FARMINGTON – Brett Bergman, an executive who represents Google as a member of the Cloud Sales division, doesn’t appear on the surface to be the head coach of a championship baseball team.
Less than 48 hours after his team raised a trophy and claimed the 2023 Connie Mack World Series championship, Bergman was back at his “other job,” meeting with sales associates and dealing with the always-changing world of internet business.
“It’s a whole different kind of reward for doing this job as opposed to being a coach, that’s for sure,” Bergman said between meetings just two days after he guided the Dallas Tigers through an improbable series of events at the tournament, which eventually led to their 3-2, nine-inning victory over the defending champion Midland Redskins.
The Tigers road to claiming the CMWS championship, which required winning seven out of nine games over the span of eight days, was marked by three one-run victories, including an opening round 2-1 win in bracket play over the NOLA Cardinals.
The Tigers also had a flair for the dramatic, winning three games in walk-off fashion including the championship game over Midland. Down 2-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Dallas drew even with the Redskins after Sawyer Farr drove in a couple of runs before Colton Moore scored the winning run on a passed ball in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“I don’t think you ever get used to winning games that way, but I think we did see these situations as something we’d been through before,” Bergman said. “I told all those kids in all those moments that I had the confidence in them to find a way to win.”
Bergman, who coached the Tigers to the team’s first Connie Mack World Series title, was quick to praise several of the key components of the team, particularly the efforts of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Caleb Hoover.
Not only did Hoover bat .479 during the summer season prior to the Connie Mack World Series, Hoover went on to record a .562 batting average during the CMWS and also threw 2 1/3 innings of relief, striking out four batters in the championship game.
“He’s been such a great leader for this team,” Bergman said. “He’s been with this team for quite a few years now and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he earned that award.”
Brady Gray, who played a vital role in each of the team’s walk-off victories in the Connie Mack World Series, also received praise from Bergman at the conclusion of the tournament. Gray was named to the all-tournament team for his work as a catcher as well as his performance at the plate, in which he had an on-base percentage of .625.
“You couldn’t have chosen a better representative for the team or player to be in those high-pressure situations,” Bergman said. “He’s been a part of this team for a long time and for him to get that honor is not a surprise to me at all.”
In addition to guiding the team through its run to the Connie Mack World Series championship, Bergman was also very proud of the way the team represented itself on and off the field, and the way the city of Farmington represented itself to the team and its members.
“I can’t say enough about the reception we got from fans and committee members and the community,” Bergman said. “The people in Farmington welcomed all of us and their love of baseball and these kids was out of this league.”
The Tigers earned their trip to Farmington and the Connie Mack World Series by winning a regional qualifying tournament in Melissa, Texas. Bergman believes that the incentive of winning a qualifying event played a role in the team’s readiness in winning the CMWS.
“I think that when a team goes through something like that, it brings them together. It teaches them how to overcome situations which will come up,” Bergman said. “Every one of the teams that made it to the tournament overcomes something or other along the way, and that’s part of the excitement of being there.”
Many of the players on the Tigers team will be headed off to other and other commitments, including collegiate baseball and for some returning players, the beginning of the fall season. There will be some activity for the team during the fall season, but for the most part, Bergman will be looking to get the team ready for another run next summer.
“I get to get back to work a little bit during the offseason, but I’ve really enjoyed the ride this summer,” Bergman said. “And it will hopefully be another fun ride to get back to Farmington next year.”
