Meet The Staff 

Coach Mike Jones – National Blue-Grey Pitching Director – This former star pitcher with the Kansas City Royals was a major contributor in the Royals World Series Championship in the 80’s.  Mike also operates a pitching academy in Jacksonville Florida and also has recently been added to Pro-Motion Sports Major League Baseball Advisor Staff. 

Coach Gus Garcia – National Strength and Conditioning Director for the Blue-Grey Classic as well as our Pro Division for our Major League clients.  He became nationally famous after training four of the five prospects from Xaverian High School in New York, who were drafted in 2002.  Gus will be taking early retirement from the NYPD next year so that he can train athletes on a full-time basis. 

Coach Billy Johnson – National hitting instructor for the Blue-Grey Classic Events.  Billy operates a year round Hitting School in Maryland and has trained over 30 prospects who have moved on to Pro Ball, as well as countless players who took their game to college.   This legend in the Mid Atlantic has many Blue-Grey clients who drive long distances from many States to train with Billy. 

Coach Al McCauley – Pennsylvania and Ohio Recruiting Director – Al is extremely connected with college baseball recruiters and has helped numerous prospects in his region to play college baseball.  He also trains and manages professional boxers, one of which is Paul Spadafora IBF Lightweight Champion.  Although this is an unusual combination of boxing and baseball, Al puts the same great enthusiasm into promoting baseball prospects as he does his pro-fighters. 

Coach Don Reed – Florida Evaluator – Don is best know in the baseball world as the all time winningest coach in the prestigious Cape Cod League.  He has groomed many, many players to be the best they could be in college.  A great deal of them took his hard-nosed winning approach to Major League Baseball.  Although he retired a few years ago, he works with the Blue-Grey Classics to evaluate the abilities of our prospects.   

Coach Bob Shepard – North Carolina Director – One of the original directors of the Blue-Grey Classic, from Rockingham North Carolina, Bob has been involved with our organization for 15 years.  Best known for his 32 years as a High School Broadcaster, for High School Football and Baseball in the Carolina’s, Georgia and Virginia.  He has also served as the Co-Editor for the Southeastern Prep Magazine.  This sports legend has also been an advisor to ABC, CBS and NBC for both radio and TV stations.  Through his extensive scouting and contacts he has been a major factor in the recruitment of more than 50 professional athletes in both Baseball and Football.  Bob has also been responsible for helping more than 200 prospects receive college athletic scholarships.  One of Bob’s quotes has echoed through the mountains of North Carolina many times – “No hill worth climbing stands in the way of a champion, only the challenge”. 

Peter Marso – New England Recruiting Director – Peter, currently an Assistant with the Major League Scouting Bureau in New England, has helped a vast amount of prospects in the New England area to play college baseball with the maximum amount of baseball scholarship money or financial grants.  With his extensive knowledge of intercollegiate sports and his many associations among the college coaching ranks, he has assisted innumerable prospects in their quest to reach the next level.   

Coach Roger Strecker - Head Baseball Coach at the University of Florida's P.K. Yonge School in Gainesville, Florida.  In 2005, Coach Strecker coached Team Gainesville to a 7-0 Championship win in the Battle of the States III competition in Kissimmee, Florida.  Coach Strecker is the former Head Coach at Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C. and serves as Associate Head Coach (Pitching Coach) of the Daytona Beach Pro Scout Team in Daytona Beach Florida.  Coach Strecker has been active in serving as an evaluator and coach at college showcases throughout the East Coast.

Ray Wright – National Speed and Agility Advisor – Ray, who owns Raw Skills and Fundamentals, is an outstanding teacher with a 'been there, done that' list of credentials, and his emphasis on the mental aspects of athletic competition is a real difference maker. Rays says, "playing hard isn't enough. You have to practice hard as well. Motivation and intensity on the practice field are where the real progress is made." When you work with Ray, you'll not only see great improvement in speed and strength, but you'll have a great experience while doing it.

Coach Lazaro Llanes – Southeast Florida Director – Lazaro is the athletic director and coach at Archbishop Carroll high school in Miami Florida.  He has become dedicated to assisting the prospects in the greater Miami area to achieve their baseball goals in college or in Major League Baseball. 

Coach Rick Garrett– Long Island New York Director – Rick is the coach of an excellent high school team St Dominic’s in Long Island as well as owning a quality baseball academy.  Coach Garrett plays an active role in selecting those prospects who deserve to represent New York and wear the Blue-Grey colors at three of our Classic events. 

Coach Dennis Canale – One of the top high school coaches in the country and has the credentials to back it up.  His team (Xaverian high school) has won the New York Five Burrows Championship three of the last five years.  He also was heavily responsible in giving the prospects who were drafted last year the coaching, direction and motivation to take it to the next level and beyond. 

Coach Wiley Lee – Virginia State Director – Coach Lee is one of the top high school coaches in the country at Great Bridge high school.  He has established a breeding ground for college prospects.  Wiley was one of the best ever to play at Old Dominion University and he also took his pro career to Triple A.  He is a tremendous role model!   

Coach Ed McCrae – South Jersey Director – Ed a former Baseball USA coach is now the athletic director at Shore Christian Academy in New Jersey.  He coaches Team New Jersey in the Blue-Grey Classic and is an important part of the selection process in his region.   

Coach Bob Vivian – Eastern Pennsylvania Tryout Coordinator – Bob is the president of All American Baseball Academy in Warrington Pennsylvania.  A number of his clients have worn the colors of the Blue-Grey Classic and he is the field general of the Tryouts, which will be held at Villanova.

Patrick Fisher - National Blue Grey Information & Statistical Director Patrick comes to us from Nichols College where he majored in Sport Management and now works full time for the Connecticut Sports Management Group, Inc. He is the Director of Communications for the wide variety of events the company manages. He has devoted the last five years of his free time to aiding parents and players in the recruiting process with Promotion Sports USA and is a Personal Trainer for developing athletes in Connecticut. 

Steve Frecker – Steve is our assistant Director at the University of Massachusetts Showcase and will be part of the staff at several Blue-Grey Classics this year.  He is most well know for winning the Massachusetts State Division One Championship at Malden Catholic in 2003.  Great baseball mind!

Lance Runion - Director of Ohio/Indiana - Lance was a very successful head varsity baseball coach at C. A. P. E. in Cincinnati Ohio in the mid 80's where he won two sectional championships, one district championship and one Regional.  He has been an athletic coordinator in Cincinnati where he developed and implemented athletic programs.  Presently he is a special education teacher at Reading High School in Ohio.  Lance is a graduate of Wilmington College in Ohio and was listed in Who's Who Among Students In American Universities and Colleges.  Lance also received his M.A. in Special Education where he graduated Pi Lambda Theta (Nationally recognized teacher honor).  We are pleased to have him as our director of Ohio and Indiana.

Scott Hennessey – Scott travels the East Coast coaching at the Classics and his team at the Battle of the States in 2003 won the Tournament Championship. He is the head coach at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville Florida.  Scott, a former Kansas City Royal, was a great addition to our staff this past year.

Tom Stanton – A second year member of the Blue Grey staff, Tom has experience at many levels of baseball.  Tom was a catcher for 6 years in the New York Mets and LA Dodgers organizations.  He has coached at the collegiate level serving as a hitting and catching instructor at Florida Community College at Jacksonville.  Tom currently is a coach at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Florida and also serves as a private instructor to youth, high school, and collegiate players.