Baseball CLICK HERE FOR SOFTBALL
Hitting/Defensive
Tyler Christian- Co Owner
Tyler is one of the Academy owners as well as a hitting instructor and the head defensive instructor. Christian helped lead the Knights of Cabell Midland High to it's first and only state championship in 2003. In 2003 he was selected as the first position player in Midland history to be on the First-Team All-State list. Throughout Christian's entire high school career he only committed two errors ranking him self as one of the best fielders in the states history. Setting many offensive and defensive records Christian was selected to the All-Conference team, All-Kentucky, OH, and WV team, as well as the all tourney team. In reward he received a scholarship to play at Marshall University. After battling shoulder injuries for two seasons he then landed as an assistant coach at Cabell Midland and founded The Academy.
Christian, along with his partner Tom Smith, brought back the highly prestigious "Huntington Patriots". With permission from Patriots founder Dick Brammer, Christian and Smith brought the program back to it's winning ways after just one season. Head coach Tyler Christian took his team on to win the 2008 USSSA World Series among other tournaments becoming the first team in the states history to win the World Series at any level.
Jimmy Mathias
Jimmy attended Notre Dame Academy High School in Virginia. Here he was named first-team all county and all-metro and participated in the East Coast Professional Showcase. Jimmy then received a scholarship to Appalachian State University. He also played for the Valley League Front Royal Cardinals and in 2004 the Woodstock River bandits. After completing two years at App. State, Marshall University signed him to a scholarship where he finished his career. Jimmy started giving lessons for John Massarelli, (coach of the frontier league team Washington Wild Things) at his indoor facility. Currently Jimmy is a hitting instructor at The Tri-State Baseball/Softball Academy and takes part with infield instruction as well.
Enter his second year with the Academy Jimmy has a very good rapport developed with his clients. Taking on the biggest load aside from Christian, Jimmy does a remarkable job with each customer seeing that each kid walks out the door a success.
Matt Toney
Matt is The Academy's catching instructor. Toney played for legendary coach George Brumfield at Wayne High School. After this he then went on to play at Allice Lloyd College in Kentucky. Here Matt was selected on two occasions to play on a All-American team in Aruba and Australia. Currently Matt is developing catchers from all over the Tri-State helping several make collegiate decisions.
Matt teamed up with Christian and Smith as an assistant coach on the Patriot's traveling organization helping coach the team to it's World Series title. Matt took a big part in preparation and game control of the catchers and outfielders. Along with Christian and Smith, Toney's methods proved to be successful showing the nation that the Huntington Patriots are a top competitor.
Brendan Murphy
Brendan was a huge standout at Marshall University in 2006 and 2007. In 2006 Murphy had impressive first season at Marshall, earning Second-Team All-Conference USA and All-Mideast Region honors, then played summer ball with Lehigh Valley Catz of Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. Murphy was named by Baseball America to ACBL's Top 10 Prospect List as the league's No. 8 prospect hitting .326 and tied for league high with four home runs, third in ACBL in total bases (67), walks (23) and RBI (30). Going into the 2007 season Murphy was Preseason NCBWA Second-Team All-American and on 2007 Wallace Watch. After his stint with Marshall Murphy was picked up by the Kalamazoo Kings where he is currently playing.
Pitching CLICK HERE FOR SOFTBALL
Tom Smith- Co Owner
Tom Smith Co-Founder and Co-Owner of the academy is a very successful pitching coach from the area. Tom coached the Huntington Patriots that was the local areas elite summer traveling team. Between Tom and head Coach Dick Brammer, Toronto Blue Jays scout, the Patriots was a top notch well respected program that sent countless numbers of players on to the collegiate level. At the end of Tom's Patriots stint he then became the pitching coach at Cabell Midland High School. At Midland currently in his ninth season,Tom has had three pitchers get drafted with Zach Baldwin being one, three others go division one, and another four to smaller schools.
Along with Christian, Smith brought the Patriots back to it's winning ways. This year Smith was the head assistant of the team and manned the duties of Pitching coach. Smith had the honor of working with some of the top pitchers in the state of West Virginia leading the team to a shut out in the 2008 World Series championship game.
Zach Baldwin
Zach Baldwin is a Cabell Midland High School Graduate. He lead a very successful Cabell Midland baseball program to their first two state tournament appearances his Junior and Senior year. After earning All-State Honors Zach then went on to play baseball at Division 1 University of Coastal Carolina. Going through their program for two years Zach then decided to transfer home and go to West Virginia's top baseball program at West Virginia State University. Here Baldwin had a phenomenal career posting a 18-0 record over two seasons. Zach was then drafted by the Washington Nationals where he played two seasons in Haggerstown, MD. After Baldwins stint with the nationals he then decided to go on and play for an Independent League, where he is currently playing with the Winnipeg Goldeneyes. Here in just his first season Baldwin is blowing competition away and was awarded the starting pitcher roll for the 2008 All-Star game.
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