Francisco Perez

As ASA's first head baseball coach, Francisco Perez brings with him a reputation for winning and a talent for imparting his own passion for competing on to his players. Throughout his years coaching players ofa wide range of ages and abilities, Perez has shown a knack for energizing teams and turning them into winners.

Before launching the ASA program, Perez was the head coach at Globe Institute of Technology where he took the Knights from a 9-21 recordthe year before he arrived to playing .500 ball and advancing to the finals in the 2008 NJCAA regional playoffs in his first year coaching the team.

In addition to his commitment to ASA, Perez is the director of baseball operations for the NY Gothams, a respected youth program he's headed since the organization's inception in 2000. Over the course of eight seasons with the NY Gothams, the teams he's coached have amassed an impressive 371/129 win loss record. His tournament wins are numerous and highlighted by three national championships, including the 16U ECTB National Championship in 2006, the 16U AAU National Tournament in 2003 and the 14U AAU Disney World Championship in 2002.

In addition to team wins, over 15 of the NY Gothams players that Perezhas coached have been recruited to play for colleges including Fordham College, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Wake Forest, St. John's College, University of Michigan and Wesleyan University. Ten have been drafted by professional teams and the entire organization is especially proud of the Milwaukee Brewers 2008 call up of catcher Angel Salome, who works out with the NY Gothams in the off season and also helps to coach some of its players.

Before joining ASA, Perez directed the baseball program for Trinity School, an academically top-ranked private school located in Manhattan. Unfazed by the team's 50-plus-year championship drought and an unimpressive 1-12 win loss record posted in the year prior to his arrival, Perez create a program with a focus on individual player development and within four years brought home the Independent Schools State Championship.

More than just a coach, Perez knows personally what it takes to compete in the game at its highest levels. At the age of 17, he attended Hill College on full scholarship and was recruited by the Seattle Mariners organization. For two years he was a middle infielder in the Mariners farm system, followed by a year with the New York Yankees. He then played in two independent leagues before transitioning into coaching. Perez has placed a priority on maintaining ties with the many coaches and organizations with which he has contact over the course of his years playing the game.