Simone had a tremendous career in women’s softball. In the accompanying photos, are included Simone hitting a double in the pictured at bat. (black jersey/black shorts) It was one of three doubles hit that game which was one of her games in the Minnesota State tournament. (Bill will make his own comments under each of the two photos of Simone in action.)

By my involvement in leagues overall I regularly witnessed the results Bill’s instruction with many players at all levels. More often than not I saw considerable improvement. Especially players who made a year after year commitment to his instruction. From softball, Kelsey Olson was a player on Simone’s Tonka Softball varsity team. Kelsey, despite being tall and athletic, was known prior to working with Bill as all glove, not much hit. After working a full indoor season and beyond, Kelsey came out swinging and really hitting the ball. She hit for power including homeruns.

Relating to other players in the Tonka program, Bill’s first year working with Minnetonka’s Babe Ruth program was 2005. Bill, being very hands on never takes on more players than he can work with himself. In that first year, Bill worked with a total of three players in the Babe Ruth program. Realize there were six or seven teams overall with 14-15 players on each team. Two of the players, Mike Burke age 15, and Matthew Hooks 14 were new to Bill 2005. (Mike’s parents offer their own testimonial) Mike won the batting title for the Tonka Babe Ruth program in 2005. The next year, Matthew Hooks won both the batting title again, like Mike hitting over .500 for the entire season, but also Babe Ruth co-MVP. (Taylor Nelson, the other player that Matthew shared the award with had also regularly taken instruction from Bill.)

Although both Mike and Matthew each had worked with professional instructors for multiple years leading up to 2005, neither had hit over .275 for their season average. In other words both Mike and Matthew had nearly doubled their batting average compared to the same pool of players they faced in previous seasons.

Ironically, in 2007 Bill didn’t have a single Tonka Babe Ruth player he worked with in the program. But for 2008 and 2009 he had two or three players each year. In 2009 Spencer Shaver, a player Bill started working with three years earlier won the batting title, again hitting over .500. After that year Tonka Babe Ruth program changed their policy on not having in season travel teams, or elite programs outside of the control of Tonka Babe Ruth so there were no equivalent batting championships to contend for.

Although Simone didn’t take pitching instruction with Bill (as he doesn’t instruct fast pitch softball) I’ve seen several youth and high school baseball players raise their skill sets in pitching as well. Bill breaks down a pitcher's best way to transfer energy efficiently and with command with each pitch. Not only that, he gets pitchers in repeatable mechanics that are as safe as they are effective.

Baseball or Softball, Bill teaches the correct mechanics of hitting and baseball players for pitching. Please give him your ballplayer to work with, you will get good results. 

                                                - Sam Ashkar

                                                (Simone Ashkar Minnetonka HS, Univ. of DePaul)

Additional details regarding Simone Ashkar:

• Although Simone had many career highlights with her Minnetonka Skippers High School team and her University of DePaul team, a favorite is when Simone’s DePaul team was competing in a tournament at the University of Texas. Her team was facing pitcher Blaire Luna of the University of Texas. Blaire is second in nearly every pitching stat in the history of women’s fast pitch, as well as a consecutive Second team All American throughout her career.) Blaire had started out red hot throwing a complete game no hitter in the first game she pitched. On her second game she faced DePaul. The first three hitters she faced struck out. Simone lead-off the second inning. On a count of 2 – 2, Simone deposited the next pitch into the center field seats for a home run!

Brian Vomhoff
(Armstrong High School/Bethany Lutheran College)

Our son Brian, has worked with Bill for five years, mostly doing a half-dozen lessons every year.  This year, for Brian’s senior season in high school, I had him do a full ten lesson package.  I have always been impressed with Bill’s teaching style and the incredible knowledge he has of hitting mechanics.  This showed even more when working for a longer period.  But the real evidence – and all that really counts – is the results.  Brian hit about .400, had 10 extra base hits, 18 RBI (half of them with two outs), and 20 runs scored for his High School varsity team.  Brian’s team won their conference, and he was named all-conference and helped lead his team to a state tournament appearance. Let me add that Bill wound up working with other players on his team, our varsity head coach recently told us at a team meeting after, “Unlike many other instructors players get better with Bill, and even better, at reasonable rates. Brian’s hitting during his final Legion season was again very, very successful. Brian lead the team in batting average (.359), on base percentage (.528), walks (14) and slugging percentage (.462).  This fall he started college and has been one of the leading hitters on his DIII team in fall games.  The most important lesson learned has been how to make adjustments outside the lessons. I can’t say enough about Bill’s teaching style and how much he has helped Brian’s game!                                                 

-  John and Ruth Vomhoff

Mike Burke

My husband Tom and I along with our son Michael struggled with last season (04’).  Michael had talent but lacked confidence. Before working with Bill, Michael had spent years working weekly with professional instructors at local facilities without seeing positive results.  Tom and Michael agreed, "Within 8-9 lessons of working with Bill, Michael was hitting the ball the best he ever had.”

His instruction carried into the season where Michael is now leading the league with a batting average approaching .600 (beyond mid-season) and gained a more discerning eye for when to accept a walk.  Bill’s approach is holistic. Bill develops a player that is skilled and confident, while never losing the aspect of fun. Our son is an example of what hard work, supportive parents and solid instruction can lead to.

- The Burke Family

Of Note: Michael finished the season with a batting average of .500 winning the Tonka Babe Ruth League batting title and was awarded a plaque by the league acknowledging his accomplishment.

The following season Michael played on his varsity baseball team as a sophomore. The following summer he played Legion baseball. Michael is playing for an All Puma team that was selected from across the country. They will be playing in Peoria Arizona, at the Spring season complex used by the Milwaukee Brewers October 19th – 22nd of this year, 06’. Mike was recruited by several Div. 1 baseball programs but ultimately couldn’t get past arm injuries that went back to poor mechanics and over pitching prior to working with Bill that required extensive surgeries.

Mike Burke, Matthew Hooks, and Spencer Shaver’s League Batting Titles are more impressive when you factor in that:

• The program used only objective scorers, not the team scorebooks that the coaches or parents use to score the game.

• In Mike’s case he had to come back and bat himself back into shape in game conditions, after a broken arm he received from being struck by a pitch. 

• The program has no “in season” travel team, so they all faced all the best pitchers in the entire program

Our son Will worked with Bill over the past few years, always taking a minimum of the 10 session package, and usually a few tune-up sessions during the season. While learning pitching mechanics with Bill, January through March, Will was on the same team with Ryan, the son of ex-Twins World Series champs winner Kevin Tapani. While Will was warming up, Mr. Tapani brought his son over and said, “Ryan, watch Will, these are the mechanics I’ve been trying to get you to use.”    

Will was one of the top hitters on this same team. Again Mr. Tapani praised Will’s hitting saying, “He’s got incredibly fast hands.”

                                                                                                - Pat Gharrity

Matthew and Gregory have excelled under Bill’s instruction over the years. Bill not only teaches pitching and batting mechanics, but gets them to think in game-situational terms. It’s kept fun and highly motivational. Our oldest son, Matthew, doubled his batting average in just two years working with Bill, after hitting .250 over three years with other local professional instruction. Bill’s techniques have made a real difference in both boys’ on-field performance, and we know contributed directly to Matthew winning the Tonka Babe Ruth co-MVP and Batting Champion awards hitting over .500 for the season of (’06) 

                                                                                                            - Brian & Jerilyn Hooks

TESTIMONIALS OF COACHES AND PHYSICIANS INVOLVED IN BASEBALL:

Coach Bill Berg raised nearly 4,000 pounds of baseball equipment for the many youth baseball players of Bonaire, as well as conducted baseball camps all without asking anything in return in both 2004 and 2005. Bill’s knowledge, energy and love of baseball made him a great ambassador of the game. He left a real impression on so many young ballplayers. Bonaire lost to Curacao in the championship game for who would represent the Caribbean in Williamsport (2005) (Curacao won the Little League World Series in 2004.)  The division includes the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. “Without the gear and your terrific clinics, we wouldn't have gotten so far. On behalf of the people of Bonaire, the government, and the Little League board and myself, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DID FOR US. The little Island of Bonaire is not little anymore in baseball.”   An update from Bonaire:

One of those little boys who were at your camps you put on is now playing in the MLB. He is: Xander Bogaerts, currently playing in the Boston Red Sox. Two other players/brothers went to live in Holland after that, and continue to play pretty good baseball. Over all, we did progress on behalf of your big help with the baseball players here in Bonaire.

                                                                                                - Edward Thielman
Tournament Coach

A child’s involvement in sports takes a great amount of time. Bill's offers a one-on-one coaching that'll efficiently focus on your child's needs and improve on the finer points in baseball that show immediate results in your child's performance and enjoyment in baseball. I appreciate Bill’s dedication to not just the mechanics he teaches, but his never ceasing concern for the safety and care of the pitchers arms, that as well all know can be neglected in the pursuit of a baseball career.

(NOTE: Dr. Anderson has worked as a team and attending physician for both professional sports teams as well as the team doctor for colleges and Universities in Minnesota.)           

                                                                                                            - B.J. Anderson, M.D.

“I’ve been coaching at the high school and elite travel baseball teams for the past 12 years; over 600 games. I met Bill at my training facility and became quick friends. I have coached many players Bill has worked with, and coached against several as well. What I’ve taken away from it all is that Bill knows his stuff. I have dedicated my own interests into teaching the best hitting and pitching mechanics possible to each individual player, Bill has the same directive. I had to tell my wife I finally met a guy who is even more into baseball than myself. Besides everything else Bill has been able to transfer his knowledge of honing a hitter’s consistent swing, or teaching a nasty curveball to many of the pitchers he’s worked with. At times coaching against those pitchers who threw that curve, I’ve seen firsthand how unhittable the pitch can be. As a high school coach one of the bigger responsibilities is the careful monitoring of your pitching staff as far as innings pitched, pitch counts, and amount of rest to best avoid arm problems. I have noticed over the years not only are the pitchers Bill works with effective, but they are also often the workhorses of both staffs I’ve worked with, and coached against.

Bottom line, it’s not just what Bill knows, but it’s the passion, energy and relatable way in how he communicates it that makes all the difference. Bill has worked with my own son, and I would recommend he work with yours as well. I know, because I’ve seen the results over and over again on the high school teams I’ve coached for, and against.”