Raiders Coaches - Howard County Youth Program

Managers for the 2024-2025 Season

A baseball organization is only as good as its coaching staff. The HCYP Raiders program is fortunate to have a dedicated group of coaches with extensive baseball and coaching experience. Coaches are selected through a competitive process to ensure that only the most qualified individuals become HCYP Raiders coaches. These volunteers make a year-round commitment to develop our young people into the best individuals and baseball players they can be. If you are interested in coaching an HCYP Raiders team, please email the HCYP Raiders Travel Committee - [email protected]

8U Blue	Brady Rourke [email protected]	Coach Brady has been coaching youth baseball and basketball teams since 2019. He has served as commissioner and coach in the HCYP rec program since 2020. Growing up, Brady played football, basketball, and baseball and strives to instill the lessons learned in those he has the opportunity to coach with an emphasis on fundamental skill and character development. Along with the technical aspects of the game, developing teamwork is an important component of Coach Brady’s approach. Athletics has been impactful to him both personally and professionally, leading to a career in college athletics where he currently serves as associate athletic director at the University of Maryland. Brady played college baseball at NCAA DIII Penn State Altoona. In 2000, he was part of the Lions first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) conference championship.
9U Blue	Ted Gjeldum [email protected]	Coach Ted has been coaching baseball teams since 2019 but has been a private hitting and pitching instructor for over 15 years. Ted played professionally in the Kansas City Royals organization and played Division 1 baseball at Lafayette College where he lead his team to the NCAA Regionals in 2007. Prior to college he also had the honor of playing overseas with USA Athletes International. Coach Ted has a passion for teaching the skills of the game to kids to see them improve and love the game more and more. In addition to the physical skills, a major component of the game that Coach Ted likes to teach kids is the mental aspects - mindset, approach, and positive thinking - that can truly unlock a players potential. His goal for his teams are to improve as individuals, come together as a team, grow their love of baseball, and to use baseball to help kids develop their character.
9U White	Kevin Geraghty [email protected]	Coach Kevin has been coaching youth sports including baseball, basketball, and soccer for the last 4 years. He’s been a baseball coach for HCYP rec and summer all-star teams in the past. This is his first season coaching the Raiders. Coach Kevin grew up playing baseball, basketball, tennis, and golf, and he’s hoping to instill the lessons he learned from his involvement in youth sports in the players he now coaches. Coach Kevin emphasizes a positive and fun environment where players can not only improve their baseball skills, but also learn the importance of teamwork and build strong characters. Coach Kevin is a small business owner, living and working in Ellicott City near Kiwanis Park.
10U Blue	Anthony Socarras [email protected]	Coach Anthony brings a deep passion for baseball and a defensive mindset to the Raiders organization. He grew up playing in Miami, Florida, where he excelled in high school baseball, leading his team to a state title game before continuing his athletic career at UMBC, where he played Division I baseball. Since 2017, Coach Anthony has been a dedicated part of the HCYP coaching staff, joining the Raiders organization in 2022. As a coach and father of three boys who also play baseball, he places a strong emphasis on developing well-rounded student-athletes, balancing success on the field with academic achievement. His coaching philosophy focuses on strong defensive fundamentals, discipline, and teamwork while fostering a love for the game and building character both on and off the field. Coach Anthony is committed to helping players grow not just as athletes, but as individuals who succeed in all areas of life.
10U White	Lee Melvin [email protected]	Coach Lee is a lifelong Howard County (Ellicott City) resident and has been involved with HCYP since he was 6 years old on one of the very first organized t-ball teams in 1990. Growing up, Lee played HCYP baseball and basketball and spent his free time working a variety of jobs at Kiwanis Park, including field maintenance, umpiring, and working at the snackbar. Additionally, he attended Mt. Hebron high school and was a pitcher, first baseman and outfielder for the Vikings. As a former Raider himself, Lee understands the history and culture of the program. He feels passionate about giving back to the program that has had such an incredible impact on his childhood. He is grateful for all of the coaching he had over the years at HCYP and he is passionate about continuing the tradition of success in his role as a coach. Lee returned to HCYP in 2017 to coach and now has 3 sons who are all involved in the program as well. He works hard to ensure that his sons and their teammates improve, have fun, and share the positive experiences he had growing up in the program. He believes that coaching goes beyond the skills and abilities and is truly about developing work ethic, discipline, and teaching athletes lessons that enable them to be well rounded and prepare them for the future.
