Georgia Gwinnett College Head Baseball Coach
Jeremy Sheetinger has been selected to serve on the coaching staff for Great Britain's national team that's competing in the upcoming World Baseball Softball Confederation's European Championships for the country's best players that are 23 years old and under.
Sheetinger will be in Vienna, Austria, for the tournament, scheduled to start Tuesday, August 8, and lasting through Saturday, August 12.
Great Britain, presently ranked No. 20 in the WBSC world rankings, is competing in a challenging Group A bracket filled with teams from Austria, Czech Republic, the 2019 champion, and Kingdom of the Netherlands, the 2021 champion. Group B features teams from Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy. The top two finishers will represent Europe in the U23 World Cup, happening in 2024.
"I'm so incredibly excited for our players to learn from Sheetinger, a coaching legend and world-class person. His energy is infectious and, with his presence, there's no doubt that our chances of achieving our goals of qualifying for a World Cup are improved substantially," said Drew Spencer, the Great Britain team's field manager and lead program manager. "There aren't many guys out there like Coach Sheetinger. That's why I reached out to him to be a part of this journey with us. He'll be a huge addition, helping to put our team in the position to score runs as our third base and hitting coach."
Spencer continued, "'Sheets' knows the X's and O's as well as any coach. He also invests in the details of the game. He gives ceaselessly to the
game, to the coaches and staff around him, and, most importantly, to his players. (Sheetinger) cares and it shows in everything he does, from finding ways to score runs to prioritizing emotional intelligence and teaching young athletes to prioritize their mental preparation, as much as the physical. Having 'Sheets' with us is going to make us better at both aspects. I have always challenged the staff to be focused on building champions, not championships."
Sheetinger has guided Georgia Gwinnett College three consecutive Avista NAIA World Series appearances, with the 2021 Grizzlies capturing the national championship. His four teams have combined for a 170-36 (82.5% winning percentage) and two seasons with 50 or more victories in Lawrenceville.
The GGC head coach is looking forward to traveling overseas for the international championship. He has served on the USA Baseball Task Force in previous summers, assisting the Prospect Development Task Force in 2023.
"This is an amazing opportunity to serve with the Great Britain organization while also getting a phenomenal international baseball experience," said Sheetinger, who has a 256-79 career record in seven seasons as a collegiate head coach. "I'm sincerely grateful to be chosen as a guest coach by Drew and his staff, and incredibly humbled to serve the Great Britain players and help this organization make positive strides towards their goals of winning a world championship."
Baseball is growing in interest and talent level in Great Britain. The country had its best-ever finish, fourth place, at the 2021 U23 European Championships and its team then won all three games at the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Regensburg, Germany. That qualified the program for its first WBC appearance earlier this year.
