About Us

sport, scholastics & social

For nearly a decade, UBC had a Varsity Baseball Team and a Junior Varsity Team. Now, after tremendous effort from some key stakeholders, support from UBC Athletics and Recreation, and great interest from the players, the University Baseball Club @ UBC has a new identity, and will compete in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC).

Situated on the beautiful campus of the University of British Columbia, the University Baseball Club is comprised of full-time students who also want to continue chasing the baseball dream. Player fees give players access to some of the best facilities in Canada, professional training, friendships which last forever, and the honour of competing in the CCBC.

The team is together approximately 90 times in the fall with the goals of improving baseball skills and bettering functional strength. Further preparation occurs in January and February; the regular season starts in March and the CCBC Champion is crowned at the end of May.

Meet Our Coaching Staff

Devery Van De Keere

Head Coach

Coaching / Education

Masters of High Performance Coaching
ONBASEU certified
NCCP Comp. Dev. Certified & Advanced Coaching Diploma
2020 to Present - UBC Baseball Coach (UBC Thunder Head Coach and JV Coach)
2017 Head Coach for the Cologne Cardinals
2010 to 2016 – Player/Coach for the Dornbirn Indians
2012 to 2015 – MLB Envoy coach for France and Czech Republic
2012 to 2016 – U15 Austrian National Baseball Team Assistant Coach

Playing

2010 to 2016 Dornbirn Indians, Austrian Baseball League Hall of Fame (3rd highest career bat. avg. of .410)
2007 to 2009 Kansas City Royals Minor League Player (career bat. avg. of .281)
2005 to 2007 University of Louisiana Lafayette: All Conference Team and Newcomer of the year for the state of Louisiana in 2006 (bat. avg. of .368)
2003 to 2005 Phoenix College. All Conference Team in 2005 (bat. avg. of .350)
Baseball Alberta Provincial Champion in PeeWee 1998, Bantam 2000, Midget 2002, and Junior in 2004. Won Silver at the Canada Cup in 2002.

Assistant Coach

Lichel Hirakawa-Kao

Coaching

2020 to 2023 - UBC Thunder Bantam PBL Assistant Coach
2023 to 2025 - UBC Thunder Senior PBL Assistant Coach
2023 to Present - UBC Junior Varsity Assistant Coach

Playing

2014 - Selected by the Blue Jays to participate in T12
2014 - Canada Cup Champion
2015 to 2019 - UBC varsity baseball player

Testimonials

"Lichel is an expert in human movement who is passionate about a positive team environment and developing strong character through the challenges baseball presents" Devery Van De Keere, CCBC-UBC Head Coach

"Lichel was one of the best athletes we have ever had in our program" Chris Pritchett, UBC Varsity Baseball Head Coach

Pitching Coach

Shawn Schaefer

Coaching

2024 & 2025 - Terriers Baseball, Director of Player Development
2023 to 2025 - Team Ontario Assistant Coach
2022 to 2024 - GM, Ontario Blue Jays
2020 to 2022 - Director of Baseball Operations, Ontario Blue Jays
2014 to 2020 Team BC coach
2016 to 2020 - Baseball BC High Performance Coordinator
2012 to 2020 - Grassroots Coordinator - Baseball BC
2012 to 2015 - Douglas College Pitching Coach
2011 & 2012 - Grad Assistant, Cumberland University

Playing

2004 & 2005 - Midland College
2005 & 2006 - UBC
2009 to 2011 - Cumberland University

Luciano Letteri

S & C Coach

Coaching

2022 to Present - Undergraduate Assistant UBC Performance - Football, Track, Swimming, & Volleybal
2022 to Present - Undergraduate Assistant UBC Varsity
2024 to Present - Lead S&C coach UBC Junior Varsity
2024 to Present - PBL Strength & Conditioning Coach
2025 - Professional Development Cubs, Royals, Mariners, Padres, Diamondbacks, Reds

Playing

Coquitlam Reds PBL
2019 - Represented BC at the Canada Cup
2020 to 2024 - UBC Varsity Baseball Player

Eric Hegadoren

Assistant Pitching Coach

Coaching

2023 to Present - UBC Sr. PBL Pitching Coach
2024 to Present - UBC JV assistant pitching coach
CSI Pacific Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach

Playing

Played two years professionally for the Quebec Capitales and Trois Rivieres Aigles
2016 - Junior College World Series Champion
2015 - JUCO World Series Participant
2017 to 2018 - Played Varsity Basketball for U. VIctoria
2017 to 2018 - Rowed with the Varsity Squad for U. VIctoria

Ty Penner

Assistant Infield and

Hitting Coach

Coaching

2020 - Vauxhall Spurs 19U assistant coach
2022 to Present - UBC PBL Coach

Playing

2016 to 2018 - Vauxhall Academy of Baseball (Team Captain and 2018 Jet of the Year)
⁠2017 - T12 Selection
⁠2018 to 2022 - UBC Thunderbirds (Team Captain, All-Conference Team, UBC Graduating Male Athlete of the Year, 4x Academic All-Canadian)
2022 - Signed with Philadelphia Phillies as NDFA
⁠Spent two years in the Minors and one year playing independent pro ball

Christian Raytek

Assistant Hitting Coach

Coaching

2019 to 2020 - UBC Bantam PBL Assistant Coach
2020 to 2022, & 2025 - UBC Bantam PBL Head Coach
2023 to 2024 - UBC Thunder Roving Hitting Coach
2022 to Present - UBC Varsity / JV Roving Hitting Coach

Playing

BC Elite Team 2013-2014
UBC Thunder PBL 2016-2018

Testimonial

"Christian was one of the best hitters we have ever had in the UBC PBL program. " Mitch Hodge, UBC PBL GM

Takayuki Okumura

Position Player Throwing Coach

Coaching

Asahi Baseball Coach 2024
UBC Thunder Junior PBL Pitching Coach 2025

Playing

Seinan Gakuin Unversity (Japan) 2015-2019
Played in Japan for 13 years cultivating discipline, grit, and dedication through Japanese education and culture

Logan Wedgewood

Catcher's Coach

Coaching

Began coaching at Okanagan College in 2017, coaching the catchers and hitters.
By 2019, Wedge was the primary hitting and catching coach; OC saw record setting seasons in 2018 and 2019 offensively,
Big reason for OC's first CCBC championship in 2018.
Since 2019, Wedge has coached across the Lower Mainland, working with players from little league to provincial high-performance baseball.
Selected to be an assistant coach for the Women's National Team at a tournament in October 2025

Playing

2010 & 2011 – Catcher for Team Alberta at the Canada Cup
⁠2013 & 2014 – Douglas College
⁠2015 & 2016 – Okanagan College, career .320 BA