TFA baseball coach named part of USA Baseball summer staff -- Observer Preps

It’s going to be a busy summer for Scott Grove, the head baseball coach at The First Academy.

In addition to his role with the Power Baseball travel organization, Grove will be serving as an assistant coach for the USA Baseball 14U National Team Development Program in late July. The staff was announced in a release June 6.

“(USA Baseball is) a great organization and the kids are just unbelievable.”

— Scott Grove

“(I’m) looking forward to it — I’m really excited,” Grove said. “(USA Baseball is) a great organization and the kids are just unbelievable.”

Grove, who served as a pitching coach for the 14U program last summer, will be working alongside college coaches including East Carolina head coach Cliff Godwin and Air Force Academy head coach Mike Kazlausky.

The USA Baseball 14U National Team Development program offers athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff and prepare to future national team experience. The program includes several seminars and skill development sessions, as well as scrimmages between the “Stars” and “Stripes” squads in Cary, North Carolina.

The program will take place from July 24-29 and will be followed by tryouts for the USA Baseball 15U National Team, beginning July 30.

“It’s just a whole week of learning and finding out what works for (the other coaches present) and trying to implement that into our own high school program."

— Scott Grove

The appointment is another feather in the hat for Grove, who earlier this season hit a milestone in his varsity coaching career. Grove, who coached at Colonial High and Timber Creek before being the head man at TFA the past four seasons, won his 400th career varsity victory in March.

“I was thinking when we won that 400th game … that these kids weren’t even born (when he started coaching),” Grove said. “I don’t feel old, but I am old.”

In addition to lending his own insights to the players in North Carolina, Grove — who recently moved to Winter Garden — says the opportunity to participate in an USA Baseball program doubles as an opportunity for him to get better as a coach.

“It’s just a whole week of learning and finding out what works for (the other coaches present) and trying to implement that into our own high school program,” Grove said. “It’s just so much fun and USA Baseball is so first class. It’s a baseball coach’s dream.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].