ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER/TEAM OF THE WEEK

The Warminster 13U Team scored 37 runs and went 2-1 at the Ripken Fall Classic in Aberdeen, MD last weekend.  The team is coached by Phil Kelly (top right), who was pleased with the hot bats and good play in the field.

The team won the ASBA "Team of the Week" award this week.

All Star Baseball Academy is pleased to announce our Players of the Week, and also recognize the players who have been nominated by their coaches:

ALL STAR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:


Trevor Roberson, 12U Broomall Team— Trevor blasted 2 HR’s in the Sports At The Beach Tournament in DE and also made nice plays in the infield for the Broomall squad.


Bobby Watters, 15U Downingtown Team—Bobby was hot at the plate in the ECTB Wood Bat “Bases Loaded” Tournament in Palmyra, PA. He went 5 for 9 with 4 RBI’s and 2 doubles and also contributed on the mound, with a save.


Justin Rounick, 13U Warminster Team—Justin helped his team earn a 2-1 record at the Ripken Fall Classic with 6 strong innings pitched. He got a win with only 2 earned runs allowed and a total of 7 K’s.


Also Nominated:


Patrick Meenan, 13U Warminster Team— Patrick went 5 for 8 with 5 RBI’s and 4 stolen bases.


Gabe Hofferman, 13U Warminster Team—Gabe was hot with 5 for 8 hitting, 4 RBI’s and 5 stolen bases.


Pierce Greenleaf, 15U Downingtown Team—Pierce tossed 6 good innings in his team’s 7-5 win at the ECTB Wood Bat Tournament near Hershey, PA.


Matt Timoney, 17U West Chester Showcase Team—Matt fired 3 excellent innings with 7 K’s at the Wood Bat World Championships in Jupiter, FL last weekend.



ALL STAR BASEBALL TEAM OF THE WEEK:

13U WARMINSTER TEAM

The All Star Team of the Week is the 13U Warminster squad that went 2-1 with an offensive explosion at the Ripken Fall Classic in Aberdeen, MD last weekend. The team scored 37 runs in the 3 games at Ripken, an average of more than 12 per game! These “Warminster Wallopers” are coached by Phil Kelly.


RUNNER-UP TEAMS OF THE WEEK:


ASBA 15U DOWNINGTOWN TEAM AND 17U WEST CHESTER SHOWCASE TEAM


The Downingtown team was led at the ECTB Tourney by hitters Bobby Watters, David Gibb, and Nick Bulisky and pitcher Pierce Greenleaf. The Showcase Team of Coach Mike Manning was paced by pitchers Matt Timoney, Tony Urban, and Jake Drossner, and also by hitters Andrew Amaro, AJ Koscelansky, and Thomas Spitz. The Showcase squad went 2-1-1 at Jupiter, FL.


Congratulations to all of our weekly winners! Look for Player and Team of the Week updates each week on our ASBA Blog as the Fall Tournament season nears the end of the year….. And keep those photos coming! Send to ken@allstarbaseballacademy.com.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL TIP OF THE WEEK.......

Pitcher Ryan Madsen Throws a Mean Circle Change

This week's Tip is from Ken Brown, Assistant Manager and popular coach of tournament teams at our Broomall Academy.  To schedule a series of lessons with Ken or another of our top instructors at Broomall, call 610-355-2411 or e mail Ken at kenb@allstarbaseballacademy.com.  We look forward to helping your All Star develop his skills over the Fall and Winter so he can star on the field in the Spring!

KEEP THE ADVANTAGE BY KEEPING HITTERS OFF BALANCE!

An important factor of being a successful pitcher is the ability to change speeds well.  If you can effectively change speeds, then you can deceive hitters and keep them off balance!

The best pitch that achieves this is the "changeup."  The changeup is the most effective pitch against hitters at any age. This is because the spin of the ball on a changeup looks just like a fast ball, but comes in much slower.  This change of speed causes the batters to be off balance, thus putting the advantage in the pitcher's favor. 

