A current and former member of the Wareham Gatemen have been recognized by the American Baseball Coaches Association hall of fame.

Don Sneddon, who coached the team to a championship win in 2018, was inducted into the hall of fame, and current Gatemen manager and hall of fame member Jerry Weinstein was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Lefty Gomez Award.

The Lefty Gomez award is meant to recognize an individual who has contributed significantly to the game of baseball. Weinstein has been a coach for more than fifty years, working with high school teams and spending 23 seasons as the head coach at Sacramento City College.

With a career California Community College Athletic Association record of 830-209-12 (.790), Weinstein is the winningest coach in Sac City history and ranks second all-time in CCCAA wins behind 2021 ABCA Hall of Fame inductee Don Sneddon. Under Weinstein, Sac City produced 28 Major League players and had 213 players drafted.

Weinstein served as the Gatemen Field Manager in 2016 and 2019. 

“Jerry has a great reputation in baseball as being very knowledgeable of the game,” said Gatemen President Tom Gay. “He runs a very disciplined team, and  at the same time allowing the players to do what they do best, play the game.”

Sneddon’s career is closely intertwined with Weinstein’s. He spent 32 years as the head coach at Santa Ana College in California, which plays in the same league as Sacramento City College. Under his leadership, the team won three state championships and 16 conference championships.

In 2016, Sneddon joined the coaching staff as third-base coach and hiring manager for then overall manager Weinstein. 

Sneddon served as manager in 2017, and he brought the Gatemen to the West Division Finals. In 2018, he brought the team to their eighth Cape Cod Baseball League championship win – only the fifth Gatemen coach to do so.

“Don’s approach is very laid-back. He gets to know each player and gets the best out of them by being affirmative, without becoming overly bearing,” Gay said.

Gay added that the two men shared many qualities that made them excellent coaches in Wareham.

“I think the key to being a good coach in the CCBL is to be able to relate to the players, and at the same time providing them with a strong and knowledgeable love of the game,” Gay said. “These are qualities that both Don and Jerry possess  which made them very successful in the CCBL.”