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| Bryan Cave | |||
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Head Baseball Coach bryan.cave@hii-nns.com 757-688-7501 |
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Starting his 37th season with The Apprentice School baseball program, dating back to his days as an apprentice, Bryan Cave has been a part of 720 victories in his Builder career. Heading into his 22nd season as head coach, Cave earned his 450th career victory last season.
He sports a 467-365-1 record in his head coaching career with his teams being annual participants in the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships. His Builder teams have had two second-place finishes, four third-place finishes and topped of course by the 2007 USCAA National Championship.
He served as an assistant coach to his Apprentice School coach Doug Burroughs when they won 253 games until he took over as head coach in 1990.
In his tenure as head coach, Cave has helped produce 34 USCAA All-Americans, 13 USCAA Honorable Mention All-Americans, 14 USCAA All-Academic Team members, 18 Virginia Sports Information Director Association All-State members, five College Sports Information Directors Association Academic All-District honorees, and the first two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans for the school in Darrell Taylor (2005 – 3rd team) and current assistant coach Ben Jones (2006-3rd team).
Over the years, the Builders have not shied away from competition. They annually open the season with the Builder Invitational where they have invited four NCAA Division II teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Over the years, they have faced NCAA Division II powers, Kutztown University, Mansfield University, Bloomsburg University, Lock Haven University, Chowan University and Elizabeth City State University. On the NCAA Division III level, they have faced NCAA Tournament participants Virginia Wesleyan College, Lynchburg College, N.C. Wesleyan College, Methodist University, Castleton State College and Salisbury University.
Coaching one of the most stable and consistent programs in The Apprentice School, the baseball team has had only four losing seasons in the 20 years that Cave has coached the team. He had a pair of 30-win seasons in 2004 and in 2007.
Cave graduated from The Apprentice School in 1978 where he was named Apprentice School Athlete of the Year in his senior season. He is an operations manager in the shipyard. A Kecoughtan High School graduate, he played 10 years of fast-pitch softball for the legendary Fox Hill teams.
| Buddy Denton | |||
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Assistant Coach 757-688-7501 |
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This long-time coach in the Hampton Roads baseball scene is now in his 12th season serving as an assistant coach for one of his former baseball players. His first eight years he served as the pitching coach, and is now in his fourth season of working with the hitters.
Denton, who coached Bryan Cave at Kecoughtan High School, was the baseball coach at Kecoughtan where he recorded 365 victories. He was also an assistant coach at Christopher Newport University in the late 1990s.
He now enjoys the retired life and can also be seen on the area tennis courts.
| Ben Jones | |||
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Assistant Coach thomas.b.jones@hii-nns.com 757-534-1215 |
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One of the most successful pitchers in Apprentice School history and holder of many school records, Jones is in his third season as the pitching coach after two seasons as bullpen coach.
A native of Lawrenceville, Va., he finished his career in 2006 as the winningest pitcher in the modern era of Apprentice School baseball with 39 wins and a Virginia College Division record 501 strikeouts. As a senior he was 13-3 with 166 strikeouts and was named Apprentice School Athlete of the Year.
His success was not only on the diamond as he was a two-time Academic All-District honoree through the College Sports Information Directors Association and was a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American as a senior.
| John McConnell | |||
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Assistant Coach 757-688-7501 |
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A former catcher in the Montreal Expos organization and a former high school coach on the Peninsula, McConnell is in his seventh season on the Builders staff.
He coached at Poquoson High School where his teams were always among the teams to beat in the Bay Rivers District and made numerous regional and state playoff appearances.
He had worked with the catchers and has served as first base coach throughout his coaching tenure with the Builders.
