Worcester Bravehearts Hire New Manager
May 9, 2016 - Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)
Worcester Bravehearts News Release
As the Worcester Bravehearts enter the 2016 season and attempt to win a third-straight Futures League Championship, they will do so with a new man at the helm. The team today announced the signing of Milford, MA native J.P. Pyne as the Manager, a position that became open after previous Bravehearts' Manager Justin Edwards left for an opportunity in baseball scouting.
J.P. Pyne brings fifteen years of collegiate baseball coaching experience with him to the Bravehearts. He is the current Head Coach at Clark University in Worcester and recently finished leading the Cougars through one of their most successful seasons in history, setting a school- record with 18 wins. In his first season in 2016, the Cougars set school records for runs scored (252), hits (396), doubles (77), highest field percentage (.967), stolen bases (83) and total bases (573).
Prior to the job at Clark, Pyne spent two seasons at the University of Maine as a pitching coach and worked extensively with popular Bravehearts' back-to-back championship pitchers Charlie Butler (Nashoba H.S. / Marlboro, MA) and Logan Fullmer (Cedar Crest H.S. / Lebanon, PA). He is well- known in New Hampshire baseball circles because of previous successful stints coaching at Saint Anselm College in Manchester and Daniel Webster College in Nashua, where he was named NECC Coach of the Year in 2009, 2010 and 2013. His professional baseball coaching experience includes work with the Toronto Blue Jays' Minor League affiliates in 2010 - 2011-- specifically the Manchester Fisher Cats and Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL. Pyne is also quite familiar with the Futures League due to his time coaching the Nashua Silver Knights in 2012 (when they won the league championship) and 2013 before the Worcester Bravehearts became the league's tenth member in 2014.
"I am extremely honored to take over as manager of the Worcester Bravehearts," said Pyne. "My family and I want to thank the Creedon family and Futures League for this opportunity. Worcester has skyrocketed to the top of the league-- both on and off the field-- and I can't wait to be a part of the organization."
J.P. Pyne will have big shoes to fill in the Bravehearts' dugout this summer while taking over for Justin Edwards. Edwards, a West Virginia native who also played professionally for the Worcester Tornadoes, was thrust into the role of Bravehearts' Manager two summers ago after the midseason departure of Alex Trezza. He responded by winning consecutive Futures League championships against Martha's Vineyard in 2014 and Bristol in 2015.
Edwards is leaving the Bravehearts as he moves from coaching to scouting. He'll stay closer to home this summer taking a position with an affiliated baseball team in their scouting department, covering games in West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland.
"The last two seasons managing the Worcester Bravehearts were the best two summers of my life, even better than my time as a professional player," said Edwards. "Everyone in the Bravehearts' organization works tirelessly to be the team that Worcester deserves - both on and off the field. I'm so proud and happy for the community of Worcester that we were able to deliver back-to-back championships. I have to give huge thanks to the Bravehearts' outstanding fan base who lifted the team through both our wins and our losses. While I'm moving on to a new position, the Bravehearts and the city of Worcester will forever hold a special place in my heart."
"It's always difficult when you lose a coach the caliber of Justin Edwards," said General Manager Dave Peterson. "He was excellent at guiding our players through the rigors of a 56-game season, keeping them loose, and ultimately showing them how to play together to win the ultimate prize. In that same spirit, we love what J.P. Pyne brings to the Bravehearts because of his 15-year track record of success in collegiate baseball and the glowing recommendations from his players. Our organization is ecstatic to welcome him, his wife Sarah, and daughter Rosalie to the Bravehearts' family."
Current Assistant Coaches Kevin Hartigan and Casey Cummins will remain on the Bravehearts' staff and will begin working with Pyne immediately.
The Bravehearts begin on the road before they hoist the 2015 Championship Banner at their home opener vs. the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs on Friday night, June 3rd at 7:05 PM. All tickets are now on sale by calling the box office at 508-438-3773 or through the team's website: worcesterbravehearts.com.
• Discuss this story on the Futures Collegiate Baseball League message board...
Futures Collegiate Baseball League Stories from May 9, 2016
- Worcester Bravehearts Hire New Manager - Worcester Bravehearts
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
