Our Instructors

Our Instructors in Signal Hills/Long Beach, California

Our Instructors in Signal Hills/Long Beach, California

Diane Lewis

Born and raised in Long Beach, California, Diane Lewis started playing softball for a local league when she was 9 years old. She fell in love with pitching her second year playing softball. Her Millikan High School softball team won the CIF Championship her junior year of high school and made it to the finals her senior year. Diane has built a career in the sport and has 30 years of experience in the industry.
Accomplishments
  • CIF Player of the Year, Junior & Senior Years in High School
  • Softball Scholarship, Cal State Long Beach
  • Liberal Studies Degree & Single-Subject Credential in Mathematics, Cal State Long Beach
  • Women's Open Division All-American
  • Played National Fastpitch Association League Exhibition Games Across United States to Promote Softball
  • Inducted into the Long Beach Baseball & Softball Hall of Fame, 2006
Coaching Experience
  • Head Varsity Softball Coach, Millikan High School, 6 Years
  • Head Softball Coach, Orange Coast College, 1 Year
  • Head Varsity Softball Coach, Cypress High School, 3 Years
  • Trained with Ernie Parker as a Personal Pitching Instructor
  • Private Softball Pitching Lessons with Rod Carew's Baseball School, 2 Years
  • Opened Diane Lewis School Of Softball And Baseball, 1994

Rick Dent Hitting Instructor


Rick Dent has coached both of his sons Ryan and Riley Dent and many baseball teams throughout his career. Riley Dent received a baseball scholarship to Valparaiso University and Ryan Dent was drafted with the Red Sox right out of high school.  Rick is known as our Doctor of hitting.  He is an expert of breaking down mechanics and strengthening his athletes.

Dani Martinez Pitching Instructor

Dani Martinez was born and raised in Bellflower, CA. She graduated from Gahr High School in Cerritos where she played 4 years on the varsity softball team. She then played 5 years of D1 softball after receiving Athletic Scholarships at Cal State Fullerton University and San Diego State University capturing 3 conference championships.


She received her Bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary studies. Specifically in: child family development, elementary education, and sociology.


Dani has returned to Diane Lewis school of softball to teach the next generation of pitchers in the same place she began her softball career. Her strengths are around building good mechanics, fine tuning pitches, and working the mental game with her lessons.

Accomplishments:

  • 2019 NFCA All-West Region Second Team
  • 2019 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year
  • 2019 All-Big West First Team
  • 2019 All-Big West Freshman Team
  • 2019 Big West conference champion
  • 2 time Mountain West conference champion
  • 2023 NCAA Los Angeles regional winner. ( made appearance is NCAA Super Regionals)
  • 2 time San Gabriel Valley League pitcher of the year.
  • 3 time Press Telegram Dream Team
  • 3 time First Team All league selection
  • 4 year League champion
  • Set the school record for wins
  • 2018 CIF division 1 runner-up.

Jamee Gregg's Accomplishments & Coaching Experience
Jamee Gregg has taught pitching lessons for over 15 years.  She pitched at Millikan High School and was MVP.  She played Collegiate level and Long Beach City College.  Jamee has trained pitchers all the way up to their collegiate level.  Her experience and expertise about pitching and the mental game is very detailed.  She has been an important part of our success at the softball/baseball school. 

  • Diane Lewis School Of Softball 15 Years
  • Millikan High School Graduate, 2002
  • 4-Year Varsity Softball Player
  • Athlete of the Year
  • High School MVP
  • Best Defensive Player
  • Played Softball at Long Beach City College
  • Millikan JV Softball Coach, 2 years
  • Coached ASA Travel Ball
  • Professional pitching instructor for over 15 years

Matt Nuez


Matt played baseball for Lakewood High School and was part of the Lancers first CIF Title in 1987.   He continued to coach for Lakewood High under the direction of Spud O'Neal.  In 2011 Matt took over the head baseball job at Los Alamitos High school and has turned the program around to be a top team in Orange County.  He has coached great players like JP Crawford and Tyler Schulz.  Matt has taught batting lessons for over 15 years and is excellent at perfecting a swing while enforcing great drills and mechanics.
Matt Nuez—Instructors in Signal Hill, CA

Loren Stavrou

Loren Stavrou was born and raised in Long Beach,California where she graduated from Wilson High School in 2012. After graduating from Wilson, she played 4 years of D1 softball at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. Loren currently plays for the Greek National Team and has been a member for the past 9 years. After graduating college she came back to Wilson HS to start her coaching career. She has been coaching now for 5 years working with pitchers and players of all levels and ages. 

Accomplishments 

  • Moore League Pitcher of the Year 2012
  • Press Telegram Pitcher of the Year 2012
  • Century Club Softball Player of the Year 2012
  • Moore League Champion 2012
  • 1st Team All Moore League x3 
  • European Pitcher of the Year 2014 
  • Current Starter for the Greek National Softball Team
  • Team Captain of FDU Softball Team 2016
  • Team Knight Award 2016 (hardest working player)

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Zoe Stavrou

Zoe Stavrou was born and raised in Long Beach, California and is a part of the class of 2015 at Wilson highschool. She went on to play Division 1 softball at North Dakota State University and now plays for the Greek National team. She is a part of the Varsity coaching staff at her alumater and is heading
into her 3rd year of coaching. Zoe is currently working towards her teaching credential to become a high school PE teacher. 

