CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the coaching staff for the 2022 Women’s National Team, highlighted by the return of 2019 Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year and five-time Team USA player Veronica Alvarez as manager. The remaining members of the 2019 staff are also set to return in 2022 with Manny Crespo, Sr., and Alex Oglesby as assistant coaches and Reynol Mendoza serving as the team’s pitching coach.

After guiding the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2019 COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships, the staff will lead the Women’s National Team in 2022 as it returns to the international stage to compete in an international friendship series against Canada from July 28-August 1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

“We are thrilled to have Veronica and the rest of this tremendous staff back to guide our Women’s National Team as we return to international competition in 2022,” USA Baseball Assistant Director of Baseball Operations Ann Claire Roberson said. “Every one of these coaches brings an incredible amount of baseball knowledge and experience to this program that will be instrumental in the growth and development of all of our athletes both on and off the field. We are confident that they will represent this organization and the U.S. exceptionally well at the helm of Team USA and we cannot wait to get started.”

Alvarez, who has been named Women’s National Team manager twice in her career previously (2019, 2020), became the first female recipient of the USA Baseball Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Award following her work with the 2019 squad. Under her direction, Team USA finished the 2019 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.

“Being in the position to lead these athletes is an honor and a dream. We are on a mission to be the best in the world and every opportunity we get to develop and compete together is a step closer to completing that mission,” Alvarez said. “Providing the resources and coaching that gives these athletes and this program the best chance of success is a major factor in achieving our mission and the staff we have is of the highest caliber. They bring incredible knowledge, passion for the game, and the ability to relay messages to players in a way that allows them to continuously grow, so I cannot wait to get out on the field with them and put together another exceptional Women’s National Team.”

While 2019 marked Alvarez’s Team USA managerial debut, she is no stranger to donning the red, white, and blue. She was named manager in 2020, served as Field Coordinator at the Women’s National Team Development Program and the inaugural USA Baseball Girls Camp in 2021, worked as an assistant coach on the 2018 staff, and played for Team USA five times in her career.

Her time with the stars and stripes started as a player in 2008 and has medaled in ever international competition she has participated in, including the 2015 Women’s National Team that won a gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. She also won bronze medals with Team USA at the 2008 and 2010 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s Baseball World Cups before winning a silver medal at the 2012 World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Since finishing her playing career in 2016, Alvarez has continued to help grow the next generation of female baseball players through programs created from the collaboration between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball to foster the next generation of female baseball players in the United States. She has been a coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017-2022, the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp since 2018, and the Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational from 2020-2022.

Crespo, who made his national team coaching debut in 2019 when he helped guide the Women’s National Team to a gold medal, will join the program’s staff as an assistant coach for the second time in 2022. He is currently in his 17th year as the Director of Latin American Player Development for the Detroit Tigers. Prior to his time with the Tigers, he worked in the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins organizations. Crespo was selected in the third round of the 1968 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox and spent nine years playing professionally before his retirement in 1978. In addition, Crespo served as a bench coach during the 2013 World Baseball Classic and was a manager during the 2017 event.

Mendoza will serve as Team USA’s pitching coach in 2022 after leading the 2019 Women’s National Team pitching staff to 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, under his guidance, the Eagles have made playoff appearances in each of the last fourteen seasons and competed in the regional finals in 2013, 2014, and 2021. The Miami Marlins selected Mendoza in the seventh round of the 1992 MLB Draft and he spent seven years in the Marlins system, including three seasons at the Triple-A level.

Rounding out the 2022 staff is Women’s National Team alum Alex Oglesby, who will also serve in an assistant coach role. Oglesby was a member of the inaugural Women’s National Team that won a gold medal at the IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup in 2004 and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Before 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.

Most recently, Oglesby served on staff for the 2019 Women’s National Team and was a member of the 2021 USA Baseball Girls Camp coaching staff. She has also served as a coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017–2022 and coached at the first-ever Major League Baseball and USA Baseball GRIT in 2019. In addition, she was a member of the coaching staff at the 2018 Women’s National Open and the 2018 Women’s National Team Trials.

The 2022 Women’s National Team schedule will begin with the Women’s National Open which is scheduled for July 18-20 and will serve as the primary identification event for Team USA. Players from across the country will gather at Neiman Sports Complex in St. Paul, Minnesota, to compete for the opportunity to represent the U.S. as a member of the Women's National Team. Registered players will be divided into teams coached by USA Baseball Women's National Team coaches and staff and will compete in games, as well as participate in individual workout sessions for their primary position(s). Players can register for the 2022 Women’s National Open here.

A minimum of 30 players will be selected from the Women's National Open to make up the Women's National Team Trials roster, with trials taking place from July 21-24. The final 20-women roster will be announced following the conclusion of Trials and Team USA will then train from July 25-27 before taking on Canada in a five-game friendship series on July 28-August 1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Final details for the full 2022 Women’s National Team schedule will be announced at a later date.

For the most up-to-date information on the Women’s National Team, follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter.