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Instructors

We have gathered some of the best instructional talent in the St. Louis area. Our instructors consist of current and former major league players, college coaches, and NCAA College World Series champions.

Todd Stein, one half of the ownership team of Gameday Academy, is a St. Louis native and has been around baseball his entire life. Todd is the head instructor of Gameday Academy and is an integral part of creating lesson plans and recruiting new talent.

Todd spent four years as a varsity baseball player while at Ladue High School. Following four successful years of high school baseball, Todd’s career continued at Illinois State University. While at Illinois State, Todd was a three year starter and led the Redbirds to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Todd was drafted in the 2004 Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Todd’s second year with the Diamondbacks, he led the South Bend Silverhawks to the Class A World Series championship.

It was while with the Diamondbacks Todd perfected his skills in pitching and learned how to teach what he has learned to others. Todd has been a baseball instructor for eight years and is known for his personal attention to each client and enthusiasm in teaching.

Ethan Silverman, one half of the ownership team of Gameday Academy, brings a wealth of knowledge in the art of catching. Ethan was a member of the 1999 and 2001 University of Miami NCAA National Championship teams. Under the guidance of Head Coach Jim Morris, Ethan learned many valuable baseball skills and lessons. Through instruction from Turtle Thomas, head coach at FIU and Mark Kingston, Head Coach at Illinois State University, Ethan was taught the proper techniques and fundamentals of catching and hitting.

Ethan also participated as coach for the Jim Morris Baseball Camps during the summer months, working with young players to enhance their baseball skills, physically and mentally.

Ethan was the 2001 recipient of the Hurricane Baseball Unsung Hero Award.

Justin Juergensmeyer, a Missouri native, he grew up in Troy, Missouri where he was a four year letter winner for Troy Buchanan High School. While his four years in high school he received three Gateway Athletic All-Conference Awards as a catcher. His senior year, in 2005, he received All Conference, All Metro, and First Team All State as a catcher. After high school he received a scholarship to play at Lewis and Clark Community College for Randy Martz (who is also the Gateway Grizzlies coach). At Lewis and Clark he was a 2 year starter, hit over .400 each year, while handling the whole pitching staff. After leaving Lewis and Clark he transferred to Fontbonne University in Clayton, MO. At Fontbonne University he started in 85 of 85 games in two years and was the team captain both years. His senior year at Fontbonne he help lead the team to a National Tournament berth, which placed them in the top 45 teams in the country. He finished his career at Fontbonne while receiving a Bachelor in Sports Management and a Minor in Business.

After playing his final two years at Fontbonne University he was asked to join the coaching staff at Fontbonne along with Head Coach Ryan Good and Assistant Coach Adam York. In his first year as a coach he was in charge of the catchers and outfielders and recruiting kids for the next year. He is currently the Graduate Assistant/Assistant Sports Information Director at Fontbonne where is getting his masters in Business Administration.

Brad Arnett is a local St. Louis product, attending Christian Brothers College High School, where he was a varsity letterman for 3 years. While playing at CBC, Brad was a standout pitcher, with a career record of 19-5, and excelled as a hitter. After a high school career as one of the best all around players in the St. Louis area, Brad went on to play collegiate baseball at Jefferson Community College where he was an integral part of the 2002 team that made it to the Junior College World Series, a first for Jefferson Community College. In 2003, Brad made a transition from pitcher to shortstop, so that all of his baseball skills could be utilized on a daily basis. After that transition, Brad was offered and accepted a scholarship to Missouri Baptist University. In his first year, Brad was named to the All-American team for his great ability as a shortstop and his incredible hitting abilities.

In the summer of 2007, Brad was both league MVP and part of the National Baseball Congress World Series Championship team as a member of the Havasu Heat.  For the 2007 World Series, Brad was named tournament MVP as the leading hitter and All-Tournament 3rd baseman. After much success with the Heat, Brad signed a contract to play for the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League in 2008.

For the past 5 years, Brad has become one of the top instructors in the area specializing in all phases of the game. Working with coaches, players, and teams of all ages and abilities on hitting, pitching, fielding, catching, and baserunning, Brad will help your players and get the results they are looking for.

Graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis. In 2005, senior year of High School helped De Smet to State Finals. Played 4 years as an outfielder at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Hit .335 during career and owns the school single season(6) and career record(9) for triples. Hit .353 senior year with 6 triples and 44 RBI. Two year starter with 81 career RBI. Graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis. In 2005, senior year of High School helped De Smet to State Finals but lost to Columbia Hickman

Entering his 45th year as a baseball coach and 16th at Washington University in St. Louis, Ric is one of St. Louis’ most renowned baseball instructors.

In the 27 years before his Washington U. hiring in August 1993, Lessmann built a national reputation for teaching excellence while leading St. Louis Community College at Meramec to a 963-318 composite record. Lessmann, the nation’s third winningest junior college coach, never experienced a losing season and guided the Warriors to the National Junior College World Series nine times. In 1974, Lessmann reached the pinnacle, leading Meramec to a national title.

Lessmann, the 1974 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Coach of the Year, is a 1991 inductee into the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame and a 1992 inductee into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

Since coming to Washington U., Lessmann has continued to lead the Bears’ baseball revival. Ten of his 15 teams have won 20 or more games, including a program-best 34-7 record in 2006. In 2007, the Bears made their third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, also winning 30 games for the third-consecutive season. In 2005, WU posted a a then-program-best 32-10 record, a first outright and third overall University Athletic Association (UAA) title, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Among his other accomplishments and activities, Lessman has coached youth-league summer teams for 15 years and has been making regular appearances on the KMOX 1120 AM broadcast of “Sports on a Sunday Morning,” with Ron Jacober for the last 12 years. In the summer of 2008, Lessman will coach in the wooden bat St. Louis Metro-Collegiate Baseball League.

A graduate of St. Louis’ Southwest High, Lessmann signed with the New York Yankees at the age of 17 as a lefthanded pitcher.

A St. Louis native and grandson of legendary broadcaster Jack Buck, has been around the game of baseball his whole life. As baseball team captain and a 4 year varsity letterman Taylor was a standout player and teammate of Todd Stein at Ladue Horton Watkins High School. From there, his baseball journey continued at Forest Park Community College where he was a catcher for the Highlanders for 3 years; redshirting his sophomore year due to a knee injury. In his final season at Forest Park, the Highlanders advanced to the Junior College World Series.

Taylor then traveled to Lisle, IL to finish his degree while playing baseball at Benedictine University. Throughout his high school and college playing careers Taylor received first class catching lessons from Cardinals long time catching catching coach, the late Dave Ricketts, and hitting lessons from other Cardinal greats.

When not playing in high school and college Taylor focused his attention on private lessons with many young talented St. Louis ball players. A vast knowledge of the game allows him to translate fundamentals into words that can be easily understood by his pupils.

In addition to instruction at Gameday, Kris has held numerous head coach and pitching coach positions with local univerisities, most recently St. Charles Community College and Missouri Baptist University. Prior to accepting the position at Missouri Baptist, Kris was the pitching coach at Washington University. She also spent time as the assistant softball coach at Incarnate Word High School and 2 years working with Olympic Gold Medalist pitcher Lisa Fernandez. Kris served as head softball coach, volleyball coach and assistant sports information director at Piedmont College in Demorest, GA., assistant softball coach @ Lewis & Clark College in Godfrey, IL, graduate assistant softball coach at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

Kris graduated from Southern Illinois University with a bachelor of science in physical education with a minor is coaching and Masters in sports administration from Eastern Kentucky University.

Jen Beckmann, head coach at St. Charles Community College, brings her strong knowledge of fastpitch softball to Gameday Academy. With over 15 years of playing experience, Jen teaches and stresses a solid foundation in fundamentals in hitting and fielding.

While at St. Charles Community College, Jen ranks in the top 5 of in records for career batting percentage, career doubles and doubles in a season. Jen also holds the records for homeruns in a season and career at St. Charles Community College.

After her record setting career at St. Charles Community College, Jen finished her college degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, graduating with a degree in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations in 2008, and finishing up a successful collegiate career as a softball player. Jen is currently working on her Masters Degree in Secondary Education.

Softball has given Jen many opportunities in life, and she feels it is now her turn to give back to the sport. Jen wants to teach girls to love and respect the game along with improving their skills. She has a strong work ethic and a belief that you have to put in time and effort if you want to see a change.

Tim brings over 20 years of softball instruction with him to Gameday Academy.