The most effective changeup is the "circle" change.  To throw a circle changeup, make a circle with your throwing hand (using your thumb & index fingers). You then center the baseball between your three other fingers. The baseball should be tucked comfortably against the circle.  In order for this pitch to be effective, we must throw it with the same arm speed and body mechanics as a fastball.  A great way to develop the fastball mechanics, but at changeup speed, is to practice throwing your changeup as you long toss (throwing beyond 90 feet). Alternate between throwing fastballs and changeups for about 20-30 throws.  Do this a couple of times per week.

 If you focus on mixing your pitches and keeping hitters guessing, you will have greater success on the mound.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER/TEAM OF THE WEEK

All Star Baseball Academy is pleased to announce our Players of the Week, and also recognize the players who have been nominated by their coaches:

ALL STAR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK—


Ethan Rode, ASBA 16U Warminster Team—Ethan pitched very well at the Berkshire Tournament for the 16U Warminster squad, tossing 9 strong innings with 10 K’s. He allowed only 2 hits and took a perfect game into the 6th inning!


Patrick Pitman, 18U ASBA Downingtown Team—Patrick had a great weekend on the mound and at the plate for the 18U Downingtown team. He threw 7 innings with 10 K’s and only 3 hits and 3 runs allowed. At bat, he was 6 for 8 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI’s.


Also Nominated:


Kevin Devine, 16U Warminster Team—Kevin threw 7 excellent innings in the Berkshire Tournament and got a win for the Warminster squad, which finished 1-1-1 in the tourney.


Trevor Roberson, 12U Broomall Team—Trevor did a super job at third base for the Broomall squad last weekend at the Sports At The Beach Tournament, and he also had two hits including his first HR of the year!

TEAM OF THE WEEK – ASBA 18U DOWNINGTOWN TEAM


The All Star Team of the Week is the 18U Prospect Team from Downingtown, coached by Keith Falcone. The squad went 2-1 at the Berkshire Rhino “Pink Ribbon” Classic. Patrick Pitman starred on the mound and at the plate and many other team members contributed too.


RUNNER-UP TEAM OF THE WEEK—ASBA 16U Warminster Team


The 16U squad coached by Phil Kelly was 1-1-1 at the Berkshire Tournament, with a 2-0 win and a 0-0 tie in 10 innings. Their only loss was 8-0 to the eventual tourney champion.


Congratulations to all of our weekly winners! Look for Player and Team of the Week updates every week on our ASBA Blog!!

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY WELCOMES NEW EMPLOYEES TO SUPPORT CONTINUED GROWTH

Former Major League catcher Creighton Gubanich (center) is the new Director of Special Events Operations for ASBA.  He will manage the planning and on-field operations of all All Star Showcases and Camps. Keith Falcone (not shown) has been promoted and is now Manager of our Downingtown academy.  See story for more details......

All Star Baseball Academy (ASBA) is pleased to welcome new employees who will help lead the growth of our four locations and the expansion of our customer base. In addition, we are pleased to announce several employees who have new, expanded positions within the company.

Founded as a single location in 1998, ASBA has grown to four Philadelphia area academies—West Chester, Broomall, Downingtown, and Warminster-Hatboro. In addition to our facility-based baseball training, we also run College Coaches Camps and Showcase events throughout the east coast, from New England to Florida.


New employees and employees with new positions at All Star Baseball Academy include the following:


John Bellis, Regional Manager—Bellis, formerly the Manager at our Hatboro-Warminster location, will manage ASBA’s facilities and operations in a new Regional Manager role. He will also be in charge of customer service, quality of instruction, and business development.


“We are excited about the growth we have experienced and the future growth of the company,” said Bellis. “There still are a lot of people who have not experienced what All Star Baseball can do for their leagues, their teams, and their sons.”


