Meet the Instructors :: Baseball
 
The heart and soul of any sports academy is its staff of instructors.  BatSpeed® has assembled an all-star group. Their credentials insure that you receive sound, progressive fundamentals whether you want to take your total game or your hitting, pitching, catching or fielding skill set to the next level.

Scott Czerniejewski
Owner, BatSpeed
Instructional Specialty: Hitting and Catching

Scott’s passion is baseball. He has spent literally his whole life devoted to this sport and, in the process, developed a credible track record. He lettered and was team captain three out of four years while at Lindberg High School in St. Louis. During his senior year he was named MVP and Second Team All Missouri State Catcher. His natural talent earned him a baseball scholarship to Meramec College in St. Louis where he was the starting catcher for Head Coach, Ric Lessman, who is now at Washington University and has over 1,000 college wins to his credit. Scott’s collegiate career batting average was over .380. While at Meramec, Scott worked at Grand Slam USA where he provided hitting and catching instruction.

After a detour through corporate America, Scott has returned to what he loves and knows best, baseball. Sharing his love of the game and teaching his expertise in the areas of hitting and catching has motivated Scott to open BatSpeed, a premier baseball and softball academy.

Meet BatSpeed's Instructors
(presented in alphabetical order)

Jason Acevedo
Coach, 15U Lakeside Legends and 16U Racine Hitters

Instructional Specialty: Hitting, Pitching and Infielding
Jason has played collegiate baseball at CLC, Bradley and Carthage College and left his mark on all three schools. At CLC he was named All Conference and All Region. He was offered a scholarship to play at Division I Bradley. However, Jason’s real talents emerged at Carthage where he enjoyed one of the best hitting seasons in the school’s history. He lead his team in almost every offensive category starting with his .464 batting average. He was also tops in home runs, RBI’s, hits, doubles, triples, runs, total bases, walks, at-bats, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. His season average was the fourth highest in Carthage’s history. He has made the school’s record books in other statistical areas as well. As a result, he was named 1st Team All American in the Division III Coaches and Writers Poll.

Jason is a coach at Carthage’s summer baseball camp which draws close to 200 kids of all ages. For the past six summers, he has served as one of the four head coaches at the Vernon Hills Cougar Baseball Camp. If that wasn’t enough, Jason also is one of the head coaches for the Racine (WI) Hitters in-house 16U Fall High School League. Hitters is a highly competitive organization for 15U through 18U that competes in major baseball showcase tournaments.

More recently, Jason, who plays 1st base, has been offered a contract to try out with the Midwest Sliders of the independent Frontier League for the 2009 season. He also served as assistant hitting coach for Carthage who made it into the 2009 College World Series where the team placed third among Division III schools. He has just been named the head coach for the 15U Lakeside Legends, a showcase tournament team created by BatSpeed.

Boe Baitinger
Assistant Baseball Coach, Carthage College
Instructional Specialty: Hitting and Outfielding
Native Chicagoan Rickey Henderson, all-time stolen base leader, better look over his shoulder because BatSpeed’s instructor, Boe Baitinger, knows a thing or two about how to steal a base. In fact, he is the all-time career record holder for stolen bases (89) at Carthage College which is his alma mater. But that is not the only thing he does well. He is among Carthage’s all-time top ten when it comes to offensive stats. Boe’s hitting, speed and agility skills contributed to his being named team MVP his sophomore year and Carthage’s appearance at the World Series for Div. III schools his junior year. Boe was named to First Team, All Region and All Conference his sophomore year, Second Team, All Conference his junior year and First Team, All Conference his senior year.

Boe is originally from Appleton, WI where his dad was his coach and helped Boe make an early mark with seven straight Wisconsin titles in both Little League and Babe Ruth play. He currently is the Assistant Baseball Coach for Carthage College who just took third place for Div. III schools in the 2009 College World Series.  

