Facility Administrators
Tanner Vavra
Tanner Vavra, the oldest of the three Vavra brothers, began his athletic career at Menomonie High School. After dominating the Prep scene, the middle infielder took his passion for the game to the collegiate level. Through his freshman and sophomore years, he mashed to an average of .407 and .421, undoubtedly leading the MATC Wolfpack to the NJCAA World Series in respective seasons. From Madison, he took the next step at Division 1 Valparaiso University. To no surprise, He then lead the Crusaders to back to back conference championships and 2 NCAA Regional appearances, toting whopping averages of .332 and .330. In the summer he would continue his offensive success leading one of the top college leagues in the country, the Northwoods League, with a .381 average while collecting mid and post season all-star accolades.
This leadership and determination got the attention of the Minnesota Twins, who selected him in the 2013 MLB Draft. Tanner would play for three different Twins affiliates over the following four years. With them he would be awarded the Harmon Killebrew award in back to back seasons. After the Twins Tanner would move on to the St.Paul Saints and Sioux City Explorers for two seasons.
During the winter of 2015-2016 Tanner traveled to Australia to play in the Australian Baseball League. Here he would become a mid-season and postseason all-star while hitting a solid .310 mark.
If all of his accomplishments haven't got your attention, his perspective of things might. Tanner has accomplished all of this things without the vision in his right eye after two separate accidents. Eight surgeries later, Tanner is unable to see out of the eye and has used this as a platform for other players with a disability of any kind. Tanner has shown his leadership qualities, and passion of the game throughout his playing career.
Due to his current standing as an assistant coach at the University of Saint Thomas, all training must follow NCAA Compliance Rules. Please contact Tanner if you’re interested in training.
Trey Vavra
The middle brother, Trey, also began his playing days in Menomonie. He spent time playing all over the infield there. The 2010 Big Rivers Conference Player of the Year, decided to continue his baseball career by playing at Madison College. Trey excelled in Madison where he became a 2x NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Year (2011,2012), a 2 Time NJCAA World Series All-Tournament Team (2011, 2012), a 2 time Northwoods League All Star in the summers, and the 2012 Madison College Sportsperson of the Year. This large amount of success earned him a Division 1 Scholarship and ultimately the opportunity to be drafted by the Minnesota Twins. His success continued at the professional level where he was an All Star in his first three seasons across three different levels (Rookie, Class A, Class A Advanced) In 2016 his power at the plate earned him the opportunity to participate in the Florida State League Homerun Derby. Also in 2016, Trey traveled overseas in the winter months to play in the Australian Baseball League where he was an All Star player yet again. This fun-loving and compassionate athlete enjoys passing on his knowledge in a simple and entertaining manner. He enjoys the opportunity to work with every athlete, regardless of talent or current skill level.
Due to his current standing as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, all training must follow NCAA Compliance Rules. Please contact Trey if you’re interested in training.
Terrin Vavra
Terrin is the youngest of the three brothers. He also began his playing days in Menomonie. Terrin quickly became an important part of the MHS program making the Varsity team as a Freshman. He went on to achieve 4x Big Rivers All-Conference Selections, Big Rivers Conference Player of the Year Selection, 2x All-District Selections, All-District Player of the Year Award, a First Team All-State Selection, and Leader Telegram All Area Athlete of the Year. His success at MHS earned him a scholarship to play at the University of Minnesota. There, his success continued right away. He quickly earned the starting shortstop position and ran with it. In Terrin’s three year career for the Golden Gophers he had a .351 career batting average, 98 RBIs, 13 HRs, and a .969 fielding percentage. He also propelled his team to 2 Big Ten Conference Championships, 2 Regional Appearances, and a Super Regional Appearance. Vavra’s success earned him First Team All-Conference in the Big Ten, and First Team All American honors as well as being named Team MVP in his junior season. He was a 3rd round selection (96th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 MLB Draft and is currently living out his professional dreams. In the 2019 season, Terrin won South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player as well as Most Outstanding Shortstop. Terrin loves to share the knowledge that he has learned throughout his career and we are proud to have him as a part of the Triple Threat Training Team.
Nick Lackney
Nick grew up in Madison, WI before moving to Milwaukee where he attended Whitefish Bay High School. Here he played multiple positions in baseball and was also a member of the WFBHS basketball team. During his athletic career at WFBHS, he earned All-District First Team and was an All-State Honorable Mention selection. He decided to forgo his senior season of High School baseball to join a club team. It was during his time in club ball that he earned a scholarship to play at the University of Minnesota.
Nick saw consistent growth throughout his four years of college baseball with the Gophers. He began his career with a strong freshman season by striking out 10 batters while holding a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings. During his sophomore and junior seasons Nick learned how to handle many different roles on the pitching staff. He spent time as a starter, long reliever, as well as a situational reliever. Being put into these various roles allowed him to put together an unforgettable senior season for the Gophers. In his final season with Minnesota, he posted a 2.38 ERA in 53.0 innings of work while holding opposing hitters to a .193 BAA, and striking out 49 batters. He was a key component of the Golden Gopher pitching staff that won 2 Big Ten Championships and made an NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2018. In his career he logged 65 appearances, an 11-7 record, 148.1 innings pitched, 134 SO, and even earned 2 saves. Off the field he was able to earn 3 Academic-All Big10 selections.
Nick was drafted as the 540th overall pick in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft to the Philadelphia Phillies, and is currently a pitcher in their organization. Nick is excited to bring his knowledge and passion for the game to Triple Threat Training.
Eli Wilson
Eli is a native of Seattle, WA. He was a teammate with Nick and Terrin and the University of Minnesota. For the Gophers, Eli had a tremendous career where he earned first team All Big Ten Honors as well as being an Academic All Big Ten selection. In Eli’s junior season, he led the team in a majority of categories including his .294 batting average. Ultimately his career at Minnesota led to him being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Eli is also the son of Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame catcher Dan Wilson.
Eli is a huge addition to the Triple Threat. Being a catcher, Eli provides another perspective for our players to hear and learn from. Aside from baseball, Eli is also a great role model for our players to look up to.
