Our Team

The Lab is led by Jake Epstein, one of the top hitting instructors in the country. Jake is currently an MLB Hitting Consultant and former University of Missouri Hitting Coach. Jake played collegiately at Cal State Fullerton and professionally in the Angels organization.

Matt was born and raised in Houston, TX. He played baseball collegiately at Panola Jr. College, where he earned All-Conference and 3rd team All-American honors, and then at Texas A&M University, where he earned 2nd Team All-Big 12 honors. Matt was drafted in the 24th round by the Miami Marlins and played 6 years professionally, including All-Star team appearances at both the A and AA levels. Matt’s passion to pass along his years of experience is seen everyday at The Lab.

Coach Dobbins, a Bryan High School alumnus, has been a professional pitching coach since 2002. Following his collegiate and professional baseball playing career, Coach Dobbins served as a scout and draft consultant for the Tampa Bay Rays. His teaching methods are geared toward the mental components of pitching and developing the biomechanics of delivery that give you the best chance for long term success and injury prevention. He joined The Lab at H3 in 2020.

Matt, a graduate of Rice University, was drafted in the 11th round of the 2008 Major League Amateur Draft. He helped the Rice Owls advance in back-to-back seasons to the College World Series. He played for the Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013. In seven years of professional baseball, Matt spent no time on the disabled list, a testament to the training he utilized to keep himself in the best position to remain healthy. Matt joined HUSTLE3® Pitching in 2017, and The Lab in 2020.

Jae was a standout collegiate pitcher at the University of Southern Indiana. He holds a Master of Science degree from Purdue University, where he served as a Graduate Assistant for Purdue University Football. He’s a nine-year Southeastern Conference (SEC) veteran, including a seven-year stint at Texas A&M University working with both the football and baseball programs. In 2012, he was awarded the prestigious Texas A&M Athletic Directors Teammate Award. He served as Director of Player Development for the University of Missouri Tigers baseball program prior to joining The Lab in 2021.

Lukas is originally from San Diego, California, where he worked at the Brickyard Batting cage as a hitting and fielding instructor. He is currently a graduate student at Texas A&M studying Sports Management. Lukas joined The Lab in August 2020 and has a passion for developing youth athletes and instilling them with confidence at the plate and around the diamond. You may recognize him from our Friday night Sandlot games, as well as our weekly classes.

Duane graduated from A&M Consolidated High School in 1994, lettering in football (2 yrs), baseball (3 yrs) and track and field (4 yrs). He played Football (1994-97) and Baseball (1995-98) at Texas Tech University and was drafted in the 20th round of the 1998 draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He played 2 professional seasons. Following his professional career, he coached high school football and baseball for 6 years, and college football for another 10 years. He joined The Lab in 2020.

Mason is originally from the Houston, Texas, area where he spent 5 years coaching for the Saints Organization. Mason pitched and played first base at Temple College and Texas Southern University. At Temple, he attended the Junior College Fall All-Star game of 2016 as a pitcher, and helped Texas Southern win their 3rd Conference Championship in 4 years in 2018. Mason’s success on the mound and at the plate at the Junior College and Division 1 level has given him a unique knowledge-base for instructing both hitters and pitchers. He joined The Lab in the Spring of 2021.

Kenny was a first-team all-conference shortstop at Alvin Community College, where he led his team to a conference title and fifth-place finish at the JUCO World Series in 2008. He went on to play baseball for Texas A&M University and was the starting shortstop on the Aggie’s 2011 College World Series team. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 31st round during the 2011 MLB Draft and spent one season playing in the Gulf Coast League for the Marlins before focusing on his coaching career. He served as the head coach for Western Texas College for four years prior to joining The Lab in 2021.

Steve is a certified strength and conditioning specialist who has coaching experience at youth, high school, and collegiate levels. Originally from the St. Louis, Missouri area, he played college football at Missouri Valley College, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. He was a Sports Performance Coach for the Texas A&M University football team from 2013-2017. He then worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he trained multi-sport male and female athletes. More recently, he served as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the football program at Rutgers University prior to joining The Lab in 2021. His certifications include National Strength and Conditioning Association, College Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association, Certified Functional Strength Coach, Reflex Performance Reset, USA Weightlifting, and Precision Nutrition Level 1.