Instructors

Brian played his High School Baseball locally at Glen Este and won 2 National Championships in the summers of 1992 and 1993 while playing for the Midland Redskins. Brian was drafted in 1993 directly from High School by the Milwaukee Brewers but chose to play Junior College Baseball instead. In his second season of college Brian hit over .500 with 19 home runs and 82 RBI in just 60 games and was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy for the country’s best Junior College player. Brian was then drafted by the Chicago Cubs that same year and played 5 seasons in Professional Baseball as a middle infielder with the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. Following his playing career, Brian served as a hitting coach with the Cincinnati Reds organization for 3 seasons at the Single A Dayton Dragons. Brian coached Reds players such as Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Willie Mo Pena and Edwin Encarnacion. In his final year as hitting coach in 2002, his team led the Midwest League in hitting.

Brook Jacoby, Cincinnati Reds Hitting Coach, commented: “As the Cincinnati Reds Hitting Coordinator I had the opportunity to see Brian’s efforts while he was the hitting coach at our Single A club in Dayton. Brian’s interaction with his players, his knowledge and the contribution he made to the Reds organization was outstanding. Brian is a great asset to the Southwest Ohio Baseball Academy and all the young players that have the opportunity to learn from him will surely benefit from his knowledge and his dedication to the game of baseball.”

Brian resides in Loveland, Ohio with his two sons, Cal and Trevor.

Mo pitched professionally from 1988 to 2000. Mo, originally from MS, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1988. Given Mo’s ability, he quickly moved through the minor leagues – and after a brief stay in AAA he was drafted into the majors in August 1991. Mo won his first major league game on August 9, 1991. Over the next four seasons Mo pitched for the Reds, Colorado Rockies, and Minnesota Twins.

In professional baseball Mo established himself as a dominant power pitcher, recording more strikeouts than innings pitched in six of his first seven professional seasons. Today, Mo is become widely recognized as one of the top pitching instructors in the Midwest.

Mo has worked with hundreds of the local pitchers and uses a strong focus on mechanics and health. Ted Power noted, “Mo Sanford is a true professional in every sense of the word. His #1 concern is the welfare of the athlete he is working with. I have known him to be tireless in his efforts to improve the performance of every youngster he works with. Mo is straightforward in developing proper mechanics.”

Mo currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Buster Keeton was the 60th player selected in the 1978 draft and started his professional baseball career in AA with the Milwaukee Brewers. Buster moved through the minor leagues quickly and made his major league debut on May 27th 1980. Buster played with Hall of Famers Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Rollie fingers. After his 10 year playing career Buster coached professionally for another 10 years; those teams included the Brewers, Astros, Royals, Twins, and Pirates. Along the way Buster coached many successful players including Carlos Beltran and Mike Sweeney.

Buster’s twenty years of professional baseball experience and his strong interest in youth baseball has allowed him to develop the reputation as one of the top pitching instructors in the tri-state area. Buster’s approach focuses on working on a good pace, throwing strikes by hitting location, and changing speeds. Buster will develop your young pitcher into recognizing the “pitcher must command the game.”

Buster grew up in Western Hills playing his youth ball with the Cincinnati Storm Club and currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mike is the current catching coach for the Cincinnati Reds, a position he has held for the past three years. Additionally, Mike handles the bullpen catching responsibilities. Mike retired from professional baseball after 12 years spending three years with the Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers teams. Mike spent nine years at the AAA level with the latter part of his career helping young catchers prepare for the big leagues.

Having played at all levels of professional baseball for an extended time, Mike has learned how to effectively teach the mechanics of catching while educating catchers on how to work with their pitchers, what pitch to throw and when. Additionally Mike can help a catcher develop the strength they need for this position.

Mike resides with his wife and three children in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lee May Jr. was originally a 1st round draft pick by the New York Mets in 1986. Lee went on to play 8 seasons in professional baseball with the Mets and the Kansas City Royals organizations. After his playing career ended, Lee served as the scouting supervisor for the New York Mets for 3 seasons, covering Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. He would also serve as a hitting instructor with the Mets before moving on to the Cleveland Indians Organization, where he has been for the last 4 seasons. Lee has served as a hitting coach in his first season with the Indians and then went on to manage for 2 seasons, the latest with the Lake County club in the South Atlantic League. During the 2007 season, Lee was the hitting coach for the Indians AA club in Akron, OH. Lee has also served as the hitting coach for USA Baseball at the World Cup in 2005,then as a hiting coach in the Arizona fall league for Peoria in 2006. His father Lee May Sr. was a three time All – Star who played for 18 major-league seasons. His extensive professional career has allowed him to develop a thorough expertise for hitting. Lee has helped hitters at all levels develop the skill and confidence to become a successful hitter.

Lee resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and four children

One only need mention the name “Senior” in the Cincinnati baseball community and everyone knows who is being referred to -- Billy Doran Sr.

