January 10, 2024

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Robin Lund, assistant pitching coach, of the Detroit Tigers, is one of the many talented speakers booked this weekend for Baseball Ontario’s 38th annual Best Ever coaching clinic.

Lund (Peace River, Alta.) was hired Nov. 6, 2022 from the University of Iowa and in 2024 will assist pitching coach Chris Fetter on manager A.J. Hinch’s staff. The Tigers were 17th with a team ERA of 4.24 behind the National League East’s first-place Atlanta Braves (4.14) and the Miami Marlins (4.22) and ahead of the World Series champion Texas Rangers (4.28).

After playing at Spokane Falls Community College and attending Whitworth College, Eastern Washington University and University of Idaho in 2002, plus teaching at the University of Northern Iowa, he was hired as pitching coach by the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in 2013.

Also booked for the event which begins Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel:

_ Tim DeJohn, minor league infield coordinator with the Baltimore Orioles now in his fifth season.

_ Aaron Gershenfeld, New York Yankees defensive coordinator, also in his fifth season.

_ Brandon Guyer of Major League Mindset and head mental strength coach of the Los Angeles Angels, the University of Virginia, and University of Houston Cougars. He played seven years in the majors with Tampa Bay and Cleveland.

_ Tracy Hayes, a mobility expert, known as the “MobilityChick,” and founder of Amplified Movement known for her 12-Week Mobility Series launched in 2020 which has attracted interest of players and strength coaches from all but three of 30 clubs.

_ Dan McDonnell, head coach at University of Louisville Cardinals, who has compiled a 688-287-1 (.705 win percentage).

_ Adam Moseley, head coach of Hoover high school in Hoover, Ala. for the past nine seasons.

_ Nate Thompson, in his seventh season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.

And the Youth Team speakers series for coaches of 8-to-13 year-old teams includes:

_ Geoff Allen (Niagara Falls, Ont.) a former Brock University Badger coach and an assistant coach with the Ontario Youth Team. He’s a former Doug Austin Memorial award winner, which goes annually as Niagara Falls sports person of the year.

_ Rick Johnston (Peterborough, Ont.) of the Terriers, a former National Team player and hitting coach.

_ Jean-Gilles Larocque (Sudbury, Ont.) of the Sudbury Voyageurs and head coach of the Ontario Youth Team.

_ Samantha Magalas (Windsor, Ont.) former Baseball Canada’s National Women’s Team standout.

_ Scott Robinson (Whitby, Ont.) former Ontario Youth Team coach.

_ Shawn Schaefer (Pitt Meadows, BC) of the Ontario Blue Jays and an assistant coach with Team Ontario.

_ Perry Scott (Prince George, BC) of the Ontario Blue Jays and an assistant coach with Team Ontario.

_ Ashley Stephenson (Mississauga, Ont.), the former star of our National Women’s Team, now in her second year as a position coach with the class-A Vancouver Canadians of the Toronto Blue Jays system.

_ David Quattrociocchi (Toronto, Ont.) former Ontario Youth Team head coach.

_ Sean Travers (Mississauga, Ont.) director of player development, HPP Tigers.

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The Best Ever Clinic was started by Sam Dempster (Oshawa, Ont. by way of Kingston, Ont.) at Eastdale Collegiate in Oshawa in 1986 and 1987 before moving to Toronto.

Jim Lutton and Dempster were the clinic directors from Year II, after Dempster, of Durham College fame, arranged the first one by himself).