Ben Babcock

Ben Babcock has been named the head coach of the Flag City Sluggers for the 2026 season.

Babcock has been with the Defiance College baseball program since November 2021 as an assistant coach. Babcock currently serves as the team's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2023, Babcock was the team's interim head coach. He also spent time as a volunteer coach with the program during the fall season prior to his initial appointment.

During his first two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, his pitching staff nearly set the school record for strikeouts with a team mark of 247 and nearly passed that mark again in 2023 with 240 punchouts. He also helped mentor Defiance's career strikeouts leader, Cohen Nies, during the last two years on the team before breaking the school record in 2023. In 2024, Babcock developed infielder Gunner Gregg into the team's closer as he went on to convert five saves, the fifth-most by a pitcher in one season in program history.

Prior to his time at Defiance College, Babcock was the head junior varsity coach at Jefferson High School in Delphos, Ohio from 2014-17 followed by a stint at Delphos St. John's High School as a varsity assistant coach from 2018-21. He has additional coaching experience with Empowered Sports in Lima and as a travel coach with the Locos Express program.

A Delphos native, Babcock graduated from the Ohio State University at Lima in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in early and middle childhood studies. He is also Driveline certified in the Foundations of Pitching and holds a Rapsodo pitch design certification.