Field Like The Pros

Dayton Baseball Acadamey believes whole-heartedly that defense wins games. By executing plays routinely and occasionally making the spectacular play, you give help not only to your team, but you help the pitcher. Mental preparation is key. Knowing what you need to do before it even occurs is a must.

We believe that if a play is going on and you are standing still, you are doing something wrong. Every individual has a role on every play. Playing flat foot is unacceptable. Players must be able to anticipate plays based on pitch location and the batters swing.

Physical errors occur, mental errors should not. Players cannot take “at bats” off. You must be ready for every pitch. Defensive players also need to have a sense of tunnel vision. This means that you cannot dwell on the previous play. The last play is in the past. Prepare yourself to make the next play!

Instructor - Brad Thoma

Instructor - Mike Hoendorf

Mike spent the last year coaching at the University of Dayton, where he helped the team win its first A-10 Championship in school history. He helped run all youth camps and assisted mostly with hitting and fielding. He has been coaching for the past seven years. He spent three years coaching at Chaminade Julienne, where he helped the team make the district finals for the first time in 20 years. He has helped coach many elite youth teams, like the Patterson Park Hustle, Butler Buckeyes, and Dayton Heat, and coached many players that are now playing at the college level.

Mike is also an accomplished umpire, spending two weeks at the Cooperstown Dreams Park and working various championship games around the area.

I believe there are 5 major parts to hitting that need to be acquired to be a complete hitter: 1) Mental Approach 2) Vision 3) Mechanics 4) Bat speed 5) Training.

What they are saying:
Mike is a great mentor for young developing players who desire to improve their game. He teaches the basic fundamentals of the game, but also stresses the values and attributes needed to be successful as a baseball player and as a person. Mike was an instrumental part of our record-breaking 2009 Regular Season Championship team at the University of Dayton. – Scott Dunwoody (Former Player and 1st Team All-Atlantic 10 catcher last year at UD)