Raiders Coaches - Howard County Youth Program

Managers for the 2022-2023 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 - hcypraiderstravelcommittee@gmail.com

8U Blue	Colin Boteler cboteler80@gmail.com	Coach Colin grew up in Prince George's County, where he played for the New Carrolton Cougars club program, playing middle infield, center field, and pitcher. Later in life he transitioned to competitive softball where he traveled all over the US competing and having success at a high level until 2018. He has been coaching baseball teams since 2015 and coaching Raiders teams since 2019 with great success. He challenges his players and works very hard in practices so that they have a ton of fun and success on game days. He holds them accountable but celebrates in a big way all of the little successes to build their trust and confidence in the process of development. He is a firm believer in bringing passion, energy, and enthusiasm to the field every day so that his players will respond in kind.
9U Blue	Young Chun younghchun@gmail.com	Coach Young grew up in New Jersey and played baseball, football and basketball all the way through high school. Since moving to Maryland, Coach Young has coached a number of youth sports teams to include baseball and basketball for over 6 years. Coach Young is a firm believer in developing the proper fundamentals at an early age and loves to challenge his players to reach their full potential by continuing to develop their strengths while focusing on improving their weaknesses. Coach Young is always looking to improve not only the physical aspect but the mental game for his players and is committed to instilling a team-first mentality with a work hard, play hard attitude.
9U White	Steve Calfo stevecalfo@athleticyoga.com	Steve has been coaching youth sports for 5 years including baseball, basketball, and flag football. Steve recently coached a UA Flag Football league that finished the season ranked 5^th in the Nation. Steve has coached fall/spring/summer HCYP baseball including Pinto, International, 8U Blue SAS, 10U Select, and the MDT. Steve embraces and applies core Raider values and is dedicated to continuous improvement trough individual skill development and teamwork as he has learned from all of the outstanding Raider coaches. He prepares the players for success through working hard and developing strong practice habits. Steve teaches his players to be mentally tough and resilient and instills baseball lessons and life lessons. Steve adjusts his coaching style to fit the individual and the team. He gets to know his players as individuals and is sensitive to their needs, both in sports and their personal lives. He is highly energized and motivates his players with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. Steve has been coaching athletes through functional yoga for 20+ years and includes a National Triathlon and World Series Champion. Steve grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed a successful career playing Little League through American Legion baseball and college basketball at Carnegie Mellon University. Steve was a Junior All-American in basketball and led the 12U Pennsylvania team to a 4^th Place finish in the national tournament. Steve was the MOP of the largest Little League All Star tournament in Western PA in 1980.
10U Blue	Ryan Hurd rhurd1@gmail.com	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.
10U White	Julie Stevenson julie.stevensonhcyp@gmail.com	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.
11U Blue	Mike Martin mike.martin.us@gmail.com	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.
11U White	Eric Glenn ericglenn05@gmail.com	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.
12U Blue	Mike Oakes mdoakes42@gmail.com	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.
12U White	Justin Shipley justin.shipley@yahoo.com	Coach Justin has 17 years of coaching experience, beginning his coaching career as a football coach at Winters Mill High School. He has been coaching within the HCYP baseball program since 2016. Justin grew up in Carroll County where he played sports for the Sykesville/Freedom recreational and travel programs, and continued his athletic career at Liberty High School. He is passionate about sports and most importantly, the life lessons taught through athletics. He will always put an emphasis on a positive attitude, enthusiasm, work ethic and being the most complete athlete as possible. Justin continues to play sports in various men’s leagues around the area and is an avid Baltimore and UNC sports fan. He resides in Western Howard County with his wife and 3 children.
12U Black	Mike Blank blankman3673@gmail.com	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.
