RBI :: Staff

Bryan Rodriguez
Bryan Rodriguez has been part of the Performance Training staff as a personal trainer and a sports specific training coach since June of 2007. Bryan earned his Bachelors Degree in Education and Science, majoring in Exercise Science at the University of Tennessee. While attending UT, he was an Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Lady Vols Soccer and Rowing teams. Before moving to Knoxville in 2000, he played 4 years of varsity soccer in high school and continued his soccer career at the collegiate level in Washington. Bryan is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer & Health and Fitness Instructor who has a passion for assisting athletes with extended rehabilitation and helping others reach their maximum potential. He is now playing a role in leading the Knee Injury Prevention program designed by Sports Metrics and is currently the
Director of Rangers Baseball Institute (RBI) in Knoxville, TN.

John Holt
John attended Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, TN. During this time, John lettered in both football and baseball for four years as well as basketball until his sophomore year. John helped his baseball team capture a district title in 2001 and helped his team achieve a top ten ranking during his senior year. John also played a role in helping the Falcons capture a football conference title in 2000. As a freshman, John was elected captain and lead Fayetteville City to a Central Tennessee Conference championship in both football and basketball.
Before coming to Performance Training Inc., John worked as a personal trainer for the Lindsey Young Downtown YMCA and for RecSports at the University of Tennessee. John has taught a variety of fitness classes including: water aerobics, total body, and Latin cardio dance. John graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2003 obtaining a degree in Psychology with a concentration in Pre-Physical Therapy.

Brian Chapman
          Brian excelled in baseball during his high school career at Campbell County High School. As a four-year player he earned All-District honors three times and his senior year he earned a .442 batting average with 5 homeruns.
          After high school, Brian played college baseball at Appalachian State University and Carson-Newman College. In his freshman year at Appalachian State he led the team with a .387 batting average. At Carson-Newman, Brian was listed in the top 5 of the nation in homeruns with 19 and RBI’s with 77. He also earned honors as the Regional Player of the Year, Conference Player of the Year, Team’s Offensive Player of the Year leading in three team categories: homeruns, RBI’s and slugging percentage.
          Brian also spent two years playing professionally. He played in the Frontier League in 2005 playing for the Richmond Roosters and in the European League in 2006 for the Namur Angels.

Leonard Sams

Leonard Sams brings his 22 yrs of softball coaching experience to RBI. Over the years, Leonard has won several TN State and Regional Championships - including 2 National Championships. Leonard has also received National Coach of the Year honors. A countless number of Leonard's players have signed college scholarships to schools such as Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Tech. Leonard strives to help the athletes of RBI develop their skills and prepare for the next level.

Shanna Thomas

Shanna attended South-Doyle High School in Knoxville, TN where she ran track, played volleyball and basketball, but excelled in softball. She earned many awards in high school including All District, All Tournament, All KIL, Best Defense & Offense, Player of the year, and MVP. She received a scholarship to Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN where she helped her team win several South Atlantic Conference regular season titles and South Atlantic Conference tournament titles. She helped lead her team to many appearances to the Regional tournament where they placed second.
Shanna graduated Carson-Newman with a BS in Exercise Science, and is currently working in Nutrition. She is an AFPA Certified Personal Trainer with a specialization in Sports Conditioning.

Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson attended Bearden High School in Knoxville, TN., where he played Football and Baseball his Freshman Year. He then just focused on his academics for the remainder of his high school career. In 2006, he attended Hiwassee College in Madisonville, TN., Where he was a walk on freshman for the Tiger’s baseball team. Tim’s sophomore year he was honored as the Tiger of the year. He then received a scholarship to play baseball at Virginia Intermont College for his final two years. He was named a captain his senior year. He graduated in 2010 from VI with his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management with a GPA of 3.7. He now pursues his passion of baseball by teaching the knowledge he gained at the collegiate level at Rangers Baseball Institute (RBI) in Knoxville, Tennessee.