Coach Cott has been a Physical Education teacher and Head Baseball Coach at Von Steuben High School since 2008, where he has lead the Panthers to over 200 wins, including the Jackie Robinson North Conference Championship (2010, 2022, 2023) and making the Chicago Public League Final Four (2011). Coach Cott was named Jackie Robinson North Conference Coach of the Year (2023). Prior to Von, Coach Cott was a Freshman Coach at Evanston High School (2005-2007) where he had a final record of 65-23 (.738). In addition to baseball, Coach Cott has been a Varsity volleyball coach (2004-2018) in the Central Suburban League (CSL North), serving as a Head Coach 11 of those years (Niles North and Maine West). Cott finished his career recording 220 wins and 185 losses, including a Regional Championship (2012) and Conference Championship (2017).  

Coach Cott graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Honors Program at Loyola University Chicago (2000) where, in addition to being a member of the Club baseball team, he double majored in Marketing and Finance. After two-years as a financial analyst, Coach Cott went back to school for education. Coach Cott earned his teaching certificate in Physical Education and Health from North Park University (2004), before earning a Masters Degree in Education Leadership from Concordia University Chicago (2009), and a second Masters Degree in Special Education from Grand Canyon University (2012). In addition, Coach Cott has attended numerous Coaching Clinics throughout the country as a member of both of American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Coach Cott has also been a member of the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) and Chicago Public League Baseball Coaches Association (CPLBCA).

Coach Cott grew up in Western New York, where he was a two-sport Varsity athlete, lettering in Baseball and Basketball. 

 

Coach Rivera is a seasoned baseball coach with many years of experience at the high school level, particularly in the Chicago Public League. Coach Rivera was a catcher at Lane Tech HS and graduated in 1993. He played at Truman College after high school, and soon after that decided to follow his passion of coaching. His high school coaching experience spans 24 years in the Chicago Public League. His track record of success includes a freshmen city championship in 1999, a sophomore city championship in 2001, and a varsity city championship in 2016. He has been a varsity head coach at Von Steuben (’06-‘07), Northside Prep (’11-’13), and Lane Tech (’14-‘17). During 9 seasons total as a varsity head coach, he compiled a record of 163 wins 94 losses.

Coach Rivera returns to the Panthers baseball program in 2024 after working at IC Catholic Prep as Dean of Students and Assistant Head Baseball Coach during the 2022-23 school year. Coach Rivera played a major role in leading ICCP to their first varsity baseball conference championship since 2010.

Prior to IC Catholic Prep, Coach worked at Von Steuben for 17 years. Coach Rivera also returns to serve CPS as a Dean of Students again at Mather HS during the 2023-24 school year. During the summer, he is the manager of the Collegiate team of the Chicago Warriors Baseball Club, which plays in the Chicago Suburban Summer Collegiate League. The Warriors Collegiate team play their home games at North Park University and will also play and train at NEIU, home of the Von Steuben Panthers.

Coach Panczak has been a member of the Von Steuben Staff since 2020 serving as Head Freshman Coach and Program Assistant. Prior to Von, Coach Panczak served as an Assistant Coach throughout the Chicago Public League including Foreman (16 years), Walter Payton (2 years), and Northside College Prep (7 years). While at Northside, Coach Panczak was a member of Coach Rivera's Staff that made it to the CPS Final Four (4x) and won two Regional Titles. In addition, Panczak coached the Humboldt Travelers (3 years) and was on the CPS Executive Board for Baseball Operations (2 years).

Coach Panczak played baseball at Foreman high school and is still playing in Men's League to this day. In addition to baseball, Coach played Semi Professional hockey and is proud of his picture taken with the Stanley Cup after the Blackhawks Championship. 

One of Coach's favorite quotes is "Success is never owed, it's rented, and the rent is due every day"     

Coach Nowak has been coaching baseball for 35 years, ranging from 7 year old Park district players to high school Varsity teams. Coach was a baseball and hockey player growing up, playing for various traveling teams. In addition to coaching at Von Steuben, Coach Nowak has coached baseball at St. Pat's and Northside Prep. Coach's main area of expertise is working with the Pitching Staff.  

Coach JD has been teaching Physical Education, Health, and Reading Intervention in CPS for the past 16 years.  JD has coached at the elementary and high school levels for the past 22 years.  In addition to coaching baseball at Von, JD also coaches middle school basketball and soccer.  He previously coached baseball and soccer at Saint Patrick High School.  While at Saint Patrick, coach JD was an assistant coach for the school's first ever regional soccer championship, which the team won in back-to-back seasons.

As a 3-sport student-athlete at Saint Patrick, JD played soccer (MF) and baseball (P/3B), and was the punter and kicker for the varsity football team for 3 seasons.  Injuries and surgeries limited his playing options after high school, so JD began his coaching career after graduating from Saint Patrick.  Coach JD graduated with honors from Saint Patrick, DePaul University (BSPE, minor in History), and Concordia University (master's in School Leadership with Type 75 Certification).  He also holds endorsements in Health Education, Social Science, and English as a Second Language (ESL).