Coaches of the Year to be honored at Little League World Series

It’s an exciting, humbling time for these coaches, their players and their communities, as their efforts on and off the field are commended and the achievement gets paired with a hefty donation to their league and a trip to South Williamsport.

Even as the challenge has grown by the year, with this year’s pool of nominations featuring over 3,500 nominations, that’s done little to deter them from providing recognition for these upstanding individuals. With help from Little League and the Positive Coaching Alliance, they spend multiple months working to narrow down a recording-breaking list of outstanding candidates.

“Our process for selecting the 2024 Coach of the Year winners is very thorough because we receive so many outstanding nominations for deserving coaches,” said Lance Marketing Director Victoria Strang on the process.

“We take into account personal stories or anecdotes that give us a fuller picture of the coach’s impact. We also heavily assess how well the coach aligns with the qualities we’re looking for in a Coach of the Year recipient- such as being a trusted and positive role model, showcasing strong leadership, and demonstrating respect for other teams, officials and leagues.”

Rod Hurt was named as one of the Coaches of the Year with Little League and Lance Crackers.

For the fifth rendition of the award, Lance recognized Michael Umpierre (baseball), Melanie Grubb (softball) and Rod Hurt (challenger) as Coach of the Year in their respective divisions. This year, they chose to announce the award by surprising the recipients on their home field.

“The coaches were told there was a last-minute scrimmage, but when they arrived on the field, they were greeted by a large crowd cheering them on,” said Strang. “It was a truly special moment that allowed the coaches to celebrate with their personal community of supporters and showed them just how big of an impact these coaches have in the lives of others.”

It was an incredible experience for the trio, who described the moment they arrived on the field as ‘surreal’ and ‘humbling.’

“It’s incredibly humbling. I’m so honored. It’s a memory that I’ll have for the rest of my life, it left me speechless,” expressed Umpierre. “I view the award as bigger than just me as an individual, reflective of this incredible community that we have at Capital City Little League (in Washington D.C.).”

“Beyond my wildest imagination, I was fortunate to win the award,” said Hurt. “It’s very humbling. It brings me back down to Earth very quickly. It was a complete surprise and brings everything full circle because I played Little League back in the 70s.”

Michael Umpierre was named as one of the Coaches of the Year with Little League and Lance Crackers.

“I pulled up to the field and everybody was there. My town, the mayor, the county was there. They gave me proclamations. It was just unbelievable,” said Grubb. “I was truly humble. I dedicated a lot of years and it’s just so exciting. I’ve never been to Williamsport. I’m so excited.”

The trio will be honored at Lamade Stadium on Saturday, where they’ll get to throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the 3 p.m. game between Sioux Falls and Staten Island.

Here’s a look at the recipients.

Michael Umpierre

When it comes to Little League baseball, Michael Umpierre is relatively new, beginning his coaching journey three years ago and having managed the AAA Waterdogs for the past two years. With encouragement from his wife, he took on the challenge and it’s been a blast ever since.

Michael Umpierre poses for a photo. Umpierre was named as one of the Coaches of the Year with Little League and Lance Crackers.

“I’ve had a lifelong passion for baseball. I grew up playing baseball and my dad coached me in Little League,” said Umpierre, who also works as a director at the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University. “I never thought that I would be here, but I’m so glad that I’m here and able to coach my son, Alexander, and my daughter, Josephine.”

It’s been a full-circle experience getting to coach his kids after playing under his father when he was growing up in Cuba. Since beginning his coaching journey, he’s worked to instill the life lessons he learned throughout that time.

“My father is my biggest inspiration as a coach. He viewed baseball as a vehicle for life lessons and for things that were bigger than the sport,” said Umpierre. “It was always focused on developing a strong work ethic and seeing yourself as a part of the team, as a part of a bigger community.”

“The Waterdogs won the AAA Championship this year in Capital City Little League, and I think the reason that we were so successful is because we focused on those things. We focused on having fun and growing individually as players,” he added.

As long as his kids are playing, he expects to continue coaching Little League.

Melanie Grubb was named as one of the Coaches of the Year with Little League and Lance Crackers.

“In terms of other coaching opportunities down the road, who knows? But I have several more years here at Capital City Little League to continue to have an impact on young people who come through our league,” said Umpierre.

Melanie Grubb

Prior to receiving her award, Melanie Grubb had dedicated a lot of time to both the team she coaches, located in Woolwich Township, N.J, and the league it resides in, kicking off her coaching stint 14 years ago and becoming a member of the league’s board on top of that.

About six years after starting, she became the league’s president.

“I took on the lead role to help with my kids,” said Grubb. “I have four kids, so I knew I was going to be in it for the long run if they were all going to play Little League.”

Through a coaching style that emphasizes fun, positivity, sportsmanship and comradery, the members of her community were inspired to nominate her for the award, recognizing her impact on the kids.

“To always have fun is like the No. 1 thing. I just think positive coaching is what’s needed, and I had a lot of that through my years being younger. When they’re young and just learning, it’s so much fun because they don’t know anything. You tell them to run to first base and they’re running the other way,” said Grubb.

“Then, when they’re a little older, you get to see them start to develop. They’re learning the game and all that, and then they become your friends, like lifelong friends. It’s so special to see the journey they’re going in life.”

Grubb has been coaching long enough to where she now gets to watch some of her former players compete at the college level. She expects to continue coaching Little League for a good while longer and doesn’t plan to coach at other levels at this time.

“When I see all the kids smiling and they all start to like it, it makes it all worthwhile. When you get to the upper levels, I think it’s just a lot,” explained Grubb.

Rod Hurt

Prior to joining the Challenger division, Rod Hurt had a tough time finding a place for his son, Bobby, to play Little League baseball.

With his disabilities, it was impossible for him to keep up with the other kids in Little League and Rec League. But he never gave up on providing his son with that valuable experience, and eventually, he found the perfect fit for him.

“In all honestly, it was probably very discouraging and frustrating when the first couple of seasons didn’t work out too well,” said Hurt.

“It was really a blessing to find Challenger as a specific division of Little League that catered to some of the needs of those that might be physically or mentally challenged in some capacity. It was an area where he really thrived, so it was very easy for me to continue to be a part of the program because of the success he had.”

Hurt started as a fan rooting for his son from the sidelines, but a few years later, he was asked to come down to help in the dugout. Next thing he knew, he’d start climbing the coaching ladder, ultimately becoming a manager.

He’s been a part of the league for over 20 years now – and has spent over 15 years coaching in just about every spot you could think of. In inspiring his players to be good teammates, good friends and good citizens for over a decade and a half, he was honored with this award.

“It goes beyond baseball, it really does,” said Hurt, who coaches in District 68 in California. “There are families that have had difficulty finding that perfect fit for their kid in youth sports and if I can help continue to expand Challenger in any way, whether it’s coaching or in a district capacity, I would love for other families to have the benefit we had.”

He’s found his home with Challenger and looks to continue coaching within it for as long as he can.

Each coach expressed tremendous gratitude to Lance, Little League and the Positive Coaching Alliance for the honor and experience. It’s an award that continues to grow, one which gives great individuals added pride and humility in what they do and an experience they’re unlikely to ever forget.

It isn’t likely to go away any time soon.