Staff Biographies

Lee Martin (Owner / General Manager)-  Coach Martin currently is in his Second Season season as the Head Baseball Coach at Columbine HS. Where Coach Martin was named the 2018 & 2019 Denver Prep League Coach of the Year after winning back to back 5A Denver Prep League Championships. While at Lincoln HS Coach Martin's was 53-27. He was the Varsity Pitching Coach at Mountain Vista HS for 2 years and was the Varsity Pitching Coach at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado for 8 Years. In first 13 years of coaching HS baseball in Colorado, Coach Martin's pitchers have compiled a 186 - 77 record (including the playoffs), 14 State Playoff appearences, 8 District  Championship Games, 4 Jeffco League Titles, 2 DPL 5A League Title, 7 District Championship Titles, 7 Final Eights, 6 Final Fours, 1 State Championship Title, and 10 All State Pitchers. Previous to Columbine, he spent 3 years at Johnson and Whales University as the Head Baseball Coach (NAIA-Denver campus) . One year as a graduate assistant pitching coach at Long Beach State University. One year at Long Beach City College, serving as the pitching coach. Two years as an associate scout for the Seattle Mariners organization. A volunteer coaching stint with USA Baseball for the 2003 Pan Am Games. Coach Martin teamed up with Coach Chuck Gillman to win the 2006 5A Colorado High School State Championship with Columbine High School. In his short coaching career, Coach Martin has coached and instructed many college and pro players.

As a player, Coach Martin played his high school baseball in San Diego, California. To be followed with a college baseball career that saw him play baseball at Long Beach City College (Junior College) and Long Beach State University (officially: California State University Long Beach). Coach Martin had the opportunity to also play summer baseball in Alaska, Kansas, California, and brief time in Cape Cod, Mass. Coach Martin received many honors in high school and college as a player. Some highlights were an Area Code selection in high school. All Conference at Long Beach City College. He was a Division 1 pitcher at Long Beach State University. Unfortunately due to an injury, Coach Martin’s playing career came to an end just a few weeks prior to the end of his senior season.. Coach Martin spent a short stint with the Long Beach Breakers of the Independent Professional league.

Brooks Roybal (Connie Mack Director)- Coach Roybal  joins the Batter’s Box staff as the Director of Connie Mack teams and a Hitting Instructor. He is currently enterimg first season as the Head Coach at Columbine High School, where his Rebels  team will be a a constant for the Jeffco 5A crown. Coach Roybal spent a couple of years with the Colorado Rockies organanzation as Associate scout. Coach Roybal spent the previous four years as the Head Softball Coach at Columbine HS, where his Lady Rebels made the State Final Eight 2015. We are extremely excited to add Coach Roybal to our staff as the Director of Connie Mack Travel teams.

Allen Cockrell (Hitting Camp Instructor)- Cockrell is an alumnus of Joplin, MO's now-closed Parkwood High School (1981) where he was a standout on their championship football, baseball, and basketball teams, and the University of Tennessee, where he was an all-American outfielder for the baseball team, and played quarterback for the football team. An All-American, he was named to the University of Tennessee All-Century Baseball Team in 2009. The San Francisco Giants made Cockrell the ninth pick overall in the 1984 MLB draft so he chose to forgo his senior year in college and play pro baseball.

He played in the minor leagues for nine years (five different organizations), including a five-year stint with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He is a member of the Sky Sox Hall of Fame. On September 7, 1996, Cockrell made his Major League Baseball debut with the Colorado Rockies, a pinch hit appearance in which he struck out against All-Star closer Billy Wagner. His first major league hit came three days later in the form of a pinch hit double off Tom Glavine vs. Atlanta at Coors Field. Cockrell appeared in his final game on September 29, 1996, having suited up only nine times in the majors.

Cockrell spent the next few years working as a manager and hitting coach in various parts of the Colorado Rockies' development system.^[4][5] He returned to MLB when he was named hitting coach for the Rockies November 7, 2006 – his second stint, having previously served as hitting instructor the last five months of the 2002 season when Clint Hurdle was promoted to manager. Under Cockrell's guidance in 2007, the Rockies slugged their way to a National League Championship, leading the circuit in batting, on-base percentage, and total hits. Cockrell was one of three coaches let go by the Rockies after a disappointing 2008 season in which the team won only 74 games. On December 7, 2008, Cockrell was named hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners.^[6] On May 9, 2010, Cockrell was relieved of his duties as hitting coach and replaced by Alonzo Powell.^[7]On January 11, 2015, the New York Yankees hired Conckrell to be their assistant hitting coach, a newly created position for the Yankees in 2015

 Joe Gimbel (18U Blue Assistant Coach / Lead Instructor) - Coach Gimbel is a Colorado native who’s been involved in youth baseball his whole life. As a Coach, he enters his second season as the Pitching Coach at Colorado Christian University (CCU). Coach Gimbel is also currently the head of recruiting for CCU Baseball. Coach Joe spent one season as the Varsity bench coach at Columbine High School. Prior to that he was the Level III head coach at Columbine for 7 years. Eventually becoming the head coach for Columbines JV program for another 5 years. Coach Gimbel was a bench coach on Columbine High Schools 2006 5A Colorado State Championship Team. He does a lot of work in partnership with the Colorado Rockies baseball organization. Which he credits for “lots of baseball knowledge”. Coach Gimbel has learned personally from some of the Rockies past personnel such as Jeff Francis, Chris Ianetta, Alan Cockrell, and more. He brings a wealth of knowledge and energy to the Batter’s Box Baseball staff and its clients.

As a player, he played the outfield and infield positions his whole youth baseball life. When he entered high school, Coach Gimbel played outfield and DH for Columbine High School. Playing his high school baseball for now Columbine High School Principal Frank Deangelis, was “an honor” according to Coach Gimbel. After high school, he went onto Metro State University in Denver, Colorado.

Skip Jutzee (Catching / Hitting Instructor)- Skip was drafted out of Central Connecticut State University by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 4th round of the 1968 MLB amateur draft. Skip was a member of the inaugural Seattle Mariners team that began playing in 1977. He also holds the distinction of having hit the first grand slam home run in Mariners history on May 17 of that year. In total, Skip spent 14 seasons playing professional baseball.

As a Coach, Skip has been the Head Coach of a few different High School programs including Colorado Academy. He has been coaching pro, college, high school, and youth players since his retirement from professional baseball. Coach SKip will be joing our Connie Mack coaching staff going into the 2017 summer season.