CSR 286 Dr. John Acquaviva

07/22/24 • 38 min

He played college baseball and then following his senior year took an offer to play professionally in Italy. He was educated in the field of fitness and exercise physiology and is a Catholic speaker, professor, and author, having written three books, the latest of which just came out in February and is called, "Improving Your Sportsmanship Through Catholic Teaching...and Common Sense: A Practical Guide for Athletes, Parents, Fans and Coaches." His faith walk includes having entered the seminary to study for the priesthood, and present day he teaches at Wingate University in North Carolina and is the host of "Faith and Sport" on Radio Maria.

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CSR 285 Brad Wilkerson

He served one year ago as Assistant Hitting Coach for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. He played for eight seasons in MLB, having been drafted in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos and then going on to play for them and the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays. Along the way he earned the distinction of hitting the last home run in Montreal Expos franchise history, AND, following their move to Washington the next season, hitting the first grand slam by a Nationals player. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, two years after having been inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." Prior to his college career he played for the U.S. national junior baseball team and was the MVP of the World Junior Baseball Championship in 1995. Along the way he has also coached for USA Baseball and Jacksonville University.

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CSR 287 Mike Lynch

He is the head coach for women's soccer at Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic college in North Carolina. Having started there in 2011, he has a .633 winning percentage and has earned two conference regular season championships, two conference tournament championships, and competed in three NCAA postseason tournaments. Prior to Belmont Abbey, he also held head coaching jobs at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Truman State University, and as an assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy. He had played college soccer at the United States Air Force Academy. After graduation, he competed for the active-duty USAF Soccer Team in 1984 and 1985, and was selected to the United States Armed Forces National Team in 1984. He served as Faith-Based Coaches Community Chair for United Soccer Coaches from 2017-2022 and is now on the Board of Directors. He has even completed several marathons, including the Boston Marathon.