Staff
The Western Connecticut Baseball Academy is owned and operated by the Carminucci Sports Group. CSG is a privately-owned sports management company. We provide a multitude of services including: Operations Management; Mergers & Acquisitions; and Player Procurement. Carminucci Sports Group principals have over a decade of professional baseball experience, ranging from scouting, to ownership. CSG is committed to providing affordable family entertainment options throughout the United States.
Baseball
Toby Nylin – General Manager / Lead Instructor
specialties: Pitching/Hitting
Toby Nylin, the lead instructor and general manager at WCBA attended High School in Winsted, CT at Northwestern Regional District #7 where he lead his team to two league championships as a starting pitcher. During his senior year, Toby earned all-state honors while helping his team advance to the State Semifinals.
After high school, Toby attended Southern Connecticut State University to study Communication and play baseball. His freshman year, Toby was part of a pitching staff that led the nation in Division II in ERA, and helped the Fighting Owls reach the College World Series. Nylin earned player of the week several times during his tenure as a starting pitcher for SCSU while compiling a 12-7 record in 41 appearances with an ERA of 3.51.
After college, Toby has spent time playing in the West Haven Twilight League. He has helped lead his team, A-Plus Plumbing to two straight league championships and trips to the NABF World Series in Louisville, KY.
Toby’s goal has always been, and still is to one day sign a professional contract to play baseball. Although an injury to his hamstring has slowed down progress, Toby is still hopeful to be completely rehabbed, and game ready very soon.
At WCBA, Toby specializes in pitching, hitting and fielding instruction to kids of all ages and loves to teach the finer points of these facets to young men aspiring to play at a collegiate level. Toby grew up in Barkhamsted, a small town in the Northwest hills of CT, and still lives there today.
Dan McNamara – Instructor
specialties: Hitting/Catching/Infield
Dan McNamara is an Instructor for the Western Connecticut Baseball Academy (WCBA), which is operated by Carminucci Sports Group. During the 2010 season, McNamara served dual roles as Bullpen Catcher and Bullpen Coach with the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League. The Rox concluded with a 54-39 record in 2010 where Dan enjoyed his first taste of Professional Post-season baseball. McNamara has also coordinated professional tryouts and run various youth clinics through Carminucci Sports Group. Also in 2010, McNamara served as the hitting/infield coach for the Mercy College Mavericks, a Division II program in the East Coast Conference (ECC). McNamara helped lead Mercy to its first Conference Playoff Appearance in 20 years during the 2010 season.
McNamara started his professional baseball career late, signing a contract with the Texarkana Gunslingers of the Continental Baseball League at the age of twenty-five in 2009 out of IPB(International Performance Baseball) with the “Florida Select”. Previously, McNamara played one year at Mercy College and four years of semi-pro baseball in leagues in Hudson Valley, New York, and hit .429 in his final semi-pro season. Shortly after, Dan played at the American Baseball Institute in Clearwater, Florida, at Jack Russell Stadium(former Spring Training home of the Philadelphia Phillies) where he had the privilege of playing with current major leaguers including Chris Coughlin (2009 NL Rookie of the Year) and Miguel Cairo (Cincinnati Reds). Most recently Dan played with Connecticut’s own Bridgeport Bluefish out of the Atlantic League which is considered the Triple-A of the Independent Minor Leagues. After his short tenure in Bridgeport Dan returned to his role with the Brockton Rox where his season was cut short due to injury.
At WCBA, McNamara specializes in teaching the game of baseball to today’s youth and instructing aspiring collegiate players and professionals through private lessons, group lessons, and clinics for all ages and ability level. McNamara grew up in Brewster, NY and currently resides in Yorktown, NY with his fiancée, Christine.
John Parke – Instructor
specialties: Hitting
John Parke, an instructor at WCBA, attended Coginchaug High School in Middlefield, CT where he was a starting shortstop and captain his senior year. He played American Legion for three years and was named to the all area, and all zone teams.
John attended Eastern Connecticut State University where he earned four varsity letters, All-Conference, and many All-New England honors. His freshman year at Eastern Connecticut, John helped lead the Warriors to a College World Series appearance. In the summers of 2008 and 2010, John led the semi-pro Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball Team from Meriden, CT to both Championships in those years.