11U Blue	Johnny Vo [email protected]	Coach Johnny has been coaching soccer, basketball, and baseball since 2018. He's coached all levels of HCYP baseball, from Rookie to International to Summer All-Stars and currently Raiders for the past three years. Growing up playing multiple sports, he takes his experience and incorporates drills & exercises to show how they are all related. With fundamentals and confidence as the major components of his coaching style, his focus is not just having baseball players, but all-around athletes . Coach Johnny's mantra: "Teamwork makes the dream work", and there's no better way than having a lot of fun together, on and off the field.
11U White	Mark Neal [email protected]
12U Blue	Ryan Hurd [email protected]	Coach Ryan began coaching in the HCYP program in 2016, and has been coaching the Raiders since 2019. He has also coached youth baseball and basketball in Howard County since 2015, and has additional coaching experience with Dulaney High School in the boys basketball program. Coach Ryan grew up playing baseball, basketball, and golf and he now shares his love for athletics as a Physical Education teacher in Howard County. With over 15 years of teaching experience in Howard and Prince George's County, he has the instructional skills to get the most out of his players and help them reach their full potential. He is committed to providing a positive and fun baseball environment for his players, with a strong focus on fundamentals, skill development and growth, teamwork, accountability, and character building.
12U White	Julie Stevenson [email protected]	Coach Julie has been coaching youth sports for 6 years including baseball and soccer. She has coached baseball for the HCYP Rec league from 2018-2020 and currently stands as the league’s Vice Commissioner. This is her 2nd year as a Raiders coach. She has previously coached softball at the 14U and 16U travel level. This is her 2nd summer directing a summer softball camp for youth in July at KWP as well. Coach Julie played softball competitively up through college at Salisbury University as a shortstop earning All-County honors for 3 years and enjoyed a trip to the College World Series her sophomore year at Salisbury.
13U Blue	Mike Martin [email protected]	Coach Mike has been coaching with HCYP since 2014. The HCYP organization and the fundamentals learned from his playing days is what brought him back to the Raiders. As a coach, he preaches to his group what it means to be part of a team, embracing difference, dealing with adversity, and playing for each other over themselves. He likes to adapt to each player, knowing that not everyone learns the same way nor do they all have the same strengths or weaknesses. Creativity, passionate and fun are words used to describe Coach. Mike received All County honors 3 of his 4 years in high school, All Conference honors 1 of his 4 years in college, and played on multiple showcase and all star teams in his career. The teams he played on reached success at national, state and local levels.
13U White	Eric Glenn [email protected]	Coach Eric played youth baseball, football and basketball at HCYP and played his final two years of legion baseball with the Raiders before going to Carson Newman College. He was fortunate to have an opportunity to play in the Division ll College World Series in 1993. Coach Eric has also coached at the Rec and Rec All-Star level before joining the Raiders. He believes in strong fundamentals, a team first mentality, and growing young athletes on and off the field.
2029 Oakes	Mike Oakes [email protected]	Coach Mike grew up in Maryland and played baseball, basketball, and football as a youngster. In high school, Mike was an all County honorable mention selection in baseball where he played third base. His high school teams were Region champions 3 years in a row and State Semifinalists 2 out of 3 years. He was a first team All Legion performer at first base where he also led the league in home runs. Coach Mike furthered his baseball career by playing for the University of Maryland Terrapin baseball team where he pitched from 1992-94. Coach Mike has been coaching youth sports for over 10 years including baseball, softball, lacrosse, and basketball. He is a big believer in the value of youth sports and how they support building resilient, self-motivated, team first, leaders. Coach Mike really enjoys coaching and takes great pride in helping develop his kid’s baseball skills while at the same time teaching them life lessons.
