OBA Welcomes USA Baseball's Butch Chaffin to 2027 Best Ever Coaches Clinic

Newly Appointed Baylor School Head Coach Brings Over 40 Years of Coaching Experience, International Championship Success, and MLB Player Development Expertise to Ontario

CAMBRIDGE, ON – October 21, 2026 – The Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) is excited to announce that longtime USA Baseball coach, scout, and newly appointed Baylor School Head Varsity Baseball Coach Butch Chaffin will join the speaker lineup for the 2027 Best Ever Coaches Clinic, taking place January 15–17, 2027.

With more than 40 years of coaching experience, including two decades with USA Baseball, Chaffin brings an extraordinary résumé of championship success, player development, and coaching education to one of Canada's premier baseball coaching events.

In August 2026, Chaffin was named Head Varsity Baseball Coach at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, taking over one of the nation's most respected high school baseball programs. Baylor has captured five Tennessee state championships since 2003 and has developed numerous collegiate and professional baseball players.

Throughout his remarkable career, Chaffin has worked with some of baseball's biggest names, including current Major League Baseball stars Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Bobby Witt Jr., helping develop elite talent through his involvement with USA Baseball.

Since joining USA Baseball in 2006, Chaffin has served as a scout, crosschecker, and coach at multiple levels, including the USA Collegiate National Team. He has been associated with an impressive 16 gold medals as a coach or scout, including helping guide the USA Baseball 12U National Team to gold in Taiwan in 2017. He also served on the 18U National Team coaching staffs in 2010 and 2023.

Chaffin's extensive coaching career includes 32 years at the high school level, highlighted by 25 seasons leading Cookeville High School, where he compiled 552 career victories, 13 district championships, and six regional titles. His outstanding contributions to the game earned him induction into the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024.

His experience extends beyond the high school ranks, having spent four years as an NCAA Division I assistant coach at Tennessee Tech University and three years as a special assignment scout with the Kansas City Royals. He has also worked at Major League Baseball's Draft Combine, serving as a hitting coordinator and instructor in 2024.

A passionate advocate for player development, Chaffin has helped 126 players earn college scholarships throughout his instructional career. He has participated in more than 200 baseball camps and has shared his coaching knowledge with audiences across 27 U.S. states and eight countries, including two appearances on the prestigious American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Convention main stage in Dallas and Nashville.

Chaffin has also made significant contributions to baseball education and player safety, helping develop the pitch-count regulations used in Tennessee high school baseball. He is also the author of the forthcoming book The Baseball Blueprint, a comprehensive 350-page resource drawing on his decades of experience in the game.

Chaffin joins an exciting lineup of baseball professionals and educators who will share their expertise, insights, and coaching philosophies throughout the three-day event.

The 2027 Best Ever Coaches Clinic continues to provide coaches from across Ontario and beyond with an opportunity to learn from some of baseball's most respected minds while connecting with fellow coaches dedicated to growing the game.

Registration for the 2027 Best Ever Coaches Clinic is now open!

For more information, speaker announcements, and registration details, visit www.playoba.ca/bestever.