Coach - 16U
I was told from day one that the goal of this organization was not about winning or losing one game, it wasn’t about winning a weekend tournament, or winning a state or national title, these are byproducts of the system and the hard work performed by the girls. The real goal is to prepare these girls mentally and physically for their first day of high school softball. Our girls will have the confidence as an 8th grader to compete for a varsity position against juniors and seniors, they will be coachable, professional and a leader to their teammates and will have the skills to compete at any position.

Aaron VanMilligan

I work for the City of Marion as the Operations and Facility Manager for the Marion Parks Department. My wife is Misty VanMilligan and we own the Marion Pizza Ranch and the Cedar Rapids Edible Arrangements both of which Misty runs the day to day operations. Misty and I have four children Gage (16), Rae (14), Gunner (12) and Penn (4). I graduated for Wartburg College with a B.A. in Elementary Education and I wrestled for the Knights during my college career. I attended Linn Mar High School where I played on 2 state championship football teams. Throughout my athletic career I have been coached by hall of fame coaches on the state and national level and I bring what I’ve learned from them to my coaching.

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“Playing games every day and then getting to hang out with my best friends at the pool, run around the hotel, or dress up for the parade created moments that I wished could last forever.”- Alyssa Wiebel     
“Playing with the Blue Devils enabled me to form some great friendships with a special group of players.”- Erin Kuba     
“If you’re five minutes early, you’re five minutes late. Once a Blue Devil, Always a Blue Devil.”- Maddie Hansen     
“It was my proudest moment because I persevered through the heat and some self-doubt to help my team win the game.”- Gabi Carter     
“All of these people helped to create an environment that supported and encouraged the teams that I got to play on as a Blue Devil.”- Hannah Towns     
“The skills I learned from the Blue Devils helped me become the person I am today and helped me to achieve my goals of going to the State Tournament in High School and then playing in college and going to the National Championship.”- Katelyn Holub     
“I look back with great fondness to those times. I learned to work hard and intelligently in practices. I stay in contact with many of the girls I played with and still consider them my friends. I also am deeply grateful for the excellent mentoring I received from my coaches.”- Olivia Usher     