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July 28, 2020 6:48 pm | by GatemenNews
Jerry Weinstein will be honored with the ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award and Don Sneddon will be inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame during the January 2021 ceremony and banquet.
By Javik Blake (@javblake8)
Elon University ’23
Both current Gatemen manager Jerry Weinstein and former manager Don Sneddon have dedicated their lives to baseball, with almost a century worth of experience between them and plenty of games at the helm of some of the best teams in the country. Both were recognized this past week by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) with the announcement of their annual awards.
Weinstein was honored with the 2021 ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award, one that recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally and internationally, and Sneddon was recognized as part of the 2021 ABCA Hall of Fame Class, joining Weinstein, who was inducted in 2009.
Weinstein was set for his return with the Gatemen this summer, after a 24-win season in his 2019 campaign that was marked by a league leading offense.
“Managing in Wareham is just an overall positive coaching and teaching environment that keeps the passion going,” said Weinstein reflecting on his first season with the franchise.
The Gatemen manager was also at the helm of Sacramento City College for 23 years, capturing 17 league titles and compiling 830 wins. His 830 wins makes him the second winningest coach in the history of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), behind Sneddon.
Weinstein’s also had experience at the professional level, most recently leading Team Israel to the second round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, a team that was scheduled to play an exhibition against the Gatemen as a tune-up for the now-postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sneddon, meanwhile, was named as part of the eight-person 2021 ABCA Hall of Fame Class alongside Bill Anderson, Hal Baird, Roger Cador, Sammy Dunn, Wayne Graham, George Horton and Tony Robichaux.
“I played for some of the best coaches in baseball. I’m a product of their teachings,” said Sneddon. “I started with Wally Kincaid from Cerritos College in California, who’s known as the ‘John Wooden of Baseball.’ Next, I played and coached with Augie Garrido of CSU Fullerton, and have also coached with Jerry Weinstein and Ben Hines, but I would have to say that all my former players have influenced me more than anything. They are why I stayed in coaching so long.”
Sneddon was the manager of the Gatemen during their 2018 championship season, which saw the team become the first in Cape Cod Baseball League history to sweep all three rounds of the playoffs to clinch the team’s first title since 2012.
“Of course, winning the League Championship was very special,” said Sneddon on his time in the Cape League. “It was a long, rainy, hot summer. But the team responded and did some very special things.”
The ABCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony and banquet will be held on Friday, January 8, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
About the ABCA
The American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for amateur baseball coaches. Founded in June of 1945, the ABCA has over 13,000 members across all levels of amateur baseball.