Senior has been developing baseball players in Cincinnati for 56 years. There is no better teacher on the fundamentals of baseball in the area.

Senior is outstanding with the young athletes in developing the proper foundations. As his students progress he likes to drive the philosophy of “think and react”. Senior has trained many college and professional athletes including his son Bill Doran Jr., who played 14 major league seasons.

Senior currently lives in Cincinnati with his wife. You will also find Senior in the dugout during all of the Cincinnati Reds home games.

Will was originally signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1991 and went on to have a truly international career. By the time Will retired he had played professionally for 13 years in six different countries. Will set the season strikeout record in Taiwan and recorded over 1,300 strikeouts in his career. During his professional career Will played on two championship teams.

Will began his coaching career in 2003 in the Independent League and coached at the high school, junior college, and professional levels of baseball. Additionally, Will has been involved in pitching instruction in youth baseball since 1991. Will continues to be active in professional baseball by scouting and placing players.

Will’s international professional experiences and experience at all levels of professional baseball give him a unique perspective on how to develop young pitchers. Tailoring his approach, knowledge of the game, and experience in professional baseball are Will’s strengths.

Will currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A two time High School All-American catcher, Jason attended St. Xavier H.S. where he became the first and only player in GCL history to be named first team All-GCL 4 times and two time GCL Player of the Year. He was a 3 time All-City selection, 1996 Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year, 1996 Baseball America "Ohio's Best Player" and two time High School All-American. Jason received a scholarship to Georgia Tech where he was named All-ACC three times (1st team 2000, 2nd team 1999, 2001). After a stellar Junior season in which he hit .382 with 15 HR, and an ACC leading 25 doubles and 83 RBI's, Jason was named TPX First Team "All-American" in 2001 and ACC Tournament MVP in 2000 when he set the ACC Tournament record for total bases with 26 and became the first player in ACC Tournament history to hit for the cycle. Jason was drafted by the Oakland A's in the 15th round of the 2001 draft and played 4 seasons in the A's farm system. Jason was an All-American catcher in high school and an All-American outfielder in college. He has expertice in catching, hitting, outfield, and first and third base.

Chris was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1993 and played 10 years of professional baseball. Two of those years were spent in the majors with the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds. Chris played every position, but pitcher and catcher, at the professional level. Chris excels at teaching the fundamentals of fielding with an emphasis on “what each fielder needs to be thinking about in every situation.” As an all-star and leading fielder for much of his professional career, Chris is uniquely qualified to instruct your developing young ballplayer.

Although Chris is known for his fielding, offensively he finished in the top ten in hitting 5 out of the 10 years he played pro ball. Chris set offensive records at Miami University and played on two championship teams: the Billings Mustangs in 1993 and the Louisville Bats in 2001.

Chris resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and three children.

Josh Spring pitched locally for Lebanon High School, graduating in 1991. He was voted 1st team All-Ohio and was selected in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Houston Astros directly from high school. Despite signing a national letter of intent and having a full scholarship offer from THE Ohio State University, Josh signed a pro contract. In his playing days Josh was a power strikeout pitcher throwing in the mid-90s. He holds or shares 14 Lebanon High School records including junior and senior campaigns with 100+ strikeouts. Also, he threw 4 no-hitters including a string of 24 2/3rds consecutive hitless innings. In the summers he played locally for Milford (the only team to knock the Midland Redskins out of the regional tourney in the 90s). And then following his senior year Josh played for the Midland Redskins in a year that saw them go on to win the National Championship yet again. During his 6 professional seasons Josh was fortunate to pitch for Manny Acta (Nationals manager), Jack Billingham, major league pitching coach Jim Hickey(Rays) as well as get insight about the game from Caesar Cedeno and many other current and former MLB greats. He played in the minors for the Astros as well as the Toronto Blue Jays. In two seasons Josh led his team in strikeouts as a reliever. After his playing career Josh went on to get his B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in English from the University of North Texas. This blending of an athletic life and academic achievement provides Josh with the perfect tools to effectively COMMUNICATE with his players like few other coaches can. His approach is strongly centered on teaching excellent mechanics to maximize a players physical tools and reduce chance of injury as well as a highly disciplined mental approach to build a mind that can overcome pressure and deal with adversity, two traits that are in the mental make-up of ANY successful athlete He is entering his 5th season as the varsity pitching coach at Lebanon High School and is the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Flames 18U.

