Engaged
Athletics
Director Staff
Meet our directors of Engaged Athletics
Matt Duncan
Director of Operations
Matt Duncan attended and pitched at Kansas University and continued on the staff as a Graduate Assistant. He then became Director of Baseball Operations with the KC Sluggers baseball organization, alongside Hall of Fame coach, Dave Bingham. Matt also spent time as an assistant Coach at South Dakota State, overseeing infielders and practice planning.
For 17 years, Matt owned and operated Next Level Baseball out of the Topeka/Lawrence market. He has also has been on staff for New Balance Baseball as the National Pitching Coach and for USA Baseball.
Over the years Duncan and staff have developed over 300 college commits, 20 MLB players, 15 college coaches
His wife Kim and two kids currently reside in Lawrence, KS.
Brandon Johnson
Director Of Recruiting
Brandon pitched for two years at Hutchinson Community College where he broke the record for career wins. He then pitched at the University of Kansas where in his Jr season he was 8-3 with 7 saves with a 2.59 era. He was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, April 15, 2003. Johnson helped lead KU to their first-ever appearance at the Big 12 tournament. He was the pitching coach at St James Highschool from 2006-2008 before moving to a position as a Pitching Coach at Lawrence Highschool from 2009-2011 where he helped lead the 2009 Lions to the 6A State Championship.
Brandon was also the Kansas State Director for USA Baseball from 2011 through 2015.
Developmental Staff
Meet our coaches of Engaged Athletics
Wes Jacobs
Hitting Coordinator
Wes graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 2014. After finishing high school, he played baseball at Bethany College, where he was a starter for two years. He finished out his college career at Park University. Wes's first year as a coach at Engaged Athletics was in 2020. Wes has a unique ability to connect with the kids in multiple aspects of the game. He is inspired to give back to the game of baseball, help boys better themselves, not only in baseball, but in life.
Outside of baseball, Wes spends time with his parents, brother and four sisters, and resides in Lenexa, KS.
Alex Cox
Riverside Site Manager/ Pitching Coordinator
Alex Cox has served on a variety of coaching staffs at multiple levels. His previous stops included Next Level Baseball (Summers of 2014, 2015) Highland Community College (2016-2020), Hutchinson Community College (Fall 2022), and the University of Central Missouri (2020-2022, 2023). Cox joined Engaged Athletics in 2024.
During his tenure at Highland Community College, Cox was the head pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. In his short stint at Hutchinson Community College, Cox had a similar list of responsibilities. His main focuses were the pitching staff, program strength and conditioning, and recruiting future athletes for the program. Cox had two separate stints at Central Missouri. Cox’s first stint, as a graduate assistant, was as an assistant pitching coach and director of operations for the Mules. He assisted the head pitching coach in the day to day responsibilities for the pitchers. His main responsibility as the director of operations was geared towards travel plans for the program (meals, bus travel, etc.). Cox then returned to Central Missouri in the Spring of 2023 as the head pitching coach for the Mules. His main responsibilities for the Mules in his second appearance was day to day pitching staff operations, throwing and bullpen schedules, strength and conditioning, and the main point of contact for the pitchers.
Before coaching, Cox played at Pratt Community College in Jayhawk Conference from 2010-2013. After his junior college career, he attended Fort Hays State University and played for the Tigers from 2013-2015.
Cox was born and raised in Prairie Village, KS and was a graduate of Shawnee Mission East in 2010. He currently resides in Prairie Village, KS.
Ryan Goodwin
Collegiate League Coach
Bio coming soon
Tyler Townsend
14U Coordinator
Bio coming soon
Jared Parenti
Instructor
Jared joined our staff in 2024 and comes with a wealth of playing experience. A five year starter at Baker University (2019-2023) JP has earned many accolades as a starting pitcher. During his college summer league he was named All-Star Game starting pitcher, among other accomplishments, for the Rocking Mountain Baseball league. He is an assistant and outfield coach for Baker University while in his rookie coaching season with Engaged Athletics. He enjoys all things baseball related, golf, fishing, and watching tv series/movies. Hanging out with his nieces and nephews is where he spends a lot of time as well.
Ethan Peterson
Instructor /Social Media Director
Former collegiate baseball player with 5 years of experience, including 3 years at Central Missouri (Division II), bringing a unique blend of athletic discipline and strategic thinking. Possessing 3 years of coaching experience, specializing in pitching development. Adept at social media coordination and creating engaging youth prospect videos, combining on-field expertise with digital media proficiency.
Mason Diederich
Instructor
Mason played and graduated from Seaman High School in 2016. He then went on to attend Kansas State University to pursue a degree in Secondary Education. During his time at Kansas State, Mason would coach the Seaman High School team during the summers.
After graduation, Mason taught at Wamego Middle School and coached the JV team and was an assistant coach at the varsity level during the 2021 season. Following that year, Mason moved to Lawrence and began teaching at Shawnee Heights Middle School. He led the JV team and was an assistant at the varsity level for the 2022-2024 seasons.
During the offseaon and summers, Mason gives coaches for Engaged Athletics. At the end of the 2024 school year, Mason moved to the Overland Park area and began teaching at Indian Woods Middle School. He now coaches at Shawnee Mission South for their JV program.
Osvaldo Mendez
Instructor
OJ played at Wabash Valley College in 2017, then transferred to KCKCC playing 2 years. During that time, OJ won a Region VI Gold Glove Award and All-KJCCC Second Team Award. After KCKCC, he transferred to Alabama State University to play Division 1 baseball and in 2022 helped win the SWAC Championship. OJ has coached high school level and collegiate level for the last 3 years
Coordination Staff
Meet our coordinators of Engaged Athletics
Kim Chleborad
​​Teams Coordinator
You won’t see Kim on the baseball fields, but she plays an important role on the team by helping our organization run well. She manages billing, coordinating projects and other behind-the-scenes work. Her work is always done in an organized and professional manner, which our families all appreciate. Not only is she passionate about her work, but cares about the players and families at Engaged. Her many years at Engaged Companies has given her a wide variety of valuable experiences, and she is able to balance being a mom while being a part of Engaged Athletics baseball. She and her husband have two daughters and a son. They reside in Kansas City.
Marcy Earwood
Director Of Communication
Marcy and her husband, Chad, are founders of Engaged Athletics. They are no stranger to competition. Chad, a college football player/European football league; Marcy, a college volleyball player and years of coaching at the high school level. Both played on conference championship teams while at Simpson College (Indianola, Iowa). Marcy’s degree is Communications/Sports Administration. The real passion behind what she does is helping kids and families through athletics. She loves fierce competition and believes deeply in the 5 E’s philosophy, which is the foundation of EA. Communicating well and timely to parents is important to her because Marcy understands communication helps run a family household efficiently. While not volunteering at EA, she loves playing tennis, gardening, and, most of all, being with family. Chad and Marcy have 4 kids and one grandson and live outside of Platte City.