MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

PITCHING

Hometown: Toutle, WA

High School: Toutle Lake High School

College: Montana State University

Zac recently migrated to Vermont from Washington state to raise his first child near his wife’s hometown of Richmond. During high school, Zac was a four-year, varsity letter as a pitcher and catcher. After high school, he decided to hang up his cleats, but after time off decided to pick up a baseball again as an amateur player. This led him to realize that his passion lied with baseball and wanted to make a career out of coaching. 

Lacking the playing experience of some coaches, he went back to school and decided to educate himself so he can help pitchers develop into beasts. So he pursued a Kinesiology degree to better understand the human body, how it moves, and how pitching mechanics work and can be changed. While studying at Montana State, he volunteered to be the pitching coach for the college team. After a few years of doing this, writing blogs, and doing independent research in player development, he took a job at the baseball training facility that is at the forefront of data-driven player development, Driveline Baseball.

He spent last year working at Driveline Baseball where he learned more about player development than he could have ever imagined. Beyond the everyday learning there, he completed numerous certifications from Driveline baseball that range from youth baseball development to pitching mechanics to pitch design. He is excited to bring those training philosophies to The Strike Zone along with furthering the use of technology and data.

Available for private, semi-private, and group lessons in pitching. Prefer to have pitchers over multiple sessions as that will allow for adjustments to be made and reinforced so the most gains can be had. Pre-season and Offseason development programs also available for those looking to spend 4+ weeks training with Zac 3 times a week (just ask about it if interested!).

Please note that using weighted baseballs, Plyocare balls, J-Bands, and Wrist Weights are a staple of training with Zac.

CERTIFICATIONS

• Foundations of Pitching - Driveline (Finishing part 2 for full certification in Februaru 2021)
• Basics of Pitch Design - Driveline
• Foundations of Hitting - Driveline
• Youth Baseball Development - Driveline
• Mental Performance Mastery - Brian Cain

SOFTBALL 

Pitching, Hitting, Fielding

Eric is a life-long athlete and Essex resident who grew up in the town, moved away for a few years, and came back to raise his family.  He has three adult children who, as he puts it, “learned a lot about life playing sports and I had the opportunity to coach and watch them grow."

Vermont’s 2016 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, and his youngest Allie, will finish her career in 2020 where she is currently a pitcher and outfielder for Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

Eric is an SMC hockey alum, class of ’87, and has coached fastpitch for nearly 20 years at all levels.  Currently Head Softball Coach at Essex High School, Eric has also coached 16U, 18U and 18U Gold Showcase teams for The VT Rockets, The Vermont Storm and The Electric City Bombers in Albany, NY. 

His softball coaching philosophy is based on three principles:     

-mastering fundamentals  

-mastering advanced skills  

-mastering the mental game      

He is available for private, semi-private, and group lessons in pitching, hitting and fielding.  He also does custom training, player assessments, recruiting videos and private consultation relative to player advancement and college recruitment.

BASEBALL

Hitting, Fielding

Driveline Certified - Foundations of Hitting

 Dan Randall grew up playing baseball in Vermont.  He was a member of the 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1990 Vermont state championship baseball teams, (Little League, 13-year old, Babe Ruth and American Legion).  

Dan had a strong senior year of high school, finishing the season with .560 batting average.  Dan participated in the Twin State All Star Classic between Vermont and New Hampshire – hitting .600 for the series - with Vermont winning 2 out of 3 games.  

Following high school, Dan was recruited to play Center Field for the University of New Haven Chargers.  During his college career, the Chargers were featured in Sports Illustrated, ranked 2nd in the USA Today NCAA Collegiate Baseball Poll and played in the Division II College World Series.  Dan tied for the team lead in home runs his sophomore year.  His overall college career batting average was .397.  

After a severe left ACL tear ended Dan’s competitive baseball playing career, he graduated from college and returned to Vermont to begin a career in Financial Services.   

“Baseball has always been a big part of my life.  It’s provided me with experiences and opportunities that would not have been otherwise possible – including providing for my college education.  I want to share my passion and knowledge of the game with the next generation of baseball players.  Strike Zone offers a dynamic combination of the latest technology and high-end instruction.  I look forward to helping baseball players reach their full potential.” 

BASEBALL

Pitching, Hitting, Fielding

Noah was a graduate of South Burlington High School in 2017. Noah played four years of Varsity Baseball, serving predominantly as a Middle Infielder. During his senior year, Noah was elected a team captain and was selected to the Twin State Classic in 2017. After high school, Noah continued his baseball career at NVU-Lyndon. Noah currently plays Third Base for the Hornets.

PLAYER ACHIEVEMENTS

• Vermont All-State Recognition ‘16
• Team Captain ‘17
• Twin State Classic Selection ‘17
• NAC All-Tournament Team ‘19

BASEBALL

Pitching, Hitting, Fielding

 Garrett played baseball at Randolph Union High School in Vermont, graduating in 2016 before playing four years of division III college baseball. He pitched for two seasons at Wells College in upstate New York and two seasons at Pine Manor College in Boston, MA. Playing collegiate summerball all over North America have been some of his favorite baseball experiences. Garrett also calls radio play by play and has done so for various organizations in New York, Maine, Washington, and New Mexico. He loves coaching ballplayers of all ages and is happiest when around the game of baseball.   

PLAYER ACHIEVEMENTS

• RUHS Vermont DIII VPA State Champions 2013
• RUHS Vermont DIII VPA State Runner Up 2016
• NEAC Scholar Athlete 2017
• Pine Manor Athletic Sportsmanship Award 2019 

Marketing Director

Baseball

Fielding/Pitching/Hitting

 Sam was a graduate of Northfield High School right here in Vermont after transferring from Randolph his Freshman year . Sam earned 4 varsity letters (1 at Randolph) while playing under National high School Hall of Fame coach Frank Pecora. Sam was selected to 2nd Team All State his sophomore year, and 1st Team All State his junior and senior year while setting the schools homerun record in a 16 game schedule (7).
After making the Twin State Senior Game, and being voted most likely to be drafted out of the state of Vermont by the Bleacher Report in 2011, Sam had brief stints at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and Fisher College where he studied Business Marketing.
After perfecting his marketing craft, Sam moved back to Vermont where he currently resides in Essex Junction with his girlfriend Shanna, and two dogs Rezz, and Bodie. Sam has completed his national coaching certifications and is thrilled to be able combine his knowledge of marketing, with his love for the game. 

PLAYER ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2009 VT Babe Ruth Tournament champ
• All State Honorable Mention Freshman
• 2nd Team All State Sophomore
• 1st Team All State Junior & Senior
• Runner up 2011 Times Argus POY
• 2011 Bleacher Report Draft selection (Vermont)
• 2011 Baseball Factory National Tournament Team