Rick Friend

Rick Friend was born and raised in Southern California where he played travel baseball throughout the state. Second in his division in HRs, he averaged over .300 while throwing as a starting pitcher in high school. After high school he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Staff Sergeant in the 1st Infantry Division, serving on multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq where he trained and led both US and coalition forces.

Coach Friend now trains and leads youth athletes and has over 12 years of experience coaching youth sports. After 2 years of successive league championships, he has spent the last two years building and coaching travel baseball teams. With a coaching philosophy that focuses on player development as well as character building, he has a positive impact on the lives of the athletes he coaches. This is his first year coaching with API Baseball Academy.