Pankow Invited to Coach in Women’s World Classic Baseball Tournament

News

Mike Pankow, Head Baseball Coach at Bay College, coached the Racine Belles during the 2023 All-American Women’s Baseball Classic, leading them to an impressive runner-up finish.

By Mike Pankow
Published December 22, 2023

Bay College Head Baseball Coach and Sports Information Director, Mike Pankow added an additional coaching role to his plate this fall. Pankow was asked to coach in the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic in sunny Florida on November 17-19, 2023, at Ed Smith Stadium and the Baltimore Orioles Spring Training Facility. The tournament was in its second year, but it was Pankow’s first year attending.

The tournament was run by American Girls Baseball (AGB), an affiliate of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association (AAGPBL PA). The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was immortalized in the 1992 film A League of Their Own and continues to hold reunions and gatherings. American Girls Baseball continues to fight inequity in the USA, striving to create more opportunities for females to play the great game of baseball. The All-American Girls Baseball Classic is one of the premier events hosted by the organization and this year featured women from all over the US, as well as seven Canadian players, one from Puerto Rico, and one from Mexico. The tournament proved itself as a showcase of the talent and skills of some of the best women playing baseball today.

The tournament features four teams of 12 players and two coaches. The four teams are named after teams that were in the original AAGBPL, including the Rockford Peaches, South Bend Blue Sox, Racine Belles, and Kenosha Comets. After being asked to coach the Racine Belles, Pankow was reunited with several familiar faces, including Janelle Calvet, a former student and Norse athlete at Bay College, and Ghazaleh “Oz” Sailors, a past athlete Pankow coached during his time as the Head Baseball Coach at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Despite already knowing a couple players on his new team, Pankow was set to work with ten new athletes and a coach he had never met before that weekend, and was now expected to play games after only a short period of time being together. Though it was a unique challenge, Pankow says it wasn’t as rough as it sounds.

“To say I was nervous about it going in is an understatement,” says Pankow. ”It was just such a unique situation putting together a lineup and asking a group to trust me and work together when we didn’t really know each other. The good part was that I had some information beforehand from Oz, and Coach Patricia Landry and I seemed to gel quickly. On top of that, we had a great group of women to work with that seemed at ease with each other and just wanted to play ball. It didn’t take long to relax and have fun with this group.”

After a long weekend of intense games and close scores, the Belles were awarded second place medals, as the Blue Sox went 2-1 and were named the champions.

“The level of baseball, how entertaining the games were, and just the overall quality of the tournament was amazing, and definitely needs more attention going forward,” says Pankow. “I think from the Belles standpoint, we play a couple of innings a little cleaner defensively in the first game and we are talking about an undefeated tournament, but this was about a lot more than that. All the teams involved put out an excellent product that needs to be noticed.”

“Obviously the chance to play baseball was important to all the athletes involved,” continues Pankow. “It is amazing how many of the participants had similar stories of how some point in their career they were told that they had to play (or at least pushed to) softball, and I think that is really sad. Don’t get me wrong, softball is a great sport, and I love watching good softball, but baseball and softball are two different games. It is heartbreaking to hear the stories of so many people that just love baseball but were not able to play as much as they wanted to, just because of their gender. So, having a small part in helping these athletes get to play a sport they love is very rewarding. I hope to continue to help anyone that wants to play baseball get that chance.”

To learn more about Pankow’s coaching experience and the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic, please visit www.baynorse.com to read the full story.

Bay College is devoted to your success in the classroom, on-campus, online, in the community and into the workforce. We’re proud to offer certificates and programs that result in successful careers, associate degrees and credits that transfer to universities, and workforce training to sharpen your skills and advance your career. #BayIsTheWay