Best Hitting Coach....

[setxdevil]

Who do you think is the best hitting coach in the area..... Imo Coach Thompson with the SETX Sun Devils is by far the best.... Not the best this side of the Mississippi but the best  anywhere   ;D

[EAGLE07]

I agree, Devil. Thompson is a good one.

[cleanup13]

I believe that JR Bardin with the SE Texas SunDevils is better than Thompson.  He relates more to the players and has great techniques.

[Guest Bulldog]

Both are great coaches, them along with David Huggins produce college athletes left and right.

[Guest coachhooker]

Dennis Vansa by far, this sun of a gun can teach you how to hit and round first base

[VP]

My son has been taking from Chris Fackler....one of the asst coaches for McNeese.  He has really

turned his hitting around.  Brings the kids right back to the basics and works from there.  He has never

hit this powerful or strong before Fackler.  Alot of area kids around Southeast TX take lessons from him.

[cardinals4life]

Sam Moore

[Guest Orangeboy]

Dennis Vansa by far, this sun of a gun can teach you how to hit and round first base

[Guest edowd]

If you are talking about H.S. age kids and not Little Leaguers, the best instructor is Jimmy Neale. He does not have the same exact blueprint for every swing. All his guys have approaches that fit them.

The Big Timer guys seem to have pretty good success too.

[MIF04]

Thompson, Huggins, Bardin and Neale:  all with SE Texas Sun Devils.  Although biased, these guys are the best.

BTW...Fackler was an asst at McNeese, was interim head coach when their guy resigned inseason, but did not get asked to return.  He went to the Big Timers for a short time, then left that organization as did Sam Moore.

There are a lot of good teachers out there (and, unfortunately, some not so good ones).  When it was my kid and his career, I chose Thompson and the SE Texas Sun Devils.  It has been proven as a good choice.  Their resume for college players are second to none...so why use anyone else?

[yogi]

im not sso sure that the number of college players they produce should be how you choose a hitting coach. 

Mr. Magoo could be the hitting coach for guys like Dishon from BC and he still would have been a big time d1 prospect.  I think the best hitting coches can take a kid who is a borderline starter for his Highschool club and make him an all district pick.

Now as to who is the best I have no clue I had experience with Fackler and Moore and liked both they were very similar for me.  There was also a guy known as the hitting master who i saw a couple of times I dont remeber his name but I liked moore and fackler both better than him.

[MIF04]

im not sso sure that the number of college players they produce should be how you choose a hitting coach.   

Mr. Magoo could be the hitting coach for guys like Dishon from BC and he still would have been a big time d1 prospect.  I think the best hitting coches can take a kid who is a borderline starter for his Highschool club and make him an all district pick.

Now as to who is the best I have no clue I had experience with Fackler and Moore and liked both they were very similar for me.  There was also a guy known as the hitting master who i saw a couple of times I dont remeber his name but I liked moore and fackler both better than him.

The hitting master guy is Garry Ridge who is still giving lessons in the area.  I think Garry works better with younger kids.  JMO.

I disagree about the Mr. Magoo comment and I feel certain that Johnny Dishon does as well.  Johnny is (and always was) a D-1 athlete.  The teaching and coaching he got made him a D-1 hitter...plain and simple. 

And I recognize that the number of college players a coach develops is not the only criteria...but its a pretty good start.  I think you'll find that Thompson, Huggins, Bardin, Neale, etc. all have borderline players that they have made much better on their resume as well.  The bottom line with those guys is that they make all their students better...at any level.

[westend1]

I think the point is, all these kids playing for the Sun Devils were the best players in the area before they ever met the Devil coaching staff.  I think Morgan Walker taught many of those kids to hit.  Now they have a free place to play and get lots of recognition(great for them), but I don't believe that they got their skills from the Devil organization.  Instead, they lend their skills to the organization for a short while, which is great advertising for the coaches there.  I applaude the marketing strategy, but these kids were going on to play at the next level, Devil's or not.    JMO

[TXBaseball]

I think the point is, all these kids playing for the Sun Devils were the best players in the area before they ever met the Devil coaching staff.  I think Morgan Walker taught many of those kids to hit.  Now they have a free place to play and get lots of recognition(great for them), but I don't believe that they got their skills from the Devil organization.  Instead, they lend their skills to the organization for a short while, which is great advertising for the coaches there.  I applaude the marketing strategy, but these kids were going on to play at the next level, Devil's or not.    JMO

They could very possibly be the "best" players in the area, but not necessarily.  Just the best of those that pursued that avenue of baseball.  There are many, many kids out there that are very good that never pursue that type of baseball.

[VP]

They could very possibly be the "best" players in the area, but not necessarily.  Just the best of those that pursued that avenue of baseball.  There are many, many kids out there that are very good that never pursue that type of baseball.

Well said Pluto.

[westend1]

I didn't mean to imply that "all" the best players play for the SunDevils.  I just meant that the players that play for them are very good before they get there.  I am sure there are many examples of players who get college offers who never had a hitting coach, other than Dad, or a Little League coach or high school coach.

[Guest tigersvoice]

Well said Pluto.

Hey!  Didn't you used to be a planet?  What happened? ;D

[TXBaseball]

Hey!  Didn't you used to be a planet?  What happened? ;D

I guess I could have been a planet, but some would call me the floppy ear dog on Disney!  I suppose that either way, my opinion is "goofy" according to the voices in Silsbee!  ;D

[East TX]

Sam Moore is one of the best at teaching and un-teaching in Texas    LOL

For a High School Coach--Coach Byrd at Barbers Hill is probably the best in all classifications.

[MIF04]

I think the point is, all these kids playing for the Sun Devils were the best players in the area before they ever met the Devil coaching staff.  I think Morgan Walker taught many of those kids to hit.  Now they have a free place to play and get lots of recognition(great for them), but I don't believe that they got their skills from the Devil organization.  Instead, they lend their skills to the organization for a short while, which is great advertising for the coaches there.  I applaude the marketing strategy, but these kids were going on to play at the next level, Devil's or not.    JMO

With all due respect, this poster simply does not know what he is talking about.  I have read (and re-read) this post and cannot find much, if any, accuracy in it.  It is disrespectful to the coaches and to each of the players who put in countless hours working and becoming good enough to get to the next level.  As being intimately involved with this organization since it began, I do know what they do and have done for countless young men in this area.

(1)  Most of the kids come into the organization when they are 12-14 years of age.  As time goes by, some players drift into the program at an older age.  We are always looking for the opportunity to provide a motivated and talented kid an avenue to improve.

(2)  With no disrespect to Morgan Walker (who I've known for years), he has given very few of our players lessons...ever.  Any kid who comes to us is not required to use us for lessons...that is their choice.  They all wind up choosing us.

(3)  We don't give them their talent...God does.  What we do is turn that talent into use-able skills on the baseball field.

(4)  There is no marketing strategy here...we don't make a dime on this.  What we do get is the opportunity to stand in the room when 1 of our kids signs a National Letter of Intent to play somewhere he always wanted to...as the commercial says, "priceless".

(5)  Maybe these kids would've played somewhere without the Sun Devils...who knows?  What I do know is that we provided these kids years of training, exposure, etc.  I do know that, if it hadn't been for us, most of these kids would have never played at the level they are. 

We don't need any advertising.  The college coaches call us.  The scouts call us.  They come to our facility.  They call us with kids they want us to take on, to teach, to train.  That is not marketing...that is not advertising.....its fact.  I am proud of what we've done.  I take offense to westend's comments to the contrary.  There...I've vented.

[westend1]

With all due respect, this poster simply does not know what he is talking about.  I have read (and re-read) this post and cannot find much, if any, accuracy in it.  It is disrespectful to the coaches and to each of the players who put in countless hours working and becoming good enough to get to the next level.  As being intimately involved with this organization since it began, I do know what they do and have done for countless young men in this area.

(1)  Most of the kids come into the organization when they are 12-14 years of age.  As time goes by, some players drift into the program at an older age.  We are always looking for the opportunity to provide a motivated and talented kid an avenue to improve.

(2)  With no disrespect to Morgan Walker (who I've known for years), he has given very few of our players lessons...ever.  Any kid who comes to us is not required to use us for lessons...that is their choice.  They all wind up choosing us.

(3)  We don't give them their talent...God does.  What we do is turn that talent into use-able skills on the baseball field.

(4)  There is no marketing strategy here...we don't make a dime on this.  What we do get is the opportunity to stand in the room when 1 of our kids signs a National Letter of Intent to play somewhere he always wanted to...as the commercial says, "priceless".

(5)  Maybe these kids would've played somewhere without the Sun Devils...who knows?  What I do know is that we provided these kids years of training, exposure, etc.  I do know that, if it hadn't been for us, most of these kids would have never played at the level they are. 

We don't need any advertising.  The college coaches call us.  The scouts call us.  They come to our facility.  They call us with kids they want us to take on, to teach, to train.  That is not marketing...that is not advertising.....its fact.  I am proud of what we've done.  I take offense to westend's comments to the contrary.  There...I've vented.

It is was not my intent to cause you to vent. The SunDevil org provides these kids a valuable service.  It provides exposure to very good players from this area.  I guess I will address your points in turn.

1.  The 12-14 year olds are very good when they get there.  i don't think this was a misstatement on my part.

2.  I know personally several kids who have used Walker's services.  And that's a good thing.  His credentials and experience speak for themselves,

3.  See #1.  The kids were good at the game when you found them.  Practice at the SunDevil facility helped them improve, no doubt, but, they would have improved anywhere if they wanted to work at it.  Any disagreement there?

4.  Are the lessons free?  Where do I sign my kid up?

5.  I gave credit for the exposure in my original post and free training can't be beat.  I think Jay Bruce would beg to differ.

Sorry you were offended, but I'm pretty sure I know what I am talking about.  And. I think you are wrong if you think anything in my post was disrespectful to any players.  That comment was simply an attempt to make you sound caring, but it was uncalled for.  If anyone has offended the kids, it's you, with comments like they wouldn't have succeeded but for the Sun Devils. 

[VOP]

Both Westend1 and mif04 make some good points but the fact is good players make good coaches. Anyone given their pick of the top talent in the area is reasonably assured of individual and team success. This true whether it is the Mid-County Babe Ruth All Stars, Big Timers or the Sun Devils. The right athletes will make almost any coach look good.

It is also possible for a moderately experienced talent evaluator to look at 12-14 yr olds and project which kids will be the best future players. This becomes even more predictable when the kids reach 16.

Athleticism, speed, arm strength, batting average and home runs are easily measurable and known in the baseball community. If you then want the best team, go get the best talent. If you can do it by offering families relief from the high cost of select baseball, more power to you.

There are several good hitting coaches in the area. Walker is one of them. He was an all-state 5A player, one of Lamar's all-time best hitters and spent time in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The nominations for 2008 Pre-Season All SETX team are full of players Morgan coached in their most important, formative years. Just take the catcher position for example, if I'm not mistaken Carnahan, Steinhagen, Wallace and Felts have all spent significant time, if not years, working with Walker.

Quite naturally, all coaches, in any sport, are publically proud of their players accomplishments. After all, their livelihood depends on promotion.

[MIF04]

westend1....I am very sure you do not know what you're talking about.  And I doubt you can name 1 kid that went through our program that we didn't make better and that whose position we didn't improve.  Go ahead....name 'em...then I'll list the players, parents, college coaches and MLB Scouts that prove my point...

[meat]

calm down MIF...the SunDevils organization is lucky that Dugas/Fackler don't run the Beaumont Explosion Club anymore. If I remember correctly they used to run through yall pretty good and on more than one occasion might I add.

[westend1]

westend1....I am very sure you do not know what you're talking about.  And I doubt you can name 1 kid that went through our program that we didn't make better and that whose position we didn't improve.  Go ahead....name 'em...then I'll list the players, parents, college coaches and MLB Scouts that prove my point...

That's silly.  Why don't you name 1 kid who didn't get "improve his position"  after going through PONY. little league, high school ball or any of the numerous select teams.  All kids who play get better.  It just happens that you pick the kids with the most upside to work with.  Go ahead and list your parents, players, coaches etc.  It's not going to prove your point, whatever that might be.