MANNY LOPEZ

Owner/Senior Baseball Instructor

Coach Lopez has a long and involved history in baseball. Originally from the Dominican Republic, he was signed by the Minnesota Twins organization in 1996 and came to the US to play the game he loves. During his four years in the Twins organization, Coach Lopez played two years here in Fort Wayne for the Wizards (1998's Fan Favorite), now the Tin Caps. He then moved on and played with the Fort Myers Miracle. From 2000-2003, Coach Lopez played independent professional baseball for teams such as the Fort Worth Cats, Rio Grande Valley Whitewings and the San Angelo Colts. During those years he was a member of the Texas-Louisiana League All-Star Team twice, CBL Batting Champion in 2002, and was a member of the Texas Louisiana League Championship Team with the Whitewings.

Coach Lopez has been offering private instruction since 2000 and coaching summer travel teams since 2004. He is currently the recruiter and Director of Player Development for the Fort Wayne Cubs, a not-for-profit travel ball organization. The Cubs have had great successes and continue to grow each year under his direction. There is no instructor or coach more dedicated to his student’s training in the area for hitting and fielding.  http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=lopez-001hen

WAYNE MCCOY

Senior Softball Instructor

Coach McCoy is unsurpassed in his ability to develop softball player’s skills and abilities. He has a long history in teaching and coaching the game. Nine years were spent as the head coach for Ayersville High School in Ohio, where he is originally from. During his time there, the softball program dominated the state of Ohio pulling in three state championships and one state runner- up title.

From 2000 to 2005, Coach McCoy lead a travel team based out of Toledo, OH and continues to coach travel teams at this time. He is currently the Assistant Softball Coach for St. Francis University in Fort Wayne, a position he has held since 2007.

Coach McCoy is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and is a 2- Star Master Coach in the 4-Star program. He brings intense, focused instruction and a winning personality to the team. His number one priority is to give his students the skills to succeed.

JAVIER DEJESUS

Senior Pitching Instructor

Coach DeJesus was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico where he learned to love the game of baseball. His parents moved to Beaumont, TX where he had a lucrative high school career and earned a scholarship to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in 1989.

With a 23-1 record, four All-American Teams and Sun Belt Co-Pitcher of the Year award, he captured the attention of the Minnesota Twins who drafted him in 1992. He played 10 years in the minors with a record of 54-33 and a 3.99 ERA. He retired in 2001.

For the past 10 years, Coach DeJesus has been offering personal instruction specializing in pitching and coaches summer travel ball.   http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=dejesu001gui

BRENDON SMITH

Strength & Conditioning Coach/Baseball Pitching Instructor

Coach Smith grew up in the Fort Wayne area and attended Snider High School.

He began his college career at Moorehead State in 2006, played for Lincoln Trail Community College in 2007 and moved on to Indiana State for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. During his senior year he set career highs in appearences and strikeouts.Currently, Coach Smith is a pitcher for the American Association League Lincoln Saltdogs.

Coach Smith brings excellent work ethic, great knowledge of how to keep the pitcher in shape and outstanding ability to convey all that he has learned to his students. We are very pleased to have him as a member of the staff!   http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=smith-008bre

KYLE DAY

Baseball Instructor

Coach Day graduated from Snider High School in 2005.He was a standout letter winner for three years. When he graduated he had career and single season records in home runs, triples, doubles and RBI's. He was named All-City and All-Area Junior and Senior seaons and All-State as a Senior. He attended Michigan State 2006-2008 until he was selected in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball Amatuer Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He returned to MSU for his Junior year only to be picked up by Cincinnati Reds in the 12th round. He earned a spot on the MSU Top 9 Club for three years straight.

Coach Day played for the Hays Larks in the Jayhawk League and led them to the title in 2006. He was named Most Valuable Player and the #5 prospect in the Jayhawk League by Baseball America. In 2007, he played for Chatham in the Cape Cod League and was a member of the league All-Star Team.

We are very excited to have Coach Day join the team at The Diamond. He brings great drive, excellent skill and a willingness to share the knowledge he has gained through the years.    http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=day---001kyl

KEVIN RUSH

Baseball Catching Instructor

Coach Rush is a Fort Wayne native and former student of Coach Lopez. He attended Concordia High School 2004 - 2007 and was the starting catcher for the baseball team.

2008 - 2011 Coach Rush attended Concordia College in Chicago to study Accounting. He was a catcher and designated hitter for the baseball team. He brings alot of dedication and work ethic, having played all four years in HS and College, as well as summer travel ball and receiving personal instruction. He knows what it takes to advance to the next level from each point in a baseball career. We are very excited to have him join our staff!

RYAN BOLYN

Softball Instructor

A 2001 University of Saint Francis graduate, he returns for his seventh season with the Lady Cougars. USF has had 16 all- conference or all-tournament selections under Bolyn’s guidance. USF also has had 15 NAIA Daktronics All Scholar Athletes and was ranked #19 in the NAIA in 2009 for Girls Got Game All Academic Team. Coach Bolyn is currently ranked second in all time wins at the University of Saint Francis.

Bolyn serves as a softball instructor at the Diamond Baseball and Softball Academy were he specializes in Hitting and Defense and also has worked 3 years as lead instructor at the University of Notre Dame Softball Camp and the TPX Vortex Softball Recruiting Camp in Michigan and Indiana.

CISCO MIRELES

Baseball Instructor

A 1999 graduate of New Haven High School, Coach Mireles was top ten in a number of career offensive categories. After high school, he played at the junior college level for Illinois Valley Community College where he had an average of .381 and an on-base percentage of .492. He was elected Regional Tournament MVP and was on the JUCO All-Star Team for the state of Illinois. He finished his college career playing for Indiana Tech during 2001 and 2002 where he was a two time participant in the NAIA College World Series.

Coach Mireles returned to New Haven in 2005 as the Assistant Varsity Coach, then in 2007 he worked with the Indiana Tech coaching staff specializing in hitting and fielding. Currently Coach Mireles is the Head Varsity Coach at Garrett High School and coaches summer travel ball. He teaches and coaches with the same intensity that carried him throughout his playing career.

Leonel Vilorio

Baseball Instructor

Coach Vilorio is yet another former professional baseball player with many years experience playing, teaching and coaching the game of baseball.

Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Coach Vilorio was signed by the Twins organization in 1996. He played professionally for 3 years before injuries forced an early retirement. Since that time, Coach Vilorio has remained active in Florida by playing on various winter league teams, coaching travel ball teams and providing personal instruction.

We are very pleased to have Coach Vilorio braving the Indiana winters to be a part of The Diamond's winning team!  http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=vilori001leo