Dr. Rick Gangwisch started coaching youth baseball in 1990. He joined the Brookwood Athletic Association, now Brookwood Baseball and Softball (BBSA) board in 1995. His tenure as a coach spanned all levels and age groups of Recreational baseball that we offer; Tee ball, Pee Wee, Minor, Major, Pony and Colt. He also coached teams at all age groups of our Travel program, 9U through
14U. He touched the lives of hundreds and hundreds of kids.

He coached dozens of kids who went on to play at Brookwood High School, including several of the boys who currently play for the Varsity and JV programs. Kids that went on to play college baseball and even professional baseball played for Coach Rick. Our own Ronnie Freeman, who is the hitting coach for the high school and heads up much of our current Travel baseball program, played for
Coach Rick. And after playing at Kennesaw State, Ronnie had a 10-year professional baseball career with the Diamondbacks, Giants and Athletics organizations, rising to the AAA level and participated in several Major League Spring Training camps. Garrett Whitlock, who currently pitches for the Boston Red Sox, played for Rick in both our Rec and Travel programs.

Rick carried the same level of passion and interest in the development of all his players, not just the ones destined for bigger things, as the majority of his coaching seasons were long after his own kids had grown. This passion and care for the Brookwood community carried beyond the field. His 30 years of service to our
board has been instrumental to the current day.

Rick’s stewardship of the Association’s finances as Treasurer allowed us to weather some tough times, including the Covid shutdown in 2020, and enjoy some really amazing times. It has allowed us to have the means to continue to make many improvements to our facility’s home Bethesda Park. New scoreboards, equipment, field maintenance, including laser grading fields, and surface materials, have allowed us to continue to provide a fabulous experience for our community’s families and children. He accomplished all of this while building a successful business and dental practice. He was there at the beginning of the
Brookwood/Bethesda Park partnership, and his retirement from our board leaves it as one of the premier, and most successful parks and Associations in Gwinnet County.

Rick, in recognition of your service to our community, we are dedicating Field 1 to you. Now, the Dr. Richard Gangwisch Field.