Griffin returns to coach USA Baseball Prospect Development League

Griffin returns to coach USA Baseball Prospect Development League

CARY, N.C. - Carson-Newman baseball coach Tom Griffin was named one of the four managers for a second straight season for the partnership between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball for the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline League announced on Wednesday.

Last year, Griffin helped guide team Light Blue to the PDP League Championship. He was assisted by Swarthmore College Assistant Coach Andre Butler, and four-time USA Baseball alum and Idaho Falls Chukars hitting coach, Billy Butler. Former MLB All-Star and World Series Champion Brad Penny served as the pitching coach for title-winning team.

The PDP League is set up for 96 high school players eligible for the 2023 MLB Draft. It provides athletes with an unprecedented amateur experience, including competitive gameplay, player development sessions, educational seminars, and other programming to prepare players for a professional baseball career. The event will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. from June 29-July 6. It will include on-field game play, practice and training sessions in addition to former MLB players, USA Baseball Alumni and national team coaches to leverage modern technologies to inform individualized player curriculum.

After concluding his 17th season at Mossy Creek, Griffin has won 476 games for the Eagles and north of 660 as a college head coach. In 2022, the club won at least 25 games for the seventh straight full season of baseball. He has coached five MLB draft picks in his time and 22 total professional players highlighted by current Washington National and USA Baseball alumnus Steve Cishek, who represented the country in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

For more information regarding the PDP League, you can visit the website or follow on Twitter and Instagram with the full coaching staff and roster of players available from USA Baseball's official release.

- CN -