Welcome to the Home of VA ROGUE: Herndon & Reston in Northern Virginia
Head Coach 16U
Jim Nelson
Coach Nelson has coached softball for 14 seasons (8U to 18U) including House, Legends (travel all stars) and Rogue Tournament/Travel. He also has coached baseball at multiple levels for 13 seasons, football for 3 seasons and volunteered on the HRYS board as Equipment Manager for 4 years. Coach Nelson is certified as a Softball Coach by NFHS & Babe Ruth and as a baseball coach by Call Ripken Baseball and Virginia Baseball Club. He played soccer, baseball, football, rugby and whatever else you put in front of him; sometimes good, but always learning. He served as a Rugby Football Referee and Softball Umpire back in the 90s and an adult flag football referee in the 2000’s, but he loves to coach! If you talk to Coach Nelson for longer than 3 minutes, you will all the sudden find yourself talking about softball. It could be the smallest nuance of throwing mechanics all the way to rise/fall of teams playing in the College World Series. He believes in little victories leading to desired overall outcomes, and will do everything he can to enhance each player’s understanding of the game and help the player apply that understanding to improve performance - practice to practice and game to game. Coach Nelson is lucky enough to have a daughter, a son and a very patient wife.
Head Coach
Mike Hedrick
Coach Mike has more than 6 years of softball coaching experience including House, All-Star, & Travel league. He has 3 years of HRYB coaching experience at the House level. He has certifications in both Concussion Response and Mental Mindset Coaching. Coach Mike is proud to provide competitive players opportunities to build their self-confidence, leadership skills, sportsmanship, and fitness in a competitive team environment. He also has served as a member of the HRYS board for 5 years. He has participated in many years of athletics and enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with his family.
Head Coach 14U
Emma Hodge
Coach Emma is an HRYS player turned coach. She began playing at 8 years old and moved up into the HRYS Glory travel program. She played JV and Varsity softball at South Lakes High School while also playing travel ball for the Virginia Outlaws. She was recruited to Chesapeake College and played for 2 years as a starting center fielder and batting 4th in the lineup. She has been coaching for HRYS for 2 years and is now ready to go ROGUE! Softball is her biggest passion in life and sharing that passion is something she is very excited to do at VA ROGUE. She loves providing an environment where dedicated players can build their skills and softball careers!
Head Coach 14U
DaeShonna Beckham
Coach DaeShonna began playing softball at the age of 5 in the LLGSL, and then joined HRYS in 8U on the Herricanes coached by Dave Gardy and her future HRYS Glory coaches. During her 6 years under the HRYS Glory program, DaeShonna has won numerous tournaments, MVP’s, and gained wonderful life long friends. She played JV and Varsity softball at South Lakes High School while also playing travel ball for the Virginia Outlaws, and Maryland Blue Jays. During her time at South Lakes High School, her JV team went 13-0 her freshman year. She was a 2x All-District Player (2018- DP, 2019- OF) She was recruited to play at Allen University and played for 4 years as the starting pitcher and batting 4th in the lineup. During her career at Allen, she led the team in Batting Average in the 2022 Season, was 2nd in Batting Average and On-base Plus Slugging Percentage in 2023. In 2023, she led the SIAC conference with games started with 27, was 3rd in innings pitched with 142.2, was 2nd in the conference with batters struck out with 129 recorded, and was 3rd in the conference with batters struck out looking with 30. This is her 2nd year coaching for HRYS! DaeShonna wants to give back to the game that gave its all to her. “I want to bring a sense of positivity, empowerment, and determination to every aspect of the youth’s game. I have learned from some of the best coaches and I want to make sure athletes feel the same while perfecting their skill. The ultimate goal while helping each athlete is to make them feel comfortable and be at the top of the game.” DaeShonna is very excited to start her journey here with VA ROGUE!!
CONTACT
Join us! Reach out to our Director of Travel Teams
Michael Hedrick