Hometown Hitting (coach)

[Underground]

London, UK -

On November 8th Underground Hitting Coach Cesar Arellano announced his retirement. The Underground Front Office had not planned to renew his contract when it expired in 2034 but also had not planned to need to hire a replacement early. A search committee was quickly spun up with Mr. Winters as the chairman. The group quickly identified a number of candidates and went through a series of rapid fire interviews in order to knock their list down to a more manageable number.

A mere eight days following Arellano's retirement the Underground had their replacement; Louie Beverly. Beverly becomes the only British member of the Underground personnel staff at any level. Growing up in Weymouth a mere 3 hours from Wembley Stadium, Beverly has fond memories of Underground games as a young man and, later, taking his children to see the games as well. The organization has consistently tried to grow the game in the United Kingdom, having made efforts to acquire and draft players from the island and now staff as well. At this moment the Underground farm system houses 4 Brits and 3 Scots while the main roster has George Farleigh and Graham Ainsley, both from England.

Beyond his heritage, the Underground believe that Beverly aligns with their primarily hiring objectives as well; PEBA experience and cost-savings. On the second point, Mr. Beverly's contract is a scant $118,000 annually through 2036 assuring that the front office continues to be fiscally responsible in all areas. But most importantly, Mr. Beverly has a wealth of PEBA experience despite being just 49 years old. Since 2026 he has been a PEBA level hitting coach for the likes of the Claymores, Bulldozers, and most recently the Shisa. Most notably he helped lead the 2028 Claymores to the playoffs with a team batting average of .260.

The Underground ended this season with a team batting average of .229 and an on-base percentage of just .277, both numbers that the team wishes to see dramatically improved in the coming years, particularly as they prepare to exit their rebuild in another year or so. Hopefully Mr. Beverly will be the solution!