Meet the ESA Staff
Steve Rau: Co-founder- rau@elitesportslv.com
(Instruction disciplines: Baseball Hitting, Baseball Pitching, Softball Hitting)
**Available only at Elite Sports Academy**
Coach Rau has been involved with baseball in the Lehigh Valley as a player or coach for over 30 years. A graduate of Emmaus High School and former pitcher at the University of Pittsburgh and Muhlenberg College, he has been teaching the great game of baseball to players and coaches alike since the age of 15 and has surpassed over 10,000 baseball lessons since opening ESA in 2011.
His vast playing experiences and coaching background allows him to provide the athletes of Elite Sports Academy with top notch advice and guidance to help them get to the next level. Some of his past coaching positions include Avengers Baseball, Nazareth High School, Allen High School, Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the Allentown Diamondbacks of the Blue Mountain League. With two daughters, Coach Rau has worked with and coached a number of softball teams and has transferred his baseball knowledge over to the softball world.
Coach Rau holds a bachelor's degree in Business and also Information Systems, plus a Masters in Instructional Technology. His background in education has been an important ingredient in understanding the needs of todays student athletes, helping them to grow in their individual sports and lives.
He has specialized in baseball/softball video analysis lessons for both hitting and pitching, analyzing several hundred players over the last several years using the Right View Pro Video Analysis System.
As the co-founder of ESA, Coach Rau is 100% dedicated to developing the skills of any athlete that walks through the doors of the academy, in the hopes of taking them to the next level.
Book Lessons Online
Baseball and Softball Instruction
Scott Heppenheimer- (Instruction Discipline: Baseball and Softball Fielding & Hitting)
- Over 25 years of youth baseball coaching experience
- 2 year varsity starter Salisbury High Scholl 85-86
- 1st team all colonial league outfielder 1986
- Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach Salisbury High School 2001-present. ( Colonial league titles 2009, 2012, 2013. Division titles 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. District titles 2004, 2001,2013. State finalist 2011.
- Played in tri county league 17 years.
- Head coach Salisbury Legion - 10 Years
- Avengers Tournament Basseball coach- 6 years
Book Lessons Online
Darin Medlar - (Instruction disciplines: Baseball/Softball Catching; Baseball/Softball Hitting)
- Parkland High School standout catcher 1988-1989
- EPC All Conference Catcher 88' - 89'
- TriCounty League
- Men's Senior Baseball League
- 20 years of coaching experience
- Former Parkland High School Varsity Assistant
- North Whitehall Baseball Camp Coordinator
Chris Cope- (Instruction Discipline: Softball Pitching)
**Available only at Elite Sports Academy**
- Emmaus High School Softball Coach: 2000-2008
- Varsity Pitching Coach (District XI Champions 2004 and 2007)
- East Penn Men's Softball Pitcher 1986-2009
- Pitcher for the Allentown Patriots (Men's ASA PA State Runner-Up 2004)
- Pitched in 4 National Championships - Nebraska, Georgia, Texas, California
- ASA USA National Runner-Up 2006
- Private Pitching Instructor 1999-Present
- Listed on National Registry for Fastpitch Instructors
Maria Trivelpiece- (instruction Discipline: softball hitting, softball fielding)
**Available only at Elite Sports Academy**
College: Fordham University
- 4x Atlantic 10 Champion
- 4 NCAA Regional Appearances
- A-10 Second Team All Conference OF
- A-10 All-Academic Team
- NFCA Academic All-American
- 3x 'AAAA' First Team All-State Selection
- 4x District 2 Champion
- 4x WVC First Team All Conference Selection
- 2013 WVC Player of the Year
- Holds record for most career hits by any player at Hazleton Area High School
- Fordham University camp instructor
- Coached travel ball for Stripes and Strikes Softball for 5 years
- Graduate Assistant Coach @ Syracuse 2019-20
- Hitting/ Infield Instructor for 5 years in the Hazleton Area
JOSH mADAS- (Instruction Discipline: Baseball Pitching)
**Josh is only available for lessons at The Hitter's Edge **
- Mt View High School Graduate (2007)
- 4 year varsity starter and 2x MVP
- PIAA District II 1st team All District (2006,2007)
- PIAA 1st team All Region (2007)
- Lock Haven University Scholarship Athlete
- Played Division II college baseball at Lock Haven University (2007-2009)
- Directed sports camps (2009-2012)
- 12 years of coaching experience (boys and girls 8-18 years old)
JOsh Perrson- (Instruction Discipline: Baseball Pitching)
**Available only at Elite Sports Academy**
- Pen Argyl High School Graduate 2013
- 3 year Varsity Pitcher
- Pitch coach for Sokol 5 tool fitness
- Pitching coach for Sokol Falcon tournament team 2016
- 8+ year coaching all ages
- Pitching coach for Easton Red Rover tournament team 2018
- Pitcher for Montgomery Community College 2014 to 2015
- Epac sportsmanship award 2015
- Degree in Exercise Science with focus in strength and conditioning from East Stroudsburg University 2018
Dan Galluccio- (Instruction Discipline: Baseball and Softball Fielding & Hitting; Baseball pitching)
**Available only at Elite Sports Academy**
- 4 Year Varsity Baseball- North Salem, NY
- Post University, 2004 - 2006
- Head Coach- Sleepy Hollow HS
- Coach East Stroudsburg North HS
- Dock Academy HS
- Assistant Coach Widener University
- Focuses on both the psychological and physical aspects of the game