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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
MLB players come for Saturday opening
By Nathan Hague
The Baytown Sun Published November 5, 2009 BCA baseball coach Kade Johnson, a former Milwaukee Brewer, is teaming up with other professional baseball players to provide the community with a top of the line baseball and softball complex.
This Saturday, Nov. 7, Lone Star Bat will host an open house where anyone can come in and take free batting practice. Instructors will be on site as well as MLB players such as Astros pitcher Chris Sampson, Astros catcher J.R. Towles, Washington Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock, Yankee farmhand Brett Marshall and more.
“We will have nine professional players and instructors on staff and at the open house,” said Johnson, who spent seven years with Milwaukee minor league teams.
Sampson and Johnson came up with the idea about five years ago after meeting at another batting cage in Tomball.
“Chris and I talked about how great it would be to open one up ourselves where we could help kids train for baseball and softball,” Johnson said. “Last year Chris was home early because he was hurt and we just decided to jump right into it.
“I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time, and I think it’s being done right.”
Lone Star Bat will have five 14-foot by 70-foot cages with machines pitching up to 85 miles per hour. The softball cages pitch up to 60 miles per hour.
Johnson says this is not just another ordinary facility.
“We’ve been working on bringing this facility to life,” he said. “We want to create the shock and awe as you walk in. It’s not some winky dinky baseball facility. We really want it to stand out.”
The facility is located on 204 YMCA Drive in Baytown. Chiropractor Dr. Tim Stiff will be there giving free adjustments.
“It’s great to see a bunch of people trying to help each other out,” Johnson said. “When you see that, you know things are going to be pretty successful. We especially want to help the youth of the area.”
Johnson said Lone Star Bat will also consist of a pro shop where you can buy equipment for all your baseball and softball needs.
The facility will be open Mondays through Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Web site www.lonestarbat.com should be up and running soon.
The Baytown Sun Published November 5, 2009 BCA baseball coach Kade Johnson, a former Milwaukee Brewer, is teaming up with other professional baseball players to provide the community with a top of the line baseball and softball complex.
This Saturday, Nov. 7, Lone Star Bat will host an open house where anyone can come in and take free batting practice. Instructors will be on site as well as MLB players such as Astros pitcher Chris Sampson, Astros catcher J.R. Towles, Washington Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock, Yankee farmhand Brett Marshall and more.
“We will have nine professional players and instructors on staff and at the open house,” said Johnson, who spent seven years with Milwaukee minor league teams.
Sampson and Johnson came up with the idea about five years ago after meeting at another batting cage in Tomball.
“Chris and I talked about how great it would be to open one up ourselves where we could help kids train for baseball and softball,” Johnson said. “Last year Chris was home early because he was hurt and we just decided to jump right into it.
“I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time, and I think it’s being done right.”
Lone Star Bat will have five 14-foot by 70-foot cages with machines pitching up to 85 miles per hour. The softball cages pitch up to 60 miles per hour.
Johnson says this is not just another ordinary facility.
“We’ve been working on bringing this facility to life,” he said. “We want to create the shock and awe as you walk in. It’s not some winky dinky baseball facility. We really want it to stand out.”
The facility is located on 204 YMCA Drive in Baytown. Chiropractor Dr. Tim Stiff will be there giving free adjustments.
“It’s great to see a bunch of people trying to help each other out,” Johnson said. “When you see that, you know things are going to be pretty successful. We especially want to help the youth of the area.”
Johnson said Lone Star Bat will also consist of a pro shop where you can buy equipment for all your baseball and softball needs.
The facility will be open Mondays through Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Web site www.lonestarbat.com should be up and running soon.