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our staff
Owner & Hitting Instructor
Howard "HoJo" Johnson
Known to everyone as "HoJo". With a 14-year MLB career from 1982 to 1995, he played for the Detroit Tigers, NY Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago Cubs, winning World Series titles with the Tigers in 1984 and the Mets in 1986. From 1992 to 1997, he held the National League career record for home runs by a switch hitter, and from 1987 to 1996, he held the single-season record for the same category. He was a three-time member of the 30–30 club, had the second-highest home run total in the NL from 1987 to 1991, and was an All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner in 1989 and 1991. In 1991, he became the only switch-hitter to lead the NL in both home runs and RBIs in the same season and was the only Met to lead the league in RBIs. Since 2001, he has worked as a hitting coach in both Major and Minor Leagues with the NY Mets, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers.
Pitching Instructor
Matt Whisenant
With over 12 years as a professional pitcher, he played at the Major League level for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins. He signed his first professional contract in 1989 after being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies, was traded to the Marlins in 1993, then to the Royals in 1997, and later signed with the Padres. He also played in the Arizona Fall League in 1995 and 1997 and the Puerto Rican Winter League in 1996. Currently, he serves as the Head Pitching Coach at Franklin Road Academy and has led three Southern California high school baseball programs over 20 years, including Montclair Prep, Village Christian Schools, and his alma mater, La Canada High School. He has been a private instructor for over 25 years, coached the Southern California Chicago Cubs Scout Team for over a decade, and has helped over 300 student-athletes advance to collegiate and professional levels.
Hitting & Fielding Instructor
Brooks Price
A right-handed hitting shortstop and second baseman, he is currently the Head Coach for HoJo 13U. From 2015 to 2017, he was a starting middle infielder at Fredericksburg High School near Austin, TX, and continued as a starting middle infielder and leadoff hitter at Franklin Road Academy from 2017 to 2019, earning two All-District and three All-Tournament team honors, making the All-Region Tournament Team, and finishing with a career .320 batting average and .988 fielding percentage. He played at Cairn University from 2019 to 2023, where he achieved a .985 fielding percentage and was the team’s leading infielder at shortstop.
Softball Pitching Instructor
Jordan Benefiel
A standout pitcher at Austin Peay State University from 2021 to 2024, she was a four-year starter at the college level after an exceptional high school career at Pendleton Heights High School. There, she achieved a 0.85 ERA, set a school single-season record with 243 strikeouts, and held opponents to a .122 batting average. Her high school accolades included being named first-team Class 4A All-State, Madison County Pitcher of the Year, and an Indiana All-Star. At Austin Peay, she earned OVC Freshman of the Year and multiple All-OVC and ASUN honors, including throwing a no-hitter, reaching 300 career strikeouts, and becoming the third pitcher in program history to achieve 50 wins and 500 strikeouts.
Hitting & Catching Instructor
Stephen Smith
He is a hitting and catching instructor at Showtime. From 2015 to 2019, he played as a catcher and corner infielder at Helena High School in Alabama and Summit High School in Spring Hill during his senior year, reaching the state championship with both schools. He continued his baseball career at Bethel University, where he played as a catcher from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, he umpired USSSA games for two years.
Pitching Instructor
Jeff Farnsworth
A professional pitcher with an 18-year career, he made it to the MLB in 2002 with the Detroit Tigers and played for several other MLB teams including the White Sox, Red Sox, Brewers, Nationals, and Phillies. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2nd round in 1996, he also spent ten winter seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, played multiple seasons in the Independent Atlantic League, one season in the Taiwan Professional Baseball League, and two seasons in the Italian Professional Baseball League. He finished his career with 1,236.2 innings pitched and 956 strikeouts.
Softball Hitting, Catching, Fielding Instructor
Meghan Henson
A five-year starter for the Western Illinois University Leathernecks from 2016 to 2021, she was named a 2019 All-Summit League Second Team Catcher with a .988 fielding percentage. At Marian Catholic High School, she was a four-year varsity starter and two-year captain, winning three Gold Gloves and earning spots on the Chicago Sun Times "Top 100" and Chicago Bandits High School All-Star teams. In her senior year, she was instrumental in catching 12 of 15 base stealers and picking off five more, leading her team to a regional championship. She holds undergraduate degrees in General Studies and Sociology, as well as a Master of Science in Kinesiology, and has assisted with strength and conditioning for various WIU athletic teams. Post-college, she interned at UFC Gym in Chicago, was promoted to Assistant Fitness Director, and has also coached a 16U travel softball team.
