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Mike
Kingery played professional baseball for 17 years, including
stints with the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco
Giants, Oakland A's, Colorado Rockies, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
During his career, he nearly won the National League batting title
before the strike shortened the season in 1994 (he was hitting
.349 at the time), he combined with Roberto Mejia to hit the first-ever
back-to-back home runs at Coors Field, and he played alongside
All-Star outfielders including Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Dante
Bichette, and Larry Walker.
Mike
was a highly decorated athlete when he graduated from Atwater
High School in 1979, winning All-State awards in football, baseball,
and track and field. He was signed as a free agent out of high
school by the Kansas City Royals, but attended
St. Cloud State University for his education. He progressed through
the Royals' minor league system and eventually earned a starting
spot in centerfield in 1986, before being traded to Seattle, where
he again played centerfield, only to give way to Ken Griffey Jr.
Mike enjoyed the best years of his career in Colorado from 1994-1995.
Upon
retiring from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996, Mike and his family
moved back to his hometown. In 1997, Mike created Solid
Foundation Baseball School, Inc. to answer strong demand
from local baseball teams and players. Mike has trained his professional
coaches to use hands-on instruction techniques he learned in the
big leagues, helping players maximize their abilities and understand
the basic fundamentals of the game. Mike
believes that small student-to-teacher ratios are better
for students, rather than cookie-cutter approaches without one-on-one
instruction time.
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Mike
Miller,
Head SFBS
Infield Coordinator
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Michael
Miller is a 1979 graduate of Capital (WA) High School
where he played baseball, basketball, and ran cross country.
He was a 10 sport letterman, and led his baseball team to two
straight appearances in the Washington State Class 3A Title
Game, winning the state championship in 1979. Mike was named
All-State MVP Runner Up Player of the Year.
Mike
signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Washington State
University. He was All-Conference and Player of the Year in
basketball in his junior and senior seasons. At Washington State,
he started four years in baseball, earning All-Conference honors
his junior and senior year. He was named to one All-American
team. Mike became the sixth round pick for the Kansas City Royals
in the 1983 draft.
Mike
has instructed, trained, and coached at various levels the past
28 years. He has held various positions at Solid Foundation
Baseball School the last 12 years, supporting the mission statement
wholeheartedly.
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Brian
Tagney,
Head SFBS
Pitching Coordinator
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Brian
Tagney has been with SFBS for 5 years. He has been
involved in baseball for over 30 years as a player, coach and
instructor. His playing experience includes every level from
Little League on through the professional ranks. A right handed
pitcher and corner infielder, he played college ball at Cal
Poly, where he was a member of the Broncos NCAA Div. II National
Championship team. After a torn rotator cuff cut short his career
on the mound with the San Diego Padres organization, Tagney
returned to college to coach at Cal Lutheran University and
Southern California College, guiding both teams to the NAIA
Regional Playoffs and a College World Series berth. His pitching
staff had the nation’s top ERA while playing mostly NCAA Division
I and II opponents during So. Cal. College’s playoff season.
Tagney has been instructing and coaching baseball players at
every level for over 20 years. His students have played for
high school, college, Olympic and major league baseball champions
during that time.
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Jon
Benson,
SFBS Instructor
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Jon
Benson has been an instructor with SFBS for 6 years.
He was born and raised in Atwater. As a student under Mike's
hitting instruction, Jon had a very successful high school baseball
career at ACGC High School. Jon also played baseball at Ridgewater
College prior to attending Southwest Minnesota State University
to continue his football career.
Jon
currently teaches 6th grade in the St. Cloud School District,
