Hi everyone! I’m ZJ Buster, the owner and director of Arizona Elite Baseball Academy (AEBA). Baseball has been a lifelong passion of mine, and for the past 15 years, I’ve dedicated my career to coaching youth teams, managing baseball organizations, organizing competitive tournaments, and mentoring young athletes both on and off the field.

Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, I earned a scholarship to play college baseball in 2014 at Louisiana Tech University as a switch-hitting, second baseman. After competing at both the Division I and Junior College levels for three years, I transitioned into coaching while completing my education at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. As the son of a baseball coach, I always knew I wanted to follow in those footsteps—I just didn’t know when. That changed in 2017 when I was offered the opportunity to become an Undergraduate Student Manager under Hall of Fame Head Coach Paul Mainieri.

My two years at LSU were invaluable. I received my degree during a weekend series at Arkansas—in the dining hall of the hotel we were staying at. There were stretches where the other student managers and I would spend 18 hours a day at the field and the other six in the classroom. The demand for excellence in everything we did—no matter how big or small—was understood. That’s what championship cultures are built on. I met a lot of amazing people, learned from some of the brightest minds in the game and in the classroom, and experienced some of the greatest moments in college football history during LSU’s legendary 2019 national championship run—my senior year. At LSU, I was involved in every aspect of a top-tier baseball program—from operations and equipment logistics to event setup, practice planning, game-day routines, and player development.

In July 2020, I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, to coach with the Scottsdale Dirtbags. After two incredible years working alongside great families and coaches, I launched Arizona Elite Baseball Academy. Our ELITE program is built on a foundation of passion, excellence, inclusivity, and fun—creating meaningful experiences for youth players and their families.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve had the honor of coaching in highly competitive national tournaments all over the map. Since 2020, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring over 500 families through the game of baseball. I treat that responsibility with the same seriousness and passion as I would coaching at the highest levels. Our program is grounded in trust, culture, and accountability—and we’ve built something truly special that blends elite competition with strong community roots. I’m always looking for ways to elevate the experience for our athletes and their families. We’re not just building ballplayers—we’re shaping futures.

At AEBA, we believe in Building Up Champions for Life.