Dan Esplin
Assistant Mustang Commissioner, Lake Bluff Baseball Association

Instructional Specialty: Pitching, Hitting and Infielding
Dan’s name and baseball record should be easy to recognize for anyone from Lake Forest. He was a three year letterman on the Lake Forest High School Varsity Baseball Team. He was named All Conference in 1989 and in 1990 was named All Conference and All Area as both a pitcher and center fielder. In 1990 he also captured honors for All County and First Team All State Centerfield. In 1991 Dan was invited to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier amateur baseball league in the nation since 1885. He followed that by playing for Division I baseball school, Southern Illinois where he lettered for four years before graduating in 1995.

He is one of Southern’s Top Ten all-time, offensive record holders for: At Bats, Games Played, RBI’s and Triples. Dan is the head coach for the Lake Bluff traveling team for nine year olds.

Joe Ferro
Coach, 10U Lakeside Legends and 16U Racine Hitters

Instructional Specialty: Hitting, Pitching and Infielding
After choosing to decline several athletic scholarships from local colleges after graduating from Romeoville High School, Joe joined the military. There he played in the Navy Baseball League for two years while stationed at Great Lakes. He was captain of his team, led his league in RBI’s, and with a .482 batting average, placed third in the league. The Navy team played in the collegiate summer league which gave Joe the opportunity as shortstop to play against teams throughout the Midwest and East. When he began his college career at CLC, he quickly made his mark as a freshman. He was named 1st Team All Conference and had a .452 batting average. He transferred to Carthage College where, as starting shortstop, he achieved an All Conference batting average of .365. Most recently, Joe was the starting short-stop for Carthage which took third place for Div. III schools in the 2009 College World Series.

He currently plays in the Kenosha-based, collegiate, Wisconsin State League at shortstop and in centerfield. In addition to his duties as Head Coach with the Kenosha Legion 16U Traveling Team, Joe has given private lessons for the past three years and coaches at Carthage’s summer baseball camp for kids of all ages. Joe is one of the head coaches for the Racine (WI) Hitter’s in-house Fall High School League and has just been named the head coach for the newly created 10U Lakeside Legends, a Lake Forest/Lake Bluff fall ball team. He was also offered the opportunity to play professional baseball in Croatia.

Derek Hall
Bio coming soon


Bill Johnson
Former Catcher, Windy City Thunderbolts – Frontier League

Instructional Specialty: Catching, Hitting and Fielding
During his four years at UW-Whitewater, Bill has racked up an enviable record. Success came early when, as a freshman, Bill was a member of UW-Whitewater team which won the DIII National Baseball Championship in 2004-2005. Fast forward to his junior year and Bill was recognized as All Conference Second Baseman. During his senior year, he was named Team MVP, Golden Glove winner, 1st Team All Conference Catcher, 1st Team All Region, and 2nd Team Academic All American. Also during his 2007-2008 senior year, the UW-Whitewater team placed third nationally in Division III. He served twice as team captain.

In addition to his stateside collegiate honors, Bill played for USA Athletes International, traveling to Australia and Germany in the respective summers of 2007 and 2008. He also has caught for the Windy City Thunderbolts, a minor league baseball team located in Crestwood, IL. Also, he has coached the summer baseball camp for kids of all ages at Carthage College

Randy Johnson
Pitcher, Kenosha Kings – Wisconsin State League

Instructional Specialty: Pitching
Randy started early to make his mark in the world of pitching. He was named 1st Team All Conference while he attended Tremper High School in Kenosha. When he attended UW-Whitewater, from which he just graduated, he was a member of the DIII National Championship Team in 2005. His team also captured three championships for the conference (WI Intercollegiate Athletic) in which UW-Whitewater plays. In Randy’s senior year, UW-Whitewater placed third in DIII’s College World Series.

On the individual front, Randy has pitched for the semi-pro baseball team, Kenosha Kings, for the past four summers. In 2007 he won the Wisconsin State League Pitcher of the Year.

