Coaching Staff
Coach Bernard is the owner and founder of the Wolves, as well as the head coach for the 10u & 18u team. He is from Los Angeles, California. He founded the Wolves in 2012 with a passion to coach, mentor and help baseball players of all ages. Zev knew at a young age that he wanted to coach. In 2003 at the age of 16 he started a small business in Los Angeles, giving baseball lessons in parks and on school playgrounds. He ran this business for two years while he attended Montclair Prep High School in Los Angeles. In 2003 and 2004, his junior and senior seasons, Bernard was a first team All- Olympic League catcher and was named as team captain. Along with playing baseball at Montclair Prep, he was a member of the Atlanta Braves scout team in 2003 and 2004.
After High School Zev was recruited to play baseball at Glendale Community College in Glendale, CA. At GLENDALE Community College, Zev won the leadership award and led the team in batting average. During his time at Glendale CC Zev ran summer baseball camps for the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.
Spading University recruited Zev to finish out his collegiate years in Louisville, KY. At Spalding he was the starting catcher for two seasons and started 78 out of 80 games. During his senior season he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications.
After his college playing career was over, Zev became an assistant coach at Spalding. He coached there for the next 3 years, working with catchers, hitters and assisting with recruiting. He was part of the team in 2012 that won the USCAA National Championship. While coaching at Spalding he also worked at Champions’ Baseball academy. His duties at Champions’ included hitting and fielding instructor, as well as camp director and facility manager.
While coaching at Spalding and working at Champions’, he earned a Masters Degree in Business Communication and set his sights on starting the Wolves.
Coach Jones is the Vice President of the Wolves and in his eighth year with the program. Bryant plays a large roll in running our camps and clinics, as well as assisting in facility management and the overall direction and vision of the Wolves. For the 2025 season, Bryant is the head Coach of the 16U Navy team and head coach of the 12U team. He also is a varsity baseball coach at Collins high school in Shelbyville, KY.
Bryant was born in Waddy, KY and played high school baseball at Shelby County High School from 1996-2000. His senior year he earned All-state honors. After high school Jones signed with Division-1 University of Tennessee-Martin. He is UT Martin’s only Division-1 All-American in baseball, earning that title in 2004. The infielder earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first team accolades as a senior in 2004, leading the team in batting average (.425), hits (96, the highest single-season total in UT Martin history), runs scored (55), slugging percentage (.588) and stolen bases (18). Jones ranked 9th in the nation in batting average in 2004 hitting .425, the highest ever for a Tennessee-Martin player. He recorded 32 multiple-hit outings, scoring 55 runs and driving in 33 more in the process. Jones also had 13 doubles and six home runs, posting on-base and slugging percentages of .472 and .588, respectively. He set new Tennessee-Martin career records for most games played (191), most at-bats (651) and most hits (218), while also establishing new single-season marks for most hits, at-bats (226) and total bases (133). Jones was inducted into the Tennessee-Martin Hall of Fame in 2017.
He went on to have a short stint in professional baseball from 2004-2005 with the Cincinnati Reds organization. Bryant received a Bachelors Degree in Marketing in 2005 from UTM. In his free time he enjoys fishing, golfing, spending time with family/friends and reading.
Coach Penland joined the Wolves coaching staff in 2014. From 2014-2018 he led a very talented showcase team through our program, where almost every player on the team went on to play college baseball. He has served as the director of baseball operations for the Wolves, as well as a roving pitching instructor for the organization. He also helps with our pitching and catching camps and clinics. Currently he is the head coach of the 7U and 10U teams.
Justin is from Louisville, KY and played baseball at Butler High School. With the Bears he was a four-year starting pitcher and was a dominant force on the mound. Justin was a leader on and off the field and team captain. He was recruited by Spalding University and was a pitcher at the school from 2006-2009. He received All-Conference honors in 2006 and 2009 and was an Academic All-American in 2009. After graduation in 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, he went on to coach at Desales High School and Butler High School. He resides in Mt. Washington with his wife Jenny and sons Ace and Knox.
Coach Baker is entering his ninth season as a member of the Wolves Baseball coaching staff. This season he is the head coach of the 14U Gold and 14U Navy teams. Jared is currently the Athletic Director at Ballard High School, where he runs one of the top athletic departments in Kentucky. Before working at Ballard, he held the same role of AD at Western High School. Before he was an Athletic Director, Jared was the varsity head baseball coach at Atherton High School, Western High School and Moore High School. During his time as a head coach at Atherton High School, the team won their first district championship in over 25 years and Baker was named 7th Region Coach of the Year (2013). In his three years at Atherton he finished with a record of 54-49 with numerous players being named All-District, All-Region and many of them continuing to play baseball at the collegiate level. During Baker’s tenure at Moore High School, the Mustangs improved their win total each year. During his fourth season, Baker led Moore High School to their first Regional Tournament Appearance in over 30 years.
