Our Varsity Coaching Staff
Offering a combined 100+ years of Baseball Experience
Adam Cardona
Head Varsity Coach
Adam is in his 7th year as a member of the Huskie coaching staff, serving 5 years as the JV coach. Coach Cardona moved from Florida, where he coached baseball and taught Health and Physical Education for twelve years. He is married to Mary Jo Cardona, and has 3 boys, ages 10, 7 and 5.
Don Ampersee
Varsity Assistant Coach
Don has been coaching High School baseball for 22 years. He has been at Portage Northern for the last 6 years. Don also helps coach the Kalamazoo Maroons travel baseball team. He has been married to Connie for 46 years. They have 2 boys and a girl and 4 grandchildren. He grew up in Kalamazoo but has been living in Plainwell for the last 44 years.
Scott Gaynor
Varsity Assistant Coach
The first time I talked baseball with Coach Andrews was over a decade ago when we were both classroom volunteers at Woodland Elementary. I’ve coached youth baseball for J 3 years and for the last five years have had the good fortune to be a member of the coaching staff at Portage Northern. My major responsibilities are to throw batting practice and reinforce the strategies and tactics emphasized by coach Andrews and Coach Ampersee.
Chris Dolph
Varsity Assistant Coach
Coach Dolph is Portage Northern Alumni. He is married with 5 kids (hers, mine & ours) He enjoys playing men’s softball in his spare time. Chris grew up playing baseball, even pitched against Derek Jeter his Senior year in high school and he went 0-2, LOL. His most rewarding times have been coaching his kids and being a coach with the PNHS baseball team!! Let’s Go Huskies!
Our Junior Varsity Coaching Staff
Ben Neal
Junior Varsity Head Coach
Coach Neal rejoins the PN Baseball Staff after a few years focusing on coaching college basketball. Previously, Coach Neal was the JV Head Coach for the Huskies and for a few years was a varsity assistant. He was a part of the staff on the 2019 state title team, focusing on pitching and corner infielders. Coach Neal played college baseball and basketball until knee injuries ended his playing career. In his 25 plus years, he has coached travel, high school, and college baseball and basketball.
Our Specialists
John Lincoln
Pitching Coach
John joined the PN baseball coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in 2019 with a pitching emphasis and was a member of the 2019 state championship coaching staff. A former player at Portage Northern, he was a member of the 1972 Huskie semi-finalist team. John went on to play four years at Michigan State University, earning 3 varsity letters as a pitcher from 1975-1977. A long time youth baseball coach, primarily with the West Michigan Broncos travel baseball organization. Notable team achievements included two BPA World Series titles and a Game Day National Championship.
Janelle Morem, BS, ATC
Certified Athletic Trainer
Janelle holds certifications in Certified Athletic Trainer, CPR Pro Rescuer, First Aid and First Responder. She studied athletic training at Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota. Employed by Bronson Healthcare she is the resident athletic trainer for Portage Northern High School. We are lucky to have such a knowledgeable and compassionate individual attending to our teams. From building excellent relationships with all the athletes across the multiple sports seasons to offering to design and run strength training programs during the off-season, Janelle represents positivity, commitment, and excellence. Her support goes beyond athletic training. She serves as a positive role model for the many athletes she helps keep healthy and ready to compete.
