Chris Pine
chris@theyardbaseballacademy.com
Chris graduated from Tualatin High in 1995 where he was a 1st Team All-State pick an Honorable Mention All-American and a 7th round pick of the California Angels. Chris played his college ball at Oregon State University from 1995 to 1998. He was a 1st Team Pac-10 selection a Second Team All-Freshman and a 5 time Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week. In 1997, Chris was invited to be a member of the US Olympic team.
In his junior year Chris averaged 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings and was drafted in the 5th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1998 MLB draft. After signing With the Angels in 2001, Chris won a Double A Championship and a Texas League Pitcher of the Week award. While in Triple-A an elbow injury ended his professional career. Since retiring, Chris has focused on training and developing young ball players helping them reach their goals.
Brandon Rupp
brandon@theyardbaseballacademy.com
Brandon is a graduate of Southride High School where he was an All-League and All-State pitcher for the Skyhawks. He began his college baseball career as a starting pitcher for the Mt. Hood Community College Saints during the 2003 – 2004 seasons.
After playing for the Saints, Brandon moved on to George Fox University, where he became a 2-Time All-League pitcher for the Bruins in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He graduated from George Fox in 2006, with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and Management. Along with his instruction at The Yard, Brandon is currently in his fourth season as pitching coach for the Bruins.
Scott Braun
scott@theyardbaseballacademy.com
Scott is a graduate from Sunset High School, where he earned All-League honors in 1999 and 2000. After high school he was a four year starting pitcher for the Pacific University Boxers from 2001 – 2004. As a senior with Pacific, Scott received All League honors during the 2004 season. After college, he went on to play three years of independent baseball in the United States and Australia.
After he retired, Scott began his coaching career leading a Under-23 to a 3rd place finish in the Australian National Champioships. Scott later returned to the Pacific staff as pitching coach during the 2007-09 seasons. Along with instructing at the academy, Scott is actively involved in the Goodwill Series, which takes the countries top players from around the world and brings them together to compete in tournaments in Australia, China, and Japan. Recently Scott has also become more involved with professional scouting.
Ryan DePalo
ryan.depalo@eforcesport.com
Ryan was a 4-year letter winner as free-safety at the University of Oregon from 2003-2007. He graduated with a degree in Sports Marketing and minor in Political Science. Ryan now has the opportunity to mentor young athletes and teach them what he has learned throughout his playing career and personal experiences.
With his certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Ryan has been developing workouts to increase speed, quickness, agility, balance, core strength and overall athletic ability. Ryan has a passion and a great desire to make a difference for others that will help them to reach their potential on and off the field.
Tony Pine (Merchandise Sales Manager)
tony@theyardbaseballacademy.com
Tony played collegiate baseball with the Mt. Hood Community College Saints and Western Oregon University Wolves from 1998 – 2001. During his time with the Saints, Tony received All-League honors as a left handed pitcher and was part of the teams NWAACC Championship team.
Aside from baseball, Tony has over 10 years of experience in small business operations, including retail, merchandising, outside sales, store management, and overall customer service. Along with being merchandise sales manager at The Yard, Tony has continued his baseball career playing semi-professional adult league baseball.