Summer 2022 Coaches & Staff
Kyle Gray
15U White Coach
We are proud to announce Kyle Gray, previous second baseman for the New York Yankees Organization, as Action’s 15U White Coach for the Summer 2022 Season! Gray played with Action Baseball Club from 2011 to 2015. Gray attended Blanco High School where he played on the Varsity team all four years. At Blanco High School Gray was named the District 27-2A Player of the Year in 2014. He was also named to the All-District 27-2A First Team in 2013 and the District 8-2A Newcomer of the Year in 2012.
From there, Gray went on to play at West Virginia University as a 2nd baseman and in left field. As a Freshman, Gray was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on April 11 after recording five hits, two RBI’s and two runs scored in a pair of games against Furman on April 10. As a Sophomore in 2017, Gray was named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Team. As a Junior in 2018, Gray was named the All-Big 12 First Team Second Baseman. Gray was on the ABCA/Rawlings All-American Team, being only the 18th person in the program’s history to make the team. During Gray’s Junior year, he had a 23-game hit streak, which was the longest by a Mountaineer since 2009! He also had 14 home runs which tied for the sixth most home runs in a single season in the program’s history. Gray finished the season batting .374 and hit .391 in the Big 12.
In 2018 Gray was drafted in the 14th round to the New York Yankees in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft. Gray is still playing for the New York Yankees Organization.
We are lucky enough to have Gray come back to Action Baseball Club as a Director of Action Baseball as well as our 15U White high school coach.
J.D. Pulfer
15U Green Coach
We are proud to announce J.D. Pulfer as Action’s 15U Green Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
Danny “J.D.” Pulfer, a former All-Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Oregon infielder and 19th round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011, is currently Hendrix infielders coach and hitting instructor since 2022.
Prior to Hendrix, Pulfer spent two seasons (2020-21) as the Towson infielders and assistant hitting coach.
In 2021, Pulfer helped the Tigers lead the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in sacrifice bunts (seventh in Division I), hit by pitch (16th) and walks (29th). Towson also ranked second in the league and 68th nationally in stolen bases.
With Pulfer’s assistance in the 2020 season shortened to 15 games due to COVID-19, the team improved its on-base percentage by 36 points (.310 to .346) from the previous season and earned over half a steal more per contest.
A.J. Wolin
15U Silver Coach
We are proud to announce A.J. Wolin as the 15U Silver Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
A.J. started his baseball career as a pitcher for Lake Travis High School. From there, he went on to play for University of Incarnate Word and then transferred to West Virginia University.
A.J. played for Action Baseball Club in high school as well as when he was in college.
A.J. has coached for Action Baseball Club for 3 years!
Angel Garcia
16U White Coach
We are proud to announce Angel Garcia as Action’s 16U White Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
Garcia grew up in Premont Texas where he played Varsity baseball for 4 years.
Garcia started with Action Baseball Club back in 2013 and is now entering his 10th year as an Action Baseball Club Coach!
Garcia has coached for over 30 years from youth levels to the high school level in the Houston area as well as the Austin, TX area, including his time spent as the Assistant Coach at St. Stephen’s high School and as a volunteer baseball coach for hitting and infield at Southwestern University.
Garcia is proud of the many players he has coached and helped develop who have gone on to play at the collegiate and professional levels!
Randy Rutherford
16U Green Coach
We are proud to announce Randy Rutherford as Action’s 16U Green Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
Rutherford grew up in Lockhart TX and graduated from Lockhart High School in 1976.
From there, Rutherford went on to play baseball at Concordia Lutheran in Austin TX for one year and then at Texas Lutheran College for 3 years where he graduated in 1982.
Rutherford then went on to coach high school baseball for 27 years! He spent 6 years at Luling High School, 5 years at Dallas Bryan Adams, 5 years at Hays Consolidated, and 11 years at Johnson City!
In 2011, Rutherford’s last year of coaching at Johnson City, they won the State Championship!
Rutherford also coached 2 years at the college level as a Graduate Assistant at Texas A&M under Coach Mark Johnson from 1990 to 1991.
Click here to read Coach Rutherford’s Full Bio!
Chad Krempin
16U Silver Coach
We are proud to announce Chad Krempin as Action’s 16U Silver Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
Coach Krempin is the current head coach at Rouse High School and has over 20 years of experience as a Head Baseball Coach. He is married to Jennifer Krempin, and has three daughters; Julia 18, Catherine 15, and Josie 12. Coach Krempin played baseball at Tarleton State before transferring and graduating in 1998 from Southwest Texas State. Coach is a 1991 Burnet High School graduate.