Bill Mac Pherson, Sales Manager—Mac Pherson, a West Chester resident and former player and coach in this area, will continue to manage the sales of Showcases and Camps across the
country. He is a well-known coach of champion teams in the West Chester Adult Baseball League. Mac Pherson joined ASBA four months ago.


Anita Zumwalt, Office Manager—Anita joined All Star in August with a strong human resources and accounting background. She also has several years of retail management experience.


Todd Davison, Broomall Manager—Davison will continue to manage the Broomall facility and lead its growth. A former star infielder at the University of Delaware, Todd has helped to expand Broomall’s lesson package business and the relationships with area youth leagues and teams.


Ken Brown, Broomall Assistant Manager—Brown has been named Assistant Manager at Broomall. A former player at Sun Valley HS and Bloomsburg University, Brown also coaches ASBA teams. He has a Business Management degree from Bloomsburg in 2005.


Creighton Gubanich, Director of Special Events Operations—Fomerly the Manager at the Downingtown location, Gubanich will now lead All Star Baseball’s Special Events from an operations standpoint. He will run the events with a top-notch staff of instructors and coaches. In addition, Gubanich will manage quality control and standards across all four academy locations.


Keith Falcone, Downingtown Manager—Falcone has been promoted to the position of Manager at the Downingtown location. He has been a popular instructor, coach and Assistant Manager with ASBA. Falcone starred as a shortstop and pitcher for Bishop Shanahan HS and later at York College.
Ryan Gilmore, Warminster-Hatboro Manager— Gilmore has been promoted to Manager of the new Warminster facility. He joined ASBA in 2009 and has helped lead the growth of All Star Baseball in Montgomery and Bucks counties. Gilmore starred at Rowan University and coached NJ high school teams for six years prior to joining ASBA.


Phil Kelly, Warminster-Hatboro Assistant Manager—Kelly recently joined ASBA after graduating from Neumann University with a degree in Sport Management. He starred as a pitcher in college and played high school ball at Plymouth-Whitemarsh. He was twice named “Conference Pitcher of the Week” in college.


Mark Freed, Director of Youth Special Events—Freed will develop All Star Baseball’s growth with Youth Leagues and manage all Special Events for the junior age groups. He was a standout pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and now coaches ASBA Prospect teams. Freed served as the Manager at the West Chester location for three years.


Jake King, West Chester Co-Manager—King will co-manage the West Chester facility and lead its continued growth with area leagues and teams. He played college baseball at Eastern Utah and has been a coach and instructor for 13 years. King coached American Legion baseball for 3 years and formerly worked at our Broomall location.


Brian Walker, West Chester Co-Manager—Walker joined ASBA in September after serving as the head pitching coach at the University of Delaware for four years. He will co-manage the West Chester facility. A star pitcher himself at Miami (FL), Walker was drafted in the 4th round of the MLB draft by the Mets. He had an overall record of 26-5 while at Miami.


Steve Van Note, Director of Special Events—Van Note will continue to lead All Star Baseball’s growth in Special Events such as Showcases and College Coaches Camps. He works closely with college coaches to plan new events in an expanding geographic area, as ASBA now offers events at colleges and minor league ballparks from New England to Florida.


Jared Arentz, Assistant Manager of Special Events Operations—Arentz joined ASBA six months ago in sales and now handles the administration of Special Events such as Coaches Camps and Showcases. A graduate of Drexel University’s Sport Management graduate program, Arentz is originally from central PA. He administers the registration and operations aspects of each event for ASBA.


“We’re very pleased with the growth of our customer base and looking forward to more expansion in the future,” said Jim Freeman, Operations Director for ASBA.


“All Star Baseball Academy is always looking for the best people in the industry to support our customers with their baseball training needs. We have developed an outstanding staff of employees who are excited about the future of All Star Baseball and training our players to be the best they can be.”

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COLLEGE CORNER......with Steve Van Note

Steve Van Note

Coaches look for small tendencies that lead to big first impressions!

