By Baseball Softball UK
BaseballSoftballUK has announced that Jason Holowaty has been appointed as the Director of its Academy and High Performance Academy (HPA) programmes, and will take up the role on 1 July.
Jason succeeds Will Lintern, who oversaw the creation of the High Performance Academy for both baseball and softball in 2013, following the provision of talent development funding from Sport England.
Experience
Jason Holowaty brings an exceptional background in talent development to the position, having headed up Major League Baseball’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) player development programme for the past decade. In this role, he has overseen the development of Academies across Europe and Africa that have produced a number of highly talented players, including some who have broken into the Major Leagues.
Jason’s contribution was recognised by the Confederation of European Baseball’s Xavier Mateu Award earlier this year.
In Britain, Jason has sat on BSUK’s Development Strategy Committee and currently has a Business Development role with the organisation.
In taking over the direction of the Academy and HPA, he will be supported by a strong professional, casual and volunteer staff.
Jason said: “I’m incredibly excited to be involved with the British Academies and to work side-by-side with the great coaches and volunteers that have made it so successful over the years. There’s a tremendous amount of athletic potential in our communities and, as we continue to build a world-class development system, I’m sure it will create a bright future for British baseball and softball.”
Background
Jason graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island as a four-year letter-winner in baseball and was a 1995 Academic All-Ivy League selection. He has a Masters degree in education from Columbia University.
He played baseball professionally in Australia, France and Belgium and represented Great Britain in the 2009 Baseball World Cup.
Prior to serving as an MLB Envoy Coach from 1998-2001, Jason coached at Trinity College in the United States. As an Envoy Coach, he ran the New Zealand Baseball Academy and also carried out extensive assignments in Great Britain and Germany.
Jason moved to London in 2002 and served as Director of Market Development for the EMEA area in MLB’s London office until 2016. In that role, he oversaw all player development initiatives in the region, including the European and African Elite Camps, Spring and Fall Tournaments, and an extensive network of 30 MLB-supported national Academies in 10 nations.
During Jason’s time at MLB, over 100 European and African players were signed to MLB contracts (an increase of 300% over the previous period) and Academy systems produced the first home-grown Major Leaguers from Germany, Italy, Lithuania and South Africa.
The role
As Director, Jason will have organisational and logistical responsibility for both the Academy and High Performance Academy (HPA) programmes for baseball and fastpitch softball.
The role includes:
- Recruitment of players to both the Academy and the HPA, helping them understand where they fit on the English Talent Pathway and monitoring their progress
- Recruitment and development of coaches for both the Academy and the HPA.
- Ensuring Academy and HPA facilities are fit for purpose, especially any strength and conditioning facilities required for the HPA.
- Planning and coordinating national and regional Academy and HPA sessions in partnership with Academy and HPA Head Coaches.
- Planning and delivering Opening and Closing events for the HPA and an Academy Series for both Academy Baseball and Academy Softball.
The team that Jason will be working with will include Assistant Academy Director Johanna Malisani, who will oversee the day-to-day management of Academy Softball and the Softball HPA; Head of Strength and Conditioning Alan Dean; GB Baseball Head Coach Liam Carroll; BSUK Governance and Finance Officer Mark Caress, who will handle administration; and BSUK Marketing and Events Officer Trevor Greenaway-Clissold, who will be in charge of communications and marketing.