13U Blue	John Rayne jmrayne@yahoo.com	Coach John grew up in Salisbury, MD where he played high school baseball at Parkside High. John was a 3 year Varsity player at Parkside as a pitcher and shortstop. John was selected to the Maryland all-state team his senior year. After high school John earned a Division 1 scholarship to play baseball at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1988-1992. John was a 4 year starting pitcher for the Terps and is second on the all-time wins list at Maryland, as well as in the top 5 in innings pitched and games started. During his senior year, John was named the NCAA National Player of the Week after pitching a no-hitter vs. University of Virginia. After college John spent 4 years as an assistant baseball coach at his former high school. John was also the head coach of Salisbury’s American Legion team for 2 years, with the team finishing 3^rd in the Maryland state tournament in his second year. John was elected to the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. John has been with HCYP for 2 years as an assistant coach with the 8u and 9u Raiders before becoming a head coach. John is a big believer that youth sports helps kids build a sense of teamwork and other valuable life skills that they will carry with them long after they are done playing.
13U White	Skip Baylor skipbaylor@gmail.com	Coach Baylor has coached at various levels of youth baseball for over 40 years, spanning age groups from 8U through 19U. His focus on establishing expectations for his players to engage in selfless and team-oriented baseball has contributed to the success of his teams, as well as the positive personal character development of his players.
13U Black	Dave Baer dave.baer05@gmail.com	Coach Dave has been part of the HCYP community since he was a youth player. He has 13 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 2023 season will be his 6th 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.
14U Blue	Jeremy Schwendeman schwendemanj@gmail.com	Coach Jeremy has coached both spring and fall baseball for HCYP for the last 4 years. Growing up in Ohio, he played catcher and infield in high school and in American Legion baseball. Coach Jeremy first started his coaching career at the University of Akron, where he coached football. Coach Jeremy brings his innate love of teaching to his coaching philosophy, which focuses on individual player development, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
14U White	Eric Balighian ebaligh1@jhmi.edu	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.
15U Blue	Brendon Johnston johnston181@hotmail.com	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.
15U White	Scott Houghton scotthoughton07@gmail.com	Coach Scott grew up in southern Michigan where he played football, baseball and wrestled. In High School Scott was an all-state wrestler, two-time league honorable mention in football. During Scott’s senior year, his wrestling team won the state championship, and the team was later inducted into the school and county sports hall of fame. Scott has been coaching youth sports for 10 years, including wrestling, football and baseball. Scott emphasizes two things, first that regardless of the sport, kids need to be athletes first and secondly that lessons of the game reach far beyond sports and eventually become life lessons. Coach Scott is passionate about teaching kids that with focus and effort anything is possible.
16U Blue	Anthony Kerere 443.812.2752 speedy630@yahoo.com	Coach Anthony has been involved with HCYP and the Raiders since 2009. However, baseball has been a fixture in his life for a long time. As an effort to share his experience and passion for the game, Kerere began his coaching career in 2009 and over the past several years he has been a fixture at HCYP serving as Head Coach or Assistant Coach for: Rec Spring season; Rec Fall ball for International through Major aged teams and Raiders. In the past 12 years, he has been a Head or Assistant Coach of 21 different teams. He also is the Uniform Coordinator for all of HCYP (Rec and Travel) as well as Buckshot Field Coordinator. As the Black coach for 3 years (12U – 14U), he amassed over 70 wins and 7 Tournament Championship Wins. In his 1^st tournament as the 15U Blue Coach, his team won the STATS Harvest Moon Wood Bat Tournament. Coach Kerere does not demand perfection, but he does expect that his teams are ready to go every day and leave everything on the field each and every game. He will provide them with all the necessary resources to succeed and will make sure that they are ready to play at a high level every day.
16U White	Mark Corriere markcorriere@hotmail.com	Coach Mark grew up in Ellicott City and played HCYP baseball from age 7 through the end of high school. He has coached in the HCYP baseball program since 2006 in a variety of roles with the recreational program, Summer All-Stars and Raiders travel baseball. He has also coached in the HCYP basketball program in the past. Off the field Mark is a Navy veteran and an endocrinologist.
