Two coaches were honored with the inaugural ABCA Travel & Youth Baseball Service Awards at the ABCA Convention on Friday, January 6. Kenny Fullman of the Chicago White Sox ACE Program and ABCA Hall of Fame member Jim Peck of Excelsior Legion Baseball Post 259 (MN) were presented the awards prior to the start of the clinics on Friday morning. The ABCA Travel and Youth Baseball Service Awards were introduced to honor coaches making significant contributions to youth in their community through the sport of baseball.
Kenny Fullman, a 24-year ABCA member, founded and has served as Program Manager of the Chicago White Sox ACE Program since 2007. It has received national attention as one of the top youth and travel baseball programs in the country, particularly for its success in an inner city as well as improving opportunities for those student-athletes to be recruited by college programs or signed by professional organizations. Fullman was the head baseball coach at Harlan High School in Chicago from 2000-17, leading the team to a record of 460-193 record. In his 24 seasons as an assistant or head coach, Harlan won 14 Illinois High School Association regional titles, two sectional titles and nine Chicago Public Schools South Conference championships. Fullman is also a 27-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. He serves on the ABCA Diversity in Baseball Committee and the Travel Organization Committee. Jim Peck enters his 60th season in amateur baseball in 2023 and he has been a part of nearly 2000 wins as a coach or team administrator. As longtime head coach and current General Manager of Excelsior Legion Baseball Post 259 in Minnesota, he developed the program into one of the finest, most successful American Legion Baseball systems. Peck still coaches part time, when needed. As head coach, he led the program to two state championships, multiple appearances in the Legion World Series, and hundreds of his former players have gone on to play collegiate baseball. He was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1998, the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012 and multiple other Halls of Fame. A Lifetime Member of the ABCA, Peck has served on multiple committees, including as Youth Chair on the ABCA Executive Committee and on the ABCA Hall of Fame Committee.