Wild Bill Sports Staff

Max "Skip" Eckert
PRESIDENT + HEAD COACH

Max “Skip” Eckert founded Wild Bill Sports in 2016 in memory of his late father. William Eckert was a great man and Max wanted to build this program in his memory and honor. Max's collegiate career began at Potomac State, where after battling knee surgery, he transferred to Ann Arundel Community College and was able to showcase his skills and committed to a four year school, Stevenson University. At Stevenson, he was selected as 2009 MVP and broke the single season and career home-run record (which was recently broken). Upon graduating with a degree in Marketing and Social Sciences, he pursued his professional baseball career in the Golden Baseball League with the Calgary Vipers, which ended at the completion of Spring Training. His extensive playing experience, behavioral education background, and 10+ years of full-time coaching, fuels his passion for teaching baseball skills both for on-field performance and as a metaphor for life. 
 
When Skip isn’t wearing the Black & Orange, he is currently the GM and Assistant Head Coach of the Takoma Park Thunderbolts of the Cal Ripken Collegiate League. Skip has also served as the Director of Development for Mclean Little League for over a decade.

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Mike Straub
Vice President + Head Coach + Private Instructor

Coach Mike is a former professional baseball player who has been coaching for 10+ years.  He has been with Wild Bill for 5 years acting as a pitching coordinator, private instructor, head coach and now in addition, vice president.  After his college playing career at the University of Mary Washington where he earned All-Conference honors, he played two years professionally in the Pecos League.  After weighing options of continuing pro ball in Australia or finding a “real job” in the DMV area, the real job won out.  Mike stayed very much involved in coaching while working as an accountant.  Recently, Coach Mike stepped away from coaching for one season and QUICKLY realized how much he missed coaching.  The brief time away made it clear how much baseball and coaching are an integral part of who he is.  So much so that Mike quit his corporate job in September 2021 and has been a full-time member of the Wild Bill team since!  Coach Mike brings his passion for the game of baseball to Wild Bill.  More importantly, he brings a passion for player development, wanting to help all Wild Bill players improve and hone their skills to help them achieve their baseball goals!  When Coach Mike is not on a baseball field you can either find him at his Shirlington condo with his wife Candace and their two cats, or on a local golf course trying to hit them straight.  Through Mike’s playing, coaching, and even umpiring experience he brings a ton of baseball knowledge to the Wild Bill program.  He is eager to teach and make Wild Bill the best travel experience and program in the DMV.  Go Wild Bill!

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BOBBY LAIRD
​​Administrative Director + Head Coach + Private Instructor

Bobby has been with the Wild Bill program since inception in 2016. He graduated from McLean High School in 2017 and Christopher Newport University in 2021 with a degree in information science. He played travel ball for Max when he was in high school, and currently plays for the Falls Church Mustangs of the Industrial Baseball League, where he plays catcher, infield, and a bit of outfield. With Wild Bill, he specializes in teaching catching, hitting, and infield. He brings energy to the field, and really values building relationships with the players and coaches. He will be head coach for the 9u team this spring, but he will also help with all other age groups, specifically with the 13u and 14u teams.

Bobby is the biggest Philadelphia sports fan you might ever meet. He has a special passion for his teams, and will let you know when a Philly team is doing well, like when his Phillies won the Pennant in 2022.

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Jorge Arrate
Head Coach + Private Instructor

​Jorge joined the Wild Bill Sports coaching staff during the summer of 2019. Prior to that, Jorge played for two years at Potomac State College of West Virginia. In addition, in the summer of 2018, Jorge took an internship to work for the sports performance department at Georgetown University. He then transferred to George Mason University to continue his undergraduate and now holds a B.S. in Kinesiology. He is also certified by Driveline Baseball with the Foundations of Hitting certification. Jorge’s baseball journey of successes, failures, and injuries has taught him many lessons and helped him generate a holistic approach to developing and helping players. In addition, during and after Jorge’s playing career he has always wondered why he didn’t go further in baseball and why he didn’t get the results he wanted. This curiosity is what ultimately led Jorge to coaching to help players reach their goals and aspirations. Jorge specializes in hitting, fielding, throwing, strength training, mobility training, and athletic performance. 

Jorge is currently the head coach for the 10u Orange and 12u Black teams. He also plays a role in designing practices for all age groups. Jorge is a believer in learning through mistakes and failures. They are the greatest teachers. With that being said, eliminating the barrier of fear is essential for growth. 

Jorge is a massive fan of the Detroit Tigers and might be one of the biggest Tigers fan you will come across. He also supports Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wild Bill Sports Coaches

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Coach Bryan Contino
Assistant Coach + Private Instructor

Coach Bryan has been coaching for Wild Bill since 2018. Bryan played 3 seasons of Varsity Baseball for Dumont HS in New Jersey where he won a State Sectional Championship as a Junior in 2011. His junior season he was an All-Conference Pitcher and in his Senior season he earned All-Conference Utility Player. Bryan went on to play D3 Baseball at McDaniel College in Maryland as a Pitcher and began to volunteer as an assistant coach in the summers for a local high school. It was then that he knew he wanted a career in coaching.  When Bryan is not coaching, he is attempting to watch every second of Tampa Bay Rays’ games and teaching Special Ed at Manassas Park HS in VA.

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Coach Will French
Assistant Coach

​Coach Will has been coaching with Wild Bill for 5 years. Originally from Alexandria, Will grew up playing baseball in McLean Little League. Coach Will previously played for Max and then went on to play for McLean HS all four years. Coach Will is a huge Pittsburgh Pirates fan but an even bigger Shohei Ohtani fan. Will currently is the assistant coach for Wild Bill’s 12 Black team and helps out with other teams as needed.