When you arrive at a game, camp, or showcase please be aware that you will be judged as early as when you step out of the car.  The coach will probably glance at his watch to see if you are on time. Then he will look to see what you are wearing.  Appearance will tell whether you are there for baseball or you are there for social reasons. When exiting the car, you should have your uniform pants on and your shirt tucked in with belt fastened. 

Have your turf shoes or running sneakers on and laced up. This means the outfit of sandals, shorts, high socks and a sleeveless dri fit is not what a coach is looking for.  Please make your cell phone, ipod and other electronics scarce-- either in your bag or leave them in the car.

When you arrive at the dugout, a coach wants to see if the player he is there to watch is ready to play. When you enter the dugout, drop your bag, put your cleats on and ask your coach whether you need to grab your bat or glove.  Seeing a player out front of a dugout as soon as the team arrives either tossing a ball in his glove or swinging a bat with his batting gloves on means the player is there for one reason-- he is there to play. Any coach would love to see that. The player in the dugout lounging, checking a text, or waiting for the coach to say, "Let's go boys, cleats on," is a huge turn-off to the coach.

Coaches arrive early to games to watch everything.  A shortstop, centerfielder or catcher may only get two plays a game so you have to make the most of your time.

When you begin to play catch, be ready to impress. In the beginning your velocity doesn't have to be fast but your tempo should be brisk. Catch the ball in a ready position and throw it back accurately and firmly to your partner. If the ball is to your left or right move your feet over and catch the ball in the middle of your body. If you are lazy and reach for the ball what will the coach expect you to do on a ground ball at the end of game two of a double header?

Throwing the ball over your partner's head or one hopping every five throws is a big turn-off.  If you can't hit your teammate in the chest before the game, how can the coach expect you to do so when the winning run is on third and the ground ball is hit to you?

Please remember these helpful hints the next time you take the field.  Look sharp, feel sharp, be sharp!  You make an impression every step of the way.

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THE HOT CORNER.... Sports Shorts with Ken Leidheiser

Sean Coyle: Red Sox 3rd Round
Draft Pick

Right off the bat, let's congratulate the All Star Baseball Trivia Contest winners from 2 weeks ago.  The question was:  Name the only 2 activeplayers among the top 13 all-time Major League HR hitters.  No, Ryan Howard is not on that Top 13 list yet!  The correct answer was ex-Phillie Jim Thome and Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez..... First with the correct answer was Eric DiPietro.  Also getting the question correct were Drew Dunbar, Ed Crenny, Jennifer Perks, and Jim Curran.  Congrats to all of our winners who got it right!  See the next Trivia Test at the end of this Hot Corner column....

Among the top local prospects working on impressing the top brass in the Red Sox organization are local products Sean Coyle and Pete Hissey....Both starred on ASBA Elite travel teams and improved their games under Coach Mike Manning.  A Germantown Academy grad, Coyle was drafted in the 3rd round of the recent ML draft by the Red Sox and has been playing in the Fall Instructional League at the Sox camp in Ft. Myers, FL.  He is being groomed as a second baseman or shortstop....Hissey is from Unionville and is a outfielder prospect for the Red Sox.  He hs been attending a strength camp with the Red Sox in Ft. Myers, FL.  Last year, Pete batted .234 for the Salem Red Sox in the Carolina League but had 22 doubles, 6 triples and 104 hits overall.  He also scored 63 runs....

Pete Hissey: Salem Red Sox

Meanwhile, popular ASBA instructor Mike McGuire has been working hard at the Phillies' Instructional League complex in Clearwater, FL and hopes to get a shot at Class AA ball next spring.  McGuire was signed by the Phillies as a relief pitcher this summer and assigned to Class A Lakewood (NJ), where he helped the Blue Claws with their league title.  McGuire is a 6-7 righty and he compiled a 2.67 ERA with 6 saves this summer for the Blue Claws.  Mike is now back at ASBA West Chester working as an instructor in the off-season..... In the independent Atlantic League this summer, West Chester's Ben Davis battled hard to get "back to the bigs" as a pitcher.  Davis started 23 games this past season with the Camden River Sharks and went 5-11 with a 4.61 ERA.  He was originally drafted in the first round by the San Diego Padres in 1995 as a catcher and is now re-inventing himself as a pitcher.  Ben starred at Malvern Prep while in high school and has worked out at ASBA West Chester...

