holmes, a three-time gold medalist, has been announced as a manager for the Rockford Peaches in the 2025 All-American Women's Baseball Classic, powered by USA Baseball. / Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

USA Baseball and the Durham Bulls today unveiled the coaching staff for the 2025 All-American Women’s Baseball Classic (AAWBC) powered by USA Baseball. The event is scheduled for August 1-3 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP) and will feature support from Major League Baseball (MLB), the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), and American Girls Baseball (AGB).

The AAWBC will showcase four teams, each named in tribute to the original 1943 AAGPBL teams: the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches, and South Bend Blue Sox. Leading these teams as managers are Women’s National Team alumnae Kristin Caldwell, Tamara Holmes, and Alex Oglesby, along with Ila Borders. Each manager brings more than two decades of playing and coaching experience to the Classic.

Oglesby, a four-time assistant coach for the Women’s National Team, and Caldwell, a three-time alumna and current high school baseball coach, were part of the inaugural squad that earned a gold medal at the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s World Cup. Holmes, a seven-time alumna and three-time gold medalist, joins Borders and Oglesby with professional playing experience.

These three managers are actively involved in growing the sport, coaching at girls’ development events in partnership with Major League Baseball, including the Trailblazer Series, Elite Development Invitational, Breakthrough Series, and MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour.

Assisting the managers will be a diverse group of coaches. Josh Ellison, who served as an assistant coach for the 2024 12U National Team, will coach the Belles alongside Oglesby. Caldwell and Tanner Vesely will lead the Blue Sox. Vesely is a seven-time national team coach with five gold medals, including managing the 2015 12U National Team.

Borders and Dave Tykoski will guide the Comets, while Holmes and American Girls Baseball board member Mike Pankow will coach the Peaches. Pankow returns for his third coaching appearance at the AAWBC. Ellison, Tykoski, and Vesely have been involved with USA Baseball for nearly two decades, serving as evaluators and task force members at various identification events and national team training camps. Tykoski coached at the 2023 Women’s National Open, and Vesely coached at the 2019 Women’s National Team Trials and 2023 Training Camp.

All four assistant coaches possess extensive high school or college coaching backgrounds.

Kristin Caldwell Caravel head coach USA Baseball
Caravel (Delaware) head baseball coach Kristin Caldwell has been tabbed to manage the South Bend Blue Sox in the All-Women's baseball tournament. / William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Makenzie Kelly, USA Baseball’s Women’s National Team Director, expressed enthusiasm for the announced staff.

"We are very excited to announce our coaching staff for the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic powered by USA Baseball," Kelly said. "Everyone on this staff has either been involved with our Women’s National Team over the years as a player or coach, or is an advocate for girls and women in baseball. We look forward to having this group of coaches not only help to identify players for future national team programming, but also provide an unparalleled experience for our players attending the event."

In addition to the games, 2025 18U National Team manager Rick Eckstein and Training Camp coaches Guy Civitello and Kirk Champion will attend the AAWBC as evaluators. They will lead an optional workout on August 2 at the National Training Complex in Cary, providing an additional opportunity for players to be evaluated for this year’s Women’s National Team Development Program (WNTDP), scheduled for October 15-19 in Cary.

The Classic will feature a round-robin format, with each team playing three games. A champion will be determined by a point system. Off-field activities include a reception on July 31 with a panel discussion and a screening of "A League of Their Own." Athletes will also serve as clinicians for a free PLAY BALL event on August 1 at the DBAP.

All six games of the 2025 All-American Women’s Baseball Classic will be broadcast live and free on MLB.com, MLB.TV, and in the MLB App

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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