We have a variety of coaches in each sport, check out their backgrounds below!
Frank Velasquez, Jr., ATC, CSCS
Frank Velasquez, Jr., is the Director of Sports Performance for the Allegheny Health Network (AHN). AHN Sports Performance has locations; at Cool Springs in Bethel Park (South Hills of Pittsburgh) and at the Wexford Plaza in Wexford, PA (North Hills of Pittsburgh). Frank is a Certified Athletic Trainer and a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist who has 30 years of experience working with youth, high school, college and professional athletes, including 16 years in professional baseball and nine years with the Pittsburgh Pirates as their Head Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Frank was born and raised in the state of Michigan and is a graduate of Three Rivers High School (’89) where he played football, baseball and basketball. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan where he served as a student athletic trainer in several sports, including Big 10 Championship teams in football and women’s swimming and diving. Frank founded and co-owned VESLA 360 Sports Performance & Physical Therapy in Cranberry, PA from April 2012 to Sept 2015.
In addition to his role at AHN, Frank is currently a Senior Advisor for the Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society where he plays an active role in planning the continuing education seminar for the strength coaches in professional baseball at the Baseball Winter Meetings. Frank was also the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the gold medal winning TEAM USA for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
With AHN Frank has built a High Performance TEAM that includes physical therapists, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning specialists, massage therapists, sport psychologists and registered sports dieticians that work with developing youth, performing athletes and active adults in the areas of high- performance, health, nutrition, stress management and overall wellness.
Education: BS in Kinesiology, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Athletic Trainer, Certified
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Coaching Specialties: Baseball | Strength & Conditioning
Coach Gary Wilson
After graduating from Bethel Park in 1975, he attended Central Florida Community College with a focus to play as much baseball as possible, made easier by the favorable weather conditions that Pennsylvania's northern climate can't provide. After his return to the area, Wilson joined the ranks of WPIAL coaches, serving five years at Mt. Lebanon as a varsity assistant, and one year as junior varsity coach at North Allegheny.
Wilson eventually moved on to coaching the Hampton baseball team. Hampton has made the playoffs seven of the past nine years, with two WPIAL title appearances in 2004 and 2010.
Wilson's ability to work on fundamentals and hone skill sets became a hallmark of his coaching style. Technique, positioning and mental conditioning are the cornerstones of good players and good teams.
Coaching Specialties: Baseball | Fundamentals | Focused Skill Sets | Technique | Positioning
Coach Ansley Simmen
My name is Ansley Simmen and I am a Junior at Slippery Rock University. At SRU I am a Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations, and a minor in Leadership. I also absolutely love being a student athlete and playing softball for the university. This summer, I hope to give back to the athletic community by producing high quality recruiting videos for young athletes, teaching young players, and walking families through the recruiting process. With any questions please contact me through email at ansleys@icloud.com.