The Sandlot - BWI / Baseball & Softball Training Facility

Bob Lubaszewski - Owner

Bob, a life-long baseball enthusiast, has been involved in baseball as long as he can remember.  It started with neighborhood Wiffelball in the back yard, continued with organized little league baseball, more pick-up games at the local sandlot and eventually high school baseball.  He has been coaching youth baseball since (1980) his days in college at the University of Maryland at College Park.  It was then that he answered an ad in his apartment complex's newsletter for a little league coach (he recalls that experience in the column to the left).

Over the past 13 years Bob has been a manager and coach of his son's youth baseball teams through the Linthicum-Ferndale Athletic Association (LFYAA).  Most recently Bob has been involved as the Bench Coach/Scorekeeper/Statistician for the CHEN Chargers High School Baseball team for home schooled students.

A local product of the Baltimore area, Bob grew up in Dundalk (and yes, that means he is an avid bowler) where he attended Patapsco Senior High School and played JV Baseball, Varsity Football, and was a member of the Varsity Track team as a shot-putter.  He later graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.  He has been employed in the nuclear power industry for the past 27 years, the most recent 20 years at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. He formed the Anne Arundel Sandlot Academies, LLC in January 2007 and left his career in nuclear energy in June 2007 to concentrate on the business of baseball and The Sandlot - BWI.

He has been married to his wife, Pam, for 22 years (1985) and has lived in the same house in Linthicum, MD during that entire time.  He has two sons, Bob Jr., who is in his third year at UMBC, and Matt, who is currently a homeschooled high school Senior with plans to graduate in 2008.  Bob is also a member of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Linthicum.

Alan Haddaway - Softball / Lead Instructor

Born in Ft Myers, FL, Alan started playing his baseball right off the sandlot into the little leagues in the late 60’s before moving to Maryland where he played in the Mustang and Pony leagues for Greater Odenton Recreation Council (GORC) and moved up to play travel ball  for Gambrills AC.  In 1980, Alan joined the US Coast Guard and began playing softball for Atlantic Coast travel teams for the next 25 years winning multiple championships.  
   
Coach Alan became involved early on in his kids sports programs and managed and coached  baseball and softball youth leagues for over 14 years.  He is also the Head JV Softball coach for North County HS where he has won two JV titles and helped coach the 2005 Varsity team to it's  4^th  Maryland State Championship in just 6 years.  Alan has conducted year round softball clinics for the last 6 years providing instruction to local youth organizations.  He is also traveling to Italy in summer of 2008 with America's Team International to compete and coach a team of Maryland area High School softball players.

Alan graduated from Arundel High School in 1979 and joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1980 serving 4 years active duty,  and 23 years Civil Service.  He was married, in 1983 to his wife Patricia of St. Georges Bermuda, and has a son Brandon and a daughter Caitlin.
  
 “ I am very excited about the opportunity to work at the Sandlot.  The Sandlot stands for the same core values and principles that I stand for.  The Sandlot will offer the local community a state of the art training facility to help our local youth improve their baseball and softball skill.  In addition, the Sandlot will help our youth build their confidence in not only playing the game they love, but the Sandlot is about helping our kids in so many other ways such as improving their academics through the CHAMPS program and to help reinforce good character traits.  It is my personal goal to provide the best possible instruction this area has to offer, and to hold myself accountable for the development and improved progress of each kid who comes to the sandlot to learn.”

Ron Baker - Baseball / Instructor

Born: 18 October 1957

Birthplace:  Baltimore, Md

Best known as: Bake the Snake

 

Ron Baker is an All-Star player and power hitter. He played and coached little league for over 15yrs. After his 4 years on the baseball team in Cardinal Gibbons High School, he joined the Marine Corp in 1975 and pitched on the All American Baseball Team.  After sustaining a severe foot injury in college, he joined the Coast Guard. He stayed in coaching his son who has played with the Braves A and Florida Marlins AAA minor organizations. Today, he still plays the game of softball winning batting titles and recently won a national title and voted most valuable player on the all tournament team.  

Renee Ferguson - Softball / Instructor

 

Renee Ferguson was born in Baltimore, MD in 1977. She began playing softball for Brooklyn Park when she was 5 and moved to the Severn Athletic Club (SAC) when she was 8. Around 12 years of age she began windmill pitching under the direction of Jack Crandall, Paul Tewey and Joe Cunnigham and her father, Jim Rhinehart

 

Around the age of 14 she moved up to playing for the Anne Arundel County Blazers a select fastpitch softball team that Renee helped lead to national tournaments all over the United States. During this time, Renee was also a 3 year varsity softball starter for North County High School from 1993-1995. Renee attended Tusculum College in Greeneville, TN from 1996-1998, on a full softball scholarship where she recorded, 82 appearances with 64 complete games 6 shutouts and 457 innings pitched.

 

For 7 years Renee served as an instructor’s helper at many local pitching clinics run by Jack Crandall and her father, Jim Rhinehart. During those years Renee learned how to throw and teach 7 different pitches to include a screwball, a rise ball, a curve ball and a curve drop.

 

While coaching her daughters 10 & under fast pitch softball team this fall, Renee incorporated a voluntary hitting and pitching clinic into the teams practice schedule. The clinic included players of varying levels of ability such as a brand new pitcher learning the motion for the first time, advanced pitchers who were beginning to learn new pitches; and hitters that stood on the plate instead of in the box. By the end of the season Renee’s team outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs per game and had an arsenal of 5 talented pitchers.

 

Renee and her husband Jack have been married for 9 years and have 3 children, Journey who is 10, Tre’ who is 8, and Brooklyn who is 6. Renee serves as the Operations Manger of Habitat for Humanity of Howard County, MD. She also serves as a member of the PTA at her children’s school and recently worked with a small group of parents to implement a school wide reading challenge.

 

Todd Summers - Baseball / Instructor

Todd was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1964 and grew up in the Brooklyn area of Baltimore City. Todd started his passion for baseball while playing in the Brooklyn-Curtis Bay Little League, Babe Ruth and Travel leagues from the age of 5 until 18 years old. Todd attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in northern Baltimore City and graduated in 1982. Todd did not play high school baseball due to the extended travel time from Brooklyn to Poly but did play on Brooklyn’s summer travel baseball teams while in High School. Todd went to work for the Department of Defense immediately after graduation from High School. 

After playing for several men’s softball teams and leagues from 1982 until 1993, Todd began his coaching career in 1995 with LFYAA (Linthicum Ferndale Youth Athletic Association). Todd coached in the LFYAA organization from 1995 through 2002 while coaching both girls softball and boys baseball. Todd coached several tournament and travel teams during that time. In 2003 Todd was called to a different direction and started managing the Maryland Eagles that are based out of Linthicum still today. The charter of that team that started in 2003 was a High School Prep team whose focus was to develop young players for their initial baseball tryout at the High School level as well as prepare them as young men off of the field through their baseball experience with the Maryland Eagles. Todd had very little turnover of players on the Maryland Eagles and all of the players have made their respective High School Baseball Teams. Todd and his Maryland Eagles coaching staff has developed players that have played or are currently playing for North County High School, Cardinal Gibbons School, Loyola High School and Mount Saint Joseph High School. 

Todd and his wife Diane were married in 1987 and have two children, Lindsey who is 17 and John who is 15. Todd is a Division Manager for a local engineering consultant firm in the Owings Mills area as well as an active member of the Linthicum Heights United Methodist Church.

Jeff Gulakowski - Baseball / Instructor