Baseball is very much like life, it ebbs and flows with moments of intensity, moments of success and even more moments of failure.
In addition to athleticism, to be successful in baseball, athletes must have confidence, humility, emotional control, great work ethic, and the ability to support as well as trust teammates and coaches.
At Le Sandlot, we have assembled an all-star multi-disciplinary team who's purpose is to provide athletes with all of the tools necessary to be their best both on and off the field. From nutrition to strength & conditioning; from mental coaching to position specific skills coaching; from equipment fitting to physical therapy; from technical performance analysis to recruiting & communications training; our team can cover all the bases to ensure that athletes progress towards achieving their goals.
MENASHI "MASH" MASHAAL
Owner
Mash has been playing baseball and softball for the past 38 years, and has been coaching minor baseball for the past 8 years in the Town of Mount Royal. In 2016, he and fellow townie Jon Konigsberg created the MRO baseball committee and grew participation to almost 200 kids in 2018, most of which were participants at the younger ages, solidifying a great future of the sport in the MRO region. In 2016, Mash also organized an indoor winter baseball training clinic for kids that featured amazing professional coaches and special guests like former Expos left-handed pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee.
In 2018, Mash decided to follow his dream of opening a specialized baseball training facility and founded Le Sandlot so he could offer baseball and softball players of all ages and skill level a place where they can improve their game and to help players to be their very best both on and off the field.
Mash is fortunate to have the support of his family in this endeavour and share this experience with them.
Jon "JK" Konigsberg
Equipment Specialist/Consultant
JK has been playing baseball and softball for 40 years and has been working in the sports equipment distribution business for over 25 years. After managing Easton Canada’s Baseball/Softball Division, he went on to consult for companies like SKLZ, EvoShield and Combat and now runs AxeBat Canada and Franklin Baseball Canada. His product knowledge and interpersonal skills helped him immensely when outfitting some of the MLB's greatest stars playing in Canada.
He currently helps run the MRO Baseball Program with Sandlot owner, Mash Mashaal
Yannick "Bergy" Bergeron
Clinic Coordinator and Lead Instructor
Bergy is an experienced coach with over 10 years of experience in personal and team training. Bergy was most recently the offensive coach at Academy of Baseball Canada (ABC) which regroups the provinces top players aged 15 to 19 years old.
Bergy began his baseball career at a very young age, hitting baseballs even before he could walk. It all began for Yannick at the age of 16 (1996) with the Midget AAA Charlesbourg team where he was noticed and received praise for his play until 2002. While playing for the Charlesbourg Alouettes (Junior Elite) from 1997-2002, Bergy led the team to 5 League Championships and 2 Canadian Championships, participated in the Canada Games, was twice named MVP of the playoffs and broke 5 records including RBIs, slugging percentage and career home runs. In 2002, Yannick had the honour of playing for the Quebec Capitals and was granted a full scholarship to New Mexico Junior College located in Hobbs, New Mexico. Upon leaving New Mexico, Yannick was yet again offered a scholarship to study in Weatherford, Texas at Weatherford College from 2004-2005. In 2005, he transferred to St-Edwards University where he played and studied from 2005-2007 thanks to another scholarship. Yannick’s playing time in the United States was exceptional. In 2002, he had the fifth highest batting average in the US while playing for Hobbs in 2004, while playing for Weatherford, he was named to the first team All-Conference and in 2007 was also named to All-Conference team, while keeping the best GPA in collegiate baseball. In 2007, Yannick graduated with honours from St-Edwards University, Austin, Texas in accounting. In 2004, Yannick was recruited to play for the Texas Wranglers, a professional baseball team.
Dom Dinelle
Instructor
Dom is an experienced professional coach with over 20 years of experience. He strives to help players reach their personal and professional goals and achieve success. Dom also served as an MLB scout for the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins. In 2015, he was the Third Base Coach for the Can-Am Championship team Les Aigles de Trois-Rivières. He has extensive experience teaching all levels of baseball to athletes of all ages. For the past two winters he worked with Mash to develop and teach the 5-tool program to athletes in the previous iteration of Le Sandlot clinics. His fun-loving character is real hit with the younger kids and promotes an enduring love for the game.
Alex Rodriguez
Instructor
Alex received his personal training certification from the National Personal Training Institute of Florida in December 2019. He played Baseball during his college years as a catcher and third baseman until an unfortunate injury ended abruptly ended his playing career. Alex has experience coaching youth baseball in his home town in Puerto Rico for kids aged 6 to 17 years old, he has a calm and patient approach to coaching.
Craig Johnson
Instructor
Craig's love for baseball started at a very young age. He played minor baseball from age 8 and played at the Junior Elite level for the Cobourg Blacksox of the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association. His passion for the sport never wavered and Craig continued as a senior player for 12 years after that.