Hey, have you signed up your All Star for the Winter Collegiate Instructional Program (WCIP) offered by ASBA?  The WCIP is a package of 8 developmental workouts at your local ASBA facility and also 4 indoor College Coaches Camps.  Definitely a great value for the committed baseball player in your family-- the program is for players 13 to 18 years of age.  Sign up now as the first workouts are scheduled for Tuesday 11/2 and the first Coaches Camp is the weekend of 12/4 at ASBA West Chester.....Colleges coming to the area to run the Coaches Camps include:  Coastal Carolina, Virginia, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Penn State....  Call All Star at 610-399-8050 and ask for full details.  Cost for the WCIP is only $975 for the package of 8 workouts and 4 Coaches Camps...... For the first time, All Star Baseball is offering Youth College Coaches Camps for players 10 to 12 years of age.  Go to the ASBA website under "Youth Collegiate Camps" for a full list of the indoor camps offered, including Western PA and Central NJ!  The Youth Camps will help younger players take their games to the next level and star in the spring....

TRIVIA TIME:   Much has been discussed across the country this year about the 2 no-hitters (and 1 perfect gem) tossed by the Phillies' Roy Halladay.  Do you have your H2O T-shirt yet??  All Star Trivia Question of the Week:  Who holds the all-time record for MOST no-hitters in a career and how many years was it from the first to the last no-hitter for this power pitcher?  Hint: This pitcher is also the oldest to ever throw a no-hitter.  BONUS to really test your Baseball IQ:  Who has second most no-hitters all-time?  And who is the catcher who has caught the most no-hitters all-time??  


Send your answers to ken@allstarbaseballacademy.com and Go Phillies!!  Winners to be announced on the Blog next week...

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ALL STAR BASEBALL TIP OF THE WEEK.....

Play The Game With Confidence (and a little Swagger)!!


This week's Tip is from Phil Kelly, Assistant Manager and one of the top instructors at our Warminster-Hatboro facility. Contact Phil to schedule your package of lessons for the fall and winter training season at 215-672-1826. He starred locally at Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS and later at Neumann University as a conference-leading pitcher.

The Phillies' Jayson Werth has his 'swagger' perfected.

This week’s tip is not so much a drill-related tip, or even a baseball-related tip, but more of a mindset-related tip. I preach to my players all the time about playing the game with confidence!


You need to understand that baseball is very different from other sports. This is a game where when you fail 70% of the time, you are considered a great player. You cannot be afraid to fail in baseball. It is going to happen, and it is going to happen a lot. It’s how we respond to those failures that will make us better players. The key to having confidence is walking onto the field KNOWING you are going to get the job done. Having what I like to call a “Swagger.”


When you walk up to the plate, step on to the mound, or run out to your position, run out there with the confidence that if the ball is hit to you, you will catch it, if a strike needs to be thrown, you will throw it, and if the team needs a base hit, then you are the guy for the job! You never want to be the player who just hopes the guy next to you gets the job done. If you go into the game of baseball with self doubt or a lack of confidence, then more times than not, you will not be successful.


There is no problem in the game of baseball with a little bit of cockiness. Always run onto the field with your head held high and believe in yourself. The more confidence you have, the more fun the game will be, and the more success you will enjoy.