Notable players Coach Spring played with or faced during career:
- Billy Wagner
- Vladmir Guererro
- Andruw Jones
- Scott Rolen
- Bobby Abreu
- Melvin Mora
- Richard Hidalgo
- Jay Peyton
- Todd Helton
- Sean Runyan
- Chris Carpenter
- Edgar Renteria
- Preston Wilson
- Juan Encarnacion
- Johnny Damon
- Mike Sweeney
- Russel Branyan
- Daryl Ward
- Trot Nixon
- Bobby Estellela
- Jason Isringhausen

Joe went to Badin High School in Hamilton where he won a state championship his freshmen year and got the win for both the semi and final game. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round in the 1994 draft. He played 7 seasons in the minor leagues where he pitched as a starter, middle reliver, and closer. Along the way he played for a lot of great coaches. Eddie Watt, Steve Bedrosen, Willie Stargell, Freddie Benivedes, Larry Rothchild, Max Venable and Brian Conley. He played with the Braves organization for 3 seasons. In 1997 he was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds and played 4 seaons in the minor leagues . His final season of his career he was in Dayton playing for the Dragons. He then worked as an instuctor at the baseball acedemy in Dayton and coached youth basball teams from ages 6-18. Joe currently resides in Hamilton with his wife Alison and three daughters.

Son of Cincinnati Reds all star second basemen Tommy Helms. Ryan played his high school baseball at Western Hills where he was a four year starter and a two time first team all city selection hitting over .400 in 3 of the 4 years. He was chosen to play in the summer for the Midland Redskins alongside Brian Conley and helped lead them to 3 national championships in 3 years. As a Connie Mack World Series all tournament second basemen he was selected as an all star to represent the AABC in the future stars game. In 1994 he was picked by USA TODAY as one of the top 50 high school players in the country and was drafted in the 8th round by the Chicago White Sox where he played his minor league career working hands on with legendary hitting instructor Walt Reniak. He has since worked as a hitting and infield instructor in Dayton and now here with us. Ryan resides in Cincinnati,OH.

Lindsay grew up playing softball. She played for the Cincinnati Stars, which was the first select fastpitch team in the Cincinnati area.
Lindsay attended Lakota West Highschool from 2001-2004. She was First Team all conference. Lindsay then went on to coach at Lakota west in 2004 and 2005 and went to the state final four both years.
Lindsay is currently finishing up her degree in sports studies at the University of Cincinnati and coaching PYO softball.

Kristy has been playing softball for 12 years both locally and on a team based in Columbus. She played for Mason High School from 2002-2005 earning All FAVC and All District honors all four years and FAVC Player of the Year and All State honors as a senior.

Kristy has continued her softball career at Fairmont State University in WV, where she earned Second Team and First Team honors her sophomore and junior years respectively. She has also been selected to the ESPN The Magazine All-District First Team two years in a row. This past year, she received three player of the week awards while leading her team in batting average, doubles, RBIs, and home runs, setting the school record with 12. Her play, along with her academic record, earned her a 2nd team Academic All-American award.

Kristy is studying Mathematics, Math Education, and Computer Science at Fairmont State. She plans to graduate in 2010 and hopes to be a teacher and coach softball.

Nick played college baseball at Allegany Community College of Maryland in Cumberland Md. and West Liberty State University in West Liberty, WV. Nick played two seasons at Allegany, where he was selected to the All-Maryland JUCO 1st team and All-Region XX 1st team. He finished his sophomore season ranked nationally in two categories- 3rd in Batting Average (.423) and 4th in RBI (63).

At West Liberty State, Nick was selected to the WVIAC All-Conference 2nd team and All-North Atlantic Region 2nd team. He also holds school records for Homeruns in a game (3), RBI in a game (10) and RBI in a season (47). Nick also finished in the top 20 of NCAA D-2 in 3 categories- Batting Average (.445) RBI (47) and Slugging Percentage (.765).

Nick credits his success and knowledge of hitting to Frank Porco, (http://www.post-gazette.com/sports_headlines/19990718casey3.asp) a Pittsburgh area hitting instructor who has worked with numerous players, most notably:

Sean Casey- Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers
Tom Kail- 1998 10th round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks
Jon Henry Kail- Georgia Tech University, 1999 6th round pick of the Boston RedSox


Nick currently resides in Monroe with his wife Tara.

Director of Softball

Bob has been coaching softball since 1991. He served as softball commissioner for PYO from 1996 to 1999. In 1999 Bob formed the Ohio Fastpitch Club, The HEAT. The HEAT currently has 8 member teams ages ranging from 12 to 23. Bob’s teams competed at national tournaments including the 18U ASA NATIONAL in 2006. Bob coached high school ball at Landmark and Cincinnati Christian from 2000 to 2007. His teams went to Districts 5 of those 7 years and in 2004 Bob was awarded Miami Valley Conference Coach of the Year. His 2 daughters both went to college on softball scholarships, the oldest played 2 years at Campbellsville University and the youngest is currently playing at Mt Vernon Nazarene University.

Tiffany grew up playing ball. She started playing travel ball when she
was 12 and continued her career to the college ranks.

In High School, at Landmark, she set records for most strikeouts and wins. She was a 3 time MVP in the Miami Valley Conference from 2002 to 2004 and in 2004 she was elected to the All State Team. Tiffany played college ball at Campbellsville University where she and the team won their conference title in 2005 and 2006.

Tiffany is currently completing her nursing degree at Thomas More College and coaching the Jr High fastpitch team at Hopewell.