John capped off his summer of 2010 baseball season by signing his first professional contract with the Brockton Rox of the Can Am League. John still lives in his hometown of Middlefield, CT and plans to continue on with his new found professional baseball career. John will also be attending spring training with the Rox in the 2011 season.
Paul Devlin – Instructor / Clinician
specialties: Hitting/Catching
Paul Devlin returns to baseball after a long-stint in sports broadcasting. Devlin attended New Canaan High School where he earned All-State honors as a 3rd baseman. After graduating from New Canaan, he went to Lawrenceville for a post-graduate year where he earned Prep School All-State honors as a catcher. Following graduation, Paul was named to US High School All-star team, traveling to Chicago, Taiwan, and Hawaii. He played at the University of North Carolina at Chapel and lettered for the Tar Heels for 4 years. After graduating with a degree in Radio & TV, Devlin signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Red Sox. He played two years for the Lynchburg Red Sox, the organization’s class A affiliate in the Carolina League. Devlin also got the chance to be in the movie, “Bull Durham”, hitting a home run after Kevin Costner tells him what pitch is coming. After Devlin’s baseball career ended, he entered the field of sports broadcasting. He was a sports anchor who covered
the Red Sox, Braves, and Diamondbacks during his 18 years in the business. During his years as a sports broadcaster, Devlin also continued to pursue his love of baseball by teaching individual baseball lessons, and working as an instructors at various youth baseball camps throughout the years.
Forrest Irwin – Pitching Instructor
Specialties: Pitching
Forrest Irwin, a Newtown local resident, is the current pitching coach at Post University an NCAA Division II institution located in Waterbury, CT. Irwin comes to WCBA with several years of coaching experience on his resume. He was the pitching coach at D-III Purchase College from 2009-10 where Purchase qualified for the playoffs for the first time in program history. During his tenure at Purchase, Irwin lead a pitching staff that set school records for wins, ERA, strikeouts, WHIP, and lowest opponents batting average. Prior to Purchase, Irwin was the Associate Head Coach at D-I Iona College from 2003-05. During his tenure at Iona, the Gaels produced three drafted Major League players, two All-MAAC pitchers as well as the MAAC Refief Pitcher of the Year. He was instrumental in the development of left-handed pitcher Sean Kramer (All-MAAC), who was drafted in the 26th round by the New York Yankees, and right-hander Brian Parish (MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year) drafted in the 35th round by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Prior to Iona, Irwin was the head coach at NJCAA D-I Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, NY. In the spring of 2003, Irwin lead the Seahawks to a 38-20 overall record and a berth in the East Coast District Championships losing to Spartanburg Methodist College to earn a trip to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Co. For his efforts, Irwin was awarded the ABCA Region XV Coach of the Year. Before taking the head coaching position, Irwin was an assistant at Briarcliffe College from 2000-02. During his tenure at Briarcliffe, Irwin was involved in the development of eight players taken in the MLB Draft, including five players selected (four pitchers) in 2001.
In 2003, Irwin was the pitching coach for the local Danbury Westerners where he helped lead them to a 23-17 record and a berth in the New England Collegiate Baseball League playoffs. While with Danbury, he was responsible for guiding a pitching staff that boasted seven drafted players including current major leaguer Joe Martinez of the San Francisco Giants and 1st round draft pick Brian Bogusevic of the Houston Astros.
Irwin played two years at Briarcliffe College (1996-98) where he lead the region in saves (13) and was second in the country his sophomore year. He transferred to Dowling College and was a conference starter helping to lead them to the Division II ECAC Championships before moving on to play professional and international club teams. Irwin currently lives in Newtown, CT with his wife Christine and son Trace.
Ron Isler – Instructor
Specialties: Pitching
Ron Isler, a Newtown, Connecticut native, is the newest edition to the WCBA instructional staff. Isler is currently an assistant coach with the Sanford Mainers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Previously, Isler served as an assistant coach for Worcester State College, whose team won the MA State College Athletic Conference and advanced to the NCAA Division 3 Regional Tournament. Isler also served behind the bench at Eastern Connecticut from 2006-08, as the head JV coach and two seasons as the pitching coach. During this stint, the Eastern Warrior’s earned two trips to the College World Series, falling two games short of a third. In Ron’s first year as the head pitching coach, the Eastern Warrior’s staff went 26-1 in the regular season and NCAA Regional’s.
