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Coaching Staff Profiles

Purpose Statement

My purpose as a coach is to give kids a great experience in the game of baseball while teaching them how to play the game the right way.  Beyond that we want our kids to learn accountability, togetherness, perseverance, competitiveness, work ethic, and mental toughness.  

(L to R - Coach Knutson, Coach Johnson, Coach McDermott, Coach Feldkamp

(L to R - Coach Knutson, Coach Johnson, Coach McDermott, Coach Feldkamp

Kevin McDermott
Varsity Head Baseball Coach

kmcdermo@sowashco.org

Coach McDermott was a 1994 graduate of Burnsville High School and went on to attend Viterbo University.  While at Viterbo he played 2B/3B and helped lead the V-Hawks to their first ever NAIA Midwest Regional in 1998.  At the completion of his playing career at Viterbo he served as an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator for his alma mater from 1999-2001 where the team made a second appearance in an NAIA Regional.  After leaving Viterbo he spent 2 seasons as part of the Baseball staff at the University of Illinois at Chicago helping the Flames reach their first ever NCAA Tournament in the 2003 Stanford Regional.  Rounding out McDermott’s baseball experiences prior to Woodbury; he had spent 9 years as a lead instructor at the University of Minnesota Baseball Instructional School, 2 years as the Head Coach of the Burnsville Cobras American Legion Baseball team, 1 summer as an assistant with the Mankato Mashers of the Northwoods League, and was an assistant coach for the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars in 2003 where he coached 3 MLB first round draft picks, including former Major League players Billy Butler and J.P. Arencibia.  In the 2003-04 school year McDermott landed a Social Studies/Physical Education teaching job in Woodbury and began as an assistant coach for the Royals, helping lead the team to its first ever MSHSL State Tournament that year and advancing to the state finals before finishing runner up.  In the 2008 season he became Co-Head Coach of the Royals and from 2009-Present has been the Head Coach of the Royals Baseball program.  In 2016 the Royals reached their second ever state tournament and finished 3rd and in 2017 they reached their 3rd state tournament and finished 4th place.   McDermott currently resides in Rosemount with his wife Kelly, and four children Ireland (16), Keagan (13), Kinley (11), and Kallen (9). 


Justin Feldkamp
Assistant Varsity Coach

Coach Feldkamp is a 2003 graduate of Woodbury High School and the Royals Baseball Program, playing under legendary head coach Wayne Dietz.  Justin played his collegiate baseball at Augustana University where he graduated in 2007.  He was the head coach of the Woodbury Legion baseball program from 2007-2011, and has coached within the Woodbury High School program since 2008.  Feldkamp has served as the Varsity 3rd base coach and IF/OF defense coach since 2014.  Coach Feldkamp's extensive knowledge, work ethic and energy are contagious and he has been a huge part of the Royals program growth and successes and a vital piece to our 2016 and 2017 State Tournament teams.  Justin is a Physical Education/DAPE teacher at Cottage Grove Middle School; and lives in Denmark Township with his wife Abbey and 3 kids, Lucy (13), and Tate (11), and Margo (7).

Coach McDermott’s Thoughts on Justin:  “Coach Feldkamp brings a tremendous amount of pride, dedication, and positive energy to the WHS Baseball Program.  He does a great job working with our kids on both the physical pieces of the game, but more importantly on the mental side of the game.”

Nick Bentley
Varsity Pitching Coach

Nick is a 2014 graduate of Woodbury High School.  Nick was a 2 year varsity letter winner and in over 50 innings pitched he boasts a lifetime ERA of 1.64 s a rhp for the Royals!  After WHS he went on to play 2 seasons at Dakota County Technical College helping lead the Blue Knights to a Regional Championship in 2016.  From DCTC Nick was recruited by Grand View University where he played his final 2 collegiate seasons and received a bachelors degree in Human Services in 2019.  Nick came back to WHS in 2022 and served as our JV pitching coach and is now in his second year as our Varsity Pitching Coach.  Nick currently lives with his wife in Woodbury and works as a Behavioral Specialist Para at Hilltop Elementary in Inver Grove Heights.

Coach McDermott's Thoughts on Nick:  We are so lucky to have Nick back in a Woodbury uniform as our pitching coach.  He brings a tremendous amount of pride in being a Royal along with a great example of work ethic and leadership for our players.  Nick brings a great understanding of what it takes to be a great pitcher both mentally and physically and has the ability to deliver that message to our players.


Ryan Knutson
JV Head Coach / Varsity Assistant Coach
rknutson@sowashco.org

Ryan Knutson graduated from Prairie Farm, WI High school in 1994. He was a three time all conference pick and All-Northwest as senior.  He left having the school record batting average(.521) in 1994, and he was also an All-conference basketball and All-state football player. Went to UW-Eau Claire and Winona State. Ryan has played with the Durand Mustangs, Elmwood Expos, and Ellsworth Hubbers of the St. Croix Valley League as a catcher since his college days.  He coached baseball for U-14 and U-15 AAA WYAL teams in 2001-2002, and currently coaches his sons ERAA teams during the summer months.   Coach Knutson has coached Football and Basketball in the Woodbury programs since 2000. In 2013 Coach Knutson joined the WHS baseball staff and has been a huge addition as our head JV coach and a Varsity Assistant Coach.  He lives in Woodbury with his wife, Shannon and two children, Ava (14) and Parker (10).

