Instructors
Dylan Dando
LVBA Owner/Director
Jeff Bittiger
Baseball Ops Consultant, Instructor
Rick Frankenfield
Coach/Instructor
Scott Snyder
Coach/Instructor/Staff
Sean Heimpel
Instructor/Staff
Karl Keglovits
Coach/Instructor
Aaron Fuhrman
Instructor
Jason Okken
Coach/Instructor/Staff
Nick Banks
Coach/Instructor
Dan Albert
Coach/Instructor
Pat Kregeloh
Baseball Ops Director, Coach/Instructor
Brian Ernst
Instructor/Coach
Brett Bittiger
Coach/Instructor
Brandon McGaheran
Instructor
Dylan Dando, Bio:
Dylan is currently the Director of Baseball Operations at Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy (LVBA) as well as Field Manager and GM of the Allentown Railers’ franchise of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL). From 2008 through 2011, Dylan served as a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, working under Clair Rierson. He has coached in the Lehigh Valley for the past 12 years. At the college level he was an Assistant Coach with Northampton Community College and won 3 Conference titles and a State Championship in 4 years there. He has coached at the American Legion baseball level with Silver Creek. He has coached on the Amateur baseball level as an Assistant with the Lehigh Township Brewers in the League from 2002 through 2004, winning two championships. He was the Manager of the Silver Creek Raiders in the Tri-County League in 2005. He was also the Manager of the Limeport Bulls in the Tri-County League in 2007 & 2008. His managerial record is 72-24 (.750) in 3 years as a Trico head coach and he has had several players on these teams go on to sign and/or play Pro baseball. These players are Nate Buttenfield, Derek Duclose, Scott Grimes, Jon Haldis, Sean Heimpel, Clay Kuklich, Derek Major, Pete Moore, Nolan Neiman, Steve Roberts, Paul Smith, Chris Tonte and John Stezenko. Dylan has also worked numerous camps and clinics up and down the east coast for Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dylan has spent the last 3 years working with ECTB and the USA Baseball program as a coach and evaluator for the North Atlantic region. He played two years at Northampton Community College and was a standout pitcher there, compiling a 16-3 record, earning 2 All-Conference, All-State and All-Tournament selections. He went on to play in the Central Baseball League/TexLa League, and had a very successful run in the Blue Mountain and Tri-County Leagues, making several All-Star appearances while compiling a 30-8 record in the BML and a 24-6 record in the TCL. Dylan led the TCL in ERA in 2001 with a 0.85 ERA and is currently in the Top 10 in TCL history for winning percentage and ERA. In 5 years as the Director of Baseball Operations at LVBA, over 70 players have moved on to play college and professional baseball. Recent draft picks are Cody Weiss (Los Angeles Dodgers & Seattle Mariners), Tyler Vail (Oakland A’s) and Brett Bittiger (Oakland A’s).
Jeff Bittiger, Bio:
Jeff is a current full-time professional scout for the Oakland Athletics. He had a four year major league career with the Phillies, Twins, and White Sox 1986-89. He compiled a 4-6 record and 4.77 ERA. Member of World Champion 1987 Minnesota Twins. Went 2-4 with 4.23 ERA including 8 starts for 1988 Chicago White Sox. Has 10 Championship rings to his credit including two in both the International League and Pacific Coast League. He is a former 7th round pick out of Secaucus, NJ. H.S. as a P/3B by the NY Mets. Played professional baseball from 1980-2002 with Mets, Phillies, Twins, White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, Royals and A’s. During that time won over 200 games and recorded over 2000 strikeouts. Pitched 10 years at the AAA level where he won 100 games. Hit HR in 2nd ML at bat and is a career .270 AAA hitter. Named NJ HS Baseball Player of the Decade 1970-1980. Went 14-0, 215 K’s, 0.30 ERA in 107 IP SR year for State Champion Secaucus High in 1980 & 27-6, 415 K’s in 3 years. Hit .555 with 7 HR‘s in 1980 & had 115 hits and 16 HR’s in 4 year HS career. Named Baseball America’s Independent Player of the Decade of the 90′s. Pitched with Fargo-Moorhead from 1996-2002 including 12-1, 1.94 in 1998 where Fargo was named team of the decade winning championship with 70-21 record.
