Bravehearts

New Coaches

The Worcester Bravehearts have announced that two new faces will be joining Alex Dion in the dugout this summer with the hiring of Hitting Coach Adam Chase and Pitching Coach Tyler Kelly. Both are currently coaching in New England college programs, and they will join the Bravehearts for the first team workouts on Memorial Day Weekend.

Adam Chase is a 2018 graduate of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH and a current Assistant Coach for the program under Head Coach Mike Chambers. A native of Bridgewater, MA and three-year letterwinner at Bridgewater-Raynham High School, he played four seasons for the Franklin Pierce Ravens as an outfielder while collecting several awards along the way. As a senior, he was named to the All-Northeast-10 Conference First Team and was also a National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association All-East Region Honorable Mention selection after hitting .314 on the season. In his current role at the college, he is responsible for recruiting evaluations, workouts and on-campus visits for a program that has qualified for the Northeast-10 championship in each of the 19 seasons since joining the league— winning five titles. Chase is quite familiar with the Worcester Bravehearts, having played alongside former Bravehearts Mike Coggeshall, John Friday, and Zack Tower at Franklin Pierce.

"Adam is a young, energetic coach who is a great addition to round out our staff,” said Bravehearts Manager Alex Dion. “His experience as a player, attitude and leadership will go a long way with our hitters this summer."

Tyler Kelly comes to the Bravehearts from Springfield College, where he is the current Pitching Coach for his alma mater. Kelly was a four-year member of the Pride baseball team and was a starting pitcher who finished his career with a record of 9-4 in 92.0 innings. The Virginia-native joined the Springfield College staff as a Graduate Assistant in 2017. He spent last summer as a coach in the New England Collegiate Baseball League with the Mystic Schooners and plans to move to Worcester this summer as he pursues his career in teaching.

"Tyler is a great addition to our staff. He is mature beyond his years and brings a wealth of knowledge to our organization,” said Dion. “Springfield College has been lucky to have him for the past two years and he has done great things with that program as a player and now a coach. I am excited to watch him continue to grow as a coach and am confident in the impact he will have on our pitching staff."

The two coaching spots on the Bravehearts staff became open when both Manager J.P. Pyne and Pitching Coach Casey Cummins departed in the offseason for new roles. Pyne took the head coaching job at Amherst College while Cummins plans to coach this summer in the Cape Cod League for the Bourne Braves.

“It’s a youth movement in our dugout,” said General Manager Dave Peterson. “We’re impressed with the maturity and knowledge of our new coaching staff, and I firmly believe that Adam and Tyler are talented young professionals in this field whose ceilings are very high. These are guys who played the game the right way and are willing to put in the extra hours with our student-athletes this summer that can help us compete for another championship— outright this time around.”

"I feel great about the two additions we have made to the coaching staff,” Dion said.  “Adam and Tyler are both young, passionate coaches who have a lot to offer to this game. While they're both in the beginning stages of their careers they both have the right personalities to connect with our players here in Worcester.”

In addition to their coaching duties, Chase and Kelly are expected to be involved in the operation of the Bravehearts Baseball Camp this summer along with coaches from the Holy Cross baseball team. Those camps run during the weeks of July 15-19 and July 22-26.

Tickets for all Worcester Bravehearts home games are now on sale at worcesterbravehearts.com or by calling 508-438-3773. Some games have limited seating availability.