Northern Illinois Reds Staff

Northern Illinois Reds Instructors

The Reds have a talented and dedicated staff with years of

baseball experience from all levels of the game.

When you play for the Reds, you will be learning from the best.

- Steve Hanson

8 years travel baseball coaching experience, consisting of over 500 games. 14U Baseball Players Association National Champions 2 State Championships Coached 14 Division 1 players Coached in WWBA National Championship East Cobb, Georgia Coached in USSSA World Championship Kissimmee, FL Coached in USSSA International World Series Crystal Lake, IL Coached teams against Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Japan WWBA Kernels Foundation 2nd place finish Coached for 5 years at Aurora Christian High Sc

~ Lin Dailey

Hitting Coach - Coach Dailey specializes as a hitting instructor and has an extensive baseball background as a player, coach, instructor and associate scout for the Chicago White Sox. As a player he was an all-conference outfielder at NIU and Inducted into their hall-of-fame in 2008. As a long time high school coach, Coach Dailey had a career record of 167 wins and 90 losses and was voted IHSA coach of the year in 1989.

~ Kevin May

Kevin May has coached with the Reds for 7 years, first as an asst. coach under Steve Hanson and then for the past two years as head coach. Prior to joining the Reds, Kevin coached in the LaGrange Little League, Naperville Little League, and was selected as a coach for the Naperville All Stars (2 years).

- Jim Jensen

Former College Baseball Player at the University of St. Francis, has completed 3 seasons coaching travel baseball with the Northern Illinois Reds with great success. Jim is a positive role model on the field as well as in the community.

~ Jim Schmidt

14 years as Head Varsity Baseball Coach at Plano High School with 232 (most in school history) career wins. The only Plano coach to win a baseball IHSA Regional and did it twice in 1998 and 2002. Now serves as the Athletic Director at PHS. Played 2 years for Dave Randall at Waubonsee Community College. Coached 3 years in Reds program where teams have increased win totals from 20 (9U), 27 (10U), to 48 (11U) in 3 years.

~ Gary Golinski

Entering sixth year as a head coach for the Reds. Prior to coaching for the Reds, Gary coached for the Yorkville Youth Baseball & Softball Association from 2005-2009.

"Our family has been part of the Reds organization for the past four years playing for Steve Hanson. We couldn't have asked for a better experience for our son thanks to Steve's leadership and commitment to the Reds and to the development of our son's baseball abilities. Steve has taught my son and the other boys how to become more mature ballplayers and the kind of young men that will succeed at the college level playing the game with confidence and class. Nearly all of the players on our 18U team are going on to college to play baseball and many earned lucrative scholarships. What a wonderful testimonial to Steve and the Reds!

As our son heads to college in the fall, we are going to miss the Reds families and all of the wonderful people we have met along the way. Thank you for everything!”

~Michelle Sparacio

Testimonials:

"Steve, I wanted to send a quick note of thanks to you and the Reds organization for the past four years of summer baseball with the Northern Illinois Reds team. My son, Mitch, has spoken often about how much he has enjoyed playing for you and your coaching staff. The Reds organization has provided a well-planned, highly-competitive schedule for his team for each of the last four seasons, and that has helped Mitch continue to refine his skills and develop as a player.

In this tough economy, it's been a blessing to have an affordable travel baseball option that still provides a tremendous amount of exposure for players to college coaches and professional scouts. I personally believe that the scholarship offers that Mitch received from Purdue, Creighton, and Northern Illinois University came as a direct result of the exposure provided by the Reds organization and their baseball network. That type of exposure is invaluable, especially for a high school player looking to play college ball. Thanks again.

~Steve Holtz, Father of 18U Reds player Mitch Holtz (RHP/OF, University of Pennsylvania, Quakers Baseball)

"Coach Hanson, I can't thank you enough for the help you have given me over the years. You have truly helped mold me into the man and the player that I am today. I have been with the reds pretty much my entire career, and can say without a doubt that I wouldn't have wanted to play for anyone else. The help that you, Coach Golak, Coach Sullivan, and so many others gave to me is something that I will never forget. I really felt like I was treated like family by all of these coaches, as they took me under their wing and did everything they could to help me get a scholarship for college. There is no better place than the Northern Illinois Reds organization for great, competitive baseball. What I have learned throughout the years is that a lot of coaches promise you a lot of things that they can't exactly follow through with. As for these coaches, I knew that they would help me do whatever I wanted to do. I have played some of the best teams in the nation at our age level throughout the years with the Reds, and we were always right there with them. I can't thank all you coaches enough for the help you gave me and the expierence. I know all of us players feel the same way. The Reds organization isn't just a baseball organization, it is a family!"

~Bobby Kuntzendorf , 18U Reds player (LHP, Northern Illinois University)

"We have been involved with the Reds for a number of years. Our son Hudson has played with the same coach, Randy Norman, those years and it has been an extremely positive experience! The Reds embody the values of teamwork and skill development that are important to us as parents. Steve Hanson and all the coaches and staff do a tremendous job of mentoring and bringing out the best in local youth, both on and off the field. The Reds show that baseball can teach you much more than just a game; but valuable life lessons that help to shape today’s student athletes into tomorrow’s leaders. We have and will continue to be huge supporters of the Reds. The leadership of Steve Hanson has and continues to be quite extraordinary!"

~Tom & Genie Cross, Oswego, IL