Baker received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Louisville in Sports Administration in 2010 and later received his Master’s Degree in Special Education at Georgetown College. He currently resides in Louisville with his wife Katie and four children.
Coach Ryan is entering his second season with the Wolves and will lead the 15U Grey team for the 2025 season. He is originally from Elgin, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Andrew developed his passion for baseball early on. He played high school baseball at Westminster Christian School, where he was a two-time NAC All-Conference selection. He later moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky for his senior year and played a key role in guiding the Elizabethtown Panthers to a state playoff appearance.
Andrew brings valuable experience to the Wolves organization, having worked as a college baseball scout before he joined the Wolves coaching staff. He currently serves as the varsity head coach and program director at Kentucky Country Day School in Louisville, KY, where he continues to mentor and develop young athletes both on and off the field.
Bio coming soon...
Coach Benz is entering his second season as a coach with the Wolves organization, bringing both high-level playing experience and a deep passion for developing young athletes. In the 2025 season Trey is the head coach of the 16U Black team. Coach Benz played two years with the Wolves, consistently ranking in the top two in ERA, wins, and overall pitching performance. His playing career began at Butler Traditional High School, where he graduated with honors in the Class of 2020. While at Butler, Coach Benz threw two career no-hitters. Trey went on to play at Midway University as a pitcher and outfielder.
Currently, Coach Benz serves as the Head JV Coach at Bullitt Central High School, where he’s led his team through a standout season. Under his leadership, four underclassmen have appeared in varsity games, with two earning full-game starts.
Off the field, Trey’s passion for growth and service continues in the classroom. After hanging up his cleats and meeting the love of his life, he worked at UPS for three years to pay for his education and earn his Bachelor’s degree, becoming a certified teacher. He now teaches 4th and 5th grade math at Crums Lane Elementary, inspiring the next generation through both education and athletics.
Bio coming soon...
Coach Baker is the first former Wolves player to join our coaching staff. He was part of the very first class of Wolves players in 2012. Over the last five years Walter has coached several different age Wolves teams. Currently, he works with Wolves hitters and runs our 'Wolf Pups Camps'.
Walter started playing sports at an early age and quickly fell in love with baseball. He attended Fern Creek High School where he played varsity baseball all four seasons. He received 'Player of the Year' awards several times and was also selected to the Derby City Classic All Tournament team.
After high school, Walter attended Illinois College, a junior college where he played baseball and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Arts. He transferred to Rio Grande University to continue his education and baseball career. In 2020 he graduated from Rio Grande with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. In 2024 Walter completed his Masters Degree in Education from the University of Louisville, and is now an elementary school teacher. He gives weekly hitting lessons and coaches the freshman baseball team at Louisville Male High School.
Bio coming soon...
Coach Gross, or 'The Coach that always wears purple' is our roving pitching instructor. He works with various teams in the organization on pitching mentality and pitching mechanics.
Jim was born and raised in Fern Creek, KY. He played high school baseball at Fern Creek and was recruited in the first recruiting class of the Spalding University baseball program. At Spalding, he was a 4 year Letterman from 1999-2003. While also at Spalding, he participated in the NAIA College World Series in 2002-2003. In 2004 he was an assistant baseball coach at Waggener High School. From 2005-2012 he became an assistant coach at his alma mater, Fern Creek High School. In 2013 he took over the program as the head coach and led the Tigers until 2017. During his time at Fern Creek, Coach Gross was responsible for dozens of players furthering their baseball careers and educations with college commitments.
In 2018, Coach Gross parted ways with Fern Creek and became the head coach at Southern High School. In his time at Southern, he is responsible for over 30 players receiving college baseball offers and playing in college programs.
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...
Coach Rodriguez is from Ciego de Avila, Cuba and joined the Wolves coaching staff in 2019. Currently, he is our defensive specialist coach and works with Wolves teams of all ages. In addition to coaching with the Wolves, he also coaches at Southern High School, working with varsity infielders and hitters.
William has over 30 years of experience playing and coaching baseball in Cuba and Ecuador. He also has a long background in physical and personal training.
From 2018-2019 he was a Personal Trainer at Fit Up Gym in Quito, Ecuador. He Co-founded ‘Angeles de Quito’ a baseball school in Ecuador from 2014-2019 where he was the head coach of several different teams and also trained players at practices and workouts. Between 2011-2013 he was a manager of several different baseball teams of all ages in Ciego De Ávila, Cuba. Coach Rodriguez also worked as a Sport Training Professor at the Sports University of Ciego de Avila, Cuba 2009-2011. During this time he also was the head coach of University Team, that finished 2nd place nationally.
Coach Rodriguez was educated at the Sports University of Ciego de Avila in Cuba. Here, in 2009 he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Culture and Sports. In 2012, he earned a Master of Science in Higher Education.
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...
Bio coming soon...