17U Blue	Joe D'Alonzo dalonzoadvisors@yahoo.com	"Coach Joe" D'Alonzo started his HCYP career as a little league and travel team All-Star catcher in the late 70's. While growing up only minutes from the fields, as a youth he competed on the same HCYP diamonds that he coaches on today. A pioneer of the HCYP Raiders program, D'Alonzo not only played on one of the first Raiders teams ever, but helped build Buckshot Field in the mid 1980's. D'Alonzo had a stellar high school baseball career at Centennial High School, where he played catcher, was a team captain and earned All-Region, All-Metro, and All-County honors. Following high school, Joe earned a D1 scholarship to the University of Maryland where he played catcher and first base. Joe has been coaching HCYP baseball since 2008. The 2022-2023 season will mark his final season as a Raiders Head Coach. Since becoming a Raiders Head Coach in 2016, D'Alonzo has compiled (32) Tournament/League Championships while also helping 24 of his former players realize their dream of playing college baseball, including (6) D1 commitments. Over the past few years D'Alonzo has led Raiders Showcase teams that regularly play in front of both college and pro scouts at college venues. Each year these Showcase teams are ranked as one of the top teams in state of Maryland and routinely boast players that are named to the Maryland State Association of Baseball Coaches (MSABC) All-Star teams, Baltimore All-Metro teams, All-County baseball teams, and Brooks Robinson All-Star Game played at Camden Yards. Outside of D'Alonzo's HCYP Raider Head Coaching duties, in early 2013 he was asked to serve as the International Rec League commissioner; a position he held for 5 years. He also led the effort to restore and renovate Buckshot Field; serves as the current Mid Atlantic Baseball League Coordinator; and leads the HCYP Recreation Summer All-Star Teams as Coordinator. These are just a few examples of his HCYP Raider volunteerism. D’Alonzo also served as Tournament Director of the 2018 NABF 17U National High School World Series. In 2022 D'Alonzo was selected to Coach Team Maryland at the 20th Crab Claw Classic All-Star game held at Johns Hopkins University. Coach D'Alonzo is thrilled for the future of Raider's baseball and his involvement as a Head Coach. “I have been blessed to have strong mentors throughout my baseball career and can still remember the words of encouragement and guidance of many of my HCYP, American Legion, and University of Maryland Coaches growing up. I understand the responsibility each of us has to lead our players, and I take that role very seriously. I want my players to remember me years from now as a huge influence in their careers and lives. There is nothing more rewarding to me than giving back and teaching the game of baseball.”
17U White	Gerard Boarman 443.691.3848 gboarman@hotmail.com	Coach Gerard grew up in Ellicott City playing HCYP baseball and ice hockey. He played baseball at Mount Saint Joseph High School where his teams won championships at the J.V. and Varsity levels. He played for the Edreco Eagles where his team won the National Amateur Baseball Federation national championship team in the 13-14 year old division. He also played American Legion baseball for Dewey Lowman Post 108. Coach Gerard has been coaching baseball in various roles for the past seven years for HCYP. He believes that developing the player and the person are the keys to success. Build them up, not tear them down through positive reinforcement. He hopes that his players will love the game as much as he does. Coach Gerard has also been an ice hockey coach for the last 5 years with Howard Huskies Hockey Club and he has 15 years of experience as an ice hockey referee. He has refereed the USA Hockey and NCAA Club Division 1 National Championship tournament games.
18U Blue	Joel Zolnier 443.803.7888 jzhcyp@gmail.com	Coach Joel has been involved with HCYP for over 10 years, coaching as and assistant or head coach at all levels from Rookie through Pony, winning 2 International championships, a Minor championship, and a Memorial Day Tournament championship. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, he played baseball up to the high school level and is a long time fan of the game, fondly remembering the days of being one of the few people to attend Cleveland Indians games in the 80s, including being one of the 1 million fans in attendance at Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981. One of Coach Joel’s most admired players is Roberto Clemente, both because of his on field play and his off field contributions and charity work. Coach Joel takes special interest in developing baseball IQ and mental preparedness, and emphasizes the importance of teamwork. He strives to create an environment where players can prepare themselves for playing at the next level, while ensuring that they have a positive experience that they will remember for years to come.
College	Andy Sancomb Adrew13@msn.com	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.