top of page
OUR Staff
Founded by New York Mets Hall of Famer and World Series Champ, Howard "HoJo" Johnson, and his son, Glen
With coaching experience from high school to Major League, our program is designed to help young athletes reach their full potential.

Co-Founder
Howard "HoJo" Johnson
Known to everyone as "HoJo". With a 14-year MLB career from 1982 to 1995, he played for the Detroit Tigers, NY Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago Cubs, winning World Series titles with the Tigers in 1984 and the Mets in 1986. From 1992 to 1997, he held the National League career record for home runs by a switch hitter, and from 1987 to 1996, he held the single-season record for the same category. He was a three-time member of the 30–30 club, had the second-highest home run total in the NL from 1987 to 1991, and was an All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner in 1989 and 1991. In 1991, he became the only switch-hitter to lead the NL in both home runs and RBIs in the same season and was the only Met to lead the league in RBIs. Since 2001, he has worked as a hitting coach in both Major and Minor Leagues with the NY Mets, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers.

Director of HoJo Baseball, 13U & Up
Matt Whisenant
With over 12 years as a professional pitcher, he played at the Major League level for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins. He signed his first professional contract in 1989 after being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies, was traded to the Marlins in 1993, then to the Royals in 1997, and later signed with the Padres. He also played in the Arizona Fall League in 1995 and 1997 and the Puerto Rican Winter League in 1996. Currently, he serves as the Head Pitching Coach at Franklin Road Academy and has led three Southern California high school baseball programs over 20 years, including Montclair Prep, Village Christian Schools, and his alma mater, La Canada High School. He has been a private instructor for over 25 years, coached the Southern California Chicago Cubs Scout Team for over a decade, and has helped over 300 student-athletes advance to collegiate and professional levels.

12U & 14U Coach
Brooks Price
A right-handed hitting shortstop and second baseman, he is currently the Head Coach for HoJo 13U. From 2015 to 2017, he was a starting middle infielder at Fredericksburg High School near Austin, TX, and continued as a starting middle infielder and leadoff hitter at Franklin Road Academy from 2017 to 2019, earning two All-District and three All-Tournament team honors, making the All-Region Tournament Team, and finishing with a career .320 batting average and .988 fielding percentage. He played at Cairn University from 2019 to 2023, where he achieved a .985 fielding percentage and was the team’s leading infielder at shortstop.

14U Coach
Stephen Smith
He is a hitting and catching instructor at Showtime. From 2015 to 2019, he played as a catcher and corner infielder at Helena High School in Alabama and Summit High School in Spring Hill during his senior year, reaching the state championship with both schools. He continued his baseball career at Bethel University, where he played as a catcher from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, he umpired USSSA games for two years.

16U Coach
Michael Edland
Three year Varsity starter at Caruthers High School where he was a 2nd team All conference player as a sophomore and 1st team all conference as a junior and senior and selected to play in the Fresno County all-star game. Primarily an infielder but was a strong defender at every position. As a senior, he assumed the closer role and appeared in a dozen games. Hit well over .400 in his three years as a Varsity starter and an effective base stealer but was most well known for driving in runs especially late in games. He took a scholarship offer from Simpson University and spent his freshman year there as a two-way player getting most of his innings as a shortstop and relief pitcher. The following year he transferred to West Hills College where he redshirt and spent the following year as a firstbaseman. He then stepped away from his playing career due to injuries and spent the next nine years coaching at his alma mater Caruthers. He has also spent three summers coaching a collegiate summer ball team in Fresno, first two acting as the pitching coach and this past summer as the head of analytics and bench coach.

13U Coach
Jacob Rhinesmith
Jacob brings six seasons of professional baseball experience to his new role as the HoJo 13U Assistant Coach and Showtime Sports Hitting & Fielding Instructor. Drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Jacob’s career spans multiple levels of competition. In 2024, he played for the Navegantes del Magallanes in Venezuela and the York Revolution of the Atlantic League, where he earned Player of the Year honors and was named MVP of the Atlantic League Championship Series. His professional resume includes time with the Winnipeg Goldeyes, Harrisburg Senators (Double-A), Wilmington Blue Rocks (High-A), Hagerstown Suns (Low-A), and Auburn Doubledays (Short Season Single-A). Along the way, he was twice selected as an All-Star in the Nationals organization.

Co-Founder
Glen Johnson
As a four-year varsity shortstop and switch hitter at South Fork High School in Stuart, FL, he earned All-American honors in 2007 and was featured in the All-American game presented by PlayStation. That year, he was also listed among Baseball America’s Top-300 Prospects and drafted in the 36th round by the New York Mets. He went on to play college baseball at Jacksonville University and Pace University from 2008 to 2012. After signing with the Rockland Boulders in 2011, he played two additional years of Independent Ball with the Newark Bears and Edinburgh Roadrunners. Following in the footsteps of his father, MLB veteran Howard “HoJo” Johnson, he has been a hitting/fielding instructor at Showtime Sports Academy since 2013 and serves as the head baseball coach at Franklin Road Academy.

Director of HoJo Baseball, 12U & Under
Dalton Ney
A right-handed hitter capable of playing both infield and outfield, he played at Franklin Road Academy from 2012 to 2016, earning 4 All-District and 2 All-Region honors with a career .395 batting average and 11 home runs. He played a key role in leading FRA to a state championship in 2016. From 2017 to 2019, he spent three years at Lee University, where he competed in the Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship and led his sophomore year with a .290 batting average. He concluded his collegiate career with two years at Kentucky Wesleyan College from 2020 to 2021.

13U Coach
Kyle Harris
A versatile infielder and hitting specialist, Kyle was a three-time letterman at Byron Nelson High School in Fort Worth, TX, graduating in 2016. He continued his baseball career at TCS Post Grad Academy, where he excelled offensively, hitting over .350 with 8 home runs. He then moved to Vernon College, where he primarily played second base and posted a .574 average with 16 extra-base hits in the fall season. After briefly stepping away from playing due to family matters, he returned to college baseball, maintaining a strong batting average over .370 while playing multiple infield positions. Known for his versatility and mental approach to the game, Kyle transitioned to coaching, focusing on developing players' skills and fostering leadership, emphasizing overcoming mental barriers to excel in baseball.

16U Coach
Zac Benedetti
A pitcher and current Head Coach for HoJo 12U and 15U, he has coached at Fury Baseball Academy, Nashville Baseball Academy, and was a key player at Chattanooga University, contributing to multiple championships and leading in saves.

12U & 16U Coach
Bryan Noonan
A right-handed pitcher and four-year letter winner at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, he was an integral part of the back-to-back state championship teams in 2008 and 2009, both of which finished ranked #1 in New Jersey. Continuing his baseball career at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he served as a two-time team captain and played a pivotal role in leading the program to its first-ever conference championship during his senior season.
With over eight years of coaching experience at Diamond Nation in New Jersey, he specialized in developing pitchers, many of whom advanced to play collegiate and professional baseball. His dedication to player development and passion for the game have made a lasting impact on the athletes he has mentored.
bottom of page