Our Team of Advisors
JD Smith — Player Advisor
JD Smith brings a unique combination of high-level playing experience, firsthand recruiting knowledge, and a deep understanding of the different paths available to aspiring college baseball players to his role as an advisor with Tier One Sports Group.
A native of Valdosta, Georgia, JD was a highly accomplished high school pitcher and infielder. He earned GHSA Region 1-6A First-Team honors as a pitcher, was recognized as a Perfect Game Preseason All-American, was a two-time All-State selection, and reached the 100-strikeout mark during his senior season at Valdosta High School.
JD's career has given him firsthand experience with nearly every part of the modern college baseball landscape. At the College of Central Florida, he went 4-0 on the mound while helping the Patriots capture conference, Florida state, and NJCAA national championships in 2023. His career also included time within NCAA Division I programs at Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and the University of Georgia, giving him direct exposure to the recruiting process, transfers, roster competition, player development, and the realities of navigating college baseball at multiple levels.
That journey makes JD particularly valuable to Tier One athletes and their families. He understands that recruiting is rarely a perfectly straight path. His experience allows him to relate directly to players navigating recruitment, JUCO baseball, Division I opportunities, transferring, injuries, roster decisions, and ultimately the pursuit of professional baseball. Rather than advising athletes solely from the outside, JD can draw from experiences he has personally lived.
As a Tier One advisor, JD focuses on helping players identify realistic opportunities, properly position themselves for college programs, communicate effectively with coaches, and make informed decisions about their baseball future. His goal is to give each athlete the guidance, perspective, and advocacy needed to find the right opportunity and continue moving their career forward.
JD Smith | Player Advisor
National Champion • NCAA Division I Experience • Professional Pitcher
Adam Stenson — Founder & Lead Advisor
Adam Stenson is the Founder and Lead Advisor of Tier One Sports Group, bringing a rare combination of experience as a college player, international pitcher, collegiate coach, recruiting coordinator, and national team coach to the athletes and families he advises.
Adam played collegiate baseball as a pitcher at Dakota College at Bottineau before continuing his playing career internationally with the Clermont Arvernes in France’s Elite League 1. During his season in France, he recorded 82 strikeouts over 65.2 innings and finished among the league leaders in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings.
His experience in baseball extends well beyond playing. Adam returned to Dakota College at Bottineau as a Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, where he worked directly in player development while also gaining firsthand experience evaluating prospective student-athletes, communicating with recruits, and understanding how college programs build their rosters. His responsibilities included developing pitchers in areas such as mechanics, velocity, secondary pitches, pitch sequencing, and game strategy.
Adam's coaching career later expanded to the international level when he joined the Pakistan National Baseball Team as a pitching coach, working in player development, game strategy, recruiting, and helping players pursue opportunities within the American college baseball system.
That combination of playing, coaching, and recruiting experience is at the foundation of Adam's approach to advising. He has experienced the college baseball process as a player, evaluated athletes from the coaching side, recruited players into a college program, competed internationally, and worked with athletes attempting to advance their careers across different levels of the game.
Through Tier One, Adam focuses on helping athletes and families navigate what can often be an unnecessarily complicated recruiting process. His approach emphasizes honest player evaluation, individualized recruiting strategy, direct communication with college programs, identifying realistic opportunities, and finding the right overall fit for each athlete rather than simply chasing the biggest name available.
Adam has built his network throughout college, professional, and international baseball and uses those relationships alongside an understanding of roster construction and recruiting to advocate for Tier One athletes. His objective is straightforward: give every player the information, exposure, strategy, and representation necessary to maximize their opportunities to continue playing baseball.
Adam Stenson | Founder & Lead Advisor
College Recruiting Coordinator • International Playing Experience • Collegiate Pitching Coach • Pakistan National Team Coach