ABOUT NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA BASEBALL STARS

NCF Baseball Stars Head Coach - RON BROOKS

Ron attended Leon High School in Tallahassee Florida where, as a member of the Leon Lions Baseball Team, he was named to the All Big Bend and All State Teams in 1995. He was drafted in the 32nd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates right out of High School. He attended Tallahassee Community College on a scholarship where he played for the TCC Eagles until 1997 when he received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Central Florida and he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their 61st round.

For the last five years, Ron has been the head baseball coach beginning at Rickards High School, Tallahassee , Florida in 2005 and he currently heads the Santa Fe High School baseball program in Alachua , Florida . Under his leadership and training, the Santa Fe Raiders have gone to the playoffs twice in three years and won the district title in 2007.

In addition to his coaching duties at Santa Fe High School , Ron is a certified Physical Education teacher and teaches Exceptional Student education.

During his off time, Ron is the head coach of the North Central Florida Stars, a college All Star summer baseball team that plays all over the Southeast in the Southeast Collegiate Baseball League.

He and his wife Erin live in north Florida . They have been married for nine years and are the proud parents of four lovely children, Caitlin, Abby, Molly, and Peyton.

NCF Baseball Stars General Manager
US Baseball Stars 18u Team Head Coach - MATTHEW NAYLOR

Matt graduated from Newberry High School in 1994 and went on to play baseball at Dekalb Community College, in Atlanta. After playing baseball Matthew joined the Army and served overseas in Bosnia, Honduras, and El Salvador. Matthew returned to the Gainesville area and became the pitching coach for Newberry High School from 2000 to 2006. Currently he has gone back to school working on earning his degree in Sports Management. Coach Naylor is the manger for the North Central Florida Baseball Stars summer collegiate team in Gainesville, FL that travels all over the southeast during the summer playing in the Southeast Collegiate Baseball League.

In addition to his coaching and managing career he owns a wooden bat (Naylor Wooden Bats) in Gainesville, FL. He manufactures custom made wooden bats for players all over the United States

U.S. Baseball Stars Head Coach - MATT HURLEY
Coach Hurley is a graduate of Wolfson High School and the University of Florida where he received his degree in Criminology and Sociology.  This is his fourth year working with the baseball program at Santa Fe as the pitching coach.  Coach Hurley is a teacher at Mebane Middle School and he and his wife, Julie, are expecting their first child this season.  Matt's brother, Eric is currently the number one prospect for the Texas Rangers and is a right-handed starting pitcher.

More US Baseball Stars Coaches HERE

US Baseball Stars 16u Team Assistant Coach - JIM SMITH
Williston High School Head Baseball Coach

Jim graduated from Pinson Valley High School and the University Of Alabama-Birmingham with degrees in Health, Physical Education and Biology. Jim has been coaching high school baseball for the past 21 years, 16 seasons as a head coach with last 13 seasons at Williston High School. He has led the Williston Red Devils to the state playoffs in 10 of his 13 seasons. During his time at Williston High School the baseball program has produced 18 college baseball players and 5 MLB draftees. Jim was named FACA Class 3a state coach of the year in 1997, 2000 and in 2006. Jim is also currently an associate scout with the Chicago White Sox after serving in the same capacity for the Cincinnati Reds from 2005-2007. Jim and his wife Mandi have been married for 10 years and have lived in Williston for the past 13 years. Jim and Mandi have 2 sons Greyson and Weston ages 8 and 7 respectively.

NCF Baseball Stars 18U Head Coach - MIKE RIZZI

Coach Rizzi graduated from Cooper City H.S. in Broward County in 1974.  He was the Most Valuable Player of his team and earned All Area honors as an outfielder his senior year.  Coach Rizzi played 1 year at Worthington Comm. College in Worthington, Mn. in 1975.

After many different occupations including 4 years in the Air Force Coach Rizzi returned to college at the age of 40 to pursue his passion of coaching baseball.  He graduated from Santa Fe Comm. College in Gainesville, Fl. with an AA degree in 1998 and transferred to the University of Florida. Coach Rizzi graduated in the fall of 2000 with a BS in Exercise and Sports Science with honors.  He also became Florida Certified to teach Physical Education. 

Coach Rizzi’s coaching career began while a student at UF as the Head JV coach at Gainesville High School in 1999.  He coached at Gainesville High School for 3 years.  He then became the Head Varsity Coach in 2002 at Ft. White High School and teaching Middle School Drop-Out Prevention.  In his first year, his Ft. White Indians qualified for the state tournament with a runner up finish in the district tournament and lost in the first round of the Regional Tournament.  In 2003, Coach Rizzi’s team won the District 5 2a tournament and lost in the Regional Semifinals.  His Ft. White team won their second district title in 2006 by winning the District 5 3A tournament and again lost in the Regional Semifinals.  This same year, Coach Rizzi was named The Gainesville Sun Small School Coach of the Year after posting a 20-6 record.  Coach Rizzi stepped down as Ft. White’s coach after the 2008 season and is currently giving private lessons and coaching the NCF Baseball Stars 18U travel team.  He is still teaching at Ft. White H.S. as the Drop-Out Prevention/Credit Recovery teacher working in a computer lab.  In addition to his PE certification he is also certified in Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum. 

Coach Rizzi currently resides in Lake City, Fl with his partner Nancy Glasscock.  They have no children living at home but he has a daughter who is a senior attending Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fl.  Ms. Glasscock has a son in the United States Navy stationed in Norfolk, Va. with his wife and two children with another due in May 2009. Her other son is living in Orange Park, Fl. and has a 2 year old son. 

NCF Stars 16u Fall Scout Team Head Coach - Todd Gray

Coach Gray attended Buchholtz High School playing varsity baseball three years, graduating in 1990.  He continued playing baseball at Gulf Coast CC then went on to play baseball at North East Louisiana.

Coach Gray was a high school head coach for PK Younge and Santa Fe for eight years.  In those years he took his team to the Final Four in 2001, 2002, and 2003 also, he was the FACA coach in 2005. 

Coach Gray is currently a physical education teacher at Santa Fe High School and brings a wealth of baseball knowledge to the Stars coaching staff.

NCF Fall 2011's Scout Team Coach

Del Mathews is the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Florida State College at Jacksonville and will be coaching the NCF Fall 2011's Scout Team. Del graduated from Fernandina Beach High School, in Fernandina, Fla., in 1993 where he was 1st Team All State, USA Today All American and Jacksonville Times Union Player of the Year. He was selected in the 5th round of the MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Del spent 11 years in professional baseball making it to the AAA level with the Pittsburgh Pirates affiliation in Nashville in 1999. Prior to retiring in 2003, Del compiled a record of 58 wins and 52 losses with over 300 appearances. Del and his wife Jennifer have two children, Maggie and Gabriel.