Timeline: 1980: NJ HS State Champs; 1981: Led Carolina League in strikeouts; 1982: Texas League Pitcher of the Year; 1983: Tidewater Tides AAA World series Champs; 1985: Tidewater International LG Champs; 1986: MLB debut with Phillies; 1987: Minnesota Twins World Champs; 1988: 61 IP with Chicago White Sox; 1989: Led PCL in ERA, Vancouver PCL Champs; 1990: Led PCL in Wins, Albuquerque PCL Champs; 1996-2003 Northern League Fargo Pitching Coach; 1996-current: Fargo Player Personnel consultant; Has assisted during Fall and Winter training sessions at Seton Hall University; Has run many private throwing & swinging training sessions.
Rick Frankenfield, Bio:
Rick is currently the 17u/18u head coach at Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy. Rick has accumulated over 30 years of coaching experience and has been at LVBA since its inauguration, making him one of the longest tenured coaches within the program. The last 12 years have been strictly with travel teams across various age groups. Over his coaching career, he has been involved with the USA program, and has coached multiple All-ECTB teams that have traveled to locations such as Las Vegas, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
Rick began his baseball career locally at Freedom High School. At Freedom, he was a 3-year starter on the varsity team where he managed a .400 career hitting average and led the Patriots to a 1973 District Championship, the furthest a Pennsylvania team could go at that time. He was named 1972 MVP of this team as well. In 1972, Rick was named Northampton County American Legion MVP as a pitcher. Rick continued his baseball career at Rider University. After this, he went on to play for 10 years in both the Blue Mountain League and Tri-County league. Rick is a member of the Tri-County League baseball Hall of Fame.
Scott Snyder, Bio:
Scott started his coaching career in youth baseball at Northern Lehigh and Lehigh Valley Little League. Progressing through the coaching ranks of the Bethlehem Astros travel team, Northern Lehigh Connie Mack and ECTB teams, Scott’s main focus was on pitcher development. Through his coaching tenure at Saucon Valley High School and Lehigh Carbon Community College, Scott got more involved in the college recruiting process. Scott was the Pitching Coach and Assistant Coach of the LCCC baseball team that won it’s first ever State Championship in 2011. Scott currently coaches the LVBA Prospects 17/18 U Team and is a Pitching Instructor at LVBA.
Scott played in the Tri-County League, Blue Mountain League and Men’s Senior Baseball League. Scott was Freedom High School’s Most Outstanding Pitcher in 1976.
Sean Heimpel, Bio:
Sean pitched at Liberty H.S. from 2001-04 and tossed 2 no-hitters in his career there. His team made it to the state title game in 2002. Sean earned Pitcher of the Year honors while there and set the school record for strikeouts. Sean pitched at Gloucester County College for 2 years (2005-06) and he closed out a victory in the National title game his freshman year. The team came in 2nd in the country in 2006. Sean earned All-American honors in 2006. He then went on to Georgia College & State University for 2007-08 and compiled the 2nd most innings on the staff as a junior and the team won the Peach Belt title with a 23-7 conference record and 46-16 overall record. Highlights include Division ll champs Tampa and a 7-inning, 1-run stint vs. the Division ll runner-up Columbus State. Sean went 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA for the Limeport Bulls in 2008 before starting his pro career for the Nashua Pride of the Can-Am League.
Jason Okken, Bio:
Jason attended Saucon Valley High School where he was a 3-sports athlete (baseball, football, basketball). He was primarily a catcher on the baseball team. During his high school years, he was also a catcher on the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy travel teams from 2007 through 2011. He went on to play at Northampton Community College as a catcher. Following that, Jason made a return back to LVBA where he has now been conducting private hitting and catching lessons, as well as coaching teams at various age groups from 2012 – present.
