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As a player you must always strive to take your game to the next level.
Proper mechanics, fundamentals and mental toughness are the three key areas to
becoming the player that you want to be.
Our Coaching Staff includes some of the BEST coaches in the area! Please
check out our COACHES CORNER to find bio's on each of our instructors.
Private lessons are scheduled directly with the office. All lessons take place at Thunder
Stix.
Semi-Private
lessons are for 2 or more students with one instructor. This is a great way to
practice with a friend or a teammate. It is cheaper per student per half hour as
well. So parents, if you are looking for a discounted rate or want to have your
kids practice at the same time, a semi-private lesson might be the package for
you. However, we do recommend for the students to receive the most out of the
lessons, that the skill level for each player be reasonably comparable.
FEE SCHEDULE - PRIVATE
iNSTRUCTION
$45/ half hour.............1 Lesson
$130...........3 Lesson Package
$215........... 5 Lesson Package
$425........... 10 Lesson Package
FEE SCHEDULE
- SEMI - PRIVATE iNSTRUCTION
4 (HALF HOUR SESSIONS) ...........$120 PER PERSON
8 (HALF HOUR SESSIONS)............$225 PER PERSON
Coaches Corner
Thunder Six
is pleased to welcome former Major League Baseball player John Wockenfuss to the instructional team. John was a standout utility player
for the Detroit Tigers from 1974 to 1983 and then joined the Philadelphia
Phillies organization in 1984 before retiring in 1985.
John was drafted by the Washington Senators in the 1967 amateur draft but did
not reach the major leagues until seven years later in 1974.
On December 3, 1973, John was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Detroit
Tigers. John found a home with the Tigers where he played 10 seasons and quickly
became a fan favorite.
John's best year with the Tigers was in 1980.
That year, "Fuss" (as he is affectionately known to Detroit fans) hit 16
home runs, collected 65 RBIs and 68 bases on balls, with an impressive .390 on
base percentage. For his career,
John had a .262 career batting average with 86 home runs and 310 RBI's.
Following his playing career, John managed for a number of years in the minor
leagues. In 1987 he joined the Tigers organization as manager of the Toledo farm
club.
After leaving the Tigers' system, John managed two seasons in the Pittsburgh
Pirates organization (1992-93). In
1996 he managed the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs to the Northeast League title. John also managed Albany-Colonie in
1997.
In addition to his distinguished career as a player and manager, in 1993 John
was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum Hall of Fame.
John has been providing baseball and softball instruction for several years in
the Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware areas.
He has a wonderful rapport with kids and several of his pupils have gone
on to excel at the high school and collegiate level. Contact the office to schedule
private or semi-private lessons with John.
Thunder Stix is delighted to announce Meredith Nelles as one of
our lead Softball instructors
Meredith is no stranger to the Delaware softball scene. She was a 4 year starter at
Brandywine High School (2001-2005).
During that time she became one of the most decorated athletes in the history of
Delaware softball. She was a
Four-time All State pitcher during her career at Brandywine where she holds the
single season strikeout record with 262 k's in only 126 innings! In addition to her pitching prowess,
Meredith was one of the most feared hitters in the state. She broke the school records for
RBI's and Doubles while leading her team to 4 straight conference championships
while at Brandywine.
In 2005, Meredith was named Delaware High School Player of the Year; Gatorade
2004-2005 State Player of the Year and was named to the 2005 Louisville Slugger
National High School First Team for the East Region.
Meredith received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland
where she continued her softball career.
In her rookie campaign at Maryland she compiled a 9-9 record with a 3.06
era. She ranked 6th in
the powerful ACC with 8.4 strikeouts per game and ranked 7th in the
ACC with 3 shutouts.
In 2007 Meredith finished the year as the number one pitcher for the Terps. She led the team in innings pitched,
strikeouts (141) and recorded 19 wins (3rd most in school history).
In 2008 Meredith was 10-3 in 87 innings pitched before a career ending back
injury. Even in a limited role she
led the Terps with 83 strikeouts, 4 shutouts and a 2.17 era.
In addition to her stellar athletic career, Meredith was named to the ESPN
Academic All America Team in both 2007 and 2008 and the ACC- All Academic Team
from 2006-2008. Meredith will
receive her degree in Elementary Education in May of 2009.
Meredith will be available for private or group instruction in pitching or
hitting beginning in June.
Robert Banner is the head varsity softball coach at Alexis I. DuPont High
School in Greenville, DE and the owner and operator of Thunder Stix Baseball and
Softball Academy. In his 4 years as
the head coach, the Lady Tigers have transformed their softball program into a
Flight A contender following 11 consecutive losing seasons. After a 6-13 first year, the Tigers
have recorded 3 straight winning seasons including 2009's 13-7 campaign. In the past two seasons, the Tigers
have defeated 3 teams ranked in the Delaware High School Top 10. Over the past 4
years, Coach Banner has developed 10 All-Conference players for the Tigers.
In 2008 Coach Banner was runner-up for Coach of the Year honors in the
Blue Hen Conference - Flight A. Also
in 2008 Coach Banner was selected to coach in the Blue-Gold Senior All-Star
Classic in Dover. The game features
the best high school seniors in the state. In
June of 2009, Coach Banner will coach a team of All-Star players representing
Northern Delaware in the Carpenter Cup Series in Philadelphia.
Prior to taking over as coach of the Tigers, Banner coached in the Midway
Girls Softball organization for 6 years and also spent 1 season as an assistant
with the 18U Orange Crush Travel Team.
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