BASES LOADED
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ACADEMY
ABOUT BASES LOADED
Bases Loaded was created by former Major League Pitcher and current St. Michael's College Head Coach Jim Neidlinger in 2010. Over the last 13 years, Bases Loaded has grown exponentially, and the success of their student-athletes is a testament to the hard work of the players and vast knowledge of the longest tenured instructor staff in the state.
In 2017, Bases Loaded was recognized as one of the top 25 training facilities in the US, and just recently in 2019 received a Best of Williston business award.
The way baseball and softball players train has changed dramatically over the years and Bases Loaded instructors have grown and adapted, incorporating metrics through systems such as Rapsodo hitting and pitching system, all while always keeping the basic fundamentals that every player needs to be successful.
In 2017, Bases Loaded started their premier travel baseball organization, the Bases Loaded Bulldogs, which has become the most successful travel program in Vermont. The Bulldogs compete in and have earned the respect of the top tournaments in New England.
Bases Loaded has continued to produce top level players because our instructors and coaches not only have competed at high levels, whether it be college or professionally, but continually grow and adapt with the game and work as a cohesive group to share knowledge to make every student-athlete better.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
EXPERIENCED. PROFESSIONAL. MOTIVATED. DRIVEN.
JIM NEIDLINGER
FOUNDER, OWNER AND INSTRUCTOR
Jim Neidlinger began his professional baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1984 in single A with the Macon Pirates. Jim played professionally for the next 10 years, making it to the major leagues in 1990 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1994, Jim retired from professional baseball and returned back to Vermont where he began his career as an instructor and coach. Jim began his formal local coaching career at the middle school level at Williston Central School, where he coached for 5 years. He then became the coach of the Chittenden South area legion team, SAL, now known as S.D. Ireland Legion Baseball, where he coached for 7 years. In addition, Jim was the Middlebury College pitching coach for 9 years before leaving in 2016 to create the Bases Loaded Bulldogs, Vermont's premier travel organization. Since 2016, Jim has concentrated on expanding both Bases Loaded and the Bulldogs travel organization.
In 2020, Jim also became the Head Coach at St. Michael's College of the Division II Northeast-10 Conference.
BOBBY ACABBO
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Graduate of Notre Dame High School in West Haven, CT, where he was a two year captain and Hartford Courant All State selection his senior year. Bob also played hockey. Attended the University of Vermont where he was a two time All America East catcher and ranks in the top 10 all time for games played, at bats, hits, doubles, home runs, and runs batted in. Was nominated for the Johnny Bench Award (top 40 catchers in Division 1 college baseball) his senior year. Bob was a 3 year member of the champion Middletown Giants of the New England Collegiate Wooden Bat league where he was named all-league catcher and playoff MVP his final year.
Bob has worked with Jim Neidlinger for 15+ years teaching hitting and catching for baseball and softball, as well as being a coach within the Bases Loaded Bulldogs travel organization.
.jpg)
TIM ALBERTSON
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Tim is a graduate of MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL, where he played baseball for the Highlanders for two years as a pitcher and first baseman.
Tim was the Varsity baseball coach at Champlain Valley Union High School from 2009-2021, winning the State Championship in 2019 and being voted Coach of the Year. Before joining the Redhawks in 2009, he was the JV coach at Mt. Mansfield Union High School for 5 years (2004-2008). From 2001-2015, Tim spent his summers coaching the Champlain Edge 17U AAU team, later known as the Vermont Outlaws. He also coached JV football at South Burlington High School (2004-2007) and wrestling at Essex High School (2003-2006). From 2016-2021, Tim was also the head coach for S.D. Ireland Legion Baseball. Tim grew up in Essex, Vermont where he played baseball at the high school and legion levels and is currently the Co-Curricular Activities Director at Stowe Middle & High School. Tim has been working as a Baseball Instructor with Jim Neidlinger since 2004 and is a head coach with the Bulldogs.
MATT MEUNIER
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Matt was a three sport athlete at BFA-St. Albans, playing football, basketball and baseball. As a baseball player, he was a pitcher and outfielder where he was All State/Metro his junior and senior years. Matt graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh, where he played all four years as an outfielder.
As a coach, Matt has coached at several levels. After graduating, he became an Assistant at SUNY for one season, working with infielders, outfielders and hitters as well as assisting with recruiting. He was an assistant and then Head Coach for the 14U team in the Clinton County Mariners organization in NY. He was also an instructor for North Country Baseball working with ages 13-16. He also organized and ran summer camps for 6 years for ages 5-13 before moving back to VT to be part of the Bases Loaded Bulldogs. While with the Bulldogs, Matt has been a Head Coach at the 13U, 14U and 15U, 16 & 18U levels. Matt has been an instructor with Bases Loaded since 2017 and is currently an Assistant Coach at St. Michael's College of the Division II Northeast-10 Conference. Matt earned his Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and works for the Howard Center.
CHRIS RICHARDS
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Chris attended Norwalk Community Junior College where he led the NJCAA in batting average, RBI’s and home runs before he was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1998 and 1999. From 2000-2003, he was the Head Coach of the Vermont Storm AAU baseball team. In 2004, he was an Assistant Coach for the Essex Legion baseball program before becoming the head coach in 2005. Chris stepped down as the Varsity Baseball Coach at Essex High School in 2020. He is currently the General Manager of the Post 91 Essex Legion baseball team, an assistant coach with the Vermont Lake Monsters and the PBR Vermont Director of Scouting.
Chris was born in Burlington and played both varsity hockey and varsity baseball (Gatorade Player of the Year) all 4 years in high school. He also played Junior Olympic Baseball for the New England Mariners from 1994-1998. He has been working as an instructor with Jim Neidlinger for 15+ years.
