A former Little Leaguer® himself, Brian Watts returned to the program as a volunteer coach for Henry County Little League in New Castle, Kentucky, with his children.
While he has many great memories from his ongoing Little League® experience, a favorite of his comes from his Senior League Baseball team’s tournament run in 2024. After winning the Kentucky State Championship, Watts and his players traveled to Peru, Illinois, to compete in the Central Region tournament in hopes of making it to the Senior League Baseball World Series. While they did not win, Watts left the tournament feeling proud, both as a coach and father.
“Growing up, I always dreamt of playing in a Little League World Series,” said Watts. “Having an opportunity to coach a team with my son and other outstanding young men who are playing for something that I always wanted to do, I have never been more proud. That week will be something that I will never forget.”
Recognized as the February 2025 Little League Diamond Leader of the Month, Watts shared his experience in a Diamond Leader Discussion:
From your experience with the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program, why do you think it is important for other coaches and volunteers to take it, as well?
It’s important for not just coaches, but all volunteers, to participate in the Diamond Leader Training because it helps you understand that it’s not just a game that you are coaching or teaching, but it helps you see the mental and emotional points of the game and puts it into real-life situations. The training helps you understand that even though you think you know a kid, you may not really know what they are dealing with mentally or emotionally. Not all kids are the same or come from the same background or home life. As a volunteer/coach, you need to know how to understand each situation to your best ability.
What does it mean to you to be a Diamond Leader and why should others strive to be the same?
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to become a Diamond Leader because it made me reflect on some of the important coaches that I had growing up playing sports and how their positive attitude had a hand in how I am coaching today. My greatest achievement as a coach will not be if any of my former players ever make it to the big leagues in baseball or the professional level in any sport, but when they reflect on their former coaches, am I going to be the one coach who they talk about that had a positive role in their life.
Which of Little League’s core values — teamwork, fun, community, integrity, and inclusion — do you feel shine brightest during your volunteer work with Little League?
I can’t pick just one of the core values that have shined the brightest during my volunteering as a coach, but I will say teamwork, fun, and community have shined a little brighter than the rest. Without teamwork, there is no sport, because as a team you must work together to meet that common goal of winning and if you don’t play as a team, winning is going to be impossible.
Once you get to working as a team, having fun is going to come naturally and you must have fun because if you ever get to a point where you no longer have fun, it is no longer important to you. Have fun at whatever you do.
Without community, you have no support, and what is more supporting than the great families and friends that come out to the games? The moms and dads, grandparents, brothers and sisters, and the aunts and uncles who have gotten the players to and from countless practices and games, both home and away, are important. Being from a small town in rural Kentucky, we could not have a Little League program if it were not for the families and local businesses who donate time and financials every year to help the league. Being able to be a part of that by being a volunteer coach gives me a sense of pride in what I can do thanks to Little League.
The Little League Diamond Leader program, which was first piloted with nearly 1,000 Little League volunteers throughout the 2022 season, was created as part of the Susan Crown Exchange’s Million Coaches Challenge and developed in coordination with the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. Focused on ensuring children have a positive, well-rounded experience on and off the field, the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program is a FREE educational resource that provides coaches with an understanding of the impact that mental, social, and emotional well-being has in youth sports through detailed information, interactive scenarios, and a variety of additional resources. Learn more and become a Diamond Leader yourself by visiting LittleLeague.org/DiamondLeader.