Owner/GM, Hitting & Fielding Instructor
Glen Johnson
As a four-year varsity shortstop and switch hitter at South Fork High School in Stuart, FL, he earned All-American honors in 2007 and was featured in the All-American game presented by PlayStation. That year, he was also listed among Baseball America’s Top-300 Prospects and drafted in the 36th round by the New York Mets. He went on to play college baseball at Jacksonville University and Pace University from 2008 to 2012. After signing with the Rockland Boulders in 2011, he played two additional years of Independent Ball with the Newark Bears and Edinburgh Roadrunners. Following in the footsteps of his father, MLB veteran Howard “HoJo” Johnson, he has been a hitting/fielding instructor at Showtime Sports Academy since 2013 and serves as the head baseball coach at Franklin Road Academy.
Hitting & Fielding Instructor
Dalton Ney
A right-handed hitter capable of playing both infield and outfield, he played at Franklin Road Academy from 2012 to 2016, earning 4 All-District and 2 All-Region honors with a career .395 batting average and 11 home runs. He played a key role in leading FRA to a state championship in 2016. From 2017 to 2019, he spent three years at Lee University, where he competed in the Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship and led his sophomore year with a .290 batting average. He concluded his collegiate career with two years at Kentucky Wesleyan College from 2020 to 2021.
Pitching, Hitting, Fielding Instructor
Brandon Hynick
He pitched for eight years across four Major League organizations—Rockies, White Sox, Reds, and Angels—after being drafted in the 8th round of the MLB Draft in 2006 from Birmingham Southern College. He was named Pitcher of the Year twice, in the 2006 Pioneer League and the 2007 California League, and concluded his career with a 71-51 record and a 3.62 ERA.
Softball Pitching, Hitting, Fielding Instructor
Shauna Johnson
Shauna Johnson, a California native with a rich background in softball, was a four-year varsity starter at Los Angeles Baptist High School, earning first-team all-CIF honors twice. She played two years at Fresno State, contributing to two Western Athletic Conference titles before an injury ended her playing career. After a year off, Johnson began coaching as an assistant at Bullard High School in Fresno, where she helped the team reach the CIF Championship game. She then moved to Southern California, coaching various travel teams and giving private lessons before becoming the head varsity coach at Campbell Hall School. Over ten seasons, she led Campbell Hall to two league titles and seven playoff appearances. Johnson later assisted at Los Angeles Valley College and then moved to Tennessee. Her coaching expertise includes hitting, outfield play, pitching instruction, infield work, and the mental aspects of the game.
Softball Hitting, Catching, Fielding Instructor
Libby Sugg
Drafted ninth overall by the E-1 Pro Ballers in 2019, she was a standout player at Franklin High School, setting numerous career records including batting average, runs, hits, and home runs, and winning the inaugural Wilco Award for Softball Player of the Year. At Brigham Young University from 2016 to 2019, she started 219 of 223 games, becoming BYU’s all-time leader in sacrifice flies and ranking highly in doubles, RBIs, and other offensive categories. As a team captain, she earned a spot on the ASA/Team USA Top 50 National Player of the Year Watch List and ranked nationally in home runs and home runs per game. In 2019, she led the E-1 Pro Ballers in hitting and was among the ASBA's top three in average, doubles, and home runs. She was named to the Tennessean All-Decade Team in 2020 and received multiple accolades, including First Team All ASBA and Gold MVP at the ASBA All-Star Game.
Pitching & Fielding Instructor
Zac Benedetti
A pitcher and the current Head Coach for HoJo 12U and 15U, he played at Houston High School from 2009 to 2013, and at Northern Fairfax Baseball from 2013 to 2015. He continued as a pitcher and utility player at Chattanooga University from 2016 to 2018, where he contributed to winning the NCBA Division II National Championship, as well as regional and conference titles, and was the 2017 saves leader at UTC. He has also served as a pitching coach for Fury Baseball Academy’s 16U team, Head Coach and pitching coach for Nashville Baseball Academy's 11U and 16U teams, respectively, and is currently the Head Coach for HoJo Baseball 12U.
Hitting & Fielding Instructor
Michael Edlund
hree year Varsity starter at Caruthers High School where he was a 2nd team All conference player as a sophomore and 1st team all conference as a junior and senior and selected to play in the Fresno County all-star game. Primarily an infielder but was a strong defender at every position. As a senior, he assumed the closer role and appeared in a dozen games. Hit well over .400 in his three years as a Varsity starter and an effective base stealer but was most well known for driving in runs especially late in games. He took a scholarship offer from Simpson University and spent his freshman year there as a two-way player getting most of his innings as a shortstop and relief pitcher. The following year he transferred to West Hills College where he redshirt and spent the following year as a firstbaseman. He then stepped away from his playing career due to injuries and spent the next nine years coaching at his alma mater Caruthers. He has also spent three summers coaching a collegiate summer ball team in Fresno, first two acting as the pitching coach and this past summer as the head of analytics and bench coach.
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