JAMIE MERCHANT
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Jamie attended the University of Vermont where in 2003 he was the first pitcher ever from UVM to be selected Pitcher of the Year in the America East Conference. Selected first team all New England, First Team All Northeast from Baseball America and finished fifth in the Nation in era with a 1.41 era. Started the All New England game at Fenway Park. In June 2003, drafted by the Houston Astros in the 16th round and played in the Astros organization for 4 seasons reaching Double A Corpus Christi Texas.
Jamie attended high school at Rice Memorial in South Burlington Vermont, where he was selected as the Metro Player of the Year 1999, USA TODAY player of the year for Vermont, Honorable as well as being selected by Baseball America as an honorable mention. Jamie holds the school record for strike outs with 326 along with a 26-3 career record including 5 no-hitters. Merhcant is currently the Rice Memorial High School varsity baseball coach, a head coach in the Bulldogs organization and has been teaching baseball professionally since 2003.
ANGIE BOYER
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Angie Boyer is a graduate of West Essex High School in North Caldwell, NJ, where she was a 3 year All-State Selection as a pitcher. She came to the University of Vermont to pitch for the Catamounts. When she wasn’t pitching she spent time as a utility player (IF and DH). She is a 2003 graduate of UVM where she earned New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA), All-New England and America East All-Conference citations as a senior, while also serving as a team captain. Following her senior year, Boyer earned her program's Sally Guerette Player of the Year Award. She graduated second in UVM history in career strikeouts, complete games, innings pitched and games pitched.
In the summer of 2002, Boyer was selected to try out for the Greek softball team that participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics, ultimately being one of the final 30 under consideration. After college Boyer was an assistant coach at Middlebury College in 2004, when the Panthers set a school record for victories during a 24-8 campaign, before leading the program to a 35-19 mark and one postseason appearance as the head coach in 2005 and 2006. In 2008, Boyer served as the pitching coach at her alma mater and gained experience working clinics and camps at UVM. From 2013 to 2017, she served as the assistant coach at St. Michael’s College primarily focusing on the pitching staff. She currently serves as the head coach for Colchester High School Varsity Softball, Softball Coordinator for Colchester Little League as well as coaching with the Vermont Storm Travel Softball Team.
SYDNEY LEBOURVEAU
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Sydney grew up in Jericho, VT where she attended Mount Mansfield High School. During that time, she was at Bases Loaded taking hitting lessons, to which she can contribute to her success. Before she graduated, she earned the White Letter award as the athlete that contributes the most for the sport. Sydney pitched almost every game since her sophomore year of high school. Her senior year she had 11 home runs and a batting average of .508. After her high school years, she attended Thomas College, graduating in 2019. During her four years at Thomas College, Sydney pitched a total of 258.3 innings (146 of them her sophomore year). She saw 370 at bats and recorded 88 RBIs. She hit for an average of .433 her junior and senior year overall and .540 in conference. She was awarded the NAC Tournament MVP her sophomore year and NAC Player of the Year consecutively her junior and senior years. While at Thomas, Sydney had, in her senior year alone, 5 different positional starts (pitcher, third, first, right field, and left field).
Her love for the game has allowed her to gain experience in every position on the field. Even if she didn’t play there, she always paid attention and learned. This gives her the ability to teach other young players how to be successful in higher levels of competition in multiple positions. Being a player who grew up playing in Vermont, Sydney understands how difficult it can be with lack of resources and lack of softball weather. She wants to do her part to keep the sport thriving by teaching the ways that created a path for her to be successful.
PAT TWOMEY
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Pat graduated form Daniel Hand High School in Madison, CT where he pitched and played infield. Pat then attended Clemson University in South Carolina where he majored in Secondary Education and played for the Clemson Club Baseball team, serving as President his senior year. After graduating from Clemson University, Pat took a job teaching history at Belton Honea-Path High School in Belton, South Carolina. While there, Pat was an assistant coach on the Varsity Baseball team, where he was part of two South Carolina State Championship teams in his two years there. Pat moved up to Vermont in 2016 and is excited to be back involved in baseball.
CONNOR JOHNSON
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Connor grew up in Taunton, Massachusetts, about 45 minutes south of Boston. At Taunton High School, he was a two time All-Conference selection, senior captain, 2013 Conference Pitcher of the Year and led his team to the State Quarterfinals. From there, he did a post-graduate year at Bridgton Academy, which is when he committed to the University of Maine. While at Maine, he went on to enjoy a four year career as a reliever, breaking the single season appearance record and the all time appearance record. As a senior captain, he was also selected to the America East All Conference Team. He was named an All Star in both the New England Future's Summer League and the West Coast Summer League.
BILLY WHALEY
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Coach Whaley (2017) enters his fourth season on the NU coaching staff in 2022, working with the pitching corps. He also is a pitching instructor for Bases Loaded and the head coach of the 13U Bulldogs.
In his four-year career with the Cadets, Whaley struck out 168 batters in 151 innings on the mound. He tossed 11 complete games and completed his career with a 10.01 K/9 figure.
A 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference First Team selection, Whaley led the team with nine RBIs in conference play (10 overall) and two home runs, also in conference play. He finished second on the team with a stingy 1.86 ERA in conference games (2.00 overall) and 13 strikeouts in GNAC play (32 overall).
Billy also competed in the NYCBL for the Geneva Red Wings in the 2014 summer. He was named to the All-Star game representing the Eastern Division and posted a 4-2 record on the mound with a 1.36 ERA and 44 strikeouts. In 2015, Whaley pitched for the Vermont Mountaineers in the NECBL, tossing 28.2 innings and compiling a 1-2 record en route to helping the team to its third NECBL Championship. A native of Northfield, Vermont, Whaley serves as a Leadership Development Officer in the NU Development Office.