This past December, University of New Orleans head baseball coach Bruce Peddie traveled to Poland.
While the Privateer skipper had the opportunity for some sight-seeing while visiting the Eastern European country, the purpose for the visit had far-reaching ramifications on a country developing the sport of baseball.
For Peddie, this visit was part of an initiative by Major League Baseball (MLB) called 'Major League Baseball International' or MLBI.
Since the mid-1990s, MLBI has sponsored an 'Envoy Program' that sends coaches from all levels of baseball – high school through the professional ranks – to points across the world in an effort to grow the game internationally while promoting MLB.
It was Peddie's third trip to Poland since 2004 to and first since 2006.
This December's excursion took the UNO coach to the city of Kedzierzyn, a river port city in the south of the country. Previous trips in 2004 were to Kutno and 2006 to Warsaw.
Each of these overseas visits has featured fundamental clinics for players and coaches alike, held at local schools and activity centers. They have also featured sessions at the Eastern European Little League headquarters.
While the players do learn significant amounts about the game, the impact of the 'envoy' trips is felt greater by the coaches according to Mickey Shupin, the senior coordinator of Market Development for MLBI.
“What we try to focus on with the 'envoy program' is coaching the coaches,” said Shupin. “We send coaches overseas that have knowledge of the game, a love for the game and a great passion for baseball.”
“These coaches spread it to their colleagues overseas and if that international coach develops this passion, they spread it to their base of players and it has a greater trickledown effect.”
The most recent trip for Peddie included sessions with roughly 50 Polish players and coaches. Each time the Privateer head coach has returned to Poland, he has seen a continued growth.
“The development of the game here has been a process,” said Peddie. “To see how far the development and love for the game has come over these visits has been unexplainable.”
According to Shupin, the efforts of Peddie and other coaches have paid off since the program's birth.
“In recent years, we have seen that the game is becoming more developed in specific countries to that point that we have geared more towards professional and minor league affiliated coaches,” said Shupin.
In many other parts of the world, the game is still developing and requires coaches who according to Shupin are “great for teaching the fundamentals.”
Those opportunities have opened the door for coaches like Peddie, who have a successful track record of developing young athletes into professional baseball players.
“It has been a great honor to represent the University of New Orleans and promote the great game of baseball,” said Peddie.
Peddie is in his third year at the helm of the UNO program after being elevated to the head coaching position during the summer of 2009.
Prior to his current position, Peddie established himself on the Lakefront as a successful assistant coach. During his three years under then-head coach Tom Walter, UNO averaged 80 home runs per season and appeared in the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Division I baseball tournaments.
Several players who have worked with Peddie since he became a member of the Privateer family have reached the top levels of professional baseball.
Kansas City Royals' second baseman Johnny Giavotella became the 11
th UNO player to make his Major League Baseball debut this past season while former Privateer outfielder Joey Butler is one step shy of the big leagues while earning significant recognition with the Texas Rangers' Triple-A affiliate.
