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Instructors
Softball
Gerald (Jerry) Lewis -- Jerry
started coaching girls' softball in 1993 and has been involved
with all aspects of the
game at every age level. He has coached various age groups in
summer league/tournament/team formats. He has
been a coach at the middle school and high school level. He has
been specializing in pitching instruction of all
ages, most recently as an assistant with Ty Stoflett at Freedom
High School.
Mary Nixon -- Mary is a Lehigh
Valley native who has played softball for most of her life. She
played outfield
for Emmaus High School and was named to the All Conference team
for three consecutive years, received the
Coach’s award for the highest batting average as a sophomore
and voted team captain her senior year. Mary
continued playing softball as a freshman starter for Kutztown
University. A change in career goals brought her to
DeSales University to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Sport
Administration as well as playing for DeSales
softball team. She has played and coached for teams in
Baltimore Maryland, Key West Florida and has been a
volunteer coach for Emmaus and Allen High schools.
Meghan Wolfer -- Meghan had four
outstanding years at Allentown Central Catholic and Penn State
University
as a softball player. She earned eight varsity letters at ACC,
overall, and was team captain of her softball team in
2003. She was two-time first team EPC and
first team LVC. She was a two-time second team all-area player and
first team all-area and District 2 champion her junior year.
She was a four-year starter at Penn State University and
was second team All-Big Ten in 2004.
Baseball
Jeff Bittiger --
Jeff is a current professional scout for the Oakland Athletics. He
had a four year major league career
with the Phillies, Twins and White Sox 1986-89.Compiled a 4-6
record and 4.77 ERA. Member of World Champion 1987
Minnesota Twins. Went 2-4 with 4.23 ERA including 8 starts for
1988 Chicago White Sox. Has 10 Championship rings to
his credit including two in both the International League and
Pacific Coast League. He is a former 7th round pick out
of Secaucus, NJ H.S. as a P/3B by the NY Mets. Played
professional baseball from 1980-2002 with Mets, Phillies, Twins,
White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, Royals and A's. During that time
won over 200 games and recorded over 2000 strikeouts.
Pitched 10 years at the AAA level where he won 100 games. Hit
HR in 2nd ML at bat and is a career .270 AAA hitter.
Named
NJ HS Baseball Player of the Decade 1970-1980. Went 14-0, 215 K's,
0.30 ERA in 107 IP SR year for State Champion
Secaucus High in 1980 & 27-6, 415 K's in 3 years. Hit .555 with 7
HR's in 1980 & had 115 hits and 16 HR's in 4 year HS career.
Named
Baseball America's Independent Player of the Decade of the 90's.
Pitched with Fargo-Moorhead from 1996-2002
including 12-1, 1.94 season in 1998 where Fargo was named team of
the decade winning championship with 70-21 record.
Timeline: 1980: NJ HS State Champs; 1981: Led Carolina League
in strikeouts; 1982: Texas League Pitcher of the Year;
1983:
Tidewater Tides AAA World series Champs; 1985: Tidewater
International LG Champs; 1986: MLB debut with Phillies;
1987:
Minnesota Twins World Champs; 1988: 61 IP with Chicago White Sox;
1989: Led PCL in ERA, Vancouver PCL Champs;
1990:
Led PCL in Wins, Albuquerque PCL Champs; 1996-2003- Northern
League Fargo Pitching Coach;
1996-current: Fargo Player Personnel consultant; Has
assisted during Fall and Winter at Seton Hall University;
Has run
many private throw and swing training sessions throughout off
seasons.
Ryan Bordenick -- Ryan comes to
LVBA after playing and coaching professional baseball for 7
seasons.
Ryan attended the Univ. of South Carolina where he was a
perennial All-SEC selection and 1st and 2nd team
All-American his Junior and Senior seasons. He still holds
numerous top 10 career, season, and individual records.
Ryan's most notable records include USC’s single season batting
average record of .419 and USC’s career batting
average record of .357. His career numbers include 41 doubles,
34 homeruns, and 180 RBI’s in 163 games. He was
also selected as the Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the
University his senior year. Ryan was drafted by the
Milwaukee Brewers in the 9th round of the 1998 amateur draft.
