YOUR GUIDES
TO YOUR BEST SWING
HOW WILL WE HELP YOU?
JEFF LEACH
KEVIN KIES
Chris Garza
WADE SATZINGER
THE HITFORTH STAFF
kevin kies
DIRECTOR OF HITTING
Kevin is passionate about improving swings, and more importantly, the lives of the athletes he coaches. When Kevin’s playing career was cut short because of hip injuries, he dove head-first into coaching. At 20 years old, he became the head JV coach and assistant varsity coach at Waccamaw High School in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Two years later, Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida, named Kevin the head coach of their Post Grad team. At Inspiration Academy, he helped more than 60 athletes earn the opportunity to play college baseball. Kevin arrives at HITFORTH after spending the last two seasons as the hitting coach at Kentucky Christian University, where he helped the Knights set school records for wins, home runs, and runs scored. Kevin has a Master of Arts Degree in Christian Leadership.
WADE SATZINGER
LEAD HITTING TRAINER - HITTING COORDINATOR
Wade realizes that no one has, or ever will, truly perfect playing the game of baseball. But that doesn’t stop him from finding every edge possible to improve the players he trains. The game's challenge and the elusive chase of perfection drive Wade’s passion for the game. His father played professional baseball, reaching AAA, and passed that passion along to Wade. Wade was an all-conference standout in high school in Andover, Minnesota, and played in college at Minnesota State Fergus Falls CC and North Dakota State, where he later became the team’s assistant hitting coach. Wade worked alongside Kevin Kies at Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and followed Kevin as the head coach of the Post Grad team. Wade most recently developed college hitters as the hitting coach for the Joplin Outlaws, a summer collegiate team.
CALEB ABNEY
HITTING INSTRUCTOR
Caleb brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the HITFORTH team with a career spanning professional baseball, all three levels of the NCAA, and high school. Caleb is obsessed with creating training environments that empower hitters to become problem-solvers, leading to ownership of their individual development. Caleb has worked for the Braves, Rays, and, most recently, the Twins as a minor-league hitting coach. As a college coach, he led four different offenses to record-setting seasons. Caleb graduated from the University of Georgia with a Master's in Kinesiology and is also a Strength and Conditioning Specialist certified by NSCA. Caleb moved to Austin in February 2024 with his wife, Savannah.
JEFF LEACH
THE HITFORTH CZAR OF HITTING
Jeff is the driving force behind HITFORTH. Coach Leach is a nationally recognized hitting coach, sought out for his ability to develop elite hitters who hit for average and power. His high school hitters have earned All-State honors and college scholarships to play baseball at nationally prominent universities in the Big 12, the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, and Southland conferences. Jeff created the HITFORTH approach to enhance the skills that are key indicators of success at higher levels of competition. This means cultivating a competitive, game-like environment to prepare hitters to come through for their team when it matters most. A native of San Antonio, Jeff played baseball at Roosevelt High School and McMurray University as an outfielder. He lives in San Antonio with his wife Brittani and their 4 children: Sydney, Carter, Cooper, and Cash.
LOWELL GALINDO
OWNER
Lowell is HITFORTH’s creative energy. And energy is key. Lowell learned at a young age that passion, confidence, and an open mind are his biggest strengths. Playing baseball was NOT a strength, yet he still managed to play center field for DIII Emerson College in Boston, MA. It’s entirely possible that Lowell actually made the team worse. But he loved every moment of it. Lowell is driven to impact the way hitting is approached and taught by uniting like-minded coaches in a shared pursuit of excellence and empowering THEM to change the game. He believes that people can achieve greatness if there is the right balance of demand and encouragement and embraces Ralph Waldo Emerson’s immortal words, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Lowell lives in Austin with his wife Kristin and their 2 children: Mack and Amelia.
nick paredes
DIRECTOR OF MEDIA
We get a lot of compliments for our videos and social media posts. Nick is the reason why. As HITFORTH’s Director of Media, Nick spearheads content creation and execution. Nick has an impressive resume in all media types and is currently freelancing for ESPN and Longhorn Network. When he’s not capturing our athletes CRUSHING inside HITFORTH, you will see him on the sideline or courtside at the biggest sporting events in Austin.