the lineup card: vol 4
Over the past decade, travel baseball has taken the world of youth sports by storm. With its rigorous schedule of games and tournaments, this competitive circuit has become the breeding ground for some of the most talented young baseball players in the country. In fact, travel baseball has become so influential that it is now the primary source for colleges and Major League Baseball teams to scout high-end talent.
As the popularity of travel baseball has exploded, so too have the number of coaches, scouts, and personal trainers vying for a piece of the action. But which figures in this competitive landscape are the most influential? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at six of the biggest names in travel baseball today, and how they are shaping the next generation of stars. From coaches who are revolutionizing player development to business owners who built their programs from the ground up, these are the people who are making an impact on the future of America’s pastime.
Chase Brewster – Arkansas Sticks
Chase Brewster claims to have been an “awful” player growing up, but that never stopped his love of the game. The Texarkana native got his start as a student assistant at Texarkana College, where he earned an assistant coaching role after two years. Before social media made it easier to find talent anywhere, Brewster had a knack for spotting and reeling in those hidden gems, a skill that continues to pay off today.
“The key to finding a good player is just focusing on what they do well and not worrying about the rest,” Brewster said. “We don’t count them out just because they’re not a complete player at 15.”
He later ended up at Genoa Central, where his team won five regionals, four conference championships and two state titles in seven years. While Brewster was coaching at Genoa, located in the southwest part of Arkansas, he noticed that a lot of the kids were not playing showcase baseball in the summer. Although those programs existed in the northwest and central parts of the state, most of the talent in their region went unnoticed.
Steve Landers, who started the Arkansas Sticks as a youth program, hired Brewster to launch the high school side. Their program quickly built a foundation of extremely talented players from southwest Arkansas. He found one of their very first players, Jaden Hill, roughly 20 minutes away from where he lived. The hard-throwing right-hander went on to pitch three seasons for LSU before getting drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the second round in 2021.
“He is one of the most selfless people I know. I’ve watched him go to war to make opportunities happen for hundreds of kids,” Hill said. “He helped me mature at a young age and view our beautiful sport in a completely different and better perspective.”
The Sticks have produced over 500 college commitments and 42 draft picks since they began in 2017. Some of the other notable players to leave their program include top Cardinals prospect Masyn Wynn and Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who had a fiery start to his rookie campaign before being sidelined by a torn labrum. As of last September, the Sticks are the scout team for the White Sox. Yet out of all the accomplishments by their program, Brewster is most proud of their retention rate.
“We’ve always tried to keep our guys happy and let them know that we believe in them,” Brewster said. He admitted that they have lost championship games sticking with the players that got them there, even if they could easily bring in a top player in the country as a last-minute addition. “Our retention rate tells us if we’re getting that message across and if we’re treating people right.”
When Brewster got married in 2019, all five of the ushers at his wedding were Sticks players – Jaden Hill, Cason Tollett, Braylon Bishop, Austin Ledbetter and Jesse Pierce. A sign that that message is in fact resonating throughout the program.
“He never took any of his players and tried to make them into someone they aren’t,” Sticks alum and current Arkansas pitcher Josh Hyneman said. “These players came into the summer from playing different roles all spring for their high school teams, and Coach Brewster takes them all in and turns them into a powerhouse summer ball team year in and year out.”
Evin Einhardt – Wow Factor
As a three-sport athlete in high school, Evin Einhardt did not realize his potential in baseball until breaking out during his junior year. His father never took him to lessons, so Einhardt did his own research on how to train for the next level. The Mariners, Rangers and Tigers were all looking at Einhardt out of high school, but it was not enough money for him at the time, so he went the junior college route as a two-way player.
After struggling to hit and transferring to a couple different schools, Einhardt began to lock in on being a pitcher. He developed a starter routine in the summer Prospect League and ultimately landed at Brewton-Parker College in the NAIA, where he won pitcher of the year. The White Sox drafted him in the 20th round not long after.
Einhardt had trouble coming out of the bullpen his first year in the minors, so his agent set him up with Eric Cressey, who trains hundreds of pros in Florida and currently serves as the Yankees’ Director of Player Health and Performance. That experience taught him a ton about player development and soon enough, Einhardt’s velocity was touching the upper 90s.
The following offseason, he went down to Memphis to train for 10 days and saw what one of his buddies charged for lessons, so he decided to give some lessons himself. Einhardt failed a physical due to a slight tear in his labrum and was told he would have to rehab and make minor league money. Fed up with the process, he gave up playing and returned to Memphis where he began Wow Factor as a player development facility only in February 2017.
“I really thought travel ball was silly to be honest,” Einhardt said. He was training around 100 kids a week, helping them improve metrics such as bat speed and throwing velocity. “I wanted to get kids to college and pro.”
When his players started throwing upper 80s and even low 90s as 14-year-olds, some travel ball organizations reached out wanting him to send them players. Einhardt developed relationships with those coaches, who are now some of his biggest competitors, learning what it takes to run a successful program. In September 2019, Wow Factor had their first “trial-and-error” team and ended up outscoring teams 55-5. Three power five schools reached out immediately after the November Perfect Game rankings were released to ask about Wow Factor. Despite having no interest in travel at first, Einhardt was amazed by the feedback after only one tournament, so their travel teams hit the ground running. Since 2020, Wow Factor has produced 470 college commits, three draft picks and won three national championships.
“If you run it the right way, you can have a big imprint on these kids,” Einhardt said. “Our goal is to prepare these kids for the atmosphere of going to college or pro ball.”
Currently, Einhardt serves in more of a general manager role. In addition to recruiting players, he sets the lineups and pitching rotations for each team in the program. Although Einhardt never envisioned running one of the top travel programs in the country, his initial goal of helping kids get to the next level is certainly being met. Texas commit Oliver Service credits Einhardt with helping him navigate the recruitment process.
“Evin has been a huge part of my recruitment,” Service said. “He was constantly pushing me to schools and vouching for me. I’m so thankful to have someone like him in my corner.”
Nelly Gonzalez – FTB Phillies
Travel baseball found Nelly Gonzalez at the lowest point of his life. His playing career ended prematurely due to trouble in school, which initially led him down the wrong path.
“I lost everything,” Gonzalez said. His dad and Jered Goodwin, the current director of scouting for Perfect Game, created FTB (Florida Travel Baseball) and gave him a opportunity to get back in the game as a coach. “Jered brought me back out from the streets, put me under his wing and I fell in love with changing kids’ lives.”
Gonzalez is now in his 11th year coaching. Early on, he learned how to run the program as a family from the coaches he was under at FTB. They don’t chase trophies. Their main priority at FTB is to get kids committed to colleges and hopefully even drafted.
“We’re not going to sacrifice a kid’s arm or well being just for a trophy or my organization’s sake,” Gonzalez explained. He feels that one of the things that has separated their program from others is that FTB charges less than $2,000 and provides their players $1,000 in gear. “I can’t get the Lindors and all those kids that we had if I was charging to make it into a business.”
Another benefit of their program is that they serve as the scout team for the Phillies. Prior to that, they were affiliated with the Giants, Astros and Cardinals. Essentially, scout teams receive uniforms and gear from MLB organizations while their pro scouts get to be in the dugouts, access the players’ analytics and receive a close first look at their character before they are draft eligible.
FTB teams have a plethora of MLB stars play for them, including Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the late José Fernández. More recently, current and future high draft picks Druw Jones, Elijah Green, Max Clark and Carsten Sabathia III all wore the FTB Phillies uniform.
Off the field, Gonzalez promotes his players by uploading highlight videos to social media. At first, he saw it as a way to make baseball cool since most highlight reels appeared to lack the flare of football or basketball. However, his platform took off quicker than expected, amassing to over 50,000 YouTube subscribers and 45,000 Instagram followers in a year and a half. While he appears in videos for no more than a few seconds, fans tune in to watch his team make impressive plays. Gonzalez noticed that the kids gained thousands of followers and all got verified before they even entered the draft. Building their brand early made a significant impact their ability to make money from NIL deals.
Gonzalez recognizes these kids are already extremely talented before they play for him. His job is to make sure that their mindset is just as polished as their skillset.
“I’m here to mentally prepare you for the next level,” Gonzalez said. “This game broke my heart. I have to make sure these kids understand, it’s gonna break your heart but that doesn’t mean you gotta give up on it.”
Marc Nellist – USA Prime National Program
After growing up playing for Team Elite Baseball in the Greater Atlanta area, Marc Nellist returned to coach his old travel organization once his playing career ended. Nellist knew he wanted to stay around the game after pitching collegiately for three years, hoping to help young kids like himself achieve their dreams.
He coached there for 11 years before deciding to step away. After a couple months off, Nellist was hired as Vice President of the USA Prime National Program in 2021. In his new role, he oversees all three of their national scout teams, which compete in the top events in the county. This includes building the teams and placing players in what he believes to be the best spot to get exposure.
Nellist is also the head coach of the 15U national team, which is ranked number two in the country by Perfect Game. That 2025 class features Texas Tech commit Kayson Cunningham and Sean Gamble, the number three player in the country.
“I think one of the ways that we help these kids prepare is just getting them in front of the right people,” Nellist said. Through 15 years of experience, Nellist has developed great connections with Perfect Game, PBR and Baseball America. “There’s no point in having those relationships if I can’t use those for the benefit of our kids.”
He remembers quietly sitting at the dinner table after games during his first couple years as a coach, soaking in all the knowledge from the rest of the staff. He took note of how they talked about certain players and learned how to build relationships. Those lessons continue to shape how he runs his program.
“What really sets us apart is we have smaller rosters,” Nellist explained. “We’re not going to carry a ton of people. We want these kids to come in and play and develop.”
That approach has given players like Coleman Mizell the opportunity to surround themselves with top end talent and fulfill their potential.
“This summer I realized that I could compete with anyone,” Mizell said. The Alabama signee went on to describe Nellist as a “tremendous person” who he can talk to about anything, baseball related or not.
Baseball has led Nellist to some cool destinations over the years. He appeared as an extra in the movie “42” as a baserunner for the Phillies and a shortstop for the Cardinals, filming at historic fields in Birmingham. Nellist and his rare clean-shaven face can be seen briefly sliding into first base near Jackie Robinson, played by the late actor Chadwick Boseman. He still jokes with families that it’s not everyday you get to play for someone who was in the movie. Even so, Nellist feels fortunate to give his players experiences he never had growing up.
“We’re all driven in different ways,” Nellist said. “Some of these opportunities we are able to give back to these kids, I didn’t get. I want them to get those opportunities.”
Jeff Petty – Canes Baseball
In 2005, Jeff Petty decided to jump right into coaching after graduating from UNC Pembroke the year prior. He began coaching high school baseball in North Carolina and started his first Canes travel team shortly after.
“I just thought it was an opportunity to compile talented players together and help with the college recruiting process,” Petty said. At the time, travel baseball was not the phenomenon that it is now. Petty estimates that there were roughly 750 travel teams nationwide when he began. Today, there are tens of thousands.
Eighteen years later, Canes Baseball ranks as one of the best programs in the country. They have produced over 2,850 college commits, 310 draft picks and 42 MLB players all while winning 32 national championships. The Canes have franchise agreements with teams all over the country. Petty works most closely with the national team and the regional teams, covering Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. He also serves as a scouting consultant for the Mets.
“Honestly, you’re looking for the talent and the tools to be successful on the field but I think to take it to another level, we really look for those guys that are receptive to coaching, being a part of a team and having team success over individual success,” Petty explained.
Petty has coached countless top prospects with the Canes, including Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore and Angels outfielder Jo Adell. Among the highlights of his career have been getting to go the draft and watching his players compete in the College World Series.
“Coach Petty was as professional as it comes,” Canes alum and current Indiana University catcher AJ Shepard said. Playing under Petty taught Shepard how to handle the pressure of being watched by fans and scouts. “I think learning earlier on that I was gonna fail a lot in front of other people and how to manage that was super beneficial.”
Ajay Vulimiri – Artillery Baseball
In the early 2010’s, Ajay Vulimiri began running velocity improvement programs for Arsenal Baseball in New Jersey. At that time, those programs were not as common as they are now. Vulimiri ran those sessions during the wintertime and coached young teams once the season began, giving him an introduction to travel ball.
Eventually, Vulimiri started his own program, Artillery Baseball, which is already considered one of the top travel ball organizations in the country after three years of operation. They currently have four top 50-ranked teams by Perfect Game and the number one team in the class of 2025.
“All these kids have a personality and we let them be themselves,” Vulimiri said. He explained how his younger teams keep lucky stuffed animals as “mascots” in the dugout and some of the players can be seen running football routes down the left field foul line in-between innings. “I’m sure other coaches look and go, ‘He doesn’t have any handle on them,’ but when they need to dial in, they dial in.”
Their program has had nine players drafted and 282 college commitments, according to Perfect Game. Some of the top players to wear the Artillery uniform include Brock Porter, who was drafted by the Rangers in the fourth round last year and Ike Irish, who has won multiple SEC freshman of the week awards as a three-hole hitter for Auburn.
Vulimiri has a unique approach when it comes to preparing players for the next level. When his 2025 team won their first national title last year, they did so by bunting over 30 times in eight games. One of the biggest lessons he learned from his time at Arsenal was to always go into games assuming his team would not hit. That way, if they struggle at the plate, his team can still scratch and claw their way to score two or three runs. He also tends to begin his pitchers as bullpen arms before they build up a starter’s workload.
“You’re probably not gonna be a starter as a freshman,” Vulimiri said. He explained that every pitch is magnified in the back end of games. Learning how to adapt to those situations mentally ultimately helps pitchers develop more quickly. “If you want to get on the field and contribute, you better be able to get ready fast and throw strikes out of the pen.”
Vulimiri feels that what sets Artillery apart is their ability to build relationships with players and parents. One of their goals is to make everyone feel like they are part of something rather than being just a number. Since Artillery is comprised of just four teams from 14U through 17U (one per age level), parents have access to Vulimiri and the rest of the staff whenever they need.
“It’s kinda cool that there’s only 60 to 80 guys that can wear these uniforms,” Vulimiri said. “We’re not going to conform them to what we think or what the industry thinks that baseball players should look like or act.”