He spent 3 years in the organization playing in the
Pioneer league with the Ogden Raptors and the Midwest League
with the Beloit Snappers, where his teams made
the post season each year. Ryan then moved onto a career with
the Allentown Ambassadors and a short stint with
the Quebec City Les Capitals of the Northern League. Ryan
played 3 years with the Ams, and received a starting
All-Star nod during his best season, which saw him hit .308, 11
HRs and drive in 68 runs as a catcher. He was on
the Ambassadors coaching staff until the organization ceased
operations in 2004. Ryan has traveled nationally
with the Baseball Factory doing clinics and showcases, has 10+
years of personal instruction background, and has
helped numerous students go on to play at the collegiate level.
Corey Bugno -- Corey is currently
a Manager, Marketing with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA
Affiliate of the
Philadelphia Phillies. He was a 4-year letterman at Abington
Heights High School as a pitcher and outfielder and was
All-Region first team. He won the United States Marine Corp.
Distinguished Athlete Award in 2002. Corey was a 4-year
letterman and outfielder for Duquesne University Dukes in the
Atlantic 10 Conference from 2002-06. While at
Duquesne, he worked camps with coaches from the University and
the Pittsburgh Pirates. Corey has also given
private lessons for boy and girls, ages 5-to-18 and worked with
local little leagues, legion programs and assisted
Coach Paul McGloin with the West Scranton High School Varsity
Baseball Team.
John Connell -- John is a
Bethlehem Catholic High School and Arcadia University graduate
(2007), where he was a
four year starter at first-base. John was a three time
all-conference player and twice named to the Mid-Atlantic
All-American team. He currently holds the career records for
RBI's and doubles at Arcadia University.
Dylan Dando -- Dylan has currently
taken a position as Associate Scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He has
coached in the Lehigh Valley for the last 10 years, at the
college level with Northampton Community College as
an Assistant. He has coached at the American Legion baseball
level with Silver Creek. He has coached on the
Amateur baseball level as an Assistant with the Lehigh Township
Brewers in the Tri-County League from 2002
through 2004, winning two championships. He was the Manager of
the Silver Creek Raiders in the Tri-County
League in 2005. He is currently the Manager of the Limeport
Bulls in the Tri-County League. Dylan has also run
tryout camps for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played two years
at Northampton CC and was a standout pitcher
there, as he also was in the Tri-County and Blue Mountain
Leagues. Dylan's Tri-Co Managerial record is 46-18
and he has had several players go on to play pro ball.
Matt Danner -- - Matt was a three
year Varsity starter at Boyertown High school and was an All-Area
and All-League
selection two times, played on the 1995 District 3 championship
team and was a two-time state champ with the
Boyertown Legion Bears. Played two years for the nationally
ranked University of South Carolina under coaches Ray
Tanner, Jim Toman (current head coach at Liberty), and Jerry
Myers (current head coach Old Dominion). Matt was an
Assistant Coach at Owen J. Roberts High School in 2003 (they
were Pac-10 champs that year) and he has been an
Assisstant Coach at Boyertown High School the last four seasons
(4 straight Pac-10 Championships 2004-07). He has
also played 12 years in the Tri-County League and has been a
player/manager the last three seasons, compiling an
83-17-2 record as manager of Gabelsville Owls. He has one
championship as a coach and four as a player.
Keith Henggeler -- Keith grew up
in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was a 3-year letter winner at Pius X High
School, and
holds 7 school records for hitting and pitching. Played on
summer All-Star teams with Alex Gordon, a 3rd-baseman
for the Kansas City Royals, and Joba Chamberlain of the New
York Yankees. In 2004 (senior year) he hit . 477 which
led the state of Nebraska in hitting and he was named All-City
Captain, and 1st- team All-State. Went on to play at
NJCAA Division 1 Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City,
Missouri, the college home of Albert Pujols.