Coach McDermott’s Thoughts on Ryan: "Coach Knutson has been a great addition to our WHS staff.  Ryan brings positive energy and does a great job of getting the best out of players, in turn making them better in the process.  Kids love playing for Coach Knutson and he does a great job working with our catchers and as our head JV coach and Varsity assistant."

Ben Johnson
Special Assistant/Advisor

Coach Johnson joined the Woodbury Baseball staff as the Varsity Pitching coach in 2009, where he continues to serve today.  Ben has been an integral part of the Woodbury pitching staff setting numerous program records and helping lead the Royals program to back to back state tournaments in 2016 and 2017.  In 2017 Coach Johnson was honored with the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association (MSHSBCA) Rob Fornasiere Assistant Coach of the Year Award.  Prior to Ben's coaching career he was a 1997 graduate of Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School in Wisconsin where he was a standout basketball and baseball player.  He continued his education and baseball career as a left handed pitcher for Viterbo University from 1998-2001.  During his 4 years at Viterbo, Ben helped lead the VHawks to two NAIA Regionals, including the Regional Finals in his final season. Upon graduation from Viterbo, and following 9/11 he enlisted in the United States Army, where he served as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division serving 1 tour in Iraq.  Coach Johnson has taught as a Social Studies teacher and coach at Simley High School since 2004.  Ben is married to his wife Kristen and they reside in Rosemount, MN with their 2 children Kendall (8) and Brady (5).

 

Coach McDermott Thoughts: I am so extremely lucky to have a pitching coach that I have 100% trust in and has been with me from the beginning at WHS.  Ben is great with our pitching staff, but he also brings a ton of overall baseball knowledge and energy to our program in all areas.  

Wes Bolin
10th Grade Coach
wbolin@sowashco.org

Coach Bolin grew up at Bryn Mawr Park in Minneapolis and played high school hockey at Minneapolis West under MHCA Hall of Fame coach Jim Baxter, graduating in 1978. He played college hockey at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, graduating in 1983, and earned a master's degree in teacher development from Marian College in 1994.  Coach Bolin joined the the WHS Baseball staff in 2017 as the head sophomore coach, and has been the head hockey coach for the Royals since 2005, leading that program to it's first ever state tournaments in back to back seasons.  His attention to detail and ability to connect with kids and get them to achieve at a high level has been a huge asset to the Royals baseball program.

Wes has been married to his wife, Patty, for more than 30 years. They have two daughters, Heidi, and Lindsey.  In addition to coaching baseball and hockey at Woodbury High School he teaches social studies.

 

Coach McDermott's Thoughts on Wes:  "We are so lucky to have Wes as our Sophomore baseball coach.  Not only does Wes have a lot of experience with the game of baseball, but more importantly he has great overall experience coaching and leading kids.  Wes is highly organized, pays great attention to detail, and knows how to motivate and develop players as competitors and people."  

John Bradford
10th Grade Assistant Coach

Although Coach Bradford is a first year special education teacher at Woodbury High School, he brings many years of teaching and coaching experience to our building and our program.  His latest coaching experience came with Highland Park as he lead their summer 16U program for several years. 

Coach McDermott’s Thoughts on John: We are super excited to have Coach Bradford at Woodbury and part of our Royals Baseball coaching staff.  John's ability to connect and build relationships with kids and teach the fundamentals of the game will be a huge asset to our lower level student athletes and our program as a whole.

 


Tim Kiemel
9th Grade Coach
tkiemel@sowashco.org

Tim is a 1982 graduate of Woodbury High School and the Royals Baseball Program.  In 1982 Kiemel was an All Conference player and also selected to the Lion’s All Star Series.  Tim has followed in his father’s footsteps as he was the head coach of Harding High School for 38 years and is a MSHSBCA Hall of Famer.  Tim has 27 years of baseball coaching experience himself, mainly as an assistant coach at Park High School.  Coach Kiemel came back to his alma mater and joined the Royals  coaching staff in 2016 as the 9th grade Head Coach.  Tim is currently a Physical Education teacher at Lake Middle School.

Coach McDermott’s Thoughts on Tim:  “We are very excited to welcome Tim back home to WHS and our baseball program.  His wealth of experience and knowledge in the game of baseball has been a huge asset to our 9th graders and our WHS program overall.”

Dave Peters
9B Coach / 9A Assistant Coach

Dave is a graduate of Stillwater High School and went onto graduate from MN State-Mankato University.  He joined the WHS Coaching Staff in 2022 as our 9B coach.  Coach Peters has been a youth leader for two decades, regularly completing continuing education courses to improve area youth programs.

Dave caught baseball fever in 2006 and has been coaching in Woodbury ever since.  He has experience in In-house, Traveling and Fall Ball Programs.

 

Coach McDermott’s Thoughts on Nick:  We are very lucky to have had Dave step up and into the 9B coaching role at Woodbury High School.  He has brought consistency, dependability, and great energy to the 9th grade team and our program.