Meet Our Coaches & Mentors
Our coaches combine baseball experience, mentorship, leadership, and research-based development principles to help athletes grow with confidence and purpose.
Coach Robert Jacob
Player Development CoachCoach Robert Jacob is a baseball instructor and player development coach with advanced training through the Tom House pitching philosophy. His coaching approach emphasizes pitching mechanics, arm care, velocity development, functional movement, performance training, and long-term athlete development through evidence-based coaching methods.
He has completed Human Kinetics Coach Education coursework focused on athlete development, sports psychology, communication, leadership, and evidence-based coaching principles designed to support the physical, mental, and emotional growth of young athletes.
Coach Robert is also a Certified Sports Vision Trainer, focusing on visual processing, reaction time, tracking, peripheral awareness, anticipation, decision-making, and the critical role vision plays in athletic performance. He incorporates vision-based training principles to help athletes improve focus, recognition skills, game awareness, and on-field performance.
He is a member of the American Baseball Biomechanics Society (ABBS) , an organization dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of baseball performance, injury prevention, movement efficiency, and evidence-based player development. Through continued study of biomechanics research and emerging best practices, he remains committed to helping athletes develop safely and perform at their highest potential.
Coach Robert is certified through the Babe Ruth League Organization and continues to pursue ongoing education in baseball instruction, player development, arm care, coaching methodology, and youth athlete development.
He is also an active member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and regularly studies resources from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) to stay connected to modern baseball research, analytics, coaching education, and player development trends.
Coach Robert is a Certified Cognitive Sports Trainer, utilizing evidence-based cognitive and perceptual training methods to help athletes improve focus, confidence, reaction speed, awareness, decision-making, and overall mental performance alongside physical development. His coaching philosophy emphasizes developing complete athletes by integrating physical, cognitive, visual, and emotional performance training into the player development process.
TX Smashers Development Philosophy
Our development philosophy is influenced by evidence-based baseball research, biomechanics, pitching science, cognitive training, and modern athlete development principles associated with organizations such as the Rod Dedeaux Research and Baseball Institute. We believe development should be measurable, teachable, scientifically evaluated, and focused on long-term athlete health and performance.
Genna Ellinwood
Mental Performance CoachGenna Ellinwood serves as the Mental Performance Coach for TX Smashers, helping athletes strengthen the confidence, resilience, focus, and emotional skills needed to perform successfully both on and off the field.
She is pursuing advanced graduate education in Sport and Performance Psychology while completing additional training in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This interdisciplinary preparation supports a whole-athlete approach that considers performance, personal development, and overall well-being.
Genna has experience working with collegiate athletes, youth sports organizations, and individual performers through mental performance consultation, team education, and individualized skill development.
Her areas of focus include confidence development, resilience, emotional regulation, leadership, communication, motivation, concentration, and healthy performance habits.
At TX Smashers, Genna works alongside the coaching staff to integrate mental performance principles into everyday athlete development. Her work helps players prepare with purpose, compete with confidence, respond constructively to adversity, and maintain a healthy relationship with the game they love.
TX Smashers Mental Performance Philosophy
Mental performance is a trainable part of athlete development. Confidence, resilience, focus, emotional regulation, communication, and leadership are strengthened through intentional practice just like physical skills. Our goal is to prepare athletes for success in baseball and in life.