The Story
No first-round pedigree. No shortcuts. Just a Minnesota lefty who kept showing up — and ended up in the most electric league in baseball.
Sartell, Minnesota
Sartell sits on the Mississippi just north of St. Cloud — hockey country, snow six months a year. I grew up throwing anyway: garage walls, frozen springs, summer legion ball. Graduated St. Cloud Cathedral in 2018 with one plan that never changed: keep pitching.
The Grind · Three Colleges
Nobody hands a Minnesota lefty anything. I started at Minnesota State–Mankato, transferred to Saint John's University, and finished as a redshirt senior at Seattle University — a Division I mound, earned the long way. Three programs, three pitching coaches, a thousand bullpens. That winding road is exactly why I can coach: I've had to rebuild my own mechanics more times than most pros ever will.
1954 · The Legacy
My grandfather, DuWayne Hanson, pitched for Saint John's in 1954. Seventy years later I toed the same rubber in Collegeville. Baseball runs in this family's blood — the work, the patience, the respect for the game. When I talk to young players about playing the long game, that's where it comes from.
2026 · Under the Blacklights
Then came the call from the loudest experiment in baseball: Cosmic Baseball — UV lights, glowing uniforms, sold-out stadiums coast to coast. Now I'm Nº 15 for the Cosmic Chili Peppers on the 2026 Takeover Tour, playing the game I love in front of crowds that treat every night like a playoff game at a rock concert.
Why I Coach
I'm a certified personal trainer, and I've watched too many talented kids lose seasons — sometimes careers — to arm injuries that were preventable. The blacklights got you here, but this is the real mission: every young pitcher deserves to know how to protect their arm.
"Play the long game."