CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named Alabama State's José Vázquez the manager of the 2024 Collegiate National Team. Vázquez is a three-time Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Coach of the Year and returns to the stars and stripes after serving as an assistant coach in 2023.

The veteran head coach owns a 201-139 record at the helm of the Hornets and is coming off a stellar season in 2023, as the program went 41-18 with a 26-4 mark in conference play. Vázquez has led Alabama State to four first-place finishes in the SWAC East in the past six years, including a SWAC title and NCAA Tournament Regional appearance in 2022.

"José will do a great job representing all of college baseball in his role as the Collegiate National Team Manager," said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball's General Manager of Professional and Collegiate National Teams.  "He made a great impression last summer as an assistant coach and is ready to add his name to the great history of USA Baseball managers that have accepted the role of leading college baseball's best in the national team uniform."

"I'm humbled by the opportunity to represent our country and manage the best college sophomores in the nation," said Vazquez. "I am grateful to USA Baseball for entrusting me with this task.  I'm also extremely happy that I get to represent Alabama State University and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) at the international level.  I know that it will be an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Following a nine-year stint as an assistant at Bethune-Cookman, Vázquez joined the Alabama State staff as an associate head coach in 2012 before becoming the head coach ahead of the 2017 season. He led the Hornets to 18 conference wins in each of his first three seasons as the head coach, finishing atop the SWAC East in both 2018 and 2019. After getting off to a 16-4 start in the COVID-shortened season in 2020 and finishing second in the conference in 2021, the Hornets had a pair of first-place SWAC finishes in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, Alabama State went 24-8 in conference play and won the SWAC Tournament to clinch a spot in the Knoxville Regional. Vázquez's team followed its regional appearance with another strong season in 2023 as it led the nation with a .334 batting average and became the fifth team in SWAC history to finish a season with 40 or more wins. Alabama State's Omar Melendez was named SWAC Pitcher of the Year following the campaign and earned a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, while Jamal George was the SWAC Freshman of the Year.

Vázquez has over 20 years of experience as a college baseball coach since first getting his start as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Bethune-Cookman, in 2003. The Wildcats were a perennial powerhouse in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as Vázquez rose to associate head coach, posting a 100-4 conference record over his final six seasons with the program. Vázquez, who helped lead the Wildcats to eight NCAA Tournament appearances (2003, 2004, 2006-2011) throughout his time on staff, was named the Alabama State associate head coach in 2012 before ascending to head coach before the 2017 season.

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Vázquez played collegiately at both Morningside College and Bethune-Cookman. He played in 54 games and was an all-conference catcher as a senior for Bethune-Cookman, batting .298 with a .404 on-base percentage playing under longtime college baseball coach Mervyl Melendez.

The remaining 2024 Collegiate National Team staff, as well as more information about the 2024 Collegiate National Team schedule, will be announced at a later date.
 
About USA Baseball
With its international headquarters located in Cary, North Carolina, USA Baseball is the national governing body for baseball in the United States and has been committed to serving, protecting, and supporting the game and its 15.6 million participants since 1978. As a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), its national teams have won a combined 69 gold medals in international competition. Off the diamond, the organization is dedicated to the proliferation and health of the sport through the creation and management of numerous development initiatives including BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL, and the Prospect Development Pipeline. Additionally, USA Baseball annually honors the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. For more information on the organization, its national teams, and development-driven initiatives, visit the official website USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com.