Awards

  • 2016,2017,2018,2019 Summit League Champion
  • 2018 NFCA All-Midwest Region Third Team
  • 2018 Summit League All-Tournament Team
  • 2018 All-Summit League First Team
  • 2016 All-Summit League Second Team
  • 2018, 2017 Summit League
  • Player of the Week
  • 2018 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
  • 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 Summit League Honor Roll
  • 2013,2014,2015 First Team All Moore League 
  • 2012 2nd team Moore League 
  • 2012 Moore League Champion 
  • 2014,2015 Varsity Captain 
  • 2014, 2015 Team MVP
  • 2014, 2015 Press Telegram Dream Team

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Liz Snow

Liz Snow is a catcher/corners from Long Beach and graduated from Millikan in 2013. She was a starter all 4 years of D1 softball at the University at Albany in the America East Conference. She was a leader in many offensive categories over her career, including nationally for slugging percentage, batting average, doubles, and doubles/homeruns per game. Record setting career stats for UAlbany include .394 BA (1st), 171 RBIs (1st), 62 doubles (1st), and 42 homeruns(1st), and career stats of 0.772 slugging and 0.493 OBP. After graduating, she played internationally for a total of 6 seasons for Roef! in the Netherlands and for Papanui in New Zealand. During her time abroad, she has coached a wide variety of players ranging in ages from 6 to 20+. Her focus is on sound fundamentals and a strong mental game individualized to each player. She is currently preparing for another season in the Netherlands and beginning teaching at a local community college.

Awards

  • America East Player of the Year (2017)
  • CoSIDA Academic All-American, 3rd Team (2017)
  • SUNY Chancellor Scholar-Athlete Award (2017)
  • Rookie of the Year (2014)
  • America East Champion (2017, 2014)
  • First Team All America East (2017, 2014)
  • America East All Academic Team (2017, 2016, 2015)
  • America East All Championship Team (2017, 2016)
  • NFCA Division I All-Region 2nd Team (2017, 2016)
  • CoSIDA Academic All-District 1st Team (2016)
  • Second Team All America East (2016, 2015)
  • NFCA Northeast All-Region First-Team, Utility (2014)
  • CIF Champion of Character Award (2013)

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Sophie Slagle

Sophie Slagle is coming to us from her most recent coaching experience at Division II Barry University in Miami, Florida. During her time as the Pitching coach, she worked with the pitching staff daily to create workouts and lessons designed for each individual pitcher. 

Before that she worked one season each at South Dakota and Eastern New Mexico as the pitching coach. She had an outstanding college playing career at NCAA Division I UC Riverside and Idaho State.

Slagle, who grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., played two seasons at Idaho State. She was named Big Sky Conference Co-Newcomer of the Year in 2015 after going 18-8 in the circle with 16 complete games and 89 strikeouts. She added 14 more wins in 2016 with 14 complete games, four shutouts and 84 punch outs. Slagle earned all-conference accolades at the end of both seasons in Pocatello, and led the Bengals to a conference title in 2015.

Slagle pitched two years at UC Riverside before moving to Idaho State. She won nine games in two seasons with the Highlanders, making 29 starts and 52 appearances.

Slagle was a three-year letter winner at Palos Verdes High School. She helped the Seakings to the league championship in 2010 and to two other top-three finishes. She pitched in the championship game of the Colorado Sparkler Tournament in 2009.

Slagle earned her bachelor's degree in physical education and kinesiology from Idaho State in 2016. She completed her master's degree in sports administration at South Dakota in 2018.

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Marc Guzman

Played baseball for all go ur years at Lakewood High School class of ‘09. Was a Utility infielder and played all 4 infield positions. Went on to play at Los Angeles Harbor college in the South Bay where he played Short Stop and 2nd base. Following he played 3 summers with the East Los Angeles Dodgers collegiate team. He went back and coached at Lakewood high School as the infield coach for the program and coached for 7 seasons. 

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Jamie Garvey

Jamie Garvey was born and raised in Wilmington, California.  She pitched at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance where she was a 4 year letter. After high school she played at El Camino College and transferred to Whittier College where she earned her Bachelors degree in Kinesiology and Nutrition Science. She returned to Diane Lewis school of softball to share her love of the game and inspire the next generation of pitchers.

  • 2022 SCIAC 1st team all conference 
  • 2023 3x SCIAC pitcher of the week 
  • 2023 whittier college defensive player of the year 
  • 2023 SCIAC strikeout leader 
  • 2023 single season strikeout record - whittier college 
  • 2022-23 NFCA/Easton All-American Scholar-Athlete 
  • 4 year varsity - Bishop Montgomery High School
  • 2x First Team All League - Bishop Montgomery High School
  • Rookie of the Year - Bishop Montgomery High School
  • Jamie Garvey

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Contact us at 562-492-6055 to learn more about our softball and baseball instruction programs or to schedule a lesson.
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