2029 Blank	Mike Blank [email protected]	Coach Mike has been coaching in HCYP since 2016. He has also coached at various levels of rec baseball over the last 20 years. One of his passions is passing along the skills and life lessons that are inherent in baseball. He loves teaching kids how to play the game, and to see them grow as players. Coach Mike began playing baseball in PG County in the CYO league and won back-to-back CYO championships. Coach Mike played Jr. Babe Ruth in Middle School and went on to play high school Baseball at High Point and received All County Honors 2 out of his 4 years. He also played in the Sr. Babe Ruth league and won the Sr. Babe Ruth All-Star State Championship. He played American Legion baseball as well during high school and led the team in hitting. Coach Mike then went on to play in JUCO and was an All-American. After JUCO he went on to play baseball in MCBA for 4-5 years and eventually switched to playing competitive softball over the last 15+ years.
2028 Kane	Jason Kane [email protected]	Coach Kane is entering his 8th season in the Raiders program and 14th overall coaching travel baseball. As an assistant and head coach, his Raiders teams have won 349 games and 36 tournament championships. Prior to his tenure with the Raiders, Coach Kane led the Maryland Cardinals, and in his first three seasons built the program from an 8-41 record to a 75 win season in year three. Coach Kane grew up in Baltimore and Howard Counties, playing travel baseball for Liberty Road and at Oakland Mills High School. Coach Kane also had stints playing at the JuCo level, before injuries ended his playing career. Coach Kane brings energy and enthusiasm to every practice and game, and he expects his players to match his passion.
2028 Baer	Dave Baer [email protected]	Coach Dave has been part of the HCYP community since he was a youth player. He has 15 years of coaching experience, serving as a head coach and assistant coach in the HCYP recreational program from Rookie through Minor, the Memorial Day Tournament, and the Raiders program. The 2025 season will be his 8th as a Raiders manager. He and his coaching staff use tailored skills development techniques to meet the individual needs of each player. They focus on situational baseball and building sound fundamental baseball skills using proven isolated and team drills. Coach Dave is passionate about the positive impact that young players derive from youth sports.
2027 Smith	Ryan Smith [email protected]	Coach Ryan has been a dedicated baseball coach since 2004. He grew up in Montgomery County, where he developed his skills playing for UMAC and GSA, excelling as a shortstop, catcher, and pitcher. Throughout high school, he was a standout player, starting all four years on the Varsity baseball team, and leading in batting average and pitching strikeouts. Demonstrating leadership early, he served as team captain during his sophomore, junior, and senior years, and earned all-conference honors in his junior and senior years. Ryan furthered his baseball career at Montgomery College. With eight years of experience coaching travel baseball, Ryan has also contributed as a Varsity baseball coach at a local Howard County school. His expertise as a pitching and catching coach has benefited numerous travel baseball teams before he took on the role of head coach for Raiders Blue. Ryan's coaching philosophy for the Raiders Blue focuses on preparing players to compete at the collegiate level. He emphasizes exposure to college coaches, with a schedule packed with college showcases and top-tier tournaments. This team is geared towards players committed to pursuing collegiate baseball, providing them with the opportunities and training needed to achieve their goals.
2027 Balighian	Eric Balighian [email protected]	Coach Eric has been coaching baseball with HCYP since 2012. He also coaches or coached many other youth sports such as basketball, soccer, and wrestling. He has learned from some great baseball minds by helping coach HCYP Raiders White and Summer All Stars in previous years. Eric has played baseball and basketball most of life his and still plays basketball weekly. Coach Eric is a pediatrician who puts kids first and everything else second. He enjoys teaching both the mental and physical aspects of baseball. He believes baseball teaches confidence while having humility, teamwork while improving individually, and resilience to handle well the ups and downs of baseball and life.
2026 Johnston	Brendon Johnston [email protected]	Coach Brendon has coached both spring and fall baseball for HCYP for the last 4 years at levels ranging from rookie to major. He has also been the head coach of a 12U summer rec all-star team, and an assistant coach of an 8U all-star team. Growing up Brendon played catcher and 2nd base. Coach Brendon brings a passion for the game and an upbeat positive approach that kids enjoy. He believes in developing the skills kids possess and helping all improve both their mental and physical approach to the game. In his spare time Coach Brendon is an NCAA Division 1 Football official.
College	Andy Sancomb [email protected]	Coach Andy has coached for over 25 years at the recreational, travel, and high school levels, including 2 years assistant coaching for Glenelg High School, 23 years coaching travel teams, and 4 years as the head coach for St. Joseph’s. Andy played baseball through high school, playing second base and outfield.