where he is an assistant baseball coach and the head football
coach at Apollo High School.
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Rocky Boyce,
SFBS Instructor
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Rocky Boyce is a 1988 graduate of Coon Rapids High School. He was an All State catcher in 1988 and played in the All Star game. In 1990 he was an All State catcher at Anoka Ramsey Community College. He played 5 seasons of Amateur Baseball with Coon Rapids and Hamel. He signed with the Minneapolis Loons in 1994. He was voted to the All Star game with the Minneapolis Loons in 1994. He played with the Minneapolis Loons in 1995. He was honored to be able to catch ex-Twin, Juan Berenguer.
He has taught baseball for 15 years and is enjoying his 3rd year teaching with Solid Foundation Baseball School.
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Mike
Burkhardt,
SFBS Instructor
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Mike
Burkhardt is a 1981 graduate of Augsburg College. Mike
played two seasons of baseball and hockey at the University
of Minnesota before transferring to Augsburg in the 1979-80
season, where he continued his participation at the varsity
level in both sports. As part of the Augsburg hockey team, he
earned team MVP, All-Conference and NAIA All-American honors
his senior season as a goaltender, as the Auggies captured the
1980-81 NAIA National Championship. He compiled a 34-8 won/lost
record in his two seasons at Augsburg, in addition to being
part of two MIAC championship teams. Burkhardt was also a catcher
on the Augsburg baseball team, serving as team co-captain his
senior year. He served as an assistant baseball coach at Augsburg
in 1982, and has coached youth baseball for a number of years
in his home community of Burnsville.
Burkhardt
also served as a head hockey coach for the Mpls. Marshall-University
and Mpls. North high school teams in the mid-1980s, and is currently
in his second year as the goaltender coach at Augsburg College.
Burkhardt works as a program financial controller for UnitedHealth
Group, and he and his wife Sheryl have three children – Hilary,
Ellen, and Mark. He has been with SFBS for 4 years.
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Erik
Ellingboe ,
SFBS Instructor
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Erik
Ellingboe is a 2004 graduate of Willmar Senior High School
where he played both hockey and baseball. He is a former Solid
Foundation Baseball School student. Erik was a two year starter
in baseball and was named to the All Conference and All Area teams.
Erik continued playing baseball at St. John's University for four
years. He coached Willmar's VFW 2 team for two seasons. |
Scott
Halupczok,
SFBS Instructor
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Scott
Halupczok went to school at St Cloud Cathedral where
he played both varsity football and baseball. In baseball he
was a part of two State Championship teams in 2001 and 2003.
He was a captain, All-Conference and All-State selection his
senior year. For football, Scott was a three year starter on
varsity. He was selected as a captain his senior year along
with being selected All-Conference and All-Area. Scott was a
student at Solid Foundation Baseball School for four years,
and has now been an instructor for two years.
After
graduation from high school, Scott attended Concordia College
in Moorhead. There he played both collegiate baseball and football.
He played 1st base for the Cobbers and started on the varsity
for three years. He was selected to the MIAC All-Tournament
team his sophomore year and was a captain during his senior
seaon. For football, Scott played varsity for two years. He
anchored the offensive line his senior season and was on the
MIAC Championship team in 2004. Scott currently plays amateur
baseball with the Granite City Grays in St Cloud. Scott graduated
with a degree in Elementary Education in 2007. He currently
teaches 4th and 6th grade at STARBASE Minnesota, an outreach
program on Fort Snelling Military Base, in St Paul.
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Chad
Hess,
SFBS Instructor
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Chad
Hess has been an instructor with SFBS for 5 years.
He graduated from Melrose High School in 1992 where he was a
three sport athlete and All Conference in football and baseball.
From there, Chad went on to start 4 years as a catcher at Southwest
Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN where he was a 4-time
All-NSIC selection. He was named Team MVP as a freshman and
was the Team Captain for his last 3 years. Chad currently plays
amateur baseball for the Freeport Black Sox, the former Melrose
