CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced the coaching staffs for the 2021 Women’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) and the first-ever USA Baseball Girls Camp, led by five-time Women’s National Team alum and 2019 USA Baseball Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Veronica Alvarez as the Field Coordinator. The Girls Camp will be held at the Launch Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida, from October 7-9, followed immediately by the 2021 Women’s NTDP from October 10-14.

Players aged 14-19 from across the country will compete in the three-day Girls Camp and further develop their skills through instructional workouts and game play while being coached by previous USA Baseball Women’s National Team staff. At the conclusion of the camp, six players will be selected to attend the invite-only Women’s NTDP. The Women’s NTDP is a highly competitive, 40-player event that will feature a Stars and Stripes intrasquad series, as well as skill development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and exposure to USA Baseball staff and Women’s National Team coaches. 

Joining Alvarez on the Women’s NTDP staff are Team USA alum Alex Oglesby, who served as an assistant coach for the Women’s National Team in 2019 and will manage the Stars team in 2021, and seven-time Women’s National Team alum and two-time USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year Tamara Holmes, who will lead the Stripes squad. Additionally, Lou Colon and Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist Mike Kinkade will serve as roving instructors and assistant coaches at the event.

“We are very excited to announce the coaching staffs for our first-ever Girls Camp, as well as the 2021 Women’s National Team Development Program,” said Ann Claire Roberson, USA Baseball’s Assistant Director of Baseball Operations. “This staff brings an incredible amount of baseball experience that spans every part of the game from the youth and collegiate levels to the professional and international stages. We are looking forward to all the knowledge these coaches will bring to this unparalleled development opportunity to help enhance the skills of the athletes both on and off the field.”

Alvarez will be the Field Coordinator at both the Women’s NTDP and the Girls Camp in 2021 after playing for the Women’s National Team five times and being named to the coaching staff three times, including twice as a manager (2019, 2020). Under her direction, the 2019 squad finished the COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships with a perfect 7-0 record and the program’s first gold medal since the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, outscoring opponents 124-20 en route to being named USA Baseball’s 2019 Team of the Year.

Since finishing her playing career in 2016, Alvarez has been at the forefront of the collaboration between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball to foster the next generation of female baseball players in the United States, serving as a coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017-2019 and the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp in 2018 and 2019. She has also coached for the Oakland Athletics at Major League Baseball Spring Training since 2019.

Oglesby, who helped lead the 2019 Women’s National Team on its dominant run to gold at the COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships as an assistant coach, will manage the Stars squad at the Women’s NTDP. Oglesby was also a member of the inaugural Women’s National Team that won the program’s first world championship in 2004.

Joining Oglesby on the Stars staff will be assistant coaches Jarend Jones and Jim Koerner, as well as Eagle Pass High School (Eagle Pass, Texas) Head Coach Reynol Mendoza as the team’s pitching coach.

The Stripes team at the Women’s NTDP will be led by Holmes. The seven-time Team USA alum won USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year honors in 2012 and 2016 and has helped lead the Women’s National Team to two gold medals (2006, 2015), two silver medals (2012, 2014), and one bronze (2010) in her career.

Holmes will be joined on the Stripes staff by Jenny Dalton-Hill and Kinkade as assistant coaches, and Jorge Correa (Correa Pitching Academy) will serve as the team’s pitching coach.

In addition, the Girls Camp will feature two teams with Oglesby serving as manager of Team Red and Holmes leading Team Navy. Oglesby will be joined by Pitching Coach Mendoza and assistant coaches Kelsie Whitmore and Koerner, while Holmes will be assisted by Veronica Gajownik and Dalton-Hill with Correa leading the pitching staff.

For more information on the Women’s NTDP and the first-ever Girls Camp, please follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter or visit USABaseball.com.

 The 2021 Women’s NTDP and Girls Camp staffs and their full bios are as follows:

• 2021 Women's National Team Development Program Staff
• (Name; Women's NTDP Position)
• Veronica Alvarez; Field Coordinator
• Lou Colon; Roving Instructor
• Jorge Correa; Stripes Pitching Coach
• Jenny Dalton-Hill; Stripes Assistant Coach
• Tamara Holmes; Stripes Manager
• Jarend Jones; Stars Assistant Coach
• Mike Kinkade; Stripes Assistant Coach
• Jim Koerner; Stars Assistant Coach
• Reynol Mendoza; Stars Pitching Coach
• Alex Oglesby; Stars Manager

• 2021 Girls Camp Staff
• (Name; Girls Camp Position)
• Veronica Alvarez; Field Coordinator
• Lou Colon; Roving Instructor
• Jorge Correa; Team Navy Pitching Coach
• Jenny Dalton-Hill; Team Navy Assistant Coach
• Veronica Gajownik; Team Navy Assistant Coach
• Tamara Holmes; Team Navy Manager
• Mike Kinkade; Roving Instructor
• Jim Koerner; Team Red Assistant Coach
• Reynol Mendoza; Team Red Pitching Coach
• Alex Oglesby; Team Red Manager
• Kelsie Whitmore; Team Red Assistant Coach

Veronica Alvarez will serve as the Field Coordinator for both the Girls Camp and the Women’s NTDP in 2021. She became the first woman to be named the organization’s Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year for her work at the helm of the 2019 Women’s National Team. Under her direction, Team USA finished its tournament with a perfect 7-0 record and the program’s first gold medal since the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The U.S. outscored its opponents 124-20, held a cumulative .500 batting average, and hit a record 11 home runs en route to the gold and being named USA Baseball’s 2019 Team of the Year. In addition to making her managerial debut with the Women’s National Team in 2019, Alvarez also served as an assistant coach on the 2018 staff and played for Team USA five times in her career as a catcher. Her time with the red, white, and blue started in 2008 and every team she participated on medaled in international competition. 

