Baseball

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When playing for Montverde Academy, every student-athlete knows that academics comes first and foremost.  For our baseball team this standard is held in the highest regard. Our goal as a program is to ensure that every player has the necessary tools to be successful in the next phase of their life.

Our program is built around a simple philosophy, “Work to be better today then you were yesterday”.  This applies to both on the field and in the classroom.  On the field, we work on building fundamentals and expanding every player’s knowledge of the game.  While players skill levels will vary, so will the coaching staffs focus change to suit the needs of the individual player. As a team we focus on playing together in a smart, intelligent manner. We work to make the routine play look routine every time out. On the mound our pitchers learn to pitch with their fastball and establish the strike zone. We work to build proper mechanics to allow us to command both sides of the plate and develop our off-speed pitches in a safe and effective fashion.  Our hitters focus on building their swing from the ground up. Through proper balance, we can then focus on producing a swing path that keeps us inside of the baseball and long through the hitting zone. In addition to building the skills needed to play, our players also undergo an extensive physical training program to maximize their abilities. We also hold daily discussions to help educate our players on what they need to improve upon to get them to the next level. Our goal is to send players to college and/or the pro ranks whom are educated on not only the game of baseball but in the classroom and in life.

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Tim Layden

Coach Layden has over 7 years of professional experience in the game as a player.  A graduate of Duke University, he played 3 years of collegiate baseball earning All-American and All-ACC honors in his time there.  He was a 16th round draft pick out of High School by Tampa Bay when he decided to attend college and was then drafted in the 5th round by the Chicago Cubs in 2004. Coach Layden is been instructing individual players and running camps since 2000 and draws from his experience to prepare his players to play at the collegiate and professional levels.

Assistant Coach Victor Rivera

Coach Rivera is from Salinas, Puerto Rico.  As a player he pitched at Texarkana Community College and Southern Arkansas University. He coached at Jarvis Christian College in Texas and most recently at the Next Level America Academy in Puerto Rico.  At Next Level he helped place dozens of players in college.

Assistant Coach Jerry Matos

Coach Matos is from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. He graduated from Montverde Academy and went to a Division 1 school in Maryland. He also played at the Junior College level in the mid-west area. Coach Matos is in his second year as a baseball assistant coach at Montverde Academy. He has been working on baseball camps for several years, in which had the opportunity to work with professional baseball players such as: Juan Padilla (Yankees, Mets, Reds), Jesus “Motorita” Feliciano (Mets) and Jose Molina (Yankees, Angels, Toronto).

Notable Baseball Alumni