Craig began coaching 20 years ago. He has coached at all levels from Mosquito AA to Junior AA. He worked as an assistant coach to Bergy for 5 years for team programs and providing individual lessons. His most recent position was the head coach for the CEGEP André Laurendeau baseball program.
Matthew Mashaal
Instructor - Pitching and Fundamentals Coach
Matthew has been playing baseball since the age of 7. He currently is a member of the John Abbott Islanders baseball team. This past summer, he represented Team Canada in the 2022 Maccabi Games as a Left-Handed pitcher.
Matthew has been working as an assistant in clinics for Le Sandlot since 2019, and is very excited to join the coaching staff as a pitching and fundamentals coach.
Chris Haddad
Instructor - Hitting and Defense, Mental Performance Consultant
Chris played Pierrefonds and Lac St. Louis baseball since the age of 5, where his passion for playing and coaching flourished. He played both baseball and volleyball for John Abbott College as a dual sport athlete. Chris also played baseball while attending McGill university 2009 to 2013, winning the National Championship in 2010. He coached for the LSL tigers at both the Junior AA and Bantam AA level.
Chris recently graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a Master’s degree in Physical Education and is currently training to become a certified Mental Performance Consultant to help athletes improve their performance on and off the field. Chris is a student member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association and offers mental training sessions to help athletes improve their performance.
Tanner Kichler
Instructor - Pitching Specialist / Kinesiology
A 2011 Draft Pick for the Chicago Cubs, Tanner decided to commit to St Mary's College in California (NCAA Div 1) where he pitched for 4 years, two of which he was the pitching captain. He obtained his bachelor of arts in Kinesiology and went on to obtain a Masters of Science in Exercise and Nutrition.
He is a certified personal trainer and has been a pitching coach since 2015. His approach to pitching instruction is methodical and his knowledge of biomechanics and anatomy make him a truly effective coach.
Mathieu Dion
Instructor - Pitching Specialist
Mathieu holds provincial coaching qualifications and is currently completing his National coaching certifications. He began his coaching career as a head coach in the Saguenay Lac-St Jean Region. He coached Bantam AA there then moved on to coaching Bantam AA in Beauport while an assistant coach with the Cannoniers High School program in Quebec City. From 2017 until 2018 he was the head coach of 2 teams in Belgium and was named the Head Coach of the Belgium U12-U15 National Team. From 2018 until 2020 he was the Head Coach of the Saguenay Pioneers Midget AAA team and the technical director of the Saguenay Pioneers high school programs. In 2019, he was named the assistant coach of Team Quebec U18 team in the National Championships. He currently coaches in the Escadron Sports-Etude Program as well as with the Académie de Baseball du Canada (ABC).
Tyler Havlena
Instructor
Tyler has been playing baseball since he was a toddler. He currently plays for the Quebec junior Elite Laval Pirates as well as a starter for the Concordia Stingers where he was voted as rookie of the year in 2018.
He has been an instructor for Prospect Baseball since 2017 helping kids develop their skills and passion for the game of baseball.
Matthew "Whitty" Whittaker
Instructor
Matthew started playing baseball at the age of 14. He quickly developed and joined the Concordia Stingers baseball team from 2012-2016, being named Team Captain in 2016 as well as Pitcher of the Year. Following his time as a player with the Concordia Stingers, Matthew stayed on as an Assistant Coach and has been coaching since the 2017 season.
Matthew’s primary position was always catcher, but became a utility player during his time with the Stingers. In his first season in the LBSM, Matthew was named League MVP and won the League Championship. He now plays for the Sherbrooke Expos in the LBMQ and regularly plays every position each season. Matthew’s attention to detail, and emphasis on having fun, make him a great and approachable coach.
Jennifer Abdulezer, B.Sc (NutrSC), P.Dt.
Dietician/Nutritionist
Jennifer graduated from McGill University with a degree in Dietetics and Nutrition. Jennifer has helped individuals with a variety of nutrition related issues, from simple healthy living, to managing chronic illness. She strongly believes in empowering people of any age by teaching them the effects of nutrition as it relates to their physical and mental health as well as how to make the right nutritional choices to fit their particular lifestyle. Jennifer stands by her belief that the way we eat is the key to achieving overall health and wellness.
Natalie Hollinger, B.Sc., B.Sc(PT),D.O.
Osteopath
Natalie Hollinger began her career at Lake Placid Sports Medicine, gaining unparalleled experience in orthopaedic rehabilitation, while also establishing herself as a respected paediatric physiotherapist. Currently a self employed osteopath, Natalie is widely known for her honesty and compassion, her knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics, and her manual therapy expertise. She has led an impressive career as both a physiotherapist and osteopath in her 23 years working in the healthcare industry.
Natalie is a graduate of McGill University [B.Sc. (Anatomy) ´92, B.Sc. (Physical Therapy) ´95] and the Collège d’Études Ostéopathiques de Montréal (´07). She currently holds the designation of D.O. (Q) and is a member in good standing of Ostéopathie Québec.