ABCC History and Format
In the latter half of each year since 2023 (aside from 2024), Angels at Bat has organized and hosted the African Baseball Coaches' Conference (ABCC) to bring baseball coaches and officials together and share knowledge. By leveraging local experience and expertise with the knowledge of coaches from around the world, we aim to help encourage skill development.
The format of the conference is catered to making the information shared as accessible as possible. All informational sessions are pre-recorded and posted publicly to our YouTube channel. Any live virtual session was also recorded and posted to that same YouTube channel. As a result, every single piece of information shared as a part of this conference will be publicly available to anyone who can access the internet around the world, especially in Africa.
Conference Partners
Since the start of the African Baseball Coaches' Conference, we have partnered with many different coaches, players, and organizations from around the world. From the USA to Japan, and Nigeria to Kenya, we aim to bring a diverse set of experiences and expertise in baseball to share knowledge with those learning baseball on the African continent.
This year, we are excited to be announcing partnerships with the following great organizations, offering a unique set of training modules for this conference:
Diamond in the Rough
USA
Certificates of Participation
We offer Certificates of Participation to coaches who engage with all conference materials live. By engaging with all pre-recorded sessions and participating in the closing sessions each year, coaches are able to apply for a Certificate to showcase their participation in this conference.
To qualify for a 2026 ABCC Certificate of Participation, you must:
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RSVP for the Closing Session
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Watch and attend to all conference materials
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Attend and participate in the live Closing Session of the 2026 ABCC
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Complete the Certificate of Participation Application Form (shared during live Closing Session only)
Each of these criteria must be met before the specified due date (7 days after the Closing Session ends)
Conference Schedule
We are excited to be offering a brand new slate of conference sessions as a part of the 2026 ABCC. This may be one of our more high-caliber sets of presenters, with every single session being led by someone with collegiate or professional baseball experience, including some current pro players and coaches!
Below, you will find the session name, the publication date, as well as the links to access each session's materials. Note: all times are reported in East Africa time (EAT).
1 - Mental Skills: Coaches
17:00 EAT on 05 October, 2026
Presented by: Zach Penprase
Partner organization: Diamond in the Rough
This session will focus on preparing coaches with valuable mental skills to show up better for your players. Baseball is a mind game -- both for players and for coaches; it's important your prepared.
2 - Pitching: Increasing velocity & arm care
17:00 EAT on 07 October, 2026
Presented by: Matteo Hamm
Partner organization: Diamond in the Rough
This session will focus on helping pitchers increase their pitch speed all while still maintaining arm health. Pitch velocity is one of the most important things for a pitcher to succeed, but its about more than just throwing hard!
3 - Base-running: stealing, tagging up, and more
17:00 EAT on 09 October, 2026
Presented by: Zach Penprase
Partner organization: Diamond in the Rough
This session will focus on intermediate-to-advanced base-running skills and techniques to help your players perform better on the base paths. Base-running is both incredibly important and complex, so making sure your team is prepared is important.
4 - Hitting to all parts of the field & bunting
17:00 EAT on 12 October, 2026
Presented by: Rob Paller (Bobby Barrels)
Partner organization: Diamond in the Rough
One of the most important skills for a baseball player is being able to hit; it's really how your team scores runs! Being a strong hitter is more than just swinging hard. It's critical that players are able to skillfully hit the ball to all parts of the field. Bunting can provide you with a variety of strategic advantages in a game.
5 - Pitching: Holding runners on-base
17:00 EAT on 14 October, 2026
Presented by: Matt Soren
Partner organization: Diamond in the Rough
This session will focus on helping pitchers learn how to keep base-runners closer to their base and (when possible) also perform effective pick-off plays. It is partly the pitcher's job to not let the base-runners get too far off of their base, but it takes certain skills and techniques to do so effectively.
6 - Closing Session (LIVE)
19:00 EAT on 16 October, 2026
Presented by: Angels at Bat
Partner organization: Diamond in the Rough
This 60-minute virtual session will review topics covered in the 2026 edition of the ABCC and foster conversations on the state of baseball on the African continent, what to look forward to, and what resources are available to players and coaches.