Since finishing her playing career in 2016, Alvarez has continued to help grow women’s baseball as a coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017-2019 and the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp in 2018 and 2019, joining the collaboration between the Major League Baseball and USA baseball to foster the next generation of female baseball players in the United States. Additionally, Alvarez has served as a coach with the Oakland Athletics at Major League Baseball Spring Training from 2019-2021 and has previously coached at the USA baseball Women’s National Team Identification Series and the 2019 12U National Open.

Lou Colon joins the 2021 Women’s NTDP and Girls Camp coaching staffs with over 25 years of coaching experience. He will serve as a roving instructor and assistant coach throughout both events. Most recently, he served as a coach at Drew University for nine seasons after joining the staff as an assistant in 2012. The fielding coach made an immediate impact with the Rangers as the team ranked first in the Landmark Conference in field percentage with a .961 mark in 2014. Prior to his time at Drew, Colon was the head coach at Franklin High School (Somerset, N.J.) and founded the Lou Colon National Infield Development Clinics. He also played three seasons of professional baseball in the Baltimore Orioles organization and two seasons in the Liga de Beisbol Professional de Puerto Rico.

Jorge Correa will serve on staff as a pitching coach at both the Women’s NTDP and the Girls Camp in 2021 after first working with the Women’s National Team program in 2019. The Miami, Florida, native was selected in the ninth round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and spent three years pitching in the organization’s system before beginning his coaching career. He was the pitching coach at Barry University from 2007-2010 and began serving as a mentor and guest instructor in the Florida Marlins Inner City Youth Program in 2013. Currently, Correa is the owner of the Correa Pitching Academy in Miramar, Florida, where he trains and develops pitchers of all ages to help them grown and improve their game and abilities.

Jenny Dalton-Hill joins the Women’s NTDP and Girls Camp staffs as an assistant coach with over ten years of USA Baseball involvement under her belt. Her first experience with Team USA came as a player on the 2010 Women’s National Team, where she helped guide the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2010 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s Baseball World Cup. After her playing career, Dalton-Hill served as a coach for the Women’s NTDP in 2011 and 2014 as well as for the Women’s National Team in 2012, helping to lead Team USA to an IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup silver medal. Currently a college softball analyst for ESPN, a position she has held since 2013, Dalton-Hill was an All-American softball player at the University of Arizona. She helped lead the Wildcats to national championships in 1993, 1994, and 1996 and named the 1996 National Player of the Year after winning the Pac-10 Conference Triple Crown in her senior season. Dalton-Hill also served on the USA Baseball Board of Directors from 2012-2020 and was a member of the Colorado Silver Bullets in 1997 where she played under MLB Hall of Famer Phil Niekro.

Veronica Gajownik will make her USA Baseball coaching debut as an assistant coach for Team Red at the 2021 Girls Camp staff. Currently working in player development for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate, the Hillsboro Hops, Gajownik first started her career with Team USA as a player on the 2015 Women’s National Team. The Chuluota, Florida, native helped the U.S. win a gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games before joining the Liberty University softball coaching staff in 2015 as a graduate assistant where she helped guide the Lady Flames to a program-record 46 wins and a Big South regular-season title in 2017. In 2017, she was named an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts where she worked until joining the Diamondbacks in 2021. Gajownik has helped to grow women’s baseball since playing for Team USA as an instructor at the virtual MLB Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational in 2020.

Seven-time Women’s National Team alum Tamara Holmes will manage Team Navy at the Girls Camp and the Stripes squad at the Women’s NTDP in 2021 following a distinguished playing career both domestically and internationally. She began her career with Team USA as a member of the 2006 Women’s National Team that earned the program’s second consecutive world championship at the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s Baseball World Cup. Holmes followed that by helping lead the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2010 World Cup and silver medals at the 2012 and 2014 events before playing a key role in Team USA’s undefeated run to gold at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. She was also a member of the 2016 Women’s National Team and earned USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year honors in 2012 and 2016. Prior to her time with Team USA, Holmes was a member of the Colorado Silver Bullets in 1996 and hit the first and only home run in team history. Holmes continues to guide the next generation of female baseball players since finishing her playing career, serving as a coach at various MLB and USA Baseball girls baseball development events including the Trailblazer Series and the MLB GRIT Girls Baseball Identification Tour.

