2021 SPMBA Rep Coaches Profiles
22U AAA
Head Coach - Zach Yuzda
Zach is a product of the SPMBA system, playing in 15U and 18U before heading to Vancouver Island University before playing right here for the Edmonton Collegiate Baseball Club. Zach has been coaching for a numbers of years starting in 13U and then the last two years at 15U AAA. Zach is excited to be the guy that will lead our newest 22U team into their inagural season and help build this program that will focus on athletes playing baseball at the collegiate level.
Assistant Coach - Josh Bishop
Assistant Coach - TBD
18U AAA
Co-Coach - Ethan Elias
Ethan has been the head coach of the 18U AAA team for 2 years and is also the head coach of the University of Alberta Baseball Club. Ethan had a successful playing career which saw him being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 22 nd round of the 2011 MLB draft. Following the draft Ethan played 3 years in the Cubs minor league system making it as far as Single A with the Boise Hawks. Following his stint with the Cubs he was signed by the Normal Cornbelters of the Frontier League for the 2014 season. After a successful 2014 campaign he was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks where he was a 2015 All-Star with the Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League (full-season Class A). Following one more year with the Diamondbacks organization he signed with the Rockland Boulders of the Can Am League for the 2017 season. Ethan brings a wealth of Canadian National Team experience as he has played with the Junior team in 2010, 2011, and was a member of the 2015 Premier 12 senior team in Taiwan. As a coach, Ethan has been the Head Coach of the Prospects Junior Academy from 2013 to 2017, and assisted with Confederation Park and Edmonton Cardinals winter camps.
Co-Coach - Connor Burns
Connor is the Director of Hitting Development at Absolute Human Performance, as well as the Co-Head Coach for the AHP Baseball Academy. He is also the assistant coach for the Edmonton Collegiate Trappers. Connor played college baseball for Garden City CC and then Emporia State University. Connor holds a Bachelor's of Science in Business Management.
Assistant Coach - Taran Oulton
18U AAA or AA
Head Coach - Jared Lovie
Jared is the Baseball Development Coordinator for Sherwood Park Minor Baseball. He started coaching at the age of 19, moving into an assistant coaches role on the 18U AAA Green team. He coached there for the next 7 years before becoming the SPMBA technical director. The last couple of years he has been a head coach at the AA level and has done an exceptional job. There are no coaches around who study the game like Jared does and he enjoys passing on the knowledge just as much as he enjoys aquiring it. We are very lucky to have Jared in this position and this year, this program is going to be special.
Assistant Coach - Ethan Bayduza
Assistant Coach - Josh Teron
15U AAA
Head Coach - Todd Betts
The Cleveland Indians chose Betts in the fourteen round in the 1993 Major League Baseball draft. He later played with the Brantford Red Sox in the Ontario, Canada, Intercounty Baseball League. In 2003, he played for Yakult Swallows in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). After the 2003 season, he became a free agent. In 2004, he played for New York Yankees organization. During the 2004 season, he was selected for Canada national baseball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Canada finished in fourth place. He later signed with the La New Bears of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in early 2006 and played with that team until July 2006. As of May 2006, Betts held the highest batting average and RBI in the league. However his performance slumped after he suffered vertebra injuries in June after which La New Bears ended his contract in July 2006. On July 25, 2007, he signed a contract with the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, hitting .275 with 1 home run in 33 games.He next began his coaching career in 2008 between Team Canada and the Ontario Prospects helping develop professional hitters yearly before moving to the Ontario Blue Jays and Toronto Mets. Coach Betts is currently working at 5 Tool Fieldhouse. https://www.5toolfieldhouse.com/
Assistant Coach - Aiden Schlesinger
Assistant Coach - TBD
15U AA
Co-Head Coach - Nolan Cherniwcha
Coach Cherniwchan played baseball growing up in the Edmonton area before heading to play collegiate baseball in North Dakota (Williston State College). Once he finished, he coaches independant ball in Kansas for the Garden City Wind. He has coaches 15U AAA, 18U AA and last year was coaching 18U AAA. He has a long history of instructing camps and runs a start up baseball academy. CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACEDEMY
Co-Head Coach - Coal MacDonell
Coal is a long time member of SPMBA. He played all his minor baseball in Sherwood Park. Following his 18U AAA season, he recieved an offer from a junior college in Montana. After making the tough decision to stay local, he decided to turn his focus to coaching and we are very excited to have him ramain with our association. This will be Coal's fourth season coaching with SPMBA's 15U AA's. Coal also coaches at the ATHX Academy and focuses on improving his coaching skills, as well as developing athletes.
13U AAA
Head Coach - Darrin Reay
Darrin is a product of Sherwood Park Minor Baseball and played college baseball at Okanagan College in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference. He helped coach last summer and is excited to take the riens of his own team this year, We are excited to see another SPMBA product moving into the coaching ranks,
Assistant Coach - TBD
13U AA
Head Coach - Brock Withrow
Brock is a product of Sherwood Park Minor Baseball and played college baseball at Vancouver Island University where he both played the infield and pitched. Last season he coached this same team and he requested to stay at this level again this season to develop his skills as a coach. He is a great communicator and we are very excited to have him coaching again this season!
Assistant Coach - TBD
11U AA Gold
Head Coach - TBD
Assistant Coach - TBD
11U AA Green
Head Coach - TBD
Assistant Coach - TBD