Meet Our Staff

Brian grew up in St. Charles, MN and was a 3-sport athlete coming out of high school.  After high school he attended Augsburg College where he was a 4-year starter with the Auggies. After graduation, Brian worked as an assistant coach for the Auggies during the 2008 and 2009 season. Since that time, he has worked for the Minnesota Twins Youth Training Camp for seven years, started Bambenek Hitting Academy, owned a former baseball academy in the northern metro, and coached in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the Cotuit Kettleers. Bambenek is the Owner of Great Lakes Baseball Academy.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, Rudy was a three-year Varsity standout and senior Team Captain at Greenfield High School, where he earned Woodland Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention honors as a catcher. Passionate about giving back to his hometown, Rudy also spent time coaching young athletes through the local Milwaukee Brewers RBI program.

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He went on to catch at Anoka-Ramsey Community College before transferring to the University of Minnesota. There, he played two seasons on the Gophers Club Baseball team and earned his degree in Special Education in 2022. Rudy then spent four years teaching middle and high school Special Education in Apple Valley (District 196).

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On the diamond, Coach Rodriguez has served as an assistant coach, lead hitting instructor, and catching coach for the Eastview Lightning since 2023, helping guide the program to a State Tournament appearance in 2024. He has also been at the helm as Head Coach for the Eastview Thunder Senior Legion team since 2024.

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After three seasons coaching hitters and catchers at Great Lakes, Rudy officially stepped into his full-time role as Assistant Director in June 2026. With his background as a teacher and coach, he brings incredible energy, elite instruction, and a genuine passion for developing athletes every day.

Tim grew up in Roseville, MN where he played Varsity baseball for three years at Roseville High School. After high school, Tim went to Waldorf University where he started for the Warriors.  After his freshmen year, Pasiuk transferred to Bethan Lutheran where he finished his four year degree as a 3-year letter winner for the Vikings.  In the Spring of 2019, he graduated with a degree in Exercise Science. Pasiuk has coached for Roseville VFW and Legion baseball teams since 2017.  In August 2019, Pasiuk accepted a full-time position at Great Lakes as Youth Director.  

Matt Doornink grew up in Cottage Grove, MN where he attended Park High School.  Doornink was a 2 year starter, earning all-conference honors his senior year.  After high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin Stout, from which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in packaging.  Doornink pitched 4 years at UW-Stout, earning All-WIAC Conference honors in 2007.  During his career as a Blue Devil, Doornink set the conference record for appearances in a season and is the career leader in school history in strikeouts, season and career appearances. In addition to working with Great Lakes, Doornink has coached the St. Paul Park American Legion baseball team since 2009, is a member on the River Falls Baseball Council, currently pitches for the River Falls Fighting Fish, and a 4 time WBA champion. 

Alex Schmidt grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and in Mound, Minnesota. He joined the Minnesota Post Grad staff in the fall of 2025 as the Director of Strength and Performance. He currently oversees all aspects of strength and conditioning for the MPG athletes. Before his employment in MPG, he worked at Training HAUS - Twin Cities Orthopedics as a sports performance coach.

Prior to his time with Training HAUS, Alex was an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Colgate University, Swarthmore College, and was Wilmington University’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Men’s Lacrosse, having overseen well over a dozen NCAA programs during his time in college athletics.  

Schmidt is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction (CSCS*D) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is also certified as a Level 2 Weightlifting Coach through USA Weightlifting (USAW).

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Schmidt is a graduate of University of Delaware where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychology. He currently lives in St. Paul, MN with his wife and 3 children.

Coach Ponsolle, a native of St. Paul, MN, began his coaching career as a Volunteer Assistant at Friends University in Wichita, KS in 2009. During that year he coached the hitters and infielders. He coached Friends to a team batting average of .312 in that season.

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In 2010, Coach Ponsolle moved to Kansas Wesleyan University as an Assistant Coach, primarily working with hitters, and catchers. In 2011, under coach Ponsolle, KWU’s team batting average climbed to .329, ranking 14th in the country. KWU was also ranked in the top 20 in six other offensive categories, including home runs per game and slugging percentage. In 2012, the team batting average ranked 16th in the country, with a .324 average and was in the top 10 in slugging percentage and home runs per game. In that year they were also top 20 in RBI’s per game and runs scored per game. Coach Ponsolle also assisted with recruiting in his tenure at KWU.

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In 2013, coach Ponsolle started his first season as the Head Coach at Roseville Area High School in Roseville, MN. His teams were perennially in the top rankings in team offense in Class AAAA throughout his time at Roseville. Coach Ponsolle has helped countless players get into college at every level, most notably, Jesper Horsted (Princeton) and Dan Busch (Butler). He finished his tenure at Roseville in January of 2021.

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Coach Ponsolle was a two time All Conference and an All-State Catcher at St. Bernard’s High School in St. Paul, MN. He moved on to play baseball at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, MN. He transferred in 2007 and finished his playing career at Friends University in Wichita, KS. Coach Ponsolle was a KCAC All-Conference third baseman in 2007. Coach Ponsolle and his Wife, Sami, currently live in Maplewood, MN with their son Charlie.

Scott Sikich grew up in Apple Valley, MN where he attended Eastview High School and was a part of the baseball program. After high school, he attended the University of St. Thomas where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Journalism. At St. Thomas, Scott covered Tommie Athletic teams as a journalist for the school news program, while building up the live broadcasting program. After graduating, Scott began his professional career with Minnesota United FC as part of their TV broadcast crew, and quickly transitioned to a Video Production role with the team and helped the club explode onto the professional scene during their move to Major League Soccer. 
Scott has also worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and most recently Touchpoint Media, where he worked with a variety of clients with their creative needs and kick-started their company's social media presence. Scott also coaches high school basketball at Eastview during his free time.