ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jarod Wade

This week’s All Star Baseball Academy Player of the Week goes to Jarod Wade for his performance the weekend of the 16th through the 18th. Jarod plays for ASBA Downingtown 10U Elite Team. He is a pitcher and shortstop. Jarod is coached by Keith Falcone.

Jarod was dominant on the mound for the 10U squad. In two appearances, Jarod threw 7 2/3 innings, making one start and coming on in relief in the championship game. In his 7 2/3 innings of work, Jarod racked up 11 strikeouts while scattering just 6 hits. He held his opponents to just 2 runs.

At the plate, Jarod contributed to an offense that scored 34 runs in just 4 games for an average of over of 8 runs per game. He went 6 for 13 on the weekend with 5 RBI and a run scored.

“My coaches did a great job of preparing us to play, and they’re great teachers of the game,” Jarod said. “I have great teammates and I’m having a lot of fun.”

Jarod’s father has been very impressed with All Star.

“All Star Baseball Academy has a great program. The coaches do a great job of teaching the fundamentals of the game while the kids still have fun. It’s a blast to watch them play.”

Coach Falcone was very pleased with Wade’s strong performance on the mound, saying “Jarod did a great job on the mound this weekend. He had great presence on the mound, and he worked ahead in the count. He used his change-up very effectively, which allowed him to get outs and keep the team in the game. Jarod was also a defensive standout at shortstop.”

Congratulations to Jarod for being named Player of the Week. We wish him and the ASBA Downingtown 10U Elite Team the best of luck on the rest of their season. They play again the weekend of the 31st at The Ripken Experience in Aberdeen, MD.

To schedule lessons or for more information, please contact your local ASBA facility or check out our website at www.allstarbaseballacademy.com

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY TEAM OF THE WEEK: ASBA Downingtown 10U Elite Team

This week’s All Star Baseball Academy Team of the Week Award goes to ASBA Downingtown’s 10U Elite Team. They went 3-1 this past weekend, finishing in 2nd place in the 10U Indoor War at ASBA West Chester. They lost a close game in the championship to Massapequa. They are coached by Keith Falcone.

The team’s first game was Friday the 16th against the Long Island Ducks. The offense put up 15 runs in the tournament opener, as the pitching staff held the Ducks off the scoreboard. In the team’s second game, they earned a hard fought 5-2 win over Upper Providence. Falcone’s squad mashed their way to a win in the semifinal game on Sunday, beating a strong Piedmont team by a score of 11-3. Unfortunately, the 10U Elite Team ran into a strong team from Massapequa in the championship game, losing the contest by a score of 5-3.

Leading the offensive charge for the team were Jack Nielsen, Casey Caufield, Cole Rupp and Jake Kroger. Nielsen was 5 for 13 on the weekend with 3 RBI’s and 1 run scored. Caufield went 4 for 9, scoring 3 runs with 3 RBI’s as well. Rupp scored a team high 6 runs on the weekend, going 6 for 12 with 2 walk’s at the plate. Kroger was 5 for 10 with a walk and a double, and chipped in 4 runs as well. Both Nielsen and Caufield hit home runs on the weekend.

Jarod Wade and Danny Collinson had stellar performances on the mound for the 10U Elite Team. In two appearances, Wade pitched 7 and 2/3 innings, starting Game 1 of the tournament and coming on in relief in the championship game. Wade dominated the opposing hitters with a blazing fastball, racking up 11 strikeouts while scattering 6 hits. He let up just 2 runs. Collinson was equally dominant, throwing a 5 inning complete game against Upper Providence. He also allowed just 2 runs, and held Upper Providence to just 1 hit while striking out 7.

Coach Falcone was very happy with the weekend despite falling just short of winning the championship.

“I thought we played some great baseball. The boys played great defense, the pitchers threw well, and they swung the bats well this weekend. I’m excited to see what we can do in the next couple of weeks,” Falcone said.