Black Sox. He has managed the team since 1997. Chad has had
the opportunity to play in 12 Class C State Tournaments in 15
years and has collected 4 All Tournament Team Honors (1997,
1998, 2001, 2004) with one championship, two runner-ups, one
third place finish and one 4th place finish with 4 different
teams.
Chad
coached one year as an assistant at St. Cloud Apollo and now
volunteers his time to the Rocori High School baseball team.
He currently lives in St. Joseph, MN with his wife Jessica.
He currently works for Minnesota Business Finance Corporation
in St. Cloud, MN.
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Brian
Kingery,
SFBS Instructor |
Brian
Kingery has been an instructor with SFBS for 5 years.
He is Mike's nephew and was born and raised in Atwater. As one
of Mike's students at SFBS, Brian had an outstanding high school
baseball career at ACGC High School, leading his team to the
state tournament in 2000 and earning All-Conference honors multiple
times. Brian was also the starting quarterback of the ACGC football
team that won the 2001 Minnesota State Prep Bowl Championship.
Brian
was a 4-year letterwinner for the Hamline Pipers baseball team
and was one of the top hitters as a junior and senior. In 2006,
he had the opportunity to play all nine positions in one game.
He graduated with a biology degree from Hamline in 2006. He
is currently a science teacher at BOLD High School in Olivia,
MN.
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Jon
Lieser,
SFBS Instructor |
Jon
Lieser grew up on a farm outside of Paynesville into
a baseball family. He played baseball as he grew up and started
varsity as a freshman at Paynesville High School. Jon was All
Conference in his junior and senior years of High School and
All Area in his senior year. He was a two year starter at Ridgewater
College with a berth to the Junior College World Series both
years. He was also selected to the All Tournament team at the
series in his freshman year. Jon was at Dakota State for two
years where he was a starter on the baseball team. He made the
Super Regional once and was an All-Conference selection during
his senior year. Jon currently plays amateur baseball in Lake
Henry. He has played in three state tournaments, twice with
Lake Henry and once as a drafted catcher. Jon lives in Arden
Hills and works for a home building company as well as being
a licensed real estate agent with Edina Realty. Jon is a former
student of Mike Kingery and this is his 3rd year instructing
with SFBS.
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Terry
Munoz,
SFBS Instructor |
Terry
Munoz graduated from Tokay High School in Lodi, California
in 1980. At Tokay, Terry was a varsity letterman in football
and baseball where he earned All-Conference honors as a pitcher
and infielder. Terry went on to play baseball at San Joaquin
Delta College and enjoyed a 6 year baseball career in the Japanese
American California League where he was a starting pitcher and
part time infielder from 1988 to 1994. Before moving to Minnesota,
Terry served as the head Varsity Baseball Coach for Brookside
High School in Stockton, California for 3 seasons where he led
his team to two league championships.
Terry is married and the father of 3 children. At present, Terry
serves as the Executive Director of Side By Side Ministries,
a Christian Youth Ministry organization located in Golden Valley,
MN. Terry is also involved in Youth Baseball in Buffalo, Minnesota
where he enjoys coaching traveling baseball. He has been with
SFBS for 2 years.
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Mike
Negen,
SFBS Instructor
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Mike
Negen has been an instructor with SFBS for 5 years.
He is a former student of Solid Foundation Baseball and a graduate
of Southwest Minnesota State University. Mike enjoyed a successful
freshman season at SMSU as a pitcher and was invited to play
with the St. Cloud River Bats of the Northwoods League (2001).
He earned varsity letters from 2001-2004 at SMSU. He also played
amateur ball for the Marshall A’s.
Mike
is the Marketing Director for Rice Home Medical in Willmar and
also does some real estate with Fenstra Real Estate. Mike and
his wife Laura make their home in Willmar. He has been with
SFBS for 4 years.
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John Olson,
SFBS Instructor
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John Olson is in his 27th year of coaching baseball. He has coached players of all ages and levels of competition, through High School. He has coached in Wisconsin, and for the last twenty years has been in the Elk River School District, including the last eight as head coach at Rogers High School. John lettered four years in baseball, basketball, and track and field in High School, and attended The University of Wisconsin/Superior where he played football and baseball.
