The ballpark SHOULD be quiet at this time of the day. Players with injuries don’t even report for treatment until 2:00 PM on game day and while it is only 11:00 AM, you can here the grunt of effort every few seconds from the bullpen area.

UUNNNHHHH! [THWACK]. Over and over again. UUNNHHHH! [THWACK]. The grunt of effort followed by that sweet sound of a heavy fastball hitting a glove. Finally a long pause and out from behind the bullpen gate walk Starting Pitcher and Team Captain Nathan Gallard and one of two new coaches, Julio Villanueva, who took over the role of Pitching Coach for the New Orleans Trendsetters just before the Winter Meetings in December.

“I was a little surprised when I was asked to interview for the position”, said Villanueva, “I knew that some of the Trendsetters’ pitchers had worked with me during the past few winters and I guess some of them told the front office good things. Maybe they liked the fact that I never gave up. It took me 11 years to get a big-league call-up and they pretty much had to tear the uniform off of me when I was done.”

Villanueva did have a long wait to appear in a big-league uniform. A 3^rd round pick by the Kentucky Thoroughbreds in 2013, Villanueva became a minor leaguer lifer with 11 years in the bus leagues before the London Underground gave him a shot in 2026. His debut was not especially notable, but he did put up solid numbers the next year with a 4-4 record and a 4.09 ERA as a long reliever and occasional starter. Since his retirement in 2028, Villanueva has been running pitching camps and working out with PEBA players in the off season. “I like younger players. I have more to teach them and they have more to learn. I want to help these kids develop their full potential. I will make sure they give maximum effort.” said Villanueva. “This one here I don’t have to push much, he works harder than any pitcher I have ever worked with”, he said, pointing out to the warning track where Gallard was running poles (that is running along the warning track from the right field foul pole to the left field foul pole). He gets here before everyone else every day. He is so intense on the mound and puts everything into every pitch. You know Nathan is pitching just by listening to the game. He practically screams every pitch to the catcher. The look on his face is just all focus and intensity. I spoke with Keiji Haji (The Trendsetters’ 2038 pitching coach) and he used to call Nathan “Pitchy McPitch Face” because he was so intense out there. There is a reason every one in the clubhouse respects that guy. He’s earned that “C” on his jersey”

Nathan Gallard

Villanueva plans on focusing on pitcher’s development this year. “We have had a few pitchers add more stuff to their arsenal. David Sanz added a curveball, other pitchers have worked on locating their pitches, and most of these pitchers are young. Yeah, Joe Arnold is 32, and he is a good veteran presence, but Gallard is only 23, (Shadi) Quakili and (David) Sanz are 23. There is a lot of youth on this team and hopefully more coming up through the system. I just want to make sure that I can help these guys develop into the talented pitchers they can be. I know they have it in them. It’s my job to bring it out.

And with that Villanueva headed out on to the field to get the pitchers stretched. He has a lot of work ahead of him. New Orleans fielded arguably the worst staff in the league last year and the Trendies will need some of these pitchers to have break out years for the club to even be respectable this season. Only time will tell if Villanueva is the guy to bring out the best in them.