FIBS is all set to kickoff their 30th Annual Coach Convention.

The 30th edition of the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation’s Coach Convention is all set to get underway come the 16th through 18th of January in Bologna at the Zanhotel & Meeting Centergross. On hand as this year’s special guests will be Ron Washington, Peter Caliendo, Eric Campbell, Natascia Watley and Megan Willis. Topics of discussion will include improving technique with new and innovative teaching methods, as well as what is involved in keeping young athletes motivated and moving forward. 

The Italian Coach Convention is an important event held yearly by the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation that focuses on the improvement of the game. This event has become well known for the continued improvement of the methods and techniques of its participants as well as for providing these very participants the opportunity to meet all those involved in both baseball and softball, including owners, general managers, coaches, athletes, umpires as well as sponsors, all of whom are eager to discuss the new and innovative methods, techniques and solutions for the new season. 

The 2015 Coach Convention has been organized by the National Technical Committee of FIBS (CNT-FIBS) along with the support of the Emilia Romagna Regional FIBS Committee as well as the International Sports Group Inc., making this year’s event a promising one full of star guest speakers with innovative topics for both for baseball and softball.

Domenico Micheli, President of the CNT-FIBS, proudly announces his special guests starting with Ron Washington, a dynamic manager who after playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros, spent ten years as a coach for the Oakland A’s before moving to the helm of the Texas Rangers bench from 2007 to 2014. Washington’s clubs won the American League pennant in both 2010 and 2011, coming up just short of a World Series title in back-to-back years. 

The head of the International Sports Group Inc.,Peter Caliendo, is also scheduled to speak at this year event. Caliendo has become a known name in both baseball and softball over the years through his cutting-edge techniques and track record when it comes to working with the youth of the game. Peter Caliendo is also part of the Technical Committee of the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

Also on the list of guest speakers is Eric Campbell. Campbell has been with the USA Baseball Federation for 15 years as both the General Manager and assistant to the GM for 34 different US National Teams, winning the Silver Medal in 2010 and Gold Medal in 2004, 2006 and  2008 at the University World Cup of Baseball. Campbell was also a part of Team USA when they won the IBAF Baseball Cup in 2007 and 2009. Eric Campbell has field experience as Assistant Coach to Paul Mainieri (Louisiana State University) and Jim Hendry (New York Yankees).

Natasha Watley will be back once again for the second consecutive year on the softball side of things. Warley was a top class short stop for Team USA where she was apart of the Gold Medal team at the Olympic Games in Athens and the Silver Medal team in Beijing. Natasha was also elected into the UCLA Bruins Hall of Fame (university) where she reach a number of career milestones as a member of the team and an individual of which included a lifetime batting average of .400, 300 hits, 200 runs scored, and 100 stolen bases. Watley also holds the honor of being the first AfricanAmerican to be part of a Team USA Softball.

Lastly, Megan Willis will be joining the Italian Coach Convention for the first time as a guest speaker. Willis is a catcher for the USSSA Pride (professional fast pitch softball team) with 7 years of experience in pro ball between the US and Japan (Toyota Shining Vega). She attended the University of Texas where she posted a .944 fielding percentage behind the dish, with 2028 putouts and 59 caught stealing. Willis was voted the Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 in the Big 12 (NCAA).