Jan. 20, 2022, 11:40 a.m. (ET)
OKLAHOMA CITY –– USA Softball announced today the assistant coaches that will join the Men’s National Team (MNT) program during the 2022 season. Selected from the USA Softball MNT Coaching Pool, Nick McCurry (Ashland, Ohio), Gerald Muizelaar (Grand Forks, N.D.) and Ron Guzman (Salinas, Calif.) will assist MNT head coach Ron Hackett (Richmond, Va.) while Chase Turner (San Jose, Calif.), Mike Hopkins (Decatur, Ill.) and Tom Crouch (DeKalb, Ill.) will join Tim Lyon (South Jordan, Utah) at the helm of the U-23 MNT. Additionally, Dave Myers (Duluth, Minn.), Avon Meacham (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Bob Piddock (Castro Valley, Calif.) will join the U-18 MNT coaching staff alongside head coach Tony Aresco (Stoneham, Mass.) after being selected from the Junior Men’s National Team (JMNT) Coaching Pool. Click here for more information on the previously announced head coach selected to lead the MNT, U-23 MNT and U-18 MNT.
“Congratulations to all nine coaches on this much-deserved selection as an assistant coach for our Men’s National Team programs,” said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Craig Cress. “The Men’s National Team program has continued to develop across the U.S. while allowing athletes to advance their playing careers to the highest level. Each of the selected coaches display exceptional experience and talent in the sport and we look forward to adding them to each of our Men’s National Teams as they prepare for a great year of Men’s Fast Pitch in their respective divisions.”
The 2022 MNT adds three veteran coaches to its leadership with the assistance of Guzman, McCurry and Muizelaar who each helped the U.S. to a historic silver medal finish at the 2019 Pan American Games– ending a 16-year medal drought for the MNT program. Guzman returns to the coaching staff for his third season while McCurry prepares for his sixth appearance as an assistant coach after serving on the coaching staff since 2014. Entering his second stint as assistant coach, Muizelaar packs three years of experience as a member of a MNT roster with two WBSC World Championship appearances and one Pan American Games appearance.
Turner, Hopkins and Crouch will make their first appearance as assistant coaches for the U-23 MNT program, serving alongside head coach Tim Lyon for the 2022 season. A former MNT member (2008-2017), Turner joins the coaching staff with a long list of accolades including USA Softball National Champion (2008, 2010, 2018) and All-American (2006, 2008, 2010, 2014). Another former member of the MNT program, Crouch makes his first appearance after competing on the U-23 MNT (1994-1996) and MNT (2011-2014) while Hopkins steps in as a first-year MNT assistant coach following a playing career that spanned 39 years in USA Softball National Championship play.
Assisting U-18 MNT head coach Tony Aresco are former MNT coaches Piddock and Meacham as well as Myers who begins his USA Softball coaching career following an impressive 46-year playing career as a Men’s Fast Pitch pitcher. Piddock joins the 2022 coaching staff after being at the helm of the U-18 MNT in 2019-2020 as well as serving as an assistant coach in 2018 where he helped guide the program at the WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship.Also joining with previous experience on a MNT coaching staff is National Softball Hall of Fame Inductee (2006) and former MNT member, Meacham, who brings 18 years of coaching experience to the 2022 staff including seven years as an assistant coach for the U-18 MNT.
Information on MNT events held during the 2022 season will be announced at a later date.
For more information on the USA Softball National Team program, please visit USASoftball.com.