In 2007, he signed a contract with the Bridgeport Bluefish of
the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, under
manager Tommy John. This past October, he signed a contract
with the Tarrant County Blue Thunder under manager
Curtis Wilkerson, part of the Continental League of
Professional Baseball, which is located in Dallas Texas. Keith
signed as a pitcher. Keith's coaching credentials include the
past two high school baseball seasons as a hitting
instructor and pitching coach, as well as an assistant coach
of varsity baseball at Pius X in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has
also been an instructor at the Saltdogs Spring Training
facility for both hitting and pitching. He did lessons for
students ranging from ages 7-19 years of age.
Matt McBride -- - Matt was a
former stand-out player at Liberty High School and Lehigh
University. Matt batted .417
(88-for-211) with 19 doubles, 12 homers, 56 runs, 61 RBI and
went 22-for-27 in stealing bases in 56 games as a junior at
Lehigh in 2006. In his three seasons at Lehigh, Matt hit .350
(198-for-565) with 56 doubles, 17 homers, 125 RBI in 149
games. Matt was an All-Patriot League catcher in 2005 and 2006
and was Patriot League Player of the Year in 2006.
Matt was drafted in the second round (75th overall) in 2006 by
the Cleveland Indians, signed on June 13, 2006, and is
currently a catcher in their organization.
Mike McDaniel -- Mike is the
hitting coach and catching instructor at DeSales University.
During his six year tenure,
the Bulldogs have finished in the top 10 in the country in team
hitting 4 times and set many offensive records on the
Center Valley campus. DeSales has made 4 NCAA tournaments and
had 1 College World Series appearance as well.
Mike has had 2 All American selections, 3 conference players of
the year, and a rookie of the year, plus over a
dozen hitters have been selected to All-Region status. McDaniel
also managed the Lehigh Valley Clippers in the first
two seasons of their newly added franchise in the Blue Mtn.
League. In the first season, the Clippers qualified for the
playoffs and were eliminated in the second round. Career record
in the BML is 42-40. Mike served as the pitching
coach at Muhlenberg College in 2002 where the Mules set a
school record for wins (25) and had the conference
player/pitcher of the year in Josh Carter on his staff.
Professional Coaching experience includes stints in the Atlantic
League and Northern League as a third base coach and director
of player development. Before arriving in the Lehigh
Valley, Mike played his high school baseball at Green Forest
High School, where he was the all-time hits leader and
holds many offensive records to date, and is among the leaders
in several pitching categories as well. Collegiately,
Mike was a two-way player at North Arkansas College where his
teams finished #1 in the country (NJCAA) in team
hitting both seasons he was there and he also served as the
team's closer. The Pioneers finished ranked in the top 10
in the NJAA polls consecutive seasons in 1994 and 1995. From
there, McDaniel went on to play at University of the
Ozarks. While at Ozarks, Mike continued to put up good
offensive numbers as he finished his career as a .355 hitter
with a total of 27 homers between the two schools. After
college, Mike attempted to make a team with the Royals and
Devil Rays and was forced to retire due to numerous injuries.
Mike has over 7 years of private instructional
experience with kids of all ages. He is considered by many of
his peers at the college and pro level as one of the
hardest workers and best hitting coaches in the country.
Doug Meiners -- Doug was drafted
out of high school in the 15th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. He
spent 7
seasons (1992-1998) in the Toronto organization. In 1995 Doug
led all of professional baseball in fewest walks per
nine innings pitched -- giving up 14 walks in 117 innings. In
1995-96, Doug played winter-ball in Australia where he
led the team in several categories including wins and innings
pitched , helping to lead the Sydney Blues to their first
Australian Baseball League Championship. In 1997 Doug played
in the Arizona Fall League, a top prospect league
for AA and AAA players. Doug spent two seasons learning under
Rick Peterson, current pitching coach of the New
York Mets. He spent another two seasons learning from Darren
Balsley, current pitching coach of the San Diego
Padres. Although injuries forced Doug to retire from the Blue
Jays, he has continued to remain active in baseball,
passing on the knowledge he obtained throughout his career.
He has served as the pitching coach for both Lehigh
Valley Christian High School and Freedom High School. He has
been active at several baseball camps throughout
the Lehigh Valley as well as giving private pitching lessons.
