Greg Blaesing
President
Greg founded the Rhino program in 2012 and is the President of Rhino Sports Academy.
Greg attended Lockport Township High School where he was a catcher and center outfielder. During his time there he was a three-time All-Conference player and was named to the Chicago Tribune All-State and IHSBCA All State teams his senior year.
Greg attended Illinois State University where he was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, 4 year letter winner and a 3 year team captain.
After college, Greg played for the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League.
Greg has coached and developed numerous Division I players over his coaching career and has also been at the helm of nationally ranked high school teams while at Rhino Baseball.
Cassidy Messer
Director of Operations
Cassidy started her collegiate career at Brookdale Community College where she was the 2014 NJCAA Division III Player of the Year and a two time NJCAA All-American.
In the 2014 season she hit nearly .500 and had 17 doubles and 6 home runs. She helped lead Brookdale to 100-14 record over her two years there including 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the NJCAA tournaments.
Cassidy then went on and played at Coastal Carolina where she sported a career .375 OB% and 1.000 fielding percentage.
After college, Cassidy has worked in college athletic departments, minor league baseball and has coached for numerous travel programs including SoCal Athletics and the Beverly Bandits,
Taylor Messer
Director of Catching
Taylor attended Plainfield East where she was was awarded All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year.
Collegiately, Taylor went on to play at Western Illinois where she played in 114 games in her career.
In her junior year she had 170 putouts and a .984 fielding percentage which ranked second on the team.
Taylor has been coaching since 2017 including the Beverly Bandits.
Michaela Paprota
Director of Hitting
Michaela spent her final two collegiate seasons at LSU, where she served as the team’s starting catcher. In her senior year, she appeared in 56 games and helped lead the team to a Super Regional appearance.
Before LSU, she was a short stop at Miami(OH) where she was Third Team NFCA All-Region, First Team All-MAC and MAC All-Tournament team.
After her playing career, Michaela was a graduate assistant at Indiana University.
Michaela played professionally for the Florida vibe from the years 2023-2024.
Currently, Michaela is the head softball coach at Metea Valley High School.
Alyssa Sansone
Director of Pitching
Alyssa attended and played collegiately at Calumet of St. Joseph, where she was starting pitcher.
While there she was All-Conference twice.
Alyssa also was nominated Pitcher of the Week and won the honor three times.
Just recently Alyssa was named pitcher for the CCSJ All-Decade Team.
Along with being an instructor for Rhino Softball, she will also be a pitching consultant for Trinity International College.
Amy Ill
Outfield & Slapping Instructor
Ami played division I softball at the University of Toledo and Western Illinois University where she was a lefty slapper and outfielder.
During her time at the University of Toledo, she was a part of a 30+ win season where the team clinched a share of the MAC West Division regular season conference title. In 2019, Ami helped her team claim the Mid-American Conference Tournament title earning an automatic spot in NCAA regionals.
Ami finished out her collegiate career at Western Illinois University where in her senior season started all 45 games and led the team in multiple statistical categories such as batting average, at-bats, runs, hits, triples, total bases, and stolen bases. She developed into one of the top defensive outfielders in the league.
Ami was a 4 year varsity player at Lincoln-way East High School. Where she helped the Griffins become state runner-ups as a sophomore and senior. Made a total of three state appearances. As a senior, earned 4A Illinois Coaches Association all-state, Daily Southtown all-area, Southwest Suburban Blue first-team all-conference and 22nd Century Media first team … First area player to win four straight sectional titles in class 4A … holds IHSA class 4A state records for most hits in a state tournament game (4) and most runs scored in a state tournament game (4).... played travel ball for the Southern Force and the Illinois Chill Gold.
Jeff Stanek
Hitting Instructor
Jeff was an All Missouri Valley Conference player at Southern Illinois University.
He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 20th round.
Before that Jeff was an All State player for Lockport Township High School.