Sean Lavery
Head Coach, 14U Gold Warren Devils
Instructional Specialty: Hitting and Infielding
Sean first became known for his defensive skills at shortstop and third base at Warren Township High School where he started for three years. During his junior year the team raised its profile by winning the ILHSA Regional Championship…a first in the team’s history. Sean was also recruited to play for the 16U and 18U Kenosha Indians, the highly respected competitive traveling team. Sean went on to play club ball at the University of Iowa during his junior and senior years and was able to participate in the NCBA Regional playoffs, a first for Iowa’s club team.

During the summers since his graduation he has been a special assistant to three different Warren Blue Devils teams. Now Sean is looking forward to being the first, non-parent head coach of the 14U Warren Blue Devils. In addition to Sean’s infield defensive skills, he is particularly interested in teaching the mental aspects of the game and game strategy.

Jeremy Lutz
Head Coach, Lake Forest Baseball Association 14U Blue Travel Team

Assistant Coach, 15U Lakeside Legends
Instructional Specialty: Pitching and Hitting
Jeremy Lutz has baseball in his blood. His dad ran the Little League and travel program in Fox Lake his whole life, so it was no surprise that when he asked Jeremy to coach the Grant Bulldogs Travel Team, it was the start of a developing youth coaching career. At that point Jeremy had already earned All Area honors and All County honors as a left-handed pitcher for Grant High School in Fox Lake and qualified for Team IL in the Perfect Game program. He had also played ball at the College of Lake County, where his team was conference contenders, and Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

He went on to become one of the four founders of the Lake County Sidewinders, which plays in Mike’s Memorial League, and draws its talent from Grant Township, Lake Villa and Antioch. Subsequently, he joined the Lake Forest Baseball Association first as in in-house coach and now as coach of the 14Gold travel team. When Jeremy is not coaching, he is stays occupied as a southpaw for independent teams such as the Kenosha Kings of the WI State League and the Lookouts of the Midwest Suburban League.  

Johnny Meier
Assistant Baseball Coach, Carthage College

Instructional Specialty: Hitting and outfielding
While many of the BatSpeed instructors have lots of accolades, no one can match Johnnie Meier’s honor of having been named Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year. He achieved this in 2001 as a senior at West Allis High School. Johnnie went on from there to showcase his athletic talent at Carthage College. As a freshman point guard on the basketball team, he helped Carthage make the DIII “Final Four” with a record of 29 and 2. At the same time, Johnnie was starting his four year baseball career at Carthage playing centerfield. While there he was named to the 1st Team All Conference in 2004/05, 1st Team All Region in 2004, and 3rd Team All Region in 2005.

Johnnie is in his third year as Assistant Baseball Coach at Carthage where he helps players improve their hitting techniques and outfielding skills. He can be proud of the fact that Carthage just took third place for Div. III schools in the 2009 College World Series. He also serves as head coach for the 16U Kenosha Bobcats traveling baseball team. His training in the field of education combined with his baseball skills and experience, make him a natural and effective instructor.

Kris Musselman
Baseball and FP Softball Instructor
Instructional Specialty: BB-Hitting and Pitching & SB-Hitting and Infielding

Kris, who graduated from Northwestern in 2000, was a 4-year starter in center field where he earned All Big Ten honors. He batted .370 in his junior year. Since leaving college, Kris has worked with four MLB teams including the Reds, Cubs, Brewers and Diamondbacks with their hitting and visions training. At the same time Kris has developed over 1,000 young clients with his effective teaching techniques. The 15-U travel team Kris coached in 2008 won the IL state championship.

Brad Naughton
Former Head Sophomore Baseball Coach, Lake Forest H.S.

Instructional Specialty: Hitting, Pitching and Infielding
Brad has coached baseball since 1989 primarily at the high school level. Prior to his tenure at Lake Forest, he has been a Varsity Assistant Coach at other area high schools.