The ASBA Downingtown 10U Elite Team plays again the weekend of the 24th at Diamond Nation in Flemington, New Jersey.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY TIP OF THE WEEK

This week’s All Star Baseball Academy Tip of the Week comes from Jim Fasano. Jim played collegiately at the University of Richmond and professionally for the Texas Rangers organization. Jim stresses the importance of staying consistent with your approach at the plate, regardless of what happened in your previous at bats.

A lot of ball players, both young and old, tend to get frustrated when their first few at bats don’t go the way they had planned. To compensate, they try to make up for it with one big swing, instead of sticking to their approach. Whether it’s driving the ball to the gaps or staying up the middle of the field, a player must keep an approach throughout the game.

In order to stick to your approach, you need to be both physically and mentally prepared. These can both be practiced in the cage. If your approach is opposite field, then work on hitting the outside pitch off the batting tee. When you hit underhand front toss, have your practice partner toss the ball on the outer half of the plate. When you’re ready for overhand batting practice, keep the same approach. This physical preparation carries over into your mental preparation. If you feel physically prepared, then you are mentally prepared, as you have the confidence to step into the batters box and stick to your approach. You have to be mentally tough in order to stick to your approach and be focused on every pitch.

Stay tuned for next week’s All Star Baseball Academy Tip of the Week. If you have questions about hitting or want to schedule lessons, please contact your local ASBA facility.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT

Featured in this week’s All Star Baseball Academy Instructor Spotlight is Dan Williams. Dan is an instructor at ASBA Cherry Hill, where he gives lessons on hitting and fielding. Dan has been a member of the ASBA family since December of 2011.

Dan played his high school ball at Seneca High School of Tabernacle, New Jersey. Dan played shortstop and third base, and was an All-Olympic Conference selection in three of his four years. After graduating high school in 2007, Dan went on to start at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also played shortstop and third base. He was named to the All-Ivy League 2nd Team as a freshman and sophomore, and was a 1st Team All-Ivy League selection as a junior and senior. Dan graduated college in 2011, and currently holds the school’s career hits record.

When asked what he enjoys most about giving lessons, Dan said, “I love to see the improvement the kids make. To see kids go from lesson to lesson, building upon each one, it’s great.”

Outside of baseball, Dan is an avid hockey fan, and “absolutely loves” the hometown Flyers.

To schedule lessons with Dan, please call ASBA Cherry Hill at 856-433-8312.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT

Featured in this week’s All Star Baseball Academy Instructor Spotlight is Matt Baer. Matt is an instructor at the ASBA Broomall and Cherry Hill facilities where he gives pitching lessons. Matt has been working for ASBA since September of 2011.

In high school, Matt was a standout pitcher for Eastern High School in Voorhees, New Jersey. He was a 2nd team All-Group 4 selection as a senior, and was also a team captain that year. He currently holds the school record for lowest single season earned run average. After graduating in 2007, Matt went on to star for Geneva College. As a sophomore, he was an All-PAC selection, and was a team captain as a senior. Matt graduated from Geneva in May of 2011. This past fall, Matt was an assistant coach for ASBA Broomall’s 14U team.

When we asked Matt what he likes about giving lessons, he said “I like working with kids because not every kid is the same. I like the challenge of figuring out how I can help them individually.”

In his spare time, Matt can be found on the golf course.

To schedule lessons with Matt, please call ASBA Broomall at 610-355-2411 or ASBA Cherry Hill at 856-433-8312.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Umberger

After a winter hiatus for the All Star Baseball Academy Player of the Week, we are featuring ASBA Alum Nick Umberger, a senior left-handed pitcher for Shippensburg University. In three starts this season, Nick is 3-0 with a miniscule 1.29 ERA. Nick went the distance in two of his three starts, and already has two shutouts on the season. He also has walked just six batters while striking out 17 in 21 innings of work. We had a chance to ask him a few questions about his time with All Star, as well as his college experience and future plans. Here’s what he had to say:

How would you describe your experience with All Star?
It was very beneficial for me. I took a lot of pitching lessons, which really helped me out. I learned a lot from them, and I’m now able to make adjustments on my own during a game.

