Looking forward to the 2025/2026 season, the Bearcats have announced the head coaches for the 16U, 17U, and 18U teams.
Elliott Curtis will be at the helm of the 18U team for the 2025/2026 season.
Growing up in Waterloo, Curtis’ minor baseball career is highlighted by an Inter Country Baseball Association (ICBA) Junior Player of the Year, two appearances in the prestigious T12 tournament, and a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the 2014 Junior Sunbelt tournament. Following such a successful minor baseball career, he spent a season at Middle Tennessee State University, another at Columbia State Community College, before finally ending his college career in the SEC with the University of Kentucky. Following a strong collegiate career, Curtis spent two seasons in the Frontier League with both the Equipe Quebec and Les Aigles de Trois-Rivieres.
Following a successful playing career, Curtis has transitioned into the role of Player Development Coordinator with the Bearcats. As he enters his 4th season as a head coach, he looks to continue his proven record of developing some of the top talent in the province.
Leading the 16U team for this upcoming season will be Ben Salazar.
Growing up in Waterloo, Salazar played several seasons in the ICBA before transitioning to the Fieldhouse Pirates. At the conclusion of his minor baseball career, he crossed the border to attend Frontier Community College, a D1 junior college in Illinois. After his freshman season, he transferred and finished his collegiate career at Lakeland Community College in Ohio.
Like Curtis, Salazar has transitioned into being a Player Development Coordinator and is the lead catching instructor with the Bearcats. Entering his 4th season as a head coach, he looks to continue his record of building some of the strongest teams in the province. Consistently regarded as one of the bright young coaches in the province, Salazar looks to take his 16U squad to the next level.
Leading the 17U group is former D1 and Junior National Team member Eric Martin.
After an exceptional playing career which includes Youth Team Gold, a provincial championship and national stage bronze, six years between Division I and the Intercounty Baseball League, Martin looks to take the next step in his coaching career.
An Abilene Christian University graduate, Martin joined the Bearcats in 2024 and has served as both an assistant coach and a Player Development Coordinator. Martin’s natural leadership and outspokenness allows him to get the best out of athletes, something he looks to capitalize on with the 2026/2027 graduates. Martin now looks to leverage his experience as he takes the leap to head coaching.
And that will conclude the first half of the head coaching announcement for the upcoming season. Stay tuned for Part II where the remaining head coaches will be revealed.
