Centerfield Sports Academy
Naperville's Batting Cage Headquarters in the Best Baseball & Softball Facility in DuPage County
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Dave Bender Coach of Naperville Renegades 13U Team
While the training and the people giving the training are extremely important, that’s not the whole story. The folks that are responsible for keeping the schedule straight and working with me on times when we had a conflict has also been invaluable. The team at Centerfield has always taken care of us and have been professional in doing so. I think you know how we feel! If your looking for a team of professionals to train your player, run in a first class manner, give them a try. I know you will not be disappointed.
Mike Walsh
Monday's hitting clinic at Centerfield Sports Academy in Naperville included a handful of potential future headliners.
The baseball hitting camp, which ran June 14-16, was supposed to take place at Lisle Community Park but instead was moved indoors when inclement weather intervened. Naperville, Aurora, Warrenville and Yorkville all were represented on Monday. Two of the seven teenagers from the 13 and 14 age group eagerly anticipate tenures in the Upstate Eight Conference.
Tyler Patterson, 14, of Naperville will go to Neuqua Valley next year and 13-year-old Aurora resident Craig Philipp will attend Metea Valley. Both hope to play ball in high school.
Patterson signed up for the camp for the first time this year and Philipp has been coming since he was 7. Former minor leaguer Mike Trimarco led the recent camp.
"It's a great opportunity," Patterson said of working with Trimarco. "You can tell he really knows a lot about baseball and fundamentals. He can pick out a small thing in your hitting or your pitching delivery and find out what's wrong."
Philipp pays special attention to instructors like Trimarco, one of three former pro players on staff, "because they actually had the experience and were able to make it to pro ball."
Philipp has transformed from a recreation league player to a travel team member of the Bolingbrook Bandits.
Trimarco went to Aurora Central Catholic and then Aurora University, where as a right-handed pitcher he impressed major league scouts enough that the Baltimore Orioles signed him in the 1993 amateur draft. He played six seasons of professional ball -- 4½ of those in the Baltimore organization.
Trimarco even got a taste of the independent leagues, with stops in Salinas, Calif., of the Western League and Atlantic City, N.J., of the Atlantic League. Along the way, Trimarco learned plenty of life lessons and added to his baseball acumen.
"You learn the aspect of being coachable, you open the door to seeing other coaches -- I got to meet Reggie Jackson, Jim Palmer and Bob Feller -- and the knowledge they had carried over to us," he said. "And then, even though I was a pitcher, I talked to hitters a lot and watching hitters helped, too. I've been blessed and surrounded with great coaches."
His coaching philosophy includes a blend of instructional teaching, fun, a desire to see his clients grow at each competitive level, emphasis on fundamentals and, as he terms it, "Being someone that won't lead them astray."
Part of getting kids to listen is finding the right personal touch.
"We have a coaching staff that really bonds with the kid and the family," he said. "The kids, whether we're working with them individually or in a camp, get individual attention to areas where they can improve. We try to provide one-on-one quality time with the individual."
Trimarco and the Centerfield staff emphasize a building-block approach to baseball.
"Simple fundamentals go a long way, and the customers for the most part like the route we take," Trimarco said.
Trimarco places an emphasis on the need to hit off a tee and use of soft-toss drills in order to refine one's offensive skills. He also focuses on body balance and swing mechanics, along with "a consistency of repetitions with muscle memory." Consistency at the plate is key.
Bob Aloisio of Yorkville brought in his two teenage sons to brush up on their hitting. Both Zachary (14) and Kyle (13 in a week) play travel ball for the Yorkville Foxes and have several tournaments this summer.
Aloisio made the decision to bring his boys to the camp Monday morning. He and Trimarco attended ACC together.
"All kids need fine-tuning, no matter what point they're at in their season," Aloisio said.
He said taking his sons for instruction from an objective third party works better than trying to impart his own wisdom on them.
"It's different (for them) knowing that (Trimarco's) been here as a kid wanting to get better, he's gone to college and he's worked hard to get where he got," Aloisio said.
Trimarco coaches a fall ball program through Centerfield that draws kids from as far away as DeKalb, Big Rock, Utica and Princeton. Players enjoy a 10-game season, with Saturday games for ages 13-14 and Sunday contests for those 15 and 16. He has had Benet Academy and Lisle High School athletes play in the league.
Centerfield offers programs throughout the year to help softball and baseball players elevate their games. For more information, call (630) 416-8666 or learn more online at www.centerfieldsportsacademy.com.
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