He currently is a Health and Physical Education teacher at Salk Middle School in Elk River, MN. John has been married to his wife Aleta for 31 years. They have a son Kyle- 27 and a daughter Hilary- 22.
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Adam
Schieck ,
SFBS Instructor
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Adam
Schieck went to school at Kerkhoven/ Murdock/Sunburg
(KMS) High School where he played varsity baseball, earning
All Conference and All Area honors. He also played varsity football,
where he was named Conference MVP and All Area, as well as varsity
basketball. Adam was a student of Solid Foundation Baseball
while in high school and college, and has been an SFBS instructor
for 3 years.
After
graduating, he played collegiate baseball at Ridgewater College,
which placed fifth at the NJCAA tournament. He graduated with
a degree in Applied Economic from the University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Business and is now working with Anfinson
& Thomson in Willmar.
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Dan
Terres,
SFBS Instructor
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Dan
Terres is in his fifth year as an instructor with SFBS.
Dan was a 4-year starter at St. Cloud State University and an
All-Conference selection his junior and senior years; along
with being the captain of the team his senior year.
Currently
Dan is the President of Rogers Area Youth Baseball and has coached
youth baseball for 15 years. He is the assistant high school
baseball coach for Rogers. He and his wife Cindy reside in Rogers
with their four children, Aaron, William, Michael, and Catherine.
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Perry
Thinesen,
SFBS Instructor
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Perry
Thinesen is the Athletic Director for Dassel-Cokato
schools. He was a four-year letter winner in baseball and two-year
letter winner in basketball in his own career at Dassel-Cokato.
He was a multiple all-conference performer in both sports. He
led his high school baseball team to a third place finish in
the 1983 state tournament, and was tied for the lead in the
state with most wins by a pitcher that year with 10. He holds
most of the school’s pitching records including wins in
a season and career, innings pitched, and strikeouts in a season
and career.
Perry
went on to play both basketball and baseball at Golden Valley
Lutheran Junior College. He then went on to play at Texas Lutheran
University, where he graduated in 1988 with a degree in History.
During his time there he played in a NAIA Division I playoff
regional, just falling short of the NAIA World Series.
In
an amateur baseball career that has spanned 15 years with the
Maple Lake Lakers, Dassel-Cokato Saints, and Howard Lake Orphans,
he has a 93-38 lifetime record as a pitcher. In that time he
played in eleven state tournaments, including three times as
a drafted pitcher by other teams.
Perry
has coached youth baseball for nearly 20 years, and junior high
to assistant varsity levels as well. Presently, Perry resides
in Cokato with his wife and five children.
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Nathan
Turck,
SFBS Instructor
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Nathan
Turck has been an instructor with SFBS for 8 years.
He is a former student of Solid Foundation Baseball and is currently
attending Northwestern Chiropractic College in Bloomington.
Nathan was twice named an NJCAA Academic All-American while
playing at Waldorf College. He also earned All-Conference Honorable
Mention honors and NAIA Academic All-American honors both years
he played baseball at Valley City State University. Nathan has
played six years of amateur baseball, one year with the Litchfield
Blues and five years with the Kimball Express.
Prior
to that, Nathan enjoyed a successful high school career at Litchfield,
where he lettered 12 times in baseball, wrestling, and football.
He played in the Lions All-Star Game as a senior and was twice
voted All-Conference in baseball, as well as earning All-State
Academic honors. Nathan lives in Minneapolis with his wife Jessica.
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~ Testimonials ~
"Just
plan on Matt as a regular. He has improved so much with your program.
He is so much more confident. It is all because of Solid Foundation and
your hard work. Thanks for everything
you've done."

"I
wanted you to know St. Anthony won the class 2A state crown. Both Dan
and Mark
were named all-tournament. For the year, Dan batted .473 and Mark batted
.364. Dan was named to the Pioneer Press All-State team and
his brother Mark was named as the only sophomore position player honorable
mention all-state.
What a great year!
Thanks for your help.
It paid off big time."

"Mike,
I know that you don't need me to
tell you this, but
Nathan Turck is a great guy! I have sent an
extra $20 and I'd appreciate it if you would pass it along to Nate. He
did a great
job with our team's pitchers yesterday.
He went above and beyond - staying an
extra 15-20 minutes
and just really connecting with the kids and teaching them some good
stuff. A couple of
us "coaches" learned some things too! Thanks!"

"Also
wanted to let
you know that after
just one lesson with Nathan, Blake has improved greatly. He
hit two in-the-park
home runs and has
struck out all but two batters that he has
faced pitching. I
knew he could do it
and that Blake was
good at baseball,
he just needed to
know the basics that Nathan taught him. Thank you and
thanks to Nathan."

"Thanks
for fitting
Reed in last night.
Jon Benson worked
well with Reed's
hitting. It would be
great if we could get some more time in
with Jon if there are some other openings."

"Eveything
went great again this year at the Eden Valley camp.
Ryan was great with both hitting and pitching. Both the boys and I had
fun.
We would like the
same time and day
next year if possible."

"Thanks
for the camp.
It is a great thing for kids to get involved in. Chad did a great job
with the guys and all four guys really liked
it. Good work in
hiring Chad. He is a
very good man."

"Even
though we have only seen you twice,
it has been an
excellent experience
so far for Joel. He got home from school
today and wanted
to go hit a bucket
right away. Your two hours has motivated
him even more than before. Thanks!"

"Jake
is doing well
and learning a lot! Thanks to you and JD's coaching! JD is really doing
a fine job and has a real natural
ability to lead Jake to the next level."

"Thank
you so much
for all you've taught
Ty!! We know you are the reason he's even being considered by college
coaches. By the way he's batting .375, with an OBP% of .520. That's much
improved over last season. Plus he's playing third sometimes, which is
new, but that's 'cause you helped him with
the throw."

"I
personally am very impressed with what
you are doing. I understand it is a business, but your enthusiasm and
sincerity make it very worthwhile for the
young players that
seek your assistance. Good work."

"Thanks
for making the last 12 weeks a wonderful experience
for my boys and their teammates. Dave was great! My youngest
son Nick feels totally energized and
confident that he
will have a great
season at the plate
and on the mound."

"Nathan
really enjoyed working with you. He told me after the
night with you that
his new passion was
to play major league baseball, just so he
could tell the stories
that you tell."

"Thanks
for helping
out our team. We
really appreciated
you taking the
time to help us
out. We won our
first playoff game
so we need to
win one more to
make it to regions."

"Thanks
for providing quality instruction from quality instructors at a reasonable
price! Nate is always a pleasure to work with and the kids love him."

"Scott
really had lots
of fun and learned
lots. The small
teaching ratio was
great! We
appreciated the
personal contact,
the supportive
attitude. Wonderful experience!"

"I
just thought I'd
drop you a note
and let you know
that the boys were
very glad they
attended your camp.
All three of them
have been very
positive about what
they learned and
are more confident
in their approach
to the game."

"With
help from you
and dedication on
Max's part, Max is
back to being a
#3/#4 spot hitter.
His batting average
this year for Cretin
was over .600, his mechanics are much improved and consequently he is
back to driving
the ball. Most importantly, his confidence is back.
Now his only problem
is that he is getting intentionally walked!
I guess that's a good problem to have!"

"Just
a quick note
of encouragement
for SF and in
particular, Nathan.
Both Tommy and
Tyler have shown
great progress this
year, in fact Tyler launched his first
ever homer two
weeks ago. I
scrambled over the
fence and retrieved
the special ball.
I have witnessed changes in form that have paid off!"

"Mike,
I just wanted
to let you know
that I am greatly satisfied with the instruction Lucas has received. Nate
was a "poster child" for the philosophy Solid Foundation Baseball
School professes. He
was patient, funny
and simple in his approach to teaching Lucas solid baseball mechanics.
You could not have provided us with a better
instructor. I see my
son with more
confidence at the
plate, better skills
while fielding, and
more fun on the
mound. I have also learned to be a better coach by watching
some of the techniques used by Nate. I will
let you know how the season goes back home
in Texas! From Lucas
and myself... thanks
for a great head start!"

"You
really have that special touch with these kids in your camps. They respect
you and know that whatever you're teaching them is the right thing. You
are gentle and kind and can get your point across without being demeaning.
That is not an easy thing to do!"

"I
feel it is important to tell you that both of my boys spent an hour with
Adam Schieck this past Tuesday at Miller Park. Certainly it was valuable
but most impressive was the manner in which Adam treated my boys and their
parents. He was so very genuinely polite and RESPECTFUL…a characteristic
that is (unfortunately) more uncommon than common these days that I wanted
to tell you how appreciative we both were. Keep up the great work with
your instructors and their instruction!"

"I
just wanted you to know that Nathan took personal time from his schedule
and drove to
St. Paul last night to watch our son play in
the August Classic. Clearly, this is above
and beyond his normal duties. More
importantly, it left
our son, William, with
an incredible
impression. Thanks."
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