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Meet The Staff Daniel Keller
President
As a three-year Varsity starter at Fountain Valley High School, Keller helped guide the Baron baseball team to CIF Championships in 1994 and 1995, earning All-County, All-CIF and All-State honors. He also started three years on the Varsity basketball team, earning two Sunset League Championships and reaching the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section in 1994 and 1995. Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1995, Keller chose to attend UCLA on a full athletic scholarship instead. In college, Dan played under legendary coach Gary Adams reaching the NCAA Regional Playoffs in 1996, 1997 and 1999, and advancing to the College World Series in 1997. Keller earned All-American honors in 1996, and was a two-time all-star in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League before injuring his shoulder while weightlifting in 1998. After surgery and a year of rehab, Dan worked his way back into pitching shape and the starting rotation in 1999 before a related shoulder injury ended his career later that year. Lifeletics was started in 2001 with individual training, summer and winter Academies, coaching clinics, and a line of instructional books and videos. Keller's coaching experience includes stints at the Valley School of Baseball in San Diego , OCBA Travel Ball club, freshman, JV and Varsity high school experience ( Fountain Valley ), and thousands of individual lessons and camp weeks. Brent Erickson
Director of Baseball In 2007, Erickson joined Lifeletics as the first full-time crew member and now serves as Director of Baseball Operations. Brent manages the Lifeletics Indoor Training Facility and instructs pitchers and fielders both indoor and outdoor during summer, winter and spring Academies. Coach Erickson was a three-year letterman at Fountain Valley High School earning All-Sunset League honors as well as the Brice Dickerson Award (Most Inspirational) his senior year. After one year at Orange Coast College , Brent earned a scholarship to attend Hawaii Pacific University and then finished his career and earned a degree in business from Vanguard University. Deric Yanagisawa
Senior Instructor A graduate of Fountain Valley HS in 1994, Yanagisawa won the CIF Championship in 1994, earning All-CIF, All-County, and All-Sunset League award honors. After playing two years at Orange Coast College (All-League 1996), Deric played two years at Hawaii Pacific University in Oahu where he was selected 1st Team All League in 1997 and 1999. Deric coached for two years as a graduate assistant at HPU, FVHS for four years and joined the Lifeletics staff in 2002. Coach Yanagisawa is runs the Orange County Baseball Association travel ball club and cites Mike Mayne, Cliff Ritter, and Bob Gibbs as mentors in the study of teaching baseball. Bob Gibbs Senior Instructor Coach Gibbs joined the Lifeletics team in 2006, bringing 40 years of baseball experience. Gibbs conducts hitting lessons for baseball and softball and his coaching resume boasts twenty years of high school coaching (Ocean View / Fountain Valley ) and ten years of private instruction. Bob is married with 2 grown children, who both have families in Southern California . It's an honor to have worked with so many talented players from the high schools, junior colleges and the four-year universities in Southern California . I hope to see many more of my students continuing on in their footsteps.” . Brandon Cox Senior Instructor Brandon Cox was an All-League catcher at Fountain Valley High School , earning scholarships first to Concordia and then Vanguard University in Orange County . A true teacher by trade, Coach Cox is instructs batting and catching for Lifeletics, and serves as a coach/trainer for the OCBA travel ball teams. A graduate of Concordia University, Brandon majored in communication and enjoys writing and music. A major brain surgery in high school deeply affected Brandon's baseball career, providing the opportunity to overcome adversity with a collegiate scholarship and learn valuable lessons now vital to his coaching influence. James Sweeney Senior Instructor After injury cut short a promising 5-year professional baseball career, James Sweeney joined the Lifeletics staff in 2006. Coach Sweeney, a licensed physical trainer and student of nutrition and fitness courses, assists with all Lifeletics activities and hopes to expand into athletic training in the future. As a player, Sweeney won the Texas State and National Championships in 1999. He earned a scholarship to the University of Texas , but chose to sign instead with the Colorado Rockies after being drafted in the 9th round in 2001. James was honored in 2008 with a selection into the Texas State High School Hall of Fame. While injury ended Sweeney's career prematurely, he hopes to extend the careers of tomorrow's athletes. Cole Garner Senior Instructor Coach Garner has trained with Lifeletics each offseason since 2005. A current outfielder with the Colorado Rockies baseball club (26th round draft choice in 2003), Cole uses his experience as a standout at La Quinta High School as well as the invaluable experience gained from playing professional baseball to assist athletes to achieve their goals. A true student of the game, Coach Garner's passion for working with kids and assisting them in reaching their dreams is evident each and every workout. Currenlty Coach Garner works with camp, clinic, Lifeletics Elite and Team Training programs. He also assists Lifeletics with remote instruction. To schedule Cole to work with your team, contact the Lifeletics Indoor Training Facility at 714.843.1989. Jude Chavez
Senior Instructor Jude comes to Lifeletics with 5 years coaching experience at Orange Coast College and El Modena High School. Professionally, Coach Chavez has been working in baseball instruction since 2000 as a camp director and offering private lessons in infield, outfield, and hitting. As a player, Jude Chavez earned Team MVP honors at El Modena High School, was named All-Conference at Orange Coast College, and a two-time All-West Region player at Chapman University. His leadership earned him Team Captain Honors at Chapman, where the squad attended World Series play in 1999 and 2000 Currenlty Coach Chavez Garner assists Lifeletics with camp, clinic, Lifeletics Elite and Team Training Instruction. He also assists Lifeletics with remote instruction. To schedule Jude to work with your team, contact the Lifeletics Indoor Training Facility at 714.843.1989. Cody Evans
Senior Instructor Coach Cody Evans, a current player in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system, finished up the 2008 season in AA with multiple trips to AAA. Coach Evans attended Long Beach State and Edison High School, and has been instructing students for the past 7 years. Cody was drafted by Arizona in the 10th round of the 2005 MLB draft. He currently assists Lifeletics with camp and clinic events, Joey Aversa Senior Instructor Aversa's reputation as the finest hitting instructor in Orange County is entirely accurate. With over 14 years in professional baseball and 10 years as a private instructor, Aversa works with players of all ages, from Pony league to the big leagues. Joe's ability to relate with today's players combined with his thorough knowledge of the game help to make him an effective coach. Lifeletics is proud to have Coach Aversa as a staff member, and proud to offer him as a tremendous role model. Aversa is married with two boys of his own and resides in Fountain Valley. He attended Edison High School, Southern California College and spent 13 years as a player and coach in professional baseball. Currently Joe is an instructor with the San Diego Padres major league club. For more information or for individual hitting lessons, contact the Lifeletics Indoor Training Facility at 714.843.1989. Bill Birinyi
Lifeletics Academy Director Bill Birinyi is the rare blend of teacher and coach. A classroom veteran of 8 years, Bill currently teaches science at Fountain Valley High School, where he is also a Varsity assistant coach. His talents at communicating with todays youth both in the classroom and on the field make him a perfect fit for the Lifeletics staff. Focusing on developing champions and winners, Birinyi attended Westmont college, where he was involved with the Warriors for 4 years. Bill currently is a head instructor at the Lifeletics Baseball Academy satellite locations. |
Lifeletics founder and President, Daniel Keller, brings a well-rounded background to the company. As a player, Keller was selected Freshman All-American at UCLA (1996), won two high school CIF Championships and participated in NCAA Championship level playoffs. Through his career as a private instructor, camp director, and high school coach, Dan has gained invaluable experience not only in peak athletic performance, but also in dealing with victory and defeat. 
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