Our Instructors

Maria comes to the Performance Center with great experience at the top levels for softball. Born and raised in South Bend, Maria won the Little League Softball World Series when she was 13 and appeared in the World Series 2 more times. She was a four-year letter winner at John Adams High School, being named second team all-state as a junior and senior. She led her team to a 2007 sectional championship and regional runner-up. She ended her career at John Adams holding the single-season and career records for home runs, RBI, hits and batting average. After her season year, she was named to the ICGSA North All-Star team. Maria played softball at Indiana University-Bloomington as a freshman, where she appeared in 19 games with 12 starts. She received a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 2013.

Serving as the starting pitcher at Saint Joseph high school for three years, and a two-year captain, Anna Irons lead the Indians to Semi-State four seasons in a row. Anna holds two school records in the most wins and most strikeouts, and was a two-time, first team all-NIC selection and two-time, all-state honorable mention. While in high school, she served as a student coach for Holy Family grade school, and at Chet Waggoner Little League working primarily with pitchers. Currently, Anna attends Saint Mary’s College and serves as the head JV softball coach at St. Joseph high school in South Bend.

A graduate of Marian High School and Bethel College in Mishawaka, Walter Lehmann is an exceptional trainer, specializing in catching, pitching, and infielding. Currently, the head baseball coach at Concord High School, Lehmann is also an assistant coach for the South Bend Junior Silver Hawks. Every summer, he serves as a camp instructor for multiple University of Notre Dame and Bethel College summer camps.

Chadd Blasko was born and raised in Mishawaka where he graduated from Mishawaka High School in 1999. While at Mishawaka, he was named First-Team All-State in 1999 and was a member of the North vs South Indiana HS All-Star Games as a Junior and Senior. He was drafted out of high school in the 47^th Round in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. However, Chadd decided to attend Purdue University and pitched for the baseball team for 3 seasons. As a junior in 2002, he was named First-Team All-Big Ten Pitcher and finished with a 3.47 Career ERA, the fifth-lowest in Purdue history. Blasko compiled a 2.34 ERA against some of the nation’s elite players in the 2001 Summer Cape Cod League while playing for the Cotuit Kettleers; named as one of the league’s top ten pro prospects by Baseball America. He was drafted as the 36^th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in the Supplemental First Round of the MLB Draft. While pitching in the Cubs organization for 5 seasons, he was named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2003 with a 1.98 ERA with 131 K’s in just 136 innings pitched and was also listed as the #5 Prospect in Cubs Organization in 2003 and 2004. Chadd also spent 1 year in the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2008. In 2009, he returned to Purdue to finish his degree and he acted as the Purdue Volunteer Assistant Coach for 2 seasons. Currently, Chad is a physical education and health teacher at Mishawaka High School.

Holly Hoffman comes to the Performance Center with great experience as a player and instructor. Holly graduated from Penn High School as a 3-time Indiana all-state, all-conference and all-district selection and holds the Penn High School records for home runs, doubles and RBIs. During the summer, she played ASA ball for the Indiana Magic Gold 16U-18U teams. After high school, she went on to play at Iowa University, where she studied health and human physiology. In her career, Hoffman started 192 games, including 181 behind the plate. She caught runners stealing 41 times and was responsible for calling the pitches behind the dish, including a no hitter in 2015. As a senior, Hoffman was one of 14 players from the Big Ten Conference to receive All-Midwest Region recognition. The award honors softball student-athletes from the NFCA’s 10 regions with first, second, and third team selections. NFCA member coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all honorees are now eligible for selection to the 2016 NFCA Division I All-American squads.

 

Dustin Coffman started his coaching career in 2009 at Indiana University under Head Coach Tracy Smith where he helped recruit current major leaguer Kyle Schwarber. After spending one year in Bloomington coaching the Hoosiers, he spent the next three years coaching at junior college powerhouse Wabash Valley College. During his three-year tenure, the Warriors averaged 45 wins a year and had 12 players move onto professional baseball. He spent two summers coaching in the prestigious Cape Cod League where in 2011 he mentored Cape Cod MVP and current San Diego Padre Travis Jankowski. Coffman spent the last four years coaching at the University of Cincinnati where he coached former South Bend Cub and current Chicago Cub Ian Happ. In eight years of college baseball, Coach Coffman mentored over 60 draft picks including 14 Major Leaguers. Learn more about Dustin by following him on Twitter and Facebook.