Hall of Fame coaches Ron Maestri and John Noce were honored with the prestigious ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award at the 79th annual ABCA Convention. The pair were presented the award at the 2023 ABCA Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, January 6 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Named after the great Lefty Gomez, this annual award is presented to an individual who has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally and internationally. Presented by Wilson Sporting Goods, the Lefty Gomez Award presentation takes place each year during the Hall of Fame Banquet at the ABCA Convention.
Ron Maestri, the 2022 recipient of the Lefty Gomez Award, twice guided the University of New Orleans (La.) Privateers to the College World Series, first in 1974 while still an NCAA Div. II institution and again in 1984, as New Orleans became the first team from the state of Louisiana to qualify for the NCAA Div. I College World Series. Over 14 seasons, the Privateers combined for a 518-247-1 (.676) under Maestri and his teams would go to make nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
He also served as the university's Athletics Director from 1979-2000.
Maestri returned in 2014 to lead the program at New Orleans for two more seasons before retiring in 2015. Privateer Park, home to the New Orleans baseball team, was officially renamed Maestri Field and dedicated to the Louisiana coaching legend in February 2002. That same year, the Sun Belt Conference honored Maestri by naming their Coach of the Year award after him.
Honored alongside Maestri was 2023 Lefty Gomez Award recipient John Noce. Noce led the College of San Mateo (Calif.) baseball program from 1962-1992. In 31 seasons, his teams compiled a record of 772-412 (.652) while capturing 13 conference titles and finishing runner-up three times in the California community college state playoffs. At the time of his retirement, he was the winningest coach is California community college baseball history.
His impact on the game of baseball was felt worldwide as he mentored players and teams in Edmonton and Drummondville, Canada, and in Austria, Romania, and Holland. He served as an assistant coach for the Italian National Baseball Team from 1977 through 1996 and accompanied Italian teams to the Olympic Games in 1984 (Los Angeles), 1992 (Barcelona), and 1996 (Atlanta).
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association members have broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.