Introducing U18s State Coaches

Baseball SA would like to introduce the community to our new U18s State Coaches for the Australian Youth Championships for 2024.  

They will also be integral in supporting and coaching the State Pathways Program starting Monday 26th of June. Signup now here: https://www.baseballsa.com.au/events/ 

CHRIS SIMS 

Our U18’s State Team manager this season will be Chris Sims. Chris comes from a background of having previously coached our U16’s State Team in Redcliffe 2022 and our U18’s in Blacktown in this past year’s Australian Youth Championships. “Simsy” has a wealth of knowledge both playing and coaching. Currently the Adelaide Baseball Club’s Division 1 Coach entering his second season, while previously coaching the Port Adelaide Magpies for six seasons and taking them to the Grand Final in two of those seasons. Chris has coached Junior League Charter for the Adelaide Marlins, was a Tier 2 coach in our High Performance Program in 2022, and led our Adelaide Giants Next Generation Squad as Field Manager against the Japanese College teams in our hosted invitational in November 2022.  

Simsy brings a lot of energy and passion to the game of baseball here in South Australia. His commitment to baseball and the development of our State Program goes unmatched and we are excited to see where he will lead us in the months leading to the Youth Championships. Chris will be joining us in our State Development Program and will be mainly focused on skill development through our data testing. As seen in our Showcase Event here in Adelaide and in the Australian Youth Championships, coaches and scouts grade players on their running speed times, pitcher throwing velocity, position player throwing velocity, hitter exit velocities, catcher’s pop times, and a variety of other testing. Chris will work with the enhancement of these areas by assisting and evaluating the development of each player on a personal level while looking to make improvements to each player’s skillsets across the board. Welcome to the staff, Simsy! 

JUSTIN CLARK 

Justin Clark will be returning as this year’s U18 State Pitching Coach. When you talk about a guy that’s been invested in our state teams in South Australia, “Clarky” is one name that everyone knows. Clarky was a successful player at a Division 1 level for both Goodwood and Glenelg Baseball Club as well as a pitcher for the Adelaide Giants for two seasons and the Adelaide Bite for one season. This season will mark Justin’s 10thseason as a State Coach for South Australia, serving as a pitching coach for 8 seasons and a manager for 1 season when he managed the U18’s side in 2006. Clarky also served as the Adelaide Bite pitching coach in 2006 and was an MLB International Guest Coach in 2007 with the Milwaukee Brewers Instructional League in Maryvale Arizona. Justin also coached internationally as a Premier League and Babe Ruth League pitching coach in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Justin was also involved in the South Australian Sports Institute as a pitching and throwing coach from 2003-2012 and was our pitching coach in 2013 for the South Australian Baseball Academy. 

Justin will be joining the staff in this year’s State Development Program as our Pitchers Biomechanics Specialist. What makes Justin so valuable is the fact that his experience has led him to work with both juniors and professionals alike, which allows him to be most adaptable in his approach to coaching. Justin will utilize our data resources as well as setting fundamental routines to establish consistency and good work habits through a progression of our throwing program. Welcome to the staff, Clarky! 

NATHAN VAN DER LINDEN

 One of our most exciting signings to this year’s State Coaching panel is the addition of Nathan Van Der Linden. Nate will be our assistant coach for this year’s U18’s State Team and it is awesome to bring someone of Nate’s caliber and character to the coaching staff. 

Nate comes from a playing background that covers most areas of the diamond and has experience as a position player as well as a starting and relief pitcher. Nate 3x premiership player for the West Torrens Baseball Club, while also winning SABL team of the Year as a Short Stop in a previous season. In addition, Nate has played multiple seasons with the Adelaide Bite/Giants and most recently this past season with the 2022/23 Claxton Shield winning Adelaide Giants. Nate has also spent time playing overseas in the Czech Extraliga in Czech Republic in 2016 for Skokani and 2018 for Olomouc.  

Nate will also be joining us in this year’s State Development program and will be serving as our program’s Infield Coordinator. Nate’s background of successful infield play will greatly help out our state’s up and coming juniors. Combine that with the fact that Nate has also entered the field from the pitcher’s mound as well as having to go in to relieve ball games from the playing field, Nate will share with us the physical and mental preparation it takes to play both sides of the ball and what it takes to be ready for when your name is called to move positions. Welcome to the staff, Nate!