CON-X 2023 in Rimini will be dedicated to the pioneers of baseball, including the women who are making history in MLB. Coaching and video analyst Caitlyn Callahan will join Jessica Mendoza to share their experiences working closely with baseball's biggest stars. As the development coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates FCL affiliated Pirates, Caitlyn Callahan became the first female coach in the organization's 135-year franchise history.
Callahan started playing Little League at an early age and later pursued a softball career in at Boston University and Saint Mary's College in California, where she earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. She returned to the world of baseball during the summers of 2017 and 2018 when she worked for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Indy Cape Cod League as an MLB Scout Liaison and as an assistant general manager. In 2019 Callahan joined the Staten Island Yankees front office management team. She later served as a video and technology department intern for the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2020 and 2021.
Mentored by fellow female MLB baseball coach Rachel Balkovec, who became a part of the New York Yankees franchise, Caitlyn Callahan got an offer by the Pittsburgh Pirates during the winter of 2021 to work in the same capacity as she did for the Cincinnati Reds and also work with prospects at the "Get Better at Baseball Camp" in Bradenton, Florida.
Pittsburgh Pirates GM Ben Cherington said, "Caitlyn's passion and curiosity to learn, on the diamond and also out in video sessions, and her skills accumulated over the years have made her a person who could take care of the development of the franchise's young talent. In 2022 she was brought on staff as development coach and become the first woman coach in the history of the organization."
Callahan's journey and experience will be shared with CON-X 2023 attendees as she sheds light on player development and the latest technological trends before returning to Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Camp in Bradenton.
Barry Butera will also appear at CON-X 2023 to discuss the growth and development of youth baseball players aged 12-18. The New Orleans native played professionally in the Boston Red Sox organization for four seasons during the 1970s and 1980s.
Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1977 out of Tulane University, Barry Butera played Single-A ball in Winter Haven and then moved up to the Double-A level the next year in Bristol. In 1979, he joined the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and finished the season with an impressive .310 batting average and .874 OPS. Unfortunately, a knee injury ended his promising playing career.
Barry Butera became a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. He was subsequently inducted into the Tulane University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and also into the Louisiana American Italian Hall of Fame in 1997. Butera has since has been the principal and coach at Lake Castle Madisonville Private School for 7th and 8th grade boys (12-14 years).
Under his expert training and guidance, Barry Butera has helped nine players land professional baseball contracts. Most notable are sons Barry Jr. and Blake Butera, the latter being named Minor League Manager of the Year for the last two years and most recently being selected as bench coach by Team Italy manager Mike Piazza in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Forza #Italia!
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CON-X 2023 NEWS
by Kevin Senatore, Nicolò Gatti and Roberto Angotti
(Photo of Caitlyn Callahan with Boston Red Sox coach Bianca Smith)
