The Bench Behind the Title: Elroy Hill, Richard Clendinen, Brock Creque and Inocencia Bermudez

Every championship roster has a staff behind it. For the 2026 Nike RBI 18U world champions, that staff is manager Elroy Hill and coaches Richard Clendinen, Brock Creque and Inocencia Bermudez. The same four led the program to the World Series semifinals in 2025 and to the title in 2026.

Elroy Hill builds fields as well as teams. In 2023, as St. John deputy commissioner of Sports, Parks and Recreation and chairman of the local softball federation, he led the crew that spent about five months preparing the ballfield near the National Park Visitor's Center in Cruz Bay. That field then hosted the biggest international softball tournament the territory had ever staged.

Richard Clendinen has been a constant in girls' softball across the territory. In 2023 he organized the first season of Little League territorial softball for girls ages 9 to 12, with teams from St. Croix and St. Thomas. He has also been the contact for the Laura Isaac tournament for high school softball. After the 18U team's regional title in June, it was Clendinen who summed it up: "They played well defensively. Pitching was amazing, and the bats were alive this weekend."

Brock Creque and Inocencia Bermudez round out the staff and have been on the bench for both World Series runs.

The results speak for themselves: a Caribbean regional title, a 2025 semifinal and a 2026 world championship over teams backed by Major League Baseball organizations.

Delegate Stacey Plaskett thanked the coaches for their "tireless work in training and mentoring our young women." The Federation adds its own thanks.