Meet The Coaches

Coach RAC

Coach RAC, or RobertAnthony Cruz, is co-founder of NYABC alongside Anj Bourgeois. Coach RAC was a Christian Ministry Major at Biola University where he formed an FCA huddle uniting people around a common cause.  With NYABC, RAC continues to unite the best baseball content creators around the common goal of inspiring the next generation.

RAC was an NCAA All-American in 2021 before getting signed by the Washington Nationals. His signing resulted in a viral video surprising his dad with the news, which tallied over 100,000,000 views across all platforms. RAC has since became a full time coach and content creator with over 1 Million followers.

Coach RAC is now joining the Savannah Bananas in 2024 and it seems that things are just getting started. 

Coach Bougie

Coach Bougie, or Anj Bourgeois, is co-founder of NYABC alongside Coach RAC.  He has the gift of teaching, as he shares his gifts not only with the campers but also with the coaches.  Coach Bougie is a skilled leader who gives vision to the camp.

Coach Bougie was a 2 year captain Biola University, where he played with Coach RAC. He was also president of the SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and achieved a degree in Communication, Political Science, and Biblical Studies. 

Anj made the transition from middle infield to catcher in his junior year of college, which has given him a passion for teaching the next generation of catchers. 

He began posting catching content in 2022 after Coach RAC taught him how to film and edit, and has already established himself as a leading voice in the catching community.  

He pioneered an online catching model that has revolutionized how quickly young players develop skill.

Coach Ballgame

James Lowe or "Coach Ballgame" is a gem.  Ballgame was a MAJOR key of the first ever NYABC and made a return appearance in NYABC #3. 

Without a doubt, Coach Ballgame is the most gifted coach we have ever witnessed.  Ballgame gives a nickname to every camper, and makes everyone feel seen and important. 

Ballgame is a role model for the entire NYABC staff, and is perhaps the most well loved coach from the kiddos.

Fun fact: he's done 1,100 push-ups and sit-ups in 60 minutes.

Coach Bobby

At NYABC we believe in playing long term games with long term people, and Bobby is a long term person.  Bob is a player favorite specializing in pitching mechanics. 

Bobby O'Neil is a current pitching instructor at Performance Fitness for Athletes (PFA).  He attended Biola University and was selected in the 2011 draft by the Minnesota Twins.  Bobby would go on to play for the Marlins and Diamondbacks before moving on to high level coaching. 

Bobby has over 150K followers on Tiktok and continues to establish his presence as a leading voice in the pitching community. 

He offers a 4 week remote pitching program Coach Bougie helped him develop.

Coach Dalton

Signer/Songwriter Dalton Mauldin is Coach Bougie's top Spotify artist.  No cap.

Not only is he gifted on the ball field, he has a knack for creating immaculate vibes with the mic. 

Dalton is a current Savannah Banana, but to the surprise of many, was once summer ball teammates with Coach RAC out in Casper Wyoming. 

Dalton can often be observed teaching trick plays and inspiring young ball players to play without fear of failure. 

Coach DR 

Coach DR (Drew Richard) has an energy that is unrivaled.  DR has an ability to communicate complex hitting concepts in a way that anyone can understand it. 

DR is perhaps the funniest coach of the group, with the most contagious laugh and the natural ability to brighten every room he walks into. 

He has been a coach for over 7 years, played college baseball at Lakeland U, and batted .342 in his final year of independent baseball. 

He offers an online 4 week hitting program Coach Bougie helped develop.

Coach Jake

Jake Savicki is one of the "Dad's" of the group, and probably the coolest guy you'll ever meet.

Is one of the most experienced coaches of the group, as he coached high school baseball in San Diego for many years. 

Jake quickly rose to TikTok fame by posting baseball reaction videos. While he is known for the iconic "Ball" and "Cranked" reaction videos, he is also known for his valuable insights into the world of youth baseball. Jake was a fan favorite at our first NYABC as his baseball knowledge and communication skills make him an excellent coach and mentor. Jake is also an ex-collegiate athlete who ran a blistering 60 yard dash time that few people will believe...

Jake is the owner of Roughshot Supply Co. Check out his site below!

Coach Joey

Joey Leavitt first joined NYABC #2 in Redlands CA. 

Joey is a former collegiate arm out of Southern California where he was teammates with Coach Bougie and Coach RAC at Biola University. 

Joey quickly meshed with the team and (with some convincing from Coach Bougie) decided to begin posting pitching videos on social media. 

He has since had several videos reach 1 million+ views as he gives pitching mechanics breakdowns.  Joey works with Coach Bobby at PFA in Southern California and offers remote training.

Coach Jenk

Ian Jenkins is perhaps the best hitting coach in the world according to Coach RAC and the other NYA Coaches.

Coach Jenk specializes in articulating both "sides" of hitting mechanics and feels in a simple and in-depth way.

Ian was drafted in 2017 and went on to play in the SEC at University of South Carolina. 

His video breakdowns highlight that there is a difference between what a hitter FEELS like they are doing, and what a hitter is ACTUALLY doing. 

After many injuries Coach Jenk continues to persevere as he now merges his social media career with his baseball career in pursuit of playing in the MLB.  

Coach Knez 

Coach Stephen Knez is chill vibes all the way through. 

Knez is best known for his iconic vlogs and fun personality which have amassed over 100K subscribers on YouTube. 

Stephen can be found at camp with a gimbal and vlogging camera as he documents the special moments in a unique and artistic way. 

The kids who love the spotlight can be found following him all around our camps. 

#ValleyBoys 

Coach Murph

Coach Murph is the handshake expert, and has a unique shake with every NYABC coach.

Murph made his NYABC debut in NYABC #2 (High School). 

Coach Murph coaches young athletes in the DFW area. 

Murph has the ability to make the fundamentals understandable for any age or demographic. 

The fundamentals of infield and hitting are the bread and butter for Coach Murph and he is a big time glue guy in the clubhouse.

LETS GROWWW BROOOO.

Coach Sam 

Sam Carlson was a 2nd round draft pick in the 2017 MLB draft. 

He is known for his "snap dragon" and has a following of over 800k on Tiktok. 

Despite his success on the field and on social media, Sam is a down to earth team player, who can often be found playing video games with the campers. 

He is currently in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, and the whole NYABC team is rooting for him in his professional baseball career. 

Coach Tanner

Tanner brings the party.  A fan favorite, Tanner Thomas brings the energy and is always Coach Ballgame's right hand man in the iconic Sandlot Games. 

Tanner Thomas played baseball at Virginia Tech and has been in the Savannah Bananas organization for several years now. 

He has a sweet left handed swing, and has a unique ability to bring kids out of their shells. 

Let's party. 

Coach White Rose

 Sam or "Secret Weapon" is one of the OG NYABC coaches. 

He has a unique ability to unite people around a common idea, and has been labeled "Secret Weapon" for his genius ideas that often come out of left field. 

Sam paid his way through college through his own bat company, and in 2021 worked a construction job to save up for content creation equipment. 

He started his Tiktok page in March of 2022 and now averages an impressive 320,000 views per video on Tiktok.  His highest viewed video totals just over 14.5 million, and he continues to produce some of the most entertaining and informational content in the game. 

Coach Dr. Kam

Kamren Ackerman is a PT, DPT, SCS, OCS. 

Kam is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Puer and Kaiser Permanente as well as Adjunct Faculty at Azusa Pacific University. 

Needless to say, Dr. Kam is qualified, but what makes Kam even more special is his background in baseball. 

The southpaw knows what its like to play baseball at a high level, and has unique insights into baseball related injuries. 

If you have any questions about staying healthy for baseball, Coach Dr. Kam is the man.