What ASBA teams did you play for?
I played for the ASBA Downingtown, Blue Claws, ASBA Downingtown Fall Ball, and an ASBA Fall Showcase team that played at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, New York.

Who were your ASBA coaches?
My coaches were Jim Freeman, Creighton Gubanich and Mark Freed.

What has been the highlight of playing college baseball for you so far?
I think the best part for me has been the opportunity to play with some of the best kids from around the state. You get to make lifelong friends because you’re around them all the time. It makes it a better college experience all around because they become your brothers.

How did your experience with ASBA prepare you for playing college baseball?
All Star Baseball Academy prepared me for playing at a high collegiate level. I was able to play against some of the best competition from around the country, which prepared me once I got to college.

What’s the hardest part about playing college baseball?
The number of games is a lot different. It’s a big jump to go from 15 games to 50 games. I’ve learned that conditioning and staying in shape is important in order to make it through the season. Usually I’ll make a start in a Conference game during the weekend and pitch in relief during the week, so I really have to make sure that my endurance is at a high level. Training throughout the year really prepared me for the jump.

What are you majoring in/what are your future plans?
Right now I’m majoring in marketing. I’m hoping to do something with promotional and community relations with a minor league or major league team. I would like to be involved with community outreach.

Congratulations to Nick for being named this week’s ASBA Player of the Week, and we wish him the best of luck as he continues his season. Stay tuned each week for the next ASBA Player of the Week. For more information, please contact your local ASBA facility.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY SPRING TRAINING

All Star Baseball Academy held its 3rd annual Spring Training trip at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina over President’s Day weekend. Eleven different ASBA teams made the trip down. The teams ranged in age from 9U to 12U.

The weekend started off with perfect weather on Saturday, allowing the boys a full days worth of baseball. The morning featured defensive practices and batting practice for all the teams, as they worked on bunt plays, cut-offs and relays, and 1st and 3rd plays.

After a break for lunch, the teams squared off against each other in games. Score was not kept, as the games were meant to be instructional. Coaches roamed the fields during game play, and stopped the games at certain points to make sure players were lined up correctly for cut-offs and bunt plays.

While there was a practice session scheduled for Sunday morning, the weather was uncooperative, forcing the cancellation of the morning practices. The teams were able to get their instructional games in that afternoon once the rain cleared up. Despite a drop in temperature, the games went smoothly, as the players began to understand their responsibilities on the field.

The final day culminated in coach-pitch games, much to the delight of the players. While the temperature at first pitch was in the 30’s, the spirits of the players were not deterred, as they cherished the chance to rough up their respective coaches.

Overall, the weekend was a great success. We received the following email in response to the positive outcome of the weekend:

I thought it was important to give personal recognition to the coach of the West Chester Select team, Edwin Cieslak. Ed has taken a personal interest in the team, fundamentals of the game, the mental aspect of baseball and most importantly in the individual character of each of the young men that are under his tutelage.

Most recently in our trip to Myrtle Beach, my son Brady found himself in a slump hitting. He had gotten away from his fundamental mechanics and was unable to adjust to find the appropriate correction. Even worse, it affected his mental approach to the game.

This mechanical issue was recognized by Coach Cieslak and immediately upon our return from South Carolina we scheduled a private session with Brady to make the proper adjustments. This lesson was done last night, on Edwin's own time. He spoke to Brady in a mature and reinforcing manner, and was quickly able to show Brady the mechanical adjustments he needed to make. More importantly, he imparted positive mental reinforcements to impart his knowledge of the game.

We have been around many coaches and teachers of the game. Edwin is by far the most effective in reaching the mind of a young man trying to grasp the nuances of a complicated sport. We witness it in our own son, as well as the team that Edwin is in charge of. His sacrifice of his own personal life to teach is commendable.

All Star Baseball Academy would like to thank all of the parents for making the trip down to Myrtle Beach, as well as their patience with the weather. For any questions or information, please contact your local ASBA facility.

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