The Czech Baseball Association (CBA) announced on Thursday that Mike Griffin will be there new head coach of the Senior National Team. He has signed a contract until the end of the 2014 season. The Canadian has been working for MLB International in China in the past two years, but now will return to the Czech Republic. He already worked with the Czech national team programs in the past and also was the head coach of Kotlarka Prague.
Griffin is succeeding Andy Berglund, who was the manager of the Czech Republic and head coach of the Eagles Prague in the past two seasons. The CBA thanked him for his services. Berglund’s time as Czech’s manager was highlighted by Czech Republic’s win over the Netherlands during last September’s European Championship and Czech Republic’s participation in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier.
The returning Griffin will be supported on the coaching staff by pitching coach Corey Lee, assistant coach Petr Baroch, technical manager Lukas Tomsa and junior national team coach David Winkler. Lee will arrive in the Czech Republic on May 7 and immediately will hold a five-day pitching camp. In preparation for the 2014 European Championship the Czech team will play the Prague Baseball Week in 2013 and 2014, will hold training camps in the United States (October 2013) and Italy (March 2014), and is looking for more opportunities of exhibition games.