Along with founder Bob Zacher (see BatSpeed instructor bio), he is well known as an organizer and coach of the Lake Forest Police Baseball Clinic, one of the largest, free baseball clinics in America. He is also the founder of the Sophomore Summer League. Brad is currently a member of the Illinois and American Baseball Coaches Association. He is also a board member of and coach/player for the Lake Bluff Baseball Association.

Brad played four years of college baseball at Millikin University in Decatur, IL as a middle infielder and pitcher. During his college summers, he played in collegiate scouting leagues. He has privately instructed pitching and hitting.

Mike O'Leary
Former Pitcher, Midwest Sliders – Frontier League

Instructional Specialty: Pitching
Meet BatSpeed’s newest southpaw. He has refined his pitching skills since high school and won lots of honors along the way. Mike took All Area and All Conference Honors, along with a trip to the IHSA state finals, during his playing career at Carmel High School in Mundelein. At College of Lake County, where he played for two years, he was All Conference and All Region. He completed his collegiate career at the University of Northern Iowa, a Division I school in Cedar Falls, where his team made it to the Missouri Valley Conference finals after a seven year dry spell.

Out of college, Mike played for the semi-pro Kenosha Kings where he was the winning pitcher in the Frank Langsdorf League 2008 championship game. His ability has been further recognized with a 2009 contract to pitch for the Midwest Sliders of the independent Frontier League.

Rob Piggott
Former Varsity Pitching Coach and Pitching Program Co-ordinator, Warren H.S.
Instructional Specialty: Pitching

Rob Piggott is in his eleventh season with the Warren program. The 2009 season will be his fifth as an assistant varsity coach, working as the pitching coach and program pitching coordinator. Piggott spent four years as the sophomore coach, winning the 2002 North Suburban Conference championship, and one year as the freshman A team coach.  He also spent three years coaching Stevenson’s sophomore summer league baseball team.

A graduate of the University of Evansville, Piggott played three years of varsity baseball as a pitcher and earned his degree in Secondary Education.  Prior to Evansville, Piggott played two years of varsity baseball at Stevenson High School as a pitcher and an outfielder.


Scott Shaw
Pitcher and Affiliate of the New York Mets

Instructional Specialty: Pitching
Major league scouts know talent when they see it and they certainly saw it in Scott Shaw, a 13th round pick for the New York Mets in the MLB’s June 2008 Free Agent draft. Scott’s pitching skills first emerged when he played ball at Warren and then later, on scholarship, at Division I U of I. After completing his redshirt junior season in June 2008 and signing his first professional contract for a handsome bonus with the Mets, he played a short season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets farm team. In the fall of 2008 he played in the Hawaiian Winter League. He then went off to the Mets’ spring training camp in March of 2009 and was assigned to the Mets’ Class A advanced affiliate in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the St. Lucie Mets.

Scott is known for his innate ability to understand what is going on and his outstanding arm action.” It also helps that Scott is 6’5”, 235 pounds and his typical fastball ranges between 88 and 92 MPH.

Bob Zacher
Founder and Director, Lake Forest Police Department Baseball Clinic

Instructional Specialty: Hitting, Pitching and Infielding
Bob is well known for his role as founder and director of the Lake Forest Police Department Baseball Clinic, one of the largest, free baseball clinics in the country. It serves approximately 225 youth with the help of 70 volunteers. This annual clinic uses the Walter Payton indoor practice facility, home of the Chicago Bears. He also has served as a travel baseball coach for over 20 years, mostly at the Pony League level.

Additionally, Bob has seven years of private instruction experience with young players where he focuses on mastering the fundamentals, arm care for young pitchers and creating a "plan of progression" with players and their parents. His own baseball career was cut short when he was 15 because of Little League elbow, an injury which resulted from overuse at a young age. Arm injuries prevented him from pursuing a letter of interest from the Chicago Cubs.

Bob is a Lake Forest Police Officer as well as a state certified Youth Officer Specialist. He has over 15 years working with youth as a high school resource officer and drug prevention instructor.