By Angelo Casale
November 21, 2011, Middletown, NJ  - The Atlantic Baseball Confederation is pleased to announce the appointment of Jay Blackwell, the current president of the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association and former assistant coach at Rutgers and Kean Universities, as Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League (ABCCL).
 
Blackwell said in a statement, “I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve as EVP of Baseball Operations, and look forward to contributing to the League’s continuing success in the future.  Having coached and played a small part in the Collegiate League in the past, this will be a nice way to be part of a growing baseball organization. I will count on help from friends in the baseball community to assist me in my efforts in this position.”

Blackwell has been a mainstay on the New Jersey college baseball scene for the past 15 years and has coached at three different New Jersey colleges including Kean University, where he worked under head baseball coach Neil Ioviero.

“It doesn’t take long when you are around Jay to see his passion and genuine love for the game of baseball,” said Ioviero.  “He possesses great energy and is very organized in his approach both on and off the field.  I think this is a great choice to have him help lead the ABCCL to new heights in the coming years.”

Blackwell is also a familiar face around the ABCCL.  He has been on the League’s Advisory Board for a number of years, and led the Freehold Clippers to the 2008 ABCCL championship game in his first season coaching the team.  He plans to use his knowledge of the League, along with his college coaching experience and his time as president of the NJCBA to implement an expanding vision for the ABCCL.

“This winter I will confer with the League officers and team management to develop the route we will take for improvements in the operations of the League,” said Blackwell.  “One of the first steps will be to secure quality playing fields on a more consistent basis.  The League has always done a nice job of providing a summer home for college baseball players to improve and hone their skills,” he said.  “The baseball fan in New Jersey would benefit from learning more about the ABCCL and enjoying the product. Promotion and marketing of the League have vastly improved the last two seasons and that has helped raise our profile significantly.  Better fields are another important part of that equation.”
Blackwell added, “From the League’s inception, there have been some strong general managers who have also helped provide stability each summer.  And the future is looking bright for the ABCCL, with the League consistently having a strong base of quality players year after year.  Moreover, the ABCCL has left a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of many families through their Platinum Sponsorship efforts on behalf of Camp Quality helping New Jersey’s kids with cancer.”

Among his other coaching experience, Blackwell was also head coach at Division II Bloomfield College, where he guided his team to postseason births in both seasons he was at the helm. Blackwell has also worked with over 40 players who have gone onto the professional ranks.

ABCCL president, Monique Koehler, summed up the benefits of Blackwell’s addition saying, “Jay brings needed experience, drive and organization to the ABCCL that will be incredibly valuable not only to the administration, but to the colleges, team management, players and families we serve.  And as the League grows that value will only increase.”
 
About the ABCCL
Entering its twelfth season, the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League is the premier amateur baseball league competing entirely in New Jersey.  Operating close to the New Jersey Shore, the League brings the best aspects of traditional baseball together with the modern athlete to create a competitive and instructive environment for its players and an exciting, up-close, wood bat baseball experience for fans of the game.