Americus Travelers Baseball Club
2015 15 and Under - Coaching Staff
#01, Head Coach - Tim Estes
Coach Tim Estes has built the Americus Travelers from the ground up! He started the program in 1995 as a recreational level team and has led the program into one of the nations' elite. Under his leadership, the Travelers have won seven Georgia State Championships; finished in the top five nationally on four occasions; finished the 2013 season as the USSSA National Runners-Up; and in 2007, won the USSSA National Championship. He has seen 37 former players sign college baseball scholarships and six former Travelers have inked professional baseball contracts.
Estes' coaching career dates back to the early 1990s, when he won the league, district and state Dixie Youth championships at the Southern League in Montgomery, Alabama. He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Sidney Lanier High School, where the team set school records for the most wins in a season. Coach Estes also spent two seasons as a "Bird Dog" scout in the San Frnacisco Giants organization. In 1995, after returning to Americus as the assistant Parks and Recreation Director, he started the Americus Travelers Baseball Club. He was either the head coach or the director of baseball operations for 13 consecutive seasons. After a five year hiatus, Estes returned in 2013 to lead his team to the USSSA National Championship game.
As a player, Estes was an All-State catcher at Americus High School. He played on scholarhip at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama for legendary Hall of Fame coach, Tom Fletcher. He holds a degree in Business Administration and works as the Executive Director of the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department.
Coach Estes has been married to his wife Tammie since 1993. They have two daughters, Lexie and Ashleigh. Their family attends the Oasis Church of Christ in Ellaville, where Estes alternates the preaching duties. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling to the North Georgia mountains and fishing.
#31, Assistant Coach - Jeff Fussell
Jeff Fussell enters his second season as the Americus Travelers assistant coach, working mainly with the hitters. He graduated from Americus High School, where he played baseball with the Panthers from 1976-1978. Fussell also holds degrees in advanced electronics from South Georgia Technical College and in applied science from Georgia Southwestern State University.
Coach Fussell is a Certified Youth Sports Administrator and is A.F.O certified to manage aquatic facilities. He is the Recreation Manager for the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department.
Fussell has been a successful baseball coach for many years. His knowledge of the game and his ability to motivate young men makes him a valuable member of the Travelers staff.
Coach Fussell and his wife, Susie, have two children: Kate, a registered nurse in Columbus, and Adam, a student at Georgia Southern University. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf. He and his family are members of St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Plains.
#09, Assistant Coach - Adam Fussell
Adam Fussell is the son of Jeff & Susie Fussell of Americus, GA. He has one sister, Kate. Adam graduated from Southland Academy in 2008, where he was very involved in the baseball program. He was named to the All-Region Baseball Team in both his Junior and Senior years and was named to the All-State Baseball Team his Senior year as well. He spent the summers of 2005, 2006, & 2007 playing with the Americus Travelers. The Travelers won the 2006 AAU State Championship, where Adam was named as an AAU All-American. The team also won the 2007 USSSA National Championship and Adam was named as a USSSA All-American and to the All-Tournament team. In the fall of 2007, he played for the 5-Tool Baseball Organization and in the summer of 2008 won a state championship with the American Legion Post 182 of Leesburg, GA. Adam signed a scholarship with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and played a successful season in the spring of 2009. He now attends Georgia Southern University, where he is pursuing a degree in Recreation & Tourism with a minor in Coaching.
"I am absolutely ecstatic about being a coach for the 2013 summer season. It is an honor to be asked to coach such a fine group of young men, especially for the club that I used to be a part of as a player. It is my hope to pass down the knowledge I have gained to these young men during this season. I hope to be a role model for them in the physical and mental aspects of the game. I hope I can make an impact on them because I know they will have a huge impact on me."