Pat Kregeloh, Bio:
Pat is a recent graduate of Shippensburg University who was picked up by the Washington WildThings of the Frontier League, a professional independent league baseball team. While at Shippensburg, he was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America Division II Third Team baseball squad. He also earned a two-time Academic All-American citation in 2013 & 2014, becoming SU’s first Academic All-American since 1995. Also in 2013, Pat was a finalist for the Josh Wilmington award, an honor presented to Division II’s most valuable player. He was a four-time selection to the PSAC all conference team. He was named SU’s Male Student Athlete of the year in 2013 and 2014. Pat is tied for second for most home runs in school history (25) and is tied for third in RBIs (141).
In high school, Pat earned four varsity letters at Pleasant Valley High School. While there, he earned All-State honors his Junior year as a third basemen and his Senior year as a pitcher. He was named an All-Conference selection all 4 years at PV and was named MVP of the Mountain Valley Conference his senior year. He was twice honored as the Times News baseball Player of the Year. Pat was also honored as The Morning Call Pitcher of the Year in 2010. Pat currently holds records at Pleasant Valley for ERA in a season (0.41), home runs in a season (9) and home runs in a career (21).
Pat has experience teaching baseball, including working camps and conducting hitting and pitching lessons.
Brett Bittiger, Bio:
Brett is a two-time MLB Draft selection, having been selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 41st round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and in the 40th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. In college, Brett played at Division-I Fairleigh Dickinson University, and later Division-II Pace University, serving as the starting shortstop for four combined seasons, as well as being a senior captain at Pace. In his senior season at Pace, Brett led all D-II East Region shortstops with a .958 fielding percentage, and graduated with a 3.99 GPA.
He also played three summers for the local ACBL Champion (’15, ’16) Allentown Railers, under LVBA Director Dylan Dando. While playing for the Railers, Brett set the single-season assist record at shortstop in 2015 (116 assists), was selected as the starting shortstop for the Wolff Division in the 2016 ACBL All-Star game, and was a member of the winningest team in ACBL history (37-6; 2016).
Before college, Brett was a two-way player at Pius X High School, earning first-team All-State honors at shortstop, and an appearance in the Pennsylvania A state tournament semifinals. He played shortstop for Coach Dando’s LVBA elite team for three years, and is a proud graduate of LVBA’s strong baseball tradition.
Currently, Brett works for the Los Angeles Angels Amateur Scouting Department. He has conducted every session of LVBA's Advanced Infield Camps, and is available for fielding, hitting, and pitching lessons.
Karl Keglovits bio:
Karl has recently graduated from North Carolina State University. While at NC State he played in the 2013 College World Series and contributed to a combined no-hitter with current White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon. Karl battled injuries his last 3 years at NC State, which kept him from prolonging his career at the professional level.
In high school, Karl was a standout athlete at Nazareth Area High School. He started off his career as being named the NORCO Legion MVP in 2009. He was honored to represent the New York Yankees on their scout team in the summers of 2010 and 2011, where he played in the East Coast Pro and Area Code showcases both years. He opened the 2011 season with a perfect game performance and later that season struck out 19 in a one-hit shutout. Karl was named The Morning Call Pitcher of the Year in 2011. He led the Blue Eagles to back-to-back District XI Championships in 2011 and 2012. Karl ended his high school career going 6-for-7 with three home runs and a win on the mound in leading Nazareth to the Lehigh Valley Conference title in 2012.
Karl is available for pitching and hitting lessons.
Nick Banks
The Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy is excited to welcome Nick Banks from the Washington Nationals Organization to our coaching staff. Nick will be available for one-on-one lessons and will be coaching the Grassroots and Team Training programs this winter. Nick is a former Texas A&M player and 2 time All American is currently in Triple A with the Washington Nationals.
Nick Banks Bio:
Played at Texas A&M University
2x All-American
2x USA Collegiate National Team
2016 SEC Tournament MVP
Drafted in the 4th Round by the Washington Nationals
2016 New York Penn League All-Star
2018 South Atlantic League All-Star
2019 Carolina League All-Star and All-Star MVP
2019 Arizona Fall League
Currently in Triple A with the Nationals
We are extremely lucky to have Nick be part of our coaching staff here at the academy. He will be a major asset to all of our players.
Brian Ernst bio:
Professional career: Signed with Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (American Association) on June 15 … named #11 independent league prospect by Baseball America on Oct. 16, 2013 (press release) … 7-3, 4.14 ERA, 82 hits allowed, 52 strikeouts, 33 walks in 84.2 innings (14 starts) … helped FM-R to American Association North Division title … first professional complete game in 3-1 loss in game 3 of series vs. Gary (Ind.) … retired 16 of final 17 batters, including last 11 … made debut on June 15 vs. Gary (no decision in 4-3 win, 0 ER in 6.0 IP) … first professional win on June 20 at New Jersey (W 5-1, 0 ER in 6.1 IP). Ernst owns a 32-23 record with 3 complete games and 1 shutout. In 414.2 career innings pitched, Ernst has compiled 333 strikeouts to just 197 walks.
College career at East Stroudsburg University: Three-time All-PSAC East selection at utility (1st team as junior, 2nd team as freshman and senior) … one of top two-way players in PSAC history … only PSAC player with 200 hits and 200 strikeouts in his career … ranks 3rd at ESU with 201 strikeouts and 4th with 201 hits … … member of 2 NCAA Tournament and 3 PSAC Tournament teams … 2013 PSAC Tournament MVP.
Collegiate rankings in the PSAC: Ranks in career top 10 in 16 categories – 9 pitching, 7 offensive … also set school record with 925 career putouts … Pitching: holds record with 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings (201 K, 172.2 IP) … 2nd in opponents average (.241) … 3rd in strikeouts (201) and winning percentage (.696, 16-7) … t-4th in games started (35) … t-5th in hits per 9 innings (8.2) … t-6th in wins (16) … 8th in ERA since 1985 (4.07) … t-8th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.1) … Offense: t-1st in doubles (44) … 4th in hits (201), RBI (114) and walks (88) … t-4th in extra-base hits (56) and games played (182) … 5th in total bases (278) … also ranks 11th in runs (115) … Single season: holds record with 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings (88 K, 66.2 IP) … 2nd in strikeouts (88) … t-1st in games started (12) … 3rd in opponents average (.202) … 7th in hits per 9 innings (6.7, 50 in 66.2).
Josh Perich bio:
Josh has been giving hitting instruction in the Lehigh Valley for 10 years now, where he has seen 4 kids go on to play Division I baseball and 2 go on to play professionally. He graduated in 1998 from Northwestern Lehigh High School where he tallied up a School Record for HR with 27. In his senior season at Northwestern Lehigh he hit .550, including a league record for HR in a single season with 13. On June 4, 1998 he was selected in the 11th round by the New York Mets, and continued on to play professionally in the Mets Minor League system for the next 4 seasons.
Injuries spoiled great starts to his first two seasons including the 1999 season where he hit 500 for the first month (16 for 32). In his last season in the Mets Organization he hit .242 with 7 HR in only 297 AB. During this season he broke a team record with 2 grand slams in one week and also boasted a 16-game hit streak. In his last day in a Mets uniform Josh hit 2 homers including a HR in his last at-bat. As the hitting coach at Lehigh University (2003-2007), Josh helped the Mountain Hawks to a Patriot League Title in 2006 and an invitation to the Charlottesville, VA Regional of the College World Series. During his 4 year coaching career there, the Mountain Hawks batted .290 as a team and hit a total of 102 HRs. Compared to the rest of the Patriot League, the Mountain Hawks averaged more runs, doubles, and RBIs per game. They also had the best strike out to walk ratio over those 4 years.
Dan Albert bio:
Dan has been with LVBA for 4 years. He has been the head coach of the 8u, 10u and 11u teams. Over his coaching career he has coached all levels of baseball. He coached a 13u and Junior Varsity team in Quakertown, PA, was the Head Coach of the Emmaus American Legion Team, winning the conference tournament, as well as spending 5 years coaching in the college ranks at Muhlenberg College and Greensboro College. During his time as a college coach, he spent one summer as the Head Coach of the Front Royal Cardinals of the Shenandoah Valley League.
Over the course of his coaching career he has coached over 20 players that went on to sign professional baseball contracts.
In addition to his coaching duties, Dan spent time working the baseball camps at all the major colleges up and down the east coast, has been a clinic presenter, and has had two articles published in the ABCA Coaching Digest.
Dan played at Division III Shenandoah University in Virginia as a shortstop, outfielder and pitcher.
Matt McBride bio:
Matt was a former stand-out player at Liberty High School and Lehigh University. Matt batted .417 (88-for-211) with 19 doubles, 12 homers, 56 runs, 61 RBI and went 22-for-27 in stealing bases in 56 games as a junior at Lehigh in 2006. In his three seasons at Lehigh, Matt hit .350 (198-for-565) with 56 doubles, 17 homers, and 125 RBI in 149 games. Matt was an All-Patriot League catcher in 2005 and 2006 and was Patriot League Player of the Year in 2006. Matt was drafted in the second round (75th overall) in 2006 by the Cleveland Indians, signed on June 13, 2006, and played four years in the Indians Organization. In 2011, Matt was traded to the Colorado Rockies Organization where he served as a utility player playing OF, 1B, and C at the AAA and Major League levels. He then signed with the Oakland Athletics, playing for their AAA and Major League clubs from 2015-2017. This January, he signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Aaron Fuhrman bio:
Aaron is a left handed pitcher who was drafted out of high school by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 MLB Draft. Aaron has played for the Gulf Coast League Tigers, the Oneonta Tigers of the New York Penn League, and toward the end of last season was promoted to the Midwest League where he played for the West Michigan Whitecaps. Aaron was invited twice to the Detroit Tigers Instructional League where he pitched directly under the supervision of former Mets left handed pitcher Jon Matlack. Aaron was also invited to play winter ball in Puerto Rico. Aaron had been offered a full scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh as a 2-way player because of his pitching and hitting.
Brendan McGaheran bio:
Brendan was a three-year starter at Nazareth High School, winning a District Championship in 2006. He played American Legion for two years, winning two MVP's and two championships before leaving to play for the Bayside Yankees out of Queens, NY. Brendan was inducted into the American Legion Hall of Fame in 2012. He also attended Lehigh University, and was a four-year starter at shortstop, leaving Lehigh as the program leader in games played and runs scored. He was named 2nd-Team All-Conference in 2012. Brendan also played in the ACBL, Texas Collegiate League, and Carolina Plains League during summers while in college. He was named a starter in the TCL All-Star Game in 2010. After injuries ended his playing career, Brendan started coaching for the Nazareth Legion Team, winning a championship in his only year coaching the team. He then began giving lessons and running clinics locally before leaving to coach national travel teams with the Evoshield Canes, Chandler Bat Company, and USA Elite.
Anthony Sorrentino bio:
Anthony attended Allentown Central High School, where he was named 1st Team All- Area as a shortstop and 2nd Team All- Area as a center fielder. He was also a 2 time team MVP and All- Conference Selection. He went on to play at Lehigh Carbon Community College. In 2018 he became head coach of the Allentown Central Catholic JV Baseball Team and continues to coach in their program. Anthony is also a Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy Alumni and is currently a head coach at the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy.