Meet our All-Star Line Up of Professional Baseball Instructors

Trevor Huisinga - Hitting & Fielding Instruction

Coach Huisinga developed an outstanding reputation as a quality outfielder and hitter in his days at Bartlett High School.  After earning All-Conference, All-Area and All-State honors in 2001 and 2002, he continued his playing career as a four-year starter at the University of Illinois and was a key member of the 2005 Big Ten Championship team. 

Trevor earned Team MVP honors on an international team that toured in Australia.  Coach Huisinga is currently an assistant coach for the Sophomore team at South Elgin High School.

Rick DeHart  - Pitching Instruction

Coach DeHart played professionally for the Montreal Expos and Kansas City Royals from 1997-2003. Rick’s career began in 1992 which spanned sixteen minor league seasons and includes professional playing experience abroad in Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Japan.  Coach DeHart played for the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League in 2006; which included time as a player/pitching coach. Most recently, DeHart is the pitching coach for the Kansas City T-Bones in the Independent League.  While in Kansas City, DeHart’s team won the Northern League Championship.  Rick is available for private and group pitching instruction.

Randy Woodard - Pitching Instruction

Coach Woodard is a former NCAA Div I pitcher at University of North Carolina-Charlotte and professional pitching coach in the Frontier League, former scout in the Kansas City Royals organization and currently assistant baseball coach at Elgin Community College.  Randy has worked in the field of baseball instruction for over 20 years and has provided individual, group and team training for hundreds of players of all ages and talent levels.  He is the founder of the EXP Training Academy and offers a wide range of quality training services including Athlete Mental Management, comprehensive written player evaluations and lesson summaries and elite pitcher training programs for high school and collegiate pitchers.

Chris Pemberton - Hitting & Fielding Instruction

Chris Pemberton, the current head baseball coach at Bartlett High School, has been instructing players for over a decade at the high school level.  A member of the Bartlett staff for 10 years, Coach Pemberton took over the program in 2008-2009 and in his inaugural season at the helm led the Hawks to their first Regional Championship appearance since 2002.

Coach Pemberton played his high school ball at Prospect High School and then went on to play at Illinois Wesleyan University.  Coach Pemberton brings experience from several levels of baseball and has worked with players of all ages.  He has been instrumental in establishing camps and training programs for younger players who are not involved in high school baseball yet, but hope to play at that level. 

Chris Wilmot - Hitting & Catching Instruction

Coach Wilmot is a 2000 graduate of Conant High School in Hoffman Estates. He was a catcher, outfielder, and 1st baseman for the Cougars during his varsity years. Chris was a member of the 1999 MSL Champion team that also set the school record for wins in a season and was awarded the Unsung Hero Award for the 99’ season.  Chris holds a degree in Fire Science Technology and is currently a Lombard Firefighter/Paramedic. While in college, Chris played semi-professional baseball with the Chicago Lugnuts for two seasons.  In 2005, he was asked to attend an open tryout as a catcher with the Schaumburg Flyers.  Coach Wilmot spent two seasons with the Flyers including their playoff run in 2006. While catching in the Northern League, Chris worked with various levels of pitchers from former major leaguers, AA/AAA level pitchers and players right out of college.  Coach Wilmot is an experienced hitting and catching instructor for both baseball and softball of all levels and is available for private and group instruction.

Ralph Riske - Hitting Instruction

Coach Riske is entering his fourth season as hitting coach for Elgin Community College.  Coach Riske's efforts were instrumental in the team batting .375 for the 2008 season - the highest mark in team history.  His work was an important reason the Spartans reached the NJCAA College Baseball World Series in 2007 & 2008.  Coach Riske is available for group and private instruction and has participated in camps and clinics at The Hitting Zone since Fall 2009.

Bruce Leighty - Pitching, Hitting and Fielding Instruction

Coach Leighty starred as a pitcher playing baseball in Chicago for Senne High School.  He later played at Lake Park College and the University of Wisconsin.  Following college, he signed professionally as a middle infielder for the Kansas City Royals organization.  After being released, Bruce continued to play semi-professional baseball throughout Northern Illinois where he returned to the mound.  Throughout his playing days he demonstrated a keen desire to become a true student of the game.

Since his playing days, Leighty has been actively involved in coaching and teaching baseball, at a variety of competitive levels, most recently within the Bartlett Little League organization, where he annually heads up the manager training portion of the program.  As a Manager in the Majors Division, Coach Leighty won four consecutive championships and appeared in the Bartlett In-House Championship game five straight seasons, winning that crown four times.  His teams appeared in the prestigious Hamm’s Tournament of Champions four consecutive years, finishing in the final four three times and winning the tournament championship in 2003. 

Please Note:  Lessons booked with The Hitting Zone are not guaranteed with a specific instructor.  We will make every effort possible to provide consistency, but are not obligated to due to fact the instructors are independent contractors and not employees of The Hitting Zone.  No refunds will be granted for any unused portions of a lesson package.