Press release and photo courtesy of Great Britain Baseball.
Great Britain Baseball is excited to announce the appointment of Scott Bourgeois as the Head Coach for the U15 National Baseball Team. Scott is an experienced youth baseball coach and programme manager. Since 2018, he has served as the President and Director of Baseball Operations for the London Archers Baseball Club, a youth baseball programme designed to enhance and support high-level player development in the UK. He has also been a coach and volunteer at LYBL (London Youth Baseball League) since 2013, when he and his family arrived in Great Britain.
Upon learning of his appointment, Scott said, “I am truly humbled and honored to be the next U15 GB Baseball Head Coach. It is an incredible opportunity to be joining such a great group of GB coaches and to lead, develop and grow this age group of British ballplayers. I am fortunate to have familiarity with many of the kids in the GB programme and can’t wait to jump into the process of helping the team get better every day.”
Scott has successfully managed youth teams from ages U8 through U15 in UK domestic leagues and in international tournaments across Europe, including in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, and Poland. In 2019, he helped lead the LYBL U13 team to a UK national youth championship and a 3rd place semifinal finish at the 2019 Little League Europe-Africa Regional. He also helped support Coach Eric Anderson and the Great Britain U12 coaching staff with practice and tournament prep ahead of GB’s very successful performance at the U12 Juveniles European Qualifier in 2019.
“I’m fired up to have Scott join the GB Baseball family,” remarked Drew Spencer, GB Baseball’s Lead Programme Manager & Head Coach. “He has both experience and enthusiasm, which will benefit our programme significantly. He’s well known, well respected, and has made a positive contribution to youth Baseball in the UK for nearly a decade, which makes him an excellent choice to shepherd the U15 players over the next stage of their baseball journey.”
Scott was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sports have played a significant role in his life since early childhood. He was a successful multi-sport athlete at Northshore High School in Slidell, Louisiana and was recruited by Oglethorpe University (NCAA Division III) in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his senior year, Scott was recognized as Oglethorpe’s Most Outstanding Senior Athlete and a scholar athlete by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC).
“I am very excited to hear of Coach Bourgeois’ appointment” said former GB U15 Head Coach, Jonathon Cramman, “I am sure his proven track record of success at the UK youth level will transcend onto our players and help us develop more and more GB athletes to reach their true potential.”
“Scott is a fantastic addition to the GB Baseball coaching staff. The U15 age group is so critical for us to bridge the gap between the U12s and U18s as players transition to 90ft diamonds,” said GB Baseball’s Pitching and Catching Coordinator, Will Lintern. “To have a coach with his experience and knowledge is exactly what is required. And given his success with the Archers and LYBL his insights will help the programme to continue building a robust player development pathway.”
The GB U15 team will spend the remainder of 2021 developing the extended roster in preparation for an opportunity to qualify for the U15 European Championship. The federation expects that the next European Qualifier for promotion to the European Championship will take place in the Summer of 2022 (although details are TBC at this stage due to the pandemic).