Over the last 20 years, Jeff has been a well known hitting instructor in the Chicagoland area working with both baseball and softball players.
Meghan Kelly
Arm Care Instructor
After graduating from Lockport, Meghan continued her softball career at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, where she was a three-year starting first baseman. She finished her collegiate career with a .989 fielding percentage, ranking second in program history, and a .331 batting average. As a sophomore, she earned All-WIAC Honorable Mention honors.
Following graduation, Meghan served as an assistant coach at UW–Stout before returning to Illinois to continue coaching with Rhino. She has been coaching and providing private instruction since high school.
Eliza Rex
Catching Instructor
Eliza played collegiate softball in the CCIW at North Park University. There, she served as the softball representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and was involved with the Hidden Opponent.
During her coaching career, Eliza also served as an assistant coach for the Windy City Rage Fast pitch team in Rosemont.
A native of Tinley Park, Ill., Eliza graduated from North Park with a bachelor's degree in sport management and marketing.
Eliza joined the North Central College softball coaching staff prior to the 2025 season as a graduate assistant coach as well.
Len Johnson
Recruiting Coordinator
With more than 30 years of coaching experience, Coach Len Johnson has dedicated his career to developing student-athletes both on and off the field. Throughout three decades of coaching softball and baseball, he has built a reputation for fostering competitive excellence, strong fundamentals, and a team-first culture that prepares players for success at the next level.
As Rhino's Recruiting Coordinator, Coach Johnson will work closely with athletes and families throughout the college recruiting process. He provides guidance on player development, recruiting timelines, communication with college coaches, and exposure opportunities, helping athletes navigate the path toward achieving their collegiate softball goals.
Coach Johnson's extensive experience includes mentoring players of all skill levels, organizing player evaluations, coordinating recruiting strategies, and creating opportunities for athletes to showcase their talents. His passion for the game, commitment to player growth, and knowledge of the recruiting landscape have helped numerous athletes continue their softball careers at colleges and universities across the country.
Known for his leadership, dedication, and genuine investment in every player's success, Coach Johnson continues to make a lasting impact on the softball community while helping the next generation of athletes reach their full potential.
Kiley Lamb
Summer Coach
Kiley played collegiate softball as an outfielder in the CCIW at Carthage College.
There, she received CSC Academic All-District Team and CCIW Dave Wrath Academic All-Conference Honors.
A three-year graduate, she joined the Rhino 18U staff as an assistant coach in 2024 before becoming the 13U head coach in the fall of 2025.
Hassan Stevenson
Director of SSA
As Rhino Softball's Director of Speed, Strength & Agility, Coach Hassan (Coach H) is
passionate about helping athletes become faster, stronger, more explosive, and more confident competitors.
With more than 30 years of coaching, competing, and athlete development experience, Coach H has dedicated his career to the study and application of athletic performance. His professional education includes certifications through ACE, NETA, ISSA, and the prestigious CSCS credential, providing a foundation that blends performance science with real-world coaching experience.
During his 10 years in Strength & Conditioning and Athletic Performance at Lewis University,
Coach H helped develop athletes across multiple programs, including Softball, Women's
Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Lacrosse, Swimming, and Golf.
He has also worked with countless youth, high school, collegiate, and adult athletes throughout his career, helping them improve speed, strength, power, movement efficiency, and overall athletic performance.
Coach Hassan's coaching philosophy is built on experience in adapting not only to new training
methods, but also a deep understanding of what it takes to motivate each athlete to rise to the
best version of themselves in service of the team. A former football and track athlete at Eastern Illinois University, he went on to play 12 seasons of semi-professional football and was inducted into the Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today, he combines his competitive background, performance education, and decades of coaching experience to help athletes maximize their potential and perform at their best when it matters most.
Rhino athletes interested in additional support are welcome to work with Coach H through
private 1-on-1 or small-group training sessions focused on speed, strength, agility, power,
recovery and injury prevention to maximize overall athletic performance.