About Coach Ballgame
James Lowe — “Coach Ballgame” — grew up at the crossroads of theater, music, and baseball. His performer’s flair and love for the game gave him a unique ability to hold kids’ attention while teaching life lessons through baseball.
During COVID, he launched Sandlot games that emphasized joy, nicknames, and Atta Boys/Girls. What started as a safe way to let kids play together became a nationwide movement.
His message has reached the biggest stages — from MLB’s All-Star Game and World Series to the White House and Cooperstown. Today, he serves as MLB’s Youth Ambassador and leads both the National Sandlot Tour and Coach Ballgame University.
The Coach Ballgame Mission is clear: to make children fall in love with baseball and the invaluable life lessons it imparts, and empower youth coaches to do the same with their own teams.
A few famous Name Drops…
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![Two men standing and talking on a grassy field. One is older, wearing a navy blue jacket, cap, and sunglasses. The other is younger, wearing a light blue T-shirt, black shorts, a straw hat, and glasses. There is a wooden item on a table nearby.]()
ROD CAREW
I met Rod Carew at a gas station. I let him know I was a youth baseball coach, and that really seemed to interest him. I notified him my next Sandlot was in about 10 minutes, right down the road. And wouldn’t you know…he showed up!
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![A group of four people and a young girl posing outdoors on a baseball field, with a fence and a sign labeled 'Field 1' in the background. The group includes a man holding the girl, a woman, and another man standing beside them.]()
JIM ABBOTT
We were honored to have Jim Abbott make an appearance at a Sandlot. Known for his success at the major league level despite having been born without a right hand. Jim shared pearls of wisdom with our young ballplayers about overcoming obstacles.
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PUJOLS FAMILY FOUNDATION
A recap of my dreamy day in St. Louis. I went to Joe Buck’s house, I met Joe Maddon and Tony LaRussa. Albert and Deidre Pujols bought me an $85,000 guitar crafted by Guy Gilchrist and much much more.
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![Two men in black sport shirts with logos, one wearing a cap, stand indoors against a beige wall. They are smiling and have arms around each other. A djembe drum is placed on the floor in front of them.]()
ALBERT PUJOLS
Nothing like an Atta Boy Challenge with “The Machine”!
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![Two men shaking hands on a baseball field, one wearing a white shirt and a tan hat, the other wearing a gray shirt and a blue cap, with empty stadium seats in the background.]()
WHIT MERRIFIELD
Coach Ballgame challenges KC Royals player Whit Merrifield to a Fortnite batting practice! Can an MLB player crush one out of the park using a poop-emoji pickaxe? Watch to find out and learn a proper batting stance from a pro!
Coach Ballgame Values
#1 Teaching Skills
From the 3-year-olds to 13-year-olds, Coach Ballgame has genius methods for teaching and implementing skills. Younger ones will learn the basic skills of catching, throwing, fielding a ground ball, and hitting. They will also learn the basic rules of the game and where the positions are. Older players will learn the finer skills of catching fly balls, fielding ground balls, throwing, pitching, and hitting, with an emphasis on base running, learning how to play each position, and the complex rules of the game. Coach Ballgame is a big fan of music, so you can be sure there will be some songs written about each skill.
#2 Building Character
With Coach Ballgame your kids will learn there is a LOT more to this great game than just winning. Coach values the importance of personal character, paying attention, making good choices, being kind, and having positive energy. Your kids will hear numerous stories of ballplayers of the past who displayed exceptional character, like the infamous Roberto Clemente.
#3 Having an absurd amount of FUN!
By combining the levity of props, nicknames, catchphrases, music, ridiculous characters, and of course the joy of being really loud and silly, Coach Ballgame connects with kids to make them fall in love with baseball!
In the Press
A Dream Come True
Throwing out the First Pitch at Wrigley Field…
LA Times