Jarend Jones will served as a Stars assistant coach at the 2021 Women’s NTDP. Jones got his coaching career started at Bonita High School (La Verne, Calif.) where he coached for three years before moving to Mt. San Antonio College and served on the staff for two years. Most recently, Jones spent three years on the coaching staff at Rancho Cucamonga High School (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.). 2021 marks Jones’ fourth consecutive year working with USA Baseball programming, having served on coaching and task force staffs at the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) and the 12U National Open since 2018. After assisting with regional tryouts for the Southwest region of the NTIS, Jones joined the 11U NTIS Task Force and assisted at the 12U National Open in 2019. He was also a member of the 11U NTIS Task Force in 2021.

Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist Mike Kinkade brings a plethora of baseball experience to the Women’s NTDP and Girls Camps staff in 2021. Kinkade was a crucial member of the 2000 Olympic Team on its run to the gold medal, recording a .207 average with six hits, three RBIs, and four runs scored in the tournament. He made his second appearance in the red, white, and blue with the 2006 Olympic Qualifying Team where he hit .333 with a team-leading 11 RBIs. Kinkade was selected in the 19th round of the 1994 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and made his big league debut with the New York Mets in 1998. In his six-year Major League playing career, the Livonia, Michigan, native played in 222 games and collected a .256 batting average, 56 runs scores, 13 home runs, and 48 RBIs. Following his playing career, Kinkade served as a member of the Seattle Mariners’ minor league coaching staff from 2011-2014, including managing the Peoria Mariners in 2012. He then coached the Whitman County American Legion Program from 2016-2019 and was the head coach for Pullman High School (Pullman, Wash.) from 2018-2019 before serving as an assistant coach at Cal State University Bakersfield during the 2019-2020 season. Kinkade was also a member of the coaching staff at the inaugural MLB Draft Combine in 2021.

USA Baseball Director of Player Development Jim Koerner will serve as an assistant coach at both the 2021 Girls Camp and the Women’s NTDP. In his role as Director of Player Development, Koerner is responsible for developing on-field programming for USA Baseball’s six national teams and three national team development programs. He also produces curriculums related to player development for USABDevelops.com, the organization’s free online educational resource center. Additionally, he assists with player and staff identification for all 10 clubs in the Appalachian League and serves as a roving instructor during the season. Koerner was the head coach at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) from 2011-2021. As just the second head coach in the program’s modern-day history, Koerner took NCCU baseball to new heights in his 10 years at the helm. Under his guidance, the Eagles set the school record for wins twice, in 2013 (27) and again in 2018 (28). He also coached two MLB Draft picks with NCCU, including Corey Joyce, who became the highest selection in program history when he was taken in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers in 2019. Before his time at NCCU, Koerner was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Buffalo from 2007-2011, helping the Bulls reach their best offensive performances in program history in 2009 and 2010. The team recorded an all-time high in wins since 1999 during the 2009 season and set the records for team batting average (.312), home runs (46), and stolen bases (71) in 2010. In those two seasons combined, the Bulls broke over 25 season, career, team, and individual records. He began his coaching career in 2001 as the head coach at Medaille College, where he helped found the program and was named the 2003 North Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He broke into the Division I ranks as an assistant at Monmouth University before a stint at Marshall University.

Reynol Mendoza will serve as the pitching coach for Team Red and the Stars team at the Girls Camp and the Women’s NTDP, respectively, after serving as the Women’s National Team pitching coach in 2019. He was also named Team USA’s pitching coach in 2020. Under his leadership, the 2019 pitching staff finished with a collective 3.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 37 innings of work. He is currently the head coach at Eagle Pass High School (Eagle Pass, Texas), where the Eagles have made playoff appearances in each of the last fourteen seasons and played in the regional finals in both 2013 and 2014. The Miami Marlins selected Mendoza in the seventh frround of the 1992 MLB Draft and he spent seven years in the Marles system, including three seasons at the Triple-A level. 

Alex Oglesby, who was named an assistant coach for the Women’s National Team in both 2019 and 2020, will serve as the Stars manager at the Women’s NTDP, as well as the manager of Team Red at the Girls Camp. Oglesby was a member of the inaugural Women’s National Team that won a gold medal at the IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Prior to representing the U.S., she played in the Ladies Professional baseball League and was the youngest player when the league began in 1997. At just 17 years old, Oglesby led the San Jose Spitfires to the league’s first World Series Championship and was named both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts. She also helped form the California Women’s Baseball League in 2002, where she earned MVP honors twice. 

Six-time Women’s National Team alum Kelsie Whitmore will serve as an assistant coach for Team Red at the USA Baseball Girls Camp in 2021. She was named to her first national team in 2014 when she was just 16 years old and helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the 2014 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Baseball World Cup. One year later, she played a key role from both the plate and on the mound in Team USA’s undefeated run to a gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The Temecula, California, native also played for the 2016, 2018, and 2019 squads, earning another gold medal with the U.S. at the 2019 COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships. In addition to her time with Team USA, Whitmore has also played professional baseball as a member of the Independent League’s Sonoma Stompers where she joined fellow Women’s National Team alum Stacy Piagno as the first women to play for a professional men’s team since the 1950s. Whitmore has joined the collaboration between MLB and USA Baseball to help grow the future of women’s baseball as an instructor at various development events, including the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series and the Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational.