BRIAN YENNIE
BRIAN YENNIE
| I grew up in Pine Island, Minnesota and played Little League Baseball there. My best Little League experience was when our team won the Little League World Series (Pine Island) while I was in the 6th grade. That year I also was given the award for "Best Hustler". I received a trophy for this, which to this day still means a lot to me. I played 7th grade baseball in Pine Island and then moved to Byron, Minnesota where I played from 8th - 12th grade. During my High School days I played Outfield, short-stop, 3rd and 2nd base. I also played American Legion Baseball during the summers. After High school I have remained active in the sports of Men's Softball and Baseball in the Senior League's in Rochester. I have held both head coach, and assistant coach positions in Little League baseball since 1996. I thoroughly enjoy teaching the game of baseball. I have attended several coaching clinics and am a member of the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association. 2003 will also be our 1st year giving Clinics and I am very excited about the coaching staff that I will be bringing to your city. I am married to Kelli and I have 2 children, a son Blake (13) (he is the boy on the homepage) and a daughter Brooke who is almost (3). |
 | I am a native of Mabel, Minnesota and a graduate of Mabel-Canton High School. My love for the game of baseball started with games played with my brother in our front yard. I have been fortunate to have been able to participate in this great game as a player in little league, high school, college, and a town team. I have had the privilege of coaching baseball and teaching Science at Byron High School for the past 34 years, retiring at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. I am looking forward to continuing my involvement with baseball as a pitching instructor on the BatterUp17 coaching staff. Coaches and baseball experts agree that between 70% and 90% of a team's success depends on the performance of the team's pitchers. As is the case in all sports, the development of sound fundamnetals goes a long way towards giving a player a chance to reach his or her potential. This is especially true in pitching where learning good mechanics are important in developing control, maximizing speed, and avoiding injuries. I was lucky to have had a former minor leaguer (Kay Bachmann) as a coach when in little league and high school. I know he helped me get a good start as a pitcher and he played a big role in helping a player a couple of years older than me (Robert Rommes) to get signed by the Twins. I never was good enough to sign a pro contract, but it was a thrill to be selected along with Rommes to the all-conference team as a sophomore pitcher/shortstop. After graduating from M-C, I majored in biology at Winona State and was a pitcher for the Warriors. We played in the 8 team NAIA (small college) World Series my senior year. While in college, I played town team ball in the summer with teams from Caledonia, Spring Grove, Bangor, Wisonsin, and Winona. Early in my teaching career, I played for seven seasons with the Rochester Royals. During my teaching career I coached baseball at the junior high and B-team levels. For the last 18 years I was the Byron Bears varsity coach. During that span the Bears won 4 conference championships and reached the state tourney twice. I was honored to be selected to coach in the Lions All-Star Series and am a life-time member of the Minnesota Baseball Coaches Associations. I have coached youth baseball in Rochester for 9 years. During the winter I stay active by being a high school basketball oficial. My family includes my wife Jan (R.N. at Mayo), my adaughter Sally (Junior at Eau Claire), and my son Brian (Sophomore at J.M). |
 | I grew up in Pipestone MN, and have played baseball for as long as I can remember! I was a starter for the varsity team as a ninth grader and was all-conference for three years. Pipestone had very good high school, Legion, and town-team baseball teams. From high school I went on to play college ball for Golden Valley Luthren College in the Twin Cities. I played there two years and then transferred to Mankato State and played ball another two years there. I mostly played third base, but occasionally played a little catcher, pitcher, and outfield. Currently I am playing in the Men's Senior League out of Rochester as a pitcher and third baseman. I have coached and played on this team for the past ten years. In the past I have coached Byron Little League teams and currently I coach the Byron Legion team. I also coach the newly formed town team, the Byron Braves. I love the game of baseball and I love coaching and helping kids improve their baseball skills. I am excited to be a part of this coaching staff and look forward to helping kids become better ball-players. |
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I am an Elementary Physical Education teacher in Byron. I was the head softball coach for 17 years at Byron High School. I retired from
coaching so I could watch my own kids play softball and baseball. I
enjoy working with kids of all ages. My strength as a player was as a
hitter and that translated into coaching as well. As a coach I enjoyed
teams that were able to play small ball. That was incorporating all
aspects of the hitting game: hit & run, slap hitting, bunts, slap bunts
and solid fundamental hitting skills.
I grew up in a small town in Southwest Minnesota called Ellsworth. I played all the little league and teener league baseball that was offered but after that we were too small of a town to have high school baseball. However, fastpitch softball for men was huge in the area. I played 15 years of fastpitch softball on some very good traveling teams. We would play twice a week and most weekends. During most of those years I played shortstop but occasionally played outfield. Hopefully, the combination of a baseball and softball background will be beneficial to those attending the Batter-up camps. |
| I grew up in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and played softball at Pacelli High School. Pacelli had a reputation for excellence in softball and had been to state 15 years in a row by the time I was a senior. For three consecutive years I was in the top 10 batting in conference while focusing on the speed and agility of a lead-off. I pitched at state for three years in a row and was a two time all conference selection (short-stop and pitcher). My senior year I went 16-0 with an ERA of .32 and selected team MVP. I think that the key to pitching and softball is in the fundamentals which take time and dedication to accomplish. Helping young softball players is something that I love to do and the excitement seen with success is an invaluable part of the game. |
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I attended school in Elgin, Minnesota and started taking baseball seriously at around age 11 by participating in Summer Rec. Baseball. I've immersed myself in it ever since. I earned four varsity baseball letters at Elgin-Millville HS, playing every position except catcher. From there I attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering and played baseball all four years I attended school there, serving as a co-captain my senior year. We faced very tough competition while playing numerous nationally ranked opponents on tournament trips to Ft. Myers Florida, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. I split time at MSOE between shortstop and pitcher. Aside from playing for my schools, I've also played American Legion Baseball for 1 summer, and Amateur Baseball for the Plainview Bucks for 2 summers. Since realizing my love of baseball, I try to read as many books as possible on the subject, becoming especially interested in its history and statistics. I am extremely excited to be a part of the coaching staff, and feel that I have a lot of wisdom to offer young players. The parts of the game that I believe are most important are hustle, willingness to learn, and improve, and having fun! |
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I was born and raised in Rochester, I was fortunate enough to grow up in a neighborhood with kids a couple years older than me, that also loved to play baseball. Through years of playing "backyard ball" we made up our own baseball game and rules. Looking back at those games it clearly shows that they emphasized the three major aspects of baseball: Defense, Pitching and Batting, and that is probably the major reason for my baseball success. I started out like every other kid in town with t-ball and moving my up through the ranks with age. When the little league season was about to come up on me there was only one position I've always wanted to play, and that was pitcher. I've pitched with, and against, some of the best players in the state while being a 3-year starter for the Rochester Mayo Spartans. While there I was selected as all-conference twice and earned an all-state selection as a senior pitcher. Michael Restovich, a current major leaguer, was a teammate of mine at Mayo and we grew up playing against each other as little leaguers. I also pitched against and had some great pitching duels with current major league pitcher Mike Wurtz. I have been fortunate enough to be on some great teams in my career along with Mayo high, I was the #1 starter for our Rochester A's team that won the state tournament in 1996 and one game shy of reaching the American Legion World Series. After high school I received a scholarship to play baseball at a Div. I level at Des Moines Area CC in Boone, IA. After playing 2 successful and learning years there, I was fortunate to receive another scholarship to play baseball at a major Div. II college in Winona State. At WSU, I was able to play 2 great years under the most winning coach in Minnesota college baseball history Gary Grob, a great teacher of the game. Through the summers of all these baseball years I was able to keep sharp by playing with the home town team of the Rochester Royals since I was 18. We've been to 9 state tournaments where we've had some great finishes, but none greater than 2006 when we took home the state title. I have been selected to the all-tournament team 3 times as a pitcher and I haven't lost more that 4 games in an entire summer. I have also not had a earned run average of over 3.00 and average over 10 strikeouts a game. I love the game of baseball, both playing and teaching. I have worked camps out of Winona State as well as some private lessons with kids around town. I have also worked with little league teams around Rochester. In 2000 I was an assistant coach at Century High School with the B-squad team, that team eventually went on to win the American Legion World Series. Working with kids and becoming a teacher of the game is something I really enjoy and look forward to. |
| I grew up right here in Rochester and played high school baseball at Rochester Mayo. I then went down to Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, Iowa where I played two years of Division I JUCO baseball. In my second year I won the Dick Howser award given to the Most Valuable Player in JUCO. I led in the nation with a .505 batting average and 19 HR's. The summer after I graduated I was fortunate to play on the JUCO National Team. We represented the USA over in Japen for a 5 game series against an all-star team made up of all the best college players in Japan. We had many players on our team that are currently in the major league, Jason Micheals and Brandon Larson to name a few. Even with great players we were no match for the Japan all-star team. Their work ethic and teamwork was just incredible to watch. It was a clear case of a less talented team just outplaying the more talented team. It was really neat to see how they treated their coaches as they would take off their hats and bow to the manager as he came unto the field. After that expereince I got a scholarship to play at Iowa State University for 2 years. My senior year, I led the Big 12 in batting average hitting .417. During the year I got an unfortunate break, literally. I fouled a ball of my ankle with 10 games remaining and I ended up breaking my tibula, ending my college career. I also played with the Honkers in 1997, a year in which we won the Northwoods League Championship. I am still playing baseball with the Rochester Royals. I think next year will be my 11th year with the team. I have worked at the Iowa State baseball camps and really enjoy assisting young players develop into not only good ball players but smart players as well. Baseball is definitely a thinking man's game and the more you learn the better player you will become. |
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I grew up in Grand Rapids, MN. This is where I began playing baseball when I was 6 years old. I started varsity baseball when I was in 9th grade. I enjoyed my high school career. We went to State two years. Receiving second my junior year. I went to Rochester Community College for two years where I was All-Region my second year. From there, I went to St. Cloud State University. I was All-Conference my senior year. I have played for the amateur baseball Rochester Royals for 11 years. Coaching: I have coached t-ball through jr. varsity at St. Cloud State University. I was an assistant coach for the St. Cloud State varsity team also. I was a director of the baseball programs at the Rochester Area Family Y for 3 years. I have been an umpire for 5 years. I love baseball and what it has done for me and I feel I need to give back to the game. I enjoy working with kids and look forward to improving your kids baseball/softball skills. |
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I was born and raised in Rochester and grew up playing sandlot baseball with kids from the neighborhood. That is where I developed my love for the game. As a high school sophomore, I helped Lourdes to it's first state tournament appearance, and it's first state championship as a senior. I was named MVP of the section tournament and named to the all-tournament team. I was also named to the All-State team as a pitcher and was runner-up for Minnesota Player of the Year. I played for the Rochester A's for three seasons, including a state championship season my senior year. I was named the MVP of the state tournament and we finished one game away from the American Legion World Series. I accepted a baseball scholarship at Des Moines Area Community College and played two seasons there. Then I accepted a baseball scholarship at Iowa State University and played two seasons of Big 12 baseball with the cyclones as a third and first baseman. During college I played in a wood-bat league in Cincinnatti and then for the Rochester Royals. After five seasons with the Royals, I played for Dodge Center last year and will be back with the Royals this summer. I have volunteered for several baseball camps around the area, including camps run by Keith Kangas (Century head coach) and Doug Hudson (Lourdes head coach). While playing at Iowa State, I helped with the Cyclones baseball camps. As a coach, I focus on the fundamentals of the game, mastering the mental aspect of baseball, and playing in such a way that respects the game. This includes hustle, discipline, and most importantly, having fun playing ball. |
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I grew up in Arcadia, Wisconsin and played baseball from little league through high school. In addition, my father played fast-pitch softball and I knew that after baseball, fast-pitch softball would keep me involved in hardball sports well into my adulthood. I did not think that I would ever pitch fast-pitch but I began throwing right out of college and have been pitching since then in the local fast-pitch league in Arcadia and Eau Claire, WI, and the Rochester, MN area. I have always been a student of the game by learning new techniques in batting and throwing to make myself better. I have also coached sports ever since my children have been able to participate in which include baseball, softball, basketball, football, and soccer. Rochester park and recreation has utilized me in a number of softball fast pitch clinics which I coordinated for 4 years, and I have also held pitching clinics in Byron, MN where I currently live. I have attended softball pitching clinics and have read numerous educational articles on softball with a goal of breaking down the entire fast-pitch windmill delivery. This has made it easier to help new pitchers learn the entire motion as well as fine tune problem areas to help improve advanced pitchers. I look forward to working with your children to help them improve their game. |
| I am originally from Rapid City, SD. I played baseball throughout my youth, up until Junior High and played in several all-star games and on several all-star traveling teams growing up. I graduated from Rapid City Central High School. I then attended Rochester Community and Technical College and finished up at the University of South Dakota. I am an elementary physical education teacher in Rochester and I also coach football and girls fast pitch softball in Rochester. I will also be handling the strength and conditioning aspect of the camp. The goal of our strength and conditioning program is to help educate, strengthen, and prevent injury to our athletes. I tell my athletes that it isn't how much weight you can do, but how you do it. Proper technique and form are key, when it comes to exercising safely and effectively. I will also work on some specific speed techniques that each athlete will find beneficial for their desired position. I love competing, coaching, and watching all types of sports, but most of all I enjoy helping kids strive to do their best, improve, and prepare them for the next level in athletics. I believe that fundamentals and repetition are a huge part of success in athletics. By doing the little things right and getting plenty of hands on experience will help any athlete improve tremendously. |
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I am currently the Assistant Baseball Coach at Winona State University and feel very fortunate to spend so much time around the game of baseball. I am from Maquoketa, IA which is a town in the eastern part of Iowa, and have loved baseball for as long as I can remember. It all started playing wiffle-ball games in the back yard and continues at Winona State University. In between I have experienced a lot of successes and failures. I was fortunate enough to be an all-state player and played in the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Series my senior year in high school. I went on to play football at Winona State University and couldn't stay with it because of how much I missed the game of baseball. I was able to be apart of WSU's baseball program for 3 years before starting my coaching career. While I was attending WSU, I started pursuing my coaching career by volunteering at my former high school for two years. I then took over as the Head Baseball Coach at Blair-Taylor High School in Blair, WI for the next two years. After graduating from WSU Kyle Poock, Winona State's Head Baseball Coached, asked me to stay on as a graduate assistant. My coaching career has taken off since then and opportunities have continued to be presented to me. I am now in my 2nd year as a full-time assistant baseball coach at WSU and gotten to meet a lot of great coaches along the way. I have worked several hitting and evaluation camps at the University of Iowa, been able to work with summer youth recreation leagues, directed camps at WSU, and now have the excellent opportunity to be apart of Coach Yennie's great staff. I have such a passion for hitting and look forward to sharing it with you and learning from all of you as we try to find our best baseball swing. |
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My passion and love for the game of baseball started at an early age on the t-ball fields of Winona, Minnesota. After putting on the catching equipment at the early age of four, I was drawn to the game of baseball. I loved to practice the technical skills that baseball incorporates, and I enjoyed competing against others who had the same passion. Growing up, I played at virtually every level of baseball: t-ball, little league, VFW, legion, high school, college, and amateur. I played four years of varsity baseball in the Big Nine Conference for the Winona Winhawks. I was the first catcher to ever start a varsity game as a freshman at Winona Senior High School. After high school, I continued my baseball career at Winona State University. During the summers I played amateur baseball for the Winona Chiefs. Because of these opportunities, I was able to learn from some of the best coaches in the state of Minnesota. I played for Coach Grob at Winona State University who has won more games than any other college baseball coach in Minnesota's history. I also played for Coach Nick Whaley who was a former high school coach of the year and is now the head coach at St. Mary's University. I finally had the opportunity to play under Al Smith, who was the General Manager for the Winona Chiefs, and a great advocate for the game of baseball in Minnesota. All of these experiences have helped me develop my baseball skills and knowledge. I spend hours studying the technical aspects of baseball, and therefore, I consider myself to be a student of the game. Having been a catcher throughout my playing days, I have a passion for this position in particular. Being a catcher has helped me understand the game from a different perspective. Catchers are the leaders on the field. In my opinion it is one of the most important positions on the field. Today, I am a teacher in the Rochester Public Schools. I still am very active with the game of baseball. I keep busy in the spring by coaching the 9th grade team at Rochester Century High School. Having this opportunity keeps me close to the game and allows me to teach the game I love. |