Academy Instructors
The new GRB Academy utilizes and prides itself on offering the best coaches and instructors in the area who are proven in the game of baseball.
All of the GRB Camps and Offerings will be ran by our staff.
GRB STAFF
Greg Reinhard
Greg is the owner of the GRB Academy and brings along with him 6 years of Professional Baseball experience along with a successful college career at UW-Whitewater.
Greg pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays Organization and the Chicago Cubs Organization after being the 178th overall draft pick (6th Rd.) in the 2005 MLB Player Draft. Greg also pitched professionally for the Newark Bears in the Independent Atlantic League in 2010, where he was selected as an All-Star.
At UW-Whitewater, Greg was a part of the 2005 National Champion Warhawks. In 2005 he was the Division III National Pitcher of the Year, 1st Team All-Region, 1st Team All-Conference, and Conference Pitcher of the Year. In 2004, he was 1st Team All-Region and 1st Team All-Conference. In his 3 year college career, Greg went 24-2 as a pitcher.
Professional Timeline:
2005- Hudson Valley Renegades (New York-Penn League, Short Season Single A)
2006- Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (Midwest League, Single A)
After the 2006 season, Reinhard was traded on February 12, 2007 to the Chicago Cubs for Jae Kuk Ryu, a right handed pitcher who was playing in the big leagues for the Chicago Cubs at the time.
2007- Tennessee Smokies (Southern League, Double A)
Daytona Beach Cubs (Florida State League, Advanced Single A)
2008- Tennessee Smokies (Southern League, Double A)
Iowa Cubs (Pacific Coast League, Triple A)
2009- Iowa Cubs (Pacific Coast League, Triple A)
2010- Newark Bears (Atlantic League, Independent) (All-Star Selection)
Max Cordio
Max Cordio, is currently the assistant baseball coach at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI. Cordio took the job in the summer of 2011 ascending through the baseball ranks quickly to earn his first college job at the age of 25. Prior to becoming the coach at Carroll, Max has moved successfully through various levels of baseball.
Originally from Whitewater, WI, Max took his talents after high school just down the road to play for the UW-Whitewater Warhawks. A four year letter winner for the Warhawks, Cordio was a part of winning three conference championships, and also was a part of a regional championship winning team that finished 3rd at the College World Series.
After his playing career, Cordio has coached the Midwest Blazers for a summer, Freshman and JV teams at Jefferson High School, and has been the Head Coach at 18U for the GRB Rays, the upper team of the Wisconsin RiverCats Baseball Organization. In the summer of 2010, Max directed the GRB Rays to a 3rd place showing at the Pastime National Championship.
Due to his ability to play multiple positions as a utility player, Max possesses the knowledge to instruct almost any position on the field, along with hitting instruction.
Brooks Graff
Brooks Graff brings a passion and love of working with baseball players to the GRB Academy. His excellent communication and ability to relate with younger players is significant in his style of coaching.
Brooks graduated in 2001 from Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay, WI where he was an all-state catcher and earned an athletic scholarship to The Ohio State University. He played one year at OSU before transferring to Gulf Coast Community College for his sophomore season. Brooks returned to his home state of Wisconsin to finish college at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and played under former Milwaukee Brewer, Jerry Augustine.
Brooks played 6 different positions on the field, giving him great experience to coach a number of different positions. After his two years of playing at UWM, Brooks started his coaching career at the Graduate Assistant coach in 2006. Brooks earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Brooks spent 2006-2009 coaching and training many different youth baseball players in the Milwaukee area. He coached the freshman baseball team at Arrowhead High School, Middle School coach at Brookfield Academy, Head Coach of the 17U Wisconsin All-Stars, Instructor at Hitters Baseball Academy and Bigler Baseball.
Brooks and his wife Gabrielle currently reside in Janesville, WI.
- League and Tournament Director at Hitters SportsPlex
- Wisconsin All-state catcher
- UW-Milwaukee Baseball team player
- Former Graduate Assistant UW-Milwaukee coach
- Scholarship athlete at The Ohio State University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Two time all state Catcher in High School (Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay)
- Three time all Regional and Conference Catcher in High School (Notre Dame Academy)
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Team Captain
- Head Coach U17 Wisconsin All-Stars
Chris McKnight
Chris is currently is an Associate Scout with the Philadelphia Phillies and prior to that he was the Field Manager/Director of Baseball Operations for the Texarkana Gunslingers Pro Baseball Club. During the 2009 season, McKnight led the Gunslingers to the Championship series and his team led the league in batting average and on base percentage. Prior to his position with the Gunslingers, McKnight was an 18 year NCAA Head Coach/Associate Director of Athletics at Frostburg State University and Dowling College. At FSU, McKnight led the Bobcats to 8 straight post season appearances, winning the first NCAA regional game in history of the university and posting regional rankings in 2003, 04 05, 06 and 2007. His team also posted a 98-28 AMCC conference record and won the conference four times.
In addition to his coaching, Chris has an innovative vision training program for baseball which has been used by major league teams, top college programs and youth leagues. McKnight has written numerous articles for periodicals such as Collegiate Baseball, Scholastic Coach and Coaching Digest. Chris also served as the Chair of the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and serves as a consultant to Worldwide Baseball Prospects.
Jessica Stang
Jessica recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater where she was the starting left handed pitcher for the Warhawks during her four year tenure. Jessica is extremely passionate about softball and is very excited to be working with the GRB Academy as a fastpitch softball pitching coach.
During her four years at Whitewater, Jessica compiled a 75-24 record, with a 1.23 ERA. She pitched 673.5 innings throughout her four years and had 743 strikeouts. Opposing batters compiled a batting average of .179.
Jessica’s accomplishments include:
2 time First-Team All American
2 time First-Team Great Lakes All Region
1 time Second Team Great Lakes All Region
Member of the 2008 National Runner-Up Team
2 time Regional All Tournament Team
2008 World Series All Tournament team
4 time First-Team WIAC All Conference
2 time WIAC Pitcher of the Year
11 time WIAC Pitcher of the Week
2 time WIAC Conference Champions
UWW Female Student Athlete of the Year
Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete of the Year
4 time All America Scholar Athlete
Single game records for: strikeouts
Single season records for: innings pitched, win-loss record, strikeouts, saves, and shutouts
Career records for: wins, innings pitched, complete games, strikeouts, and saves