Coach Duckmann while playing in high school earned ALL-Conference, All Area, MVP, Team Captain, and IHSA All Academic Honors. Coach James continued his education and playing days while he was attending Purdue University. Coach James played on Purdue’s Club team where he was named to the NCBA All-Conference team and eventually graduated with a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Purdue University. Coach Duckmann has coached Varsity Baseball as an assistant and has been a Head Travel Baseball coach in our program for the last 4 seasons.  Coach is our program’s Baseball Skills Development Coach. Coach was named the 2022 Coach of the Year for all his hard work within the PDHP Athletic Department during our Champions Gala.

“I have been coaching baseball for many years at the highest travel levels.  Both of my kids play travel/club baseball.  In my experience Coach Duckmann is the best coach at developing young players.  His attention to detail and fundamentals is unrivaled by most travel coaches.  Instead of just telling kids what they are doing wrong, Coach Duck devises drills to train the player how to make the necessary corrections and improvements, building a solid fundamental foundation from which to develop advanced skills.  Coach Duck is especially skilled at teaching proper pitching mechanics and is my coach of choice when it comes to pitching lessons for my own son.  After only a handful of personal training sessions with Coach Duck, my son began to see measurable improvement in his pitching which translated onto the field and into games”

– 2020 Travel Baseball Parent

Team Accomplishments:
2023 Lake Shore Feeder 8U North Playoff Champions
2023 8U Arlington Heights Pre-Season Tournament Champions
2023 8U Lincolnshire Summer Slam Tournament Champions
2023 8U KWBA Bulldog Classic Tournament Champions
2023 8U Muscle Classic Tournament Champions
2022 Lake Shore Feeder 12UB North Division Champions
2022 Vernon Hills B-Bash 12UB Tournament Champions
2022 Jim Christ Tournament 12UB 2^nd Place Finish

Coach Tyler has been playing baseball ever since he was the age of 6 years old. He grew up in Highland Park and played his entire baseball career as a part of the Giants. Coach Tyler won a regional championship with Highland Park High School back in 2019. He continued his education at the Ohio State University where he got his degree in Marketing. He currently sells a variety of Candy products at Georgia Nut Company in Skokie where he works as a salesman. He has been coaching Highland Park baseball for the last 7 years. Tyler has coached 9u all the way to 13u and is extremely passionate and dedicated to helping players improve. He wants the best out of all the kids he works with.

Growing up in New York City, Coach Justin learned at an early age the importance of discipline, hard work and competing in athletics. At age eight, Coach Justin decided to try out for baseball and his love of the game took off. He started out playing the game as a third baseman and a pitcher. When he was 13 years old, he played for the NY Gotham’s travel team and became a catcher. At age 15, Coach Justin made the USA Baseball Team as a catcher — a national team that consisted of only the best players in the country. At that time, he was also playing baseball for his Beacon High School team. He played there for two years and then transferred to Norman Thomas High School. In 2009, the team won its first PSAL Baseball Championship.

After high school, Coach Justin went to Western Oklahoma Junior College where he continued playing baseball. He later transferred to Westchester College where he played for two seasons. He took a year off from school and traveled to the Dominican Republic to play ball as a catcher/pitcher with the Dominican Summer League Reds, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds baseball organization.

Upon returning to NYC, he was hired as an assistant coach at his old high school, Norman Thomas. He also coached Murry Bergtraum High School in downtown Manhattan. He most recently coached with the NY Bluebirds organization and currently coaches for Bronx Science High School; Coach Justin is a certified personal trainer and trains baseball players of all ages and skill levels.

Alex Tallman is a dynamic and creative coach with a wealth of experience across all age groups. A former collegiate pitcher, Alex’s journey through the game has endowed him with extensive knowledge in all aspects of baseball, from hitting and fielding to pitching mechanics.

In high school, Alex was a standout offensive player and a two-time All-Conference pitcher, known for his precision and command on the mound. His collegiate career spanned four years, during which his strategic approach to pitch selection, sequencing, and shaping became his hallmark.

What sets Coach Tallman apart is his ability to connect with players at all levels. His higher-level playing experience provides a solid foundation for understanding the nuances of the game, allowing him to break down complex concepts and communicate them effectively to younger athletes. Whether working on the fundamentals or refining advanced techniques, Alex’s goal is always the same: to help players reach their full potential while fostering a love for the game.

Graduated from Libertyville High School in 2020 played baseball all four years at LHS. Moved onto Manchester University, a DIII in Northern Indiana. As a team we made our conference tournament 2 out of the 4 years. Had the opportunity to pitch all four years. During that time I gained an immense amount of knowledge on how to pitch and how to pitch effectively and safely. I just graduated with B.S in Sports Management & a Minor in Human Performance. This coming fall I’ll begin my first semester at DePaul as I work towards obtaining my MBA. These past two summers I’ve gotten the opportunity to coach. Last summer I was the pitching coach for an 18u team down in Aurora. This summer I was the head coach of a collegiate summer league team based in Indianapolis.