Pete Moore -- Pete just about
re-wrote the Moravian record book in his outstanding 4-year
career. He is the
career-leader in at-bats (502), hits (171), doubles (34), total
bases (261). He holds the single-season record for hits (53),
batting average (.396), RBI (39), total bases (90) and
defensive assists (107). He is third on the Moravian career list
in
triples and assists, fourth in home runs, and fifth in stolen
bases. His awards include National Player of the Week and
he was Conference Player of the Week twice.
Matt Reppert -- Matt pitched and
played 1B for Dieruff High School for four years before pitching
at Desales
University for four years, compiling a career 27-8 record,
including four regional wins and a Division III College
World Series appearance. He also pitched for the Lehigh Valley
Catz for 3 years. Matt was an instructor at the
DeSales baseball camps every summer while there and was the
Allen HS pitching and junior varsity coach in 2007.
Matt pitched for the Northern Yankees in the Tri-County League
and was 3-2 with a 0.88 ERA in 2007.
Mike Santay -- Mike is a
Wescosville, PA native who attended Emmaus High School. He was a
two-time
All-Conference selection at catcher before going on to play
four years at Mary Washington College. While at MWC,
Mike was a member of four nationally ranked and two NCAA
tournament teams. After graduating, Mike spent two
years as an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island.
During that time, the program went to the conference
tournament for the first time in 20 years and also produced
three players who were drafted by Major League
Baseball. After that, Mike then spent four years as an
assistant coach at Mary Washington where he worked with the
hitters, catchers, and outfielders. During that time, the
program was ranked in the top 25 three times and had a .712
winning percentage, while going to two NCAA tournaments. The
program also had a .335 batting average during his
tenure. Mike has also worked numerous camps with some of the
top coaches in college and professional baseball.
During the 2008 season, Mike will also be the head coach for
Lower Macungie Legion program.
Scott Stewart -- Scott is a
Nazareth, PA native who attended Nazareth High School and was a
four-year member
of the baseball team. Scott attended Northampton Community
College for two years and helped lead his squad to a
PCAA State Championship in 1998-99. The lefthander also earned
all-conference and all-state recognition in 1998-99
while at NCC. Stewart then went on to graduate from York
College in 2002 with a degree in Sport Management. He
pitched two seasons for York where he posted a 9-2 career
record with three saves in a career that included one
season as a starting pitcher and one as a relief hurler. Since
then, Scott has spent the last 7 years on the coaching
side of the ball. He spent 5 seasons coaching in the Patriot
League at the Division 1 level as an assistant coach at
Lafayette College. Scott primarily worked with the Lafayette
pitching staff, but also assisted with the everyday
operation of the program, helping lead the Leopards to three
championship appearances in five years. Scott has
since spent the last 2 seasons as the top assistant/pitching
coach at Moravian College. He has pitched in the
Tri-County League since 2000, compiling a 40-16 record and is
among the leaders in virtually every pitching
category this decade. Scott currently resides in Bethlehem.
John Stezenko -- A life-long
All-Star player at every level of baseball, John played at Upper
Perk H.S. and
the
Perkiomen Post #184 Legion team. He then went to Gloucester County
Community College in 1999 where he was
part of
the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association World Series
champions. He was also named the NJCAA
Regional MVP. John then moved on to Georgia Southwestern College,
where he was named the NAIA Region XIII
Player
of the Year, and was an All-American, All-Region and
All-Conference selection. John was also Player of the
Year
and an All-American, All-Region and All-Conference selection in
the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference
(GACC).
During his career at GSW (2001-03), he broke several records. In
2002, John set single-season records for
stolen
bases (96 out of 103 attempts -- breaking the 1978 record), runs
scored (83), at-bats (241) and hits (89). He played
in
wooden-bat leagues in the summer during his collegiate career,
including the ACBL. He played for the Lehigh
Township Brewers and Silver Creek Raiders in the Tri-County League
(winning a championship with LT) and was
then
contracted with the Richmond Roosters of the Frontier League,
before being released on May 16, 2005. John
currently plays for the Hellertown Royals of the Blue Mountain
League where he was an All-League selection and
Rookie
of the Year.
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