page_title: Lewis & Clark Baseball League
section_title: Managers & Coaches
hierarchical_section_title: Lewis & Clark Baseball League / Managers & Coaches
caption_attribution_description: English: The National Anthem being played at Busch Stadium for the 2013 LCBL All-Star Game
context_page_description: The Lewis & Clark Baseball League, or LCBL, was a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond. Founded by Nicholas R. A. Mahrt in 2013, this upstart amateur baseball season runs from June through early August in the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is a non-profit organization and the charter member of the Commonwealth Leagues United — a nationwide collection of baseball leagues that put the emphasis on student-athlete's summer work/study opportunities. Players are not paid, as to maintain their college eligibility and amateur status; their ages range from 18-23.
context_section_description: The "Find Your Way" motto has a host of different interpretations and applications. For Mahrt, the league was as much about the managers and coaches as the players themselves.  The common denominator is the pursuit of future employment; the players can obtain it while participating in the league, the managers can obtain it by participating in the league. The LCBL is a resume-building experience for young talent in the ranks of collegiate assistant coaches.
  Mahrt uses resources like the American Baseball Coaches Association to take chances on unknown volunteer assistants, to get them hooked on coaching as a feasible career path. While other leagues have veteran coaches for decades, the league is known for turning over a new crop of talent.  It is not often that a coach in his twenties is given the top responsibilities of a college-level team. For this reason, college assistant coaches come from as far away as Colorado and Florida to be a part of the LCBL coaching ranks.
  A few St. Louis-based college assistants offer their employers' field as an LCBL host site. The many facets of familiarity, which come with the decision, give each a distinct advantage over those that travel to St. Louis. Even a former major leaguer, Jason Isringhausen, recognizes the convenience of the league setup. He can spend a few summer months, developing amateur ballplayers, on the same college field where he coaches from August to May.
  LCBL field managers are among the youngest in any summer college baseball league. This gives an unrivaled level of comfort to the players, being coached by a man who is closer to their age than their college head coach. However, youth or inexperience is not a viable excuse for not commanding the dugout. The interview process is thorough and each must take their leadership duties very seriously. Upon being hired, managers select their assistant coach and set aside at least one day a week for practice time.
  The league's executive committee specifically targets coaches that get results with quiet respect instead of loud degradation. It is a point of extreme emphasis that coaches, who operate by means of intimidation, are not welcome. Believing it has no place in the game, Mahrt decided to use the league as a platform to send a small message on values to all levels of baseball.  Thus, the LCBL managers are typically more approachable and relatable; a perfect fit with the casual, yet serious, atmosphere that comes with summer baseball.
  Since LCBL franchises do not have owners or general managers, human resource decisions come from the executive committee, with neutrality and the league's best interest in mind. Mahrt believes the quality of the coach is directly attributable to a team's wins and losses, especially since recruiting is a huge component to the job description.  Thus, teams that continue to struggle will be subjected to league intervention. The manager may be relegated to assistant coach status, while a new field manager is given an opportunity.
  Even the perennially successful are asked to move into an administrative role — or take a promotion in a place like the Northwoods League — after a few seasons. With only twelve teams, the league is always looking for places to test the next wave of young talent. The goal of the LCBL is to have just as many famous alumni be coaches as players.
caption: Team introductions and the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner at the 2013 LCBL All-Star Game
exif: {"Image Make": "LG Electronics", "Image Model": "VS840 4G", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "152", "Image GPSInfo": "440", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "540", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "36352", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/337", "EXIF FNumber": "12/5", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "225", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:07:11 19:27:16", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:07:11 19:27:16", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "431/100", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2560", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1920", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "410"}