“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”

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ASBA 14U at Slugfest: Slideshow

ASBA 14U Team at Slugfest from stacey bonnell on Vimeo.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER/TEAM OF THE WEEK

All Star Baseball Academy is pleased to announce our Player of the Week Award, and also recognize the players who have been nominated by their coaches:

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:


Brian Giacchino and Dan Brogan, 16U Elite West Chester Team—Brian went 5 for 10 at the plate and scored 4 runs at the Underclass World Championship in Ft. Myers, FL. Dan tossed 7 strong innings with 8 K’s, while allowing only 4 hits and 1 earned run.


Nolan Green, 17U Broomall Team—Nolan was hot with the bat as he went 6 for 8 at the 18U Sports At The Beach Tournament.


Also Nominated:


Chris Heilman, 13U West Chester Team— Chris tossed 4 solid innings at the Ripken Columbus Day Tournament, showing excellent control and poise on the mound.


Patrick Meenan and Jack Larini, 13U Warminster Team—Patrick pitched out of a bases loaded, no outs jam in the first inning at Ripken, and threw 3 innings with 0 earned runs. Jack was 3 for 5 with a double and 3 stolen bases. He was also hit by a pitch.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:


ASBA 16U Elite Team, West Chester
The All Star Baseball team of the Week is the 16U Elite Team from West Chester, coached by Brian Walker.
The team travelled to the WWBA Underclass World Championship in Fort Myers, Florida and faced very tough competition. The ASBA squad went 1-3 but was competitive in the top Elite level tourney behind the play of Brian Giacchino and pitcher Dan Brogan.


Congratulations to all of our weekly winners! Look for Player and Team of the Week updates every week on our ASBA Blog!!

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"COLLEGE CORNER" with Steve Van Note

Steve Van Note

COMMUNICATING WITH COLLEGE COACHES--

Send a Clear, Concise E Mail and Introduce Yourself!!

As part of your plan to make colleges aware of your talent and interest, you should send a note to your top college choices and introduce yourself.  Be proactive and show your interest in the school via an e mail note that is short and to the point.

See the Sample e mail note below as an example:


Coach Smith,

My name is Steve Van Note from West Chester, PA and I play for the All Star Baseball Academy 17U team.  My primary positions are pitcher and third base, and I was named second team All Ches-Mont League last year as a sophomore.  I am in the Class of 2012 at West Chester High School, where I have a 3.8 GPA.  This winter, I will be taking my SAT's and will make sure that the results are forwarded to your Admissions staff.

I have attached my season schedule and highlighted a few of our tougher games.  I will be attending the following showcases this month:  Showcase 1 on October 23-24 at Blue Rocks Stadium, and Showcase 2 at the Camden Riversharks Stadium on November 7-8  I would love for you to come out and watch. 


My coach is Mark Freed and his phone is 610-399-8050.  If you could send me any information about your program and upcoming camps, I would appreciate that greatly as I am very interested in your program. 

Thank you,

Steve  

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ALL STAR BASEBALL'S TIP OF THE WEEK.......

...to drive the ball and add up the RBI's

Using your legs and lower half...

Use Your Lower Half-- Turn Your Hips and Legs To Drive The Ball!!

This week's Tip is from Keith Falcone, popular instructor and "Hit Doctor" at our Downingtown location.  To schedule lessons with Keith or our other top instructors at Downingtown, call 610-518-7400.  Ask about Lesson Package savings for your All Star's fall and winter hitting program!!

One of the most common areas that players seek to improve when hitting is creating more bat speed and power.  A player’s individual strength will determine how fast they swing and how much power they can generate. 

For all players, you can reach your maximum potential in these areas by properly utilizing your lower half during the course of the swing.  If the lower half rotates after the hands start to move through the hitting zone, the swing becomes longer and slower.  This creates less power.  Establishing lower half rotation early in the swing will allow your hands to get through the hitting zone much quicker, in turn maximizing speed and power to the baseball! 

If you are looking to increase your bat speed and power, take a close look at your lower half!  By rotating your hips and legs into the swing early, your hands will follow quickly and drive the ball with more power.  You'll see the difference and extra base hits will be the result!

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