Coach has made stops as a Head Coach in Jarrell, Lampasas, Llano, San Angelo Central, and Salado and has an overall record of 448-189. Over the years Coach has never had a losing season and has only once missed the playoffs. His coaching resume includes 4 State Tournaments including a Finals appearance in 2016, nine district Titles, eight area Titles and five appearances at the Regional Finals. Coach Krempin has been district Coach of the Year eleven times. He has coached 24 All-State Players including 10 District MVPs. He has had many students go on to play baseball in college including at least 18 at the Division I level. He has helped over 32 students earn college scholarships for baseball including 12 here at Rouse in the last 4 years.
Coach Krempin hopes to continue to develop young men here at Rouse High School on and off the field and has a goal of reaching at least one more State Tournament after Rouse made it in 2021 with a wild run to State after finishing 4th in district.
Brandon Schmidt
17U Green Coach
We are proud to announce Brandon Schmidt as Action’s 17U Green Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
Brandon Schmidt is in his fifth season as the Hendrix pitching coach and strength and conditioning coach and first as recruiting coordinator in 2022.
He has coached four All-Southern Athletic Association (SAA) pitchers – one Newcomer of the Year, one first team, one second team and one honorable mention.
In 2021, Schmidt’s pitching staff averaged 6.83 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth best in program history. It registered the second most number of strikeouts looking and allowed the fourth fewest number of hits and fifth fewest number of walks.
Under Schmidt’s tutelage, Jack Hodgins tied for the most strikeouts looking in program history and allowed the second fewest walks per nine innings. Andrei Stoyanow set the single-game record for strikeouts, averaged the second most strikeouts per nine innings and recorded the third most strikeouts looking.
Calvin Schiraldi
17U White Coach
We are proud to announce Calvin Schiraldi as Action’s 17U White Coach for the Summer 2022 Season!
Schiraldi attended Westlake High School before being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 17th round in 1980. Schiraldi chose to further his education at University of Texas before entering the MLB. At UT, Schiraldi pitched alongside Roger Clemens and pitched the team to a 1983 College World Series championship. Schiraldi was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
After his time at UT, Schiraldi was drafted by the NY Mets in the first round (27th pick) in the 1983 MLB Draft. Schiraldi made his major league debut on September 1, 1984. In 1985 Schiraldi was traded to the Boston Red Sox where he appeared in four of the seven games of the 1986 American League Championship Series against the California Angels. He then played in game 1 and game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the NY Mets.
From there Schiraldi went on to play with the Chicago Cubs in 1988. In 1989 he went to the San Diego Padres. Schiraldi ended his career with the Texas Rangers’ where he played through 1991.
From there Schiraldi went on to be the head coach at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy.
Schiraldi currently lives in the Austin, TX area and is excited to work with the players at Action Baseball Club.
Jon Gryseels
Assistant Director of Recruiting
Jon Gryseels will be working with Action Baseball Club as the Assistant Director of Recruiting. Jon is no stranger to Action with 8 years of coaching in our youth and high school programs. He also spent 3 years with Round Rock Express helping run their high school select program and working youth summer and winter camps. His playing career includes Ranger College and Texas State University.
“My passion for the game lies in our athletes reaching their dreams of playing at the next level. I have been fortunate to be a part of many journeys over the years as a coach. The hard work and sacrifices the game requires of our players and families deserve all the help we can give them. Our goal is to provide useful direction for our players and families in the complicated and ever-changing recruiting process. And ultimately help our athletes find the right fit at the right college. I look forward to doing all I can to add to the amazing history of college placements Keith Jackson and the Action program has had consistently for over a decade.”
Turner Gryseels
Summer 2022 Intern
Turner Gryseels joins us as a summer intern.
Turner is finishing up a great college baseball career which included playing at Vernon College and the University of Houston-Victoria where he averaged 1.3 strikeouts per inning as a closer and made the Dean’s list academically. He will be graduating with a Kinesiology Degree in Sports Management.
Turner grew up playing baseball much of his youth and high school years right here at Action Baseball. Last summer he served as an Action Assistant Coach with the 17u Gryseels team.
This summer Turner will be assisting with many areas throughout Action Baseball including recruiting, training, coaching and more.