The BULLDOGS continue to raise the bar in terms of high quality, baseball and fastpitch training and practice facilities for the young people of the south King and north Pierce County regions and are now ready to make one of the most exciting announcements in many years!!
The GRAND OPENING of the new BULLDOG Sports Training Center will be a Three Day Event over
Labor Day Weekend
Our new facility is in a full building just off the 24th Street exit of Hwy 167 a few miles south of the Auburn Super Mall. This new Training Center is being designed to be absolute state of the art with: Professional grade artificial turf, high tech lighting, dedicated full infield, iron mike cages, double bullpens, flexible configurations for various practice needs, speed and agility training and equipment, a team meeting room, and a professional training staff, with proven experience, who have coached and managed local youth teams that have actually won State and NW Regional Championships and competed successfully at the National level in some of the most prestigious tournaments available!! This combination of top quality professional instruction and state of the art facilities and equipment will be unparalleled in our area!!
THE BUILDING IS A STEEL STRUCTURE WITH NO SUPPORT POSTS….. One of the many great features of this facility will be a dedicated infield practice space with full 90' baselines and no posts. Even better, the infield will be completely netted, sides and ceiling, to allow for LIVE pitching and hitting to simulate REAL GAME situations. Add to this space a 20' wide X 70' long double cage with two pitching mounds and an Iron Mike, and you have the perfect facility for a great team practice.
BUT THAT 'S NOT ALL..... In addition to the infield and bullpen training section, there will be A SECOND TEAM TRAINING AREA with a another double bullpen, an Iron Mike, and four additional hitting cages with double wheel machines for curve ball practice and single wheel machines for FASTPITCH practice.
AND SPEAKING OF FASTPITCH..... With a baseball sized infield, that is fully netted, you can actually play a simulated FASTPITCH game INDOORS!! We will also have a dedicated fastpitch coach to provide clinics and private instruction.
OUR COACHES OR YOURS.… Another great benefit of training in this new facility is that you get to choose if your team is coached by our training center staff or not. For those teams that want coaching support from highly experienced and successful youth coaches in the area, we have some of the best!! And, when you choose to use Training Center coach(s), you will have the same coach(s) for each session. For example: Once your team is working with our infield coach, you will only work with that coach when your team does infield training. Same for hitting, catching, base running, speed and agility training, outfield, and pitching. (Check out the credentials of our Professional coaching staff below.) You also have the option to bring in other coaches which your team may have worked with in the past. IT'S YOUR CHOICE!! A choice than can help you get the most appropriate level and amount of training your team needs in the most cost effective manner possible.
SO WHAT DOES IT COST?..... Since there are several options available to teams who train with us, the costs can vary, but our goal is to keep those prices as low as possible. To give you a good idea, here is a pricing example for a typical 13U team:
60 - Team practice sessions including: Twice weekly access to the infield, cages and bullpens during the core winter months. Team tryouts in August. Fall week day practices. Spring weekend practices. Summer pre-game hitting practice and rain-out practices.
90 - Individual practice opportunities including: Minimum of once weekly during the core winter months.
4 - Team instruction sessions with our professional coaches, during your team practice time, on areas of your choice including: Defense, speed and agility, hitting, base running…. the choice is yours.
1 - Team uniform for each player, and 3 coaches, with name and number on jersey.
1 - Team insurance policy accepted by all local municipalities for field use, Sandy Koufax and most other local leagues for league play, and most local tournaments.
2 - Dozen game-balls for your fall season.
In addition, we work together as a cooperative group of teams to request and schedule fields and all our teams share equally in access to those fields.
So what does that cost?? $995.00 per player for a typical 13U team
Hard to believe, but it is true……..
Uniforms Team Insurance Practice on an indoor infield
Professional Training Year round access to the facility
Game balls Support with fields and more…..
Maybe best of all……to ensure that players get the practice they need, the BULLDOGS NEVER schedule more than two (2) teams in the training center at the same time!! We just don’t want to see players standing in line waiting for a few cuts or a couple of ground balls. In order to ensure that all teams get excellent access opportunities at resaonable time, there is a limit of 30 total teams which will be able to use the training center during the year!!
If your team is interested in an opportunity to train with us, you will want to act quickly since we are already beginning to accept deposits for next season. To discuss how your team can secure a place in the new training center, please contact the Training Center Manager, Jay Garthwaite at 253-350-9932 to make an appointment to meet with our staff.
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BULLDOG TRAINING STAFF
The Bulldog professional training staff is made up of coaches who have actual experiance WINNING at the State and National levels.
TIM BARTLETT - Defensive Training Coordinator
The Training Center is pleased to announce the addition of Tim Bartlett as Defensive Training Coordinator and Instructor. Tim has over 29 years of baseball coaching and managing experience from High School to nationally ranked select teams.
From 2003 to 2007 Tim served as the infield coach for the Kentwood High School Baseball Team during which the team made four consecutive trips to the State High School Playoffs including 2 “Final Four” appearances.
Tim is well know at the national level as the founder of the Cannons Baseball Club and manager of the 2003 and 2004 Cannons Baseball teams who won the Washington State Championship both years, and in 2004, won the CABA National Championship Tournament in Dublin Ohio. As a manager, who has actual experience winning state and national baseball championships, Tim is in a unique position to understand what is required to compete at these levels and more than qualified to teach those skills to young players.
Since 2006, Tim has provided advanced infield training for many of the top youth players in our area through his Gold Glove Infield Camps. Many of the players, Tim coached, have gone on to play at the college and professional levels.
For the past two years, the Cannons and Bulldogs have worked together on training and facilities. Both years, Tim provided infield training for all Bulldog teams and the Cannons utilized the Bulldog indoor training facility for hitting practice during the fall and winter. This affiliation will continue, at the new Bulldog facility.
When the new Training Center opens, this September, Tim Bartlett will be available to provide advanced individual and team instruction in all areas of the game with an emphasis on infield skills and hitting. He will also coordinate and manage infield training camps each quarter.
The addition of Tim, to lead our defensive training program, is a great step forward toward building the most experienced and successful youth baseball training program in the Puget Sound area.
JAY GARTHWAITE - Offensive Training Coordinator
As a member of the 2008 and 2009 Bulldog teams, Jay Garthwaite lead the teams in almost every offensive category setting a team and program record of 24 home runs in 2009 as the team won the Washington State Championship, NW Regional Championship and advanced to the final game of the Senior Babe Ruth 18U World Series.
Best know for his offense during high school, Jay holds the Washington State 4”A” Home Run season record. Less know, is that Jay set a High School strike out per inning record in 1999 averaging more than 2 strike outs per inning. He posted only one loss as a Bulldog Pitcher in 1999 and, as a professional player for the Diamondbacks High “A” team in Lancaster California, Jay became one of the very few professional players to play and pitch in the same regular season game.
Jay was drafted out of High School by the Oakland “A’s” in the 12th round but opted to play for the University of Washington where he lead the team to the final game of the 2002 regional tournament with his 2 out, bottom of the ninth inning 3 run homer over Rice. Jay was twice Pac 10 Player of