Gators Baseball Academy

MEET THE STAFF

CHRIS CRADICK

CO-FOUNDER & CLUB PRESIDENT

Email : chris.cradick@gatorsba.com

Chris Cradick started the Missouri Gators Baseball Club in 2009 to provide teams for his sons and their friends. Little did he know, he was building a club that would quickly become one of area's top programs.

As the early years went on, Chris' passion for youth baseball continued to grow which led to more teams and attracting some of the top players in the area. Chris was determined to continue take his club to the next level and provide one of the top training facilities in the Midwest.

In 2014, Chris brought his ideas and ambitions to business partners Steve Marion and Joe Lopez. By 2015, the SportsBarn in Wentzville was built and was the new home to the Missouri Gators. To this day, the SportsBarn is home to the Missouri Gators and other local baseball & softball teams.

Over the next couple years, the Missouri Gators continued to see a surge in talent and soon would start attracting players from Illinois. In 2018, the Missouri Gators evolved into Gators Baseball Academy with the additions of the Illinois Gators and GBA (High School Program).

Currently, Chris resides in Wentzville, MO with his wife (Niki), sons (Evan, Connor, Schafer, Chase), and daughter (Riley). Schafer (2024) and Chase (2026) are the last two Cradick boys to go through the GBA College Development program.

1992-1994 pitched at Missouri State
17-years as a youth baseball coach

Chris' personal aspirations for the club:

To become synonymous with industry leading organizations at the national level by providing players and families with a world-class experience

CHRIS CRADICK

CLUB PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER

STEVE MARION

CO-FOUNDER & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

STEVE MARION

BUSINESS DEV. & CO-FOUNDER

JOE LOPEZ

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Joe Lopez joined Gators Baseball Academy in the Fall of 2015 to assist in organizational development. Joe brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and experience in helping not only businesses grow but people too.

From 1994 to 1998, Joe studied and played collegiate baseball at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. After 4-years, he had earned his Bachelors degree in Kinesiology.

After college, Joe went on to coach and mentor youth athletes for over 14-years; helping many coaches and industry professionals along the way. In 2018, Joe played an intricate role as the organization evolved from the Missouri Gators to Gators Baseball Academy. During this time, the organization expanded into central Illinois.

Currently, Joe resides in Naples, Florida with his wife (Candice), son (Johannes Jr), and daughters (Milena and Anasofia). Johannes Jr was a player in the GBA College Development program from 2019-2022 and now plays college baseball at High Point University.

Joe's personal aspirations for the club:

Create a safe, educational, and cutting edge environment for baseball and softball players looking to pour into this great game

JOE LOPEZ

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sherry Sossamon

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

(E) sherry.soss@gatorsba.com

CHRISTINE RIECKE

LEGAL SERVICES

(E) SportsBarnFacility@gmail.com

JIM CROMER

ILLINOIS GATORS DIRECTOR

(E) jim.cromer@gatorsba.com

GBA DEVELOPMENT STAFF

SETH VON BEHREN

DIRECTOR OF GBA & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Email: seth.vonbehren@gatorsba.com

Seth was added to the Gators Baseball Academy staff in 2017 with the purpose of creating an elite high school program for players with a strong desire to play college baseball. This would lead to the beginning of the GBA College Development program.

Prior to GBA, Seth coached at the collegiate-level for 17 years that included stops at Maryville University (DII), South Alabama (DI), College of Charleston (DI), and West Chester University (DII).

Accomplishments

7 top 50 recruiting classes
3 programs that finished in top 25 including 12th while coaching at the College of Charleston
39 former players sign professional contracts to MLB affiliate teams
4 former players have appeared in the big leagues and 1 currently is an MLB Manager

From 1997-2001, Seth studied and played collegiate baseball at Illinois State University where he was a 4-year starter. In 2000, Seth was an All-Conference selection. He graduated from Illinois State with a Bachelors degree in Communications.

Currently, Seth resides in Troy, IL with his wife (Meredith) and two daughters (Alayna and Reese).

Seth's personal aspirations for the club:

To continue to provide an positive learning environment for athletes at all levels by surrounding them with high level trainers who have players and their family's best interest in mind on and off the field.

SETH VON BEHREN

GBA DIRECTOR

JAKE DEPEW

DIRECTOR OF HITTING

Email : jake.depew@gatorsba.com

Jake was added to the Gators Baseball Academy staff in 2017 to assist in player development at the high school level. In 2018, Jake and Seth Von Behren built what is now known as the GBA College Development program.

Prior to GBA, Jake played 8 seasons of professional baseball. He was drafted out of high school in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays (9th Rd, 281 overall). Jake reached as high as the AA-level with the Rays before signing with the Boston Red Sox for a season. His professional career would end at 2745 innings caught with 141 runners caught stealing (44%).

In 2019, Jake took his passion for hitting development and started a company called HitLab. This would quickly become one of the area's top hitting development programs. By 2022, HitLab partnered with 3 select teams to provide high quality assessment based programs for their hitters.

Currently, Jake continues to coach one of the top GBA teams as well as grow his HitLab business. He resides in Granite City, IL with his wife (Danielle) and son (Turner).

Jake's personal aspirations for the club:

Create a safe, educational, and cutting edge environment for baseball and softball players looking to pour into this great game

JAKE DEPEW

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF

JOHN LORD

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF

Email : john.lord@gatorsba.com

JOHN LORD

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF

TIM FUNKHOUSER

INFIELD COORDINATOR (IL) & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF

TIM FUNKHOUSER

INFIELD COORDINATOR (IL)

NICK BECKMANN

INFIELD COORDINATOR (MO) & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF

NICK BECKMANN

INFIELD COORDINATOR (mo)

Josh potter

GBA Operations, Communication, & Media

(E) josh.potter@gatorsba.com

GBA coaching staff

Matt Carlson

GBA Staff, 2025 Coach

Joe Bauer

GBA Staff, 2026 Asst.

CJ Schaeffer

GBA Staff, 25/26 Coach

Eric Eisen

GBA Staff, 2027 Coach

Scott Seipp

GBA Staff, 2027 Asst.

Jordan Hovey

GBA Staff, 2028 Coach

Mike Sabatino

GBA Staff

Gators Baseball Academy

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