Chris McKnight Attends The 2020 ABCA Convention

About the American Baseball Coaches Convention (ABCA)

The 2020 American Baseball Coaches Convention (ABCA) was held January 2-5th, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN. I had the pleasure of attending with our Director of Business Operations Kelly Hill. Because I have been an ABCA member for 25 years, I am excited to be part of the largest baseball coach’s organization in the world.

On day one, the convention was filled with committee meetings and an opportunity to walk the trade show floor. For that reason, I look forward to seeing all of the new and innovative inventions that help coaches teach our great game. The trade show had over 365 exhibitors in 220,000 square feet on the first floor of the hotel. Reflected at the trade show, was that technology has become a major player in the baseball world. That said, over 30 different companies were providing ways to measure hitting, fielding, and pitching.

A good portion of the floor houses the major players in the game, like Rawlings, Easton, Wilson, Driveline, Diamond and a ton of glove and bat manufacturers. As a result, I spoke with several bat companies looking for team pricing and deals for the upcoming season.

Top-Level Personnel From The College Level To The MLB

Friday, the momentum shifted to learning. Beginning at 8:30AM, I listened to speakers like the 2019 National Champions coach Tim Corbin from Vanderbilt, to Buck Showalter former MLB Manager. Finally, the day ended with the Hot Stove infield group running till 11:00PM.

Once again, Saturday started off early with presentations by Matt Hobbs from the University of Arkansas regarding leveraging technology and included former MLB player Brent Butler on the Art of Bunting.

In addition, TravelBall Select asked to interview me. You can check out this interview on their Facebook page. I appreciate Rick asking me to be on his show, as we had a great conversation. Topics were about rules, development of younger players and what college coaches look for on and off the field.

A Great Experience

I had the opportunity to be part of the second annual ABCA Travel Ball Coaches Meeting. We discussed important topics that are affecting the industry.  Topics included how to improve, giving the players the development and game experience needed to succeed at the next level.

Perhaps the best part of the convention is meeting up with all of the coaches, networking with everyone to share ideas, learning training tips, and ways to grow the game.

I look forward to the 2021 ABCA convention, which will be held in our backyard, Washington DC.