U18: Ján Jablonka became new national team coach
After David Winkler got promotion to senior national team under Pavel Chadim, it was clear that U18 team would need a new head coach. In the end, it is Ján Jablonka who will lead U18 team, as announced by Czech Baseball Association on their social pages.
Ján Jablonka has a lot of experience as a player in Brno teams, where he played 15 seasons for Draci, Technika, Hroši and now disbanded MZLU Express. Last time he played in Extraliga was in 2017. After retiring as a player, Jablonka stayed in baseball as a coach. In the previous season he took up the role of the head coach for Hroši U18 and U21 teams. He was able to win the second place in U21 Extraliga, when Hroši fell to Draci 1-3 in the finals. Hroši finished 3rd in U18 category and they also took the same place at National Championship.
Jablonka has experience with the national team, as an assistant coach in Pavel Chadim’s U23 national team in 2017. The team finished second at the home European Championship, when they only lost to Netherlands in extra innings.
