Alex Reynolds – Baseball Instructor

Alex grew up in Imperial Beach and began playing baseball at the age of 4. Throughout Little League and Travel Ball he played all nine positions, earning the nickname “Swiss Army Knife’’. He quickly fell in love with baseball and has committed himself to the game ever since.

Alex attended Mar Vista High School where he began to focus on Catching and Pitching. During His sophomore season he put together a 26-Game hitting streak and was named one of the team captains. After a torn ACL his Junior season, he came back for his senior season and posted a 2.43 ERA as a full time pitcher. He was named an Honorable Mention in the South Bay League and made the All Academic Team with a 4.0 GPA.

After High School he began coaching his younger brothers’ little league teams and discovered his passion for coaching. He also started to play on an Adult League Team called the Misfits, and continues to do so.

With a philosophy that embraces the challenges of hard work and balancing that with a light hearted approach, Alex hopes to inspire the next generation of ball players here at Frozen Ropes.

Tracy Sanders –  Senior Baseball/Softball Hitting Instructor

A former 10 year professional player with the Indians, Pirates, Padres, Rangers, and Mets organizations where he was a 4 time Minor League All-star, Tracy was a hitting coach in the Pittsburg Pirates organization at the end of his playing career.  Later, while spending 8 years as a youth baseball coach at Baseball USA in Houston, TX, he coached nationally renowned 18U, 16U, and 15U select travel teams for the Houston Heat.

A great communicator of the game to players at all levels, his wealth of experience and knowledge as both a player and a coach make him a valuable asset to our Frozen Ropes’ students.  We are lucky to have him on our staff and he is excited to be bringing his coaching talents to San Diego.

Bobby Brown – Baseball Instructor

Bobby grew up in San Diego where he played in Rancho Bernardo Little League and travel baseball all over Southern California. Brown graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School in 2007 where he played under coach Sam Blalock. He earned first-team All-Palomar League honors his junior season and second-team honors his senior year.

Brown played college baseball at the University of Arizona under head coach Andy Lopez. During his senior year he hit a career high .348 with 59 RBI’s leading his team to its first PAC- 12 Championship in 20 years. That year he was honored on the First Team All-PAC-12 and won the 2012 College World Series in Omaha!! After his senior year he signed professionally with the Kansas City Royals where he plays First Base and Outfield.

Bobby looks forward to bringing his years of baseball knowledge to Frozen Ropes, he is a welcome addition to our staff.

Curt Holcombe – General Manager/Owner

Curt was a 3 sport athlete at Serra High in San Diego.  Always a “team player” who would play any position to help his team win, he has been playing baseball for over 30 years and has participated in the local Adult Baseball League for over 15 years.

His coaching experience includes youth leagues in Basketball and Baseball in San Diego all the way to the High School Level.  He has worked for Nike, Sports Authority and other Baseball Training Facilities to hone his sports knowledge.  Curt also owned Sports Cards Stores locally and still has over 100,000 baseball cards.  You might even get a card for doing something good at Frozen Ropes (Hulky loves to give away cards).

He currently resides in Carlsbad with his wife Donna.  He has 5 children in total; Bobby 32, Katrina 30, Tawny 27, Brandie 22 and Jake 22.  Curt has a great love for sports and kids and is looking to make Frozen Ropes his new home for a long time.

Jake Holcombe – Baseball Instructor

Jake comes to us from Del Norte High in 4S Ranch where he was a 2 Year Varsity Pitcher. His ERA as a Senior was 3.40 and he averaged more than a strikeout per inning. Opponents hit only .182 against Jake over 2 seasons. He also played 1st base for the Nighthawks. The Nighthawks were Valley League Champions in 2011 and had a combined record of 34-26 from 2011 to 2012. Jake was a 2 time Scholar Athlete while at Del Norte. His final game as a Pitcher in High School was a 17-2 win in which he struck out 6 batters in 4 innings, gave up 0 earned runs and 2 hits.

Jake was also a member of the Del Norte Basketball team and scored 28 points in his last game as a senior. He graduated in 2017 from Cal State San Marcos.

He looks forward to working with the kids at Frozen Ropes and teaching them the fundamentals he learned through his 13 years of organized baseball.

Carmen Benedetti – Baseball Instructor

Carmen grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. He was a four year varsity player and carries four single-season six career records at his High School. He was a three time All-State First Team and Dream team player and his senior year, won the “Mr. Baseball” Award for the state of Michigan.

Carmen played 3 years of college baseball at the University of Michigan. 2 of the 3 he was a two-way player and earned himself First-Team All American honors his sophomore year hitting .352 with 25 doubles, 5 home runs, and 71 RBI’s as well as spotting a 1.84 ERA and a .088 BAA.

Carmen was drafted in 2016 in the 12th round by the Houston Astros. During his time in the minors, he posted a career .289 batting average with 52 doubles, 14 home runs, and 111 RBI’s.

Johnny Bartel – Baseball Instructor

Johnny grew up in Rancho Penasquitos, playing little league starting at the age of 5. Johnny attended St. Augustine High School, playing varsity from Sophomore to Senior year, primarily as an outfielder and pinch runner. Johnny graduated high school in 2016.
Johnny shifted to Analytics and coaching starting in college, originally working for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League before shifting to working as a Player Development Analyst with the San Diego League.
After college, Johnny worked for Blast Motion, a baseball sensor company, analyzing player data and gaining experience with Sports Technology and Analytics. Johnny takes a very analytical approach to coaching and challenges his players to get better every day.

Jim Bunner – Baseball Instructor

Jim was raised in the Bay Area and played 3 sports, although baseball was always his favorite.
      He helped pitch his high school team to league titles, and received All-Star and County honors.  Jim’s stats remain among the best to this day. His Babe Ruth and college teams also won state championships.
       Jim played in the minors in the California  league before injuries shortened his career. He spent much of his youth being mentored by A’s World Series pitching coach Wes Stock, and learning from Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers.
       An avid collector he bats belonging to Mays, Gwynn, Jackson, Carew, Bonds, Garvey, Boggs and hundreds of others.  Also numerous autographed balls, jerseys, cleats, gloves and hundreds of thousands of baseball cards.
       Jim has also won multiple Emmy awards for his work in television at the network level. He is now turning his passion to teaching kids the physical and mental abilities to thrive in the game he loves.

Evan Newlander – Baseball Instructor

Evan grew up in Carmel Valley and started playing baseball at the age of 4. He played Del Mar Little League from ages 6-12 and played as a three-year varsity player at two different high schools, primarily as a pitcher. He graduated from Canyon Crest Academy in 2022.
Evan has experience at every position, but mostly focused on pitching and catching. He became a full-time pitcher in his last two years of high school and kept pitching after he graduated, throwing as hard as 91 miles an hour.
Evan wants to stay involved in the game of baseball by sharing his love for the sport with others. He wants to help players enjoy playing and getting better at the game.

Ron Witmeyer – Owner/Director of Instruction

A former Major Leaguer with the Oakland A’s and 2-time College World Series Champion at Stanford University as a player, Ron has 10 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level where he has served as a hitting coach at both Stanford and Cal.

Ron has coached over 50 professional players and more than a dozen major leaguers including current up & comers Conor Jackson, Brennan Boesch, John Baker, and Allen Craig.  He is excited to bring the highest level of instruction and training to the San Diego Community through Frozen Ropes.