Isler attended Newtown High School, where he was named to the Class L All State team in 2003. He then went on to play at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, VA during his freshman year. Isler transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University, where in the fall of his junior year he elected to begin his college coaching career.
Antawan Smith – Clinician
Specialties: Hitting/Base running
Antawan Smith comes to WCBA from Sarasota, in the Florida panhandle. He is a Madison County High School graduate where he still holds the record for batting average hitting .543 his senior year. While in high school, Antawan made first team All-State with current World Series Champion and New York Yankee, Alex Rodriguez. After high school, Antawan was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 31st round, but decided instead that he wanted to become the first member of his family to attend college – an honorable decision indeed.
Antawan attended Tallahassee Community College, a Junior College known for producing high level baseball talent where he became a proud member of the TCC Athletic Hall of Fame. The University of North Carolina soon picked up on his talents and he became a Tar Heel where he played baseball and received a degree in communications.
For the last twelve years, Antawan has served as a part time private baseball instructor, for players of all ages. He has also been an instructor at baseball camps and clinics at Florida State University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Tallahasee Community College.
Antawan currently resides in Canton, CT with his wife and two children.
Cecil Fielder – Guest Instructor
Former major leaguer, Cecil Fielder was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 31st round of the 1981 amateur draft, but did not sign that year. He was later drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 4th round of the 1982 amateur draft and did sign that year. In 1983, Cecil was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Leon Roberts. Cecil played four years in Toronto before a brief stint playing with the Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Central League where he was nicknamed “wild bear” (wild, in Japan, is the image of power; bear, for his hulking presence).
After his time in Japan, Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1990 becoming the biggest story in Major League Baseball with a 51 homer, 132 RBI year. Fielder became only the 11th player in MLB history to reach to 50 HR plateau. During his time in Detroit, Cecil was a three time All-Star in the 1990, 1991 and 1993 seasons as well as being name”Tiger of the Year” by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Fielder was later traded to the New York Yankees in 1996 for Ruben Sierra and Matt Drews. Fielder played an intricate role for the Yankees in winning the 1996 World Series. Fielder later retired after the 1998 season and has since been a minor league manager and expert clinician. Cecil has managed minor league teams including the Charlotte County Redfish in the former South Coast League and the Atlantic City Surf in the Can Am League.
Softball
Freddy Flores
Freddy Flores was named as the head softball coach at Georgian Court University just in time for the 2010 regular season. He led the Lady Lions to a 39-19 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament. Prior to moving to New Jersey in 2007, Flores was the head softball coach at Western New Mexico University from 2001-2007, compiling an overall record of 260-115-1. As a four-time Coach of the Year, he led the Lady Mustangs to four conference titles and a regional championship, while advancing to the second round of the 2004 NCAA Division II Women’s Softball World Series.
Flores just completed his second season as a starting pitcher with the Brockton Rox organization. The New Mexico native’s professional career started in 1997 as a position player in Sioux City, Iowa. In 2009, after eight years in retirement, Flores stepped back on the field as a pitcher and a 35 year-old Rookie with a 6-5 record and a 3.79 ERA. His 2010 season with the Rox, concluded with a 10-2 record and a 3.29 ERA. He was named CanAm’s “Pitcher of the Week” in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Heather Keepers
Heather Keepers began playing fastpitch softball at age 14. She was a four-year starter on Apache Junction High School’s Varsity squad, where she was named as the Second Team all-region third baseman in 1999 and the First Team all-region shortstop in 2001. The Arizona native embarked on her collegiate softball career in 2001 during the inaugural season at Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID. After two years as a starting shortstop/third baseman, Keepers transferred to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. The fall of 2003 was yet another inaugural season for Keepers. There, she was GCU’s starting third baseman, and a slap hitter.
Keepers acquired her first years of coaching experience in the fall seasons of 1997, 1998, and 1999 at Apache Junction Junior High School. She has since been a private instructor specializing in slap hitting with a strong focus on throwing and fielding. Keepers moved to New Jersey in 2007, after earning a job as a tiger trainer at Six Flags Great Adventure. In 2008, Heather became co-manager and player on a women’s fastpitch team in southern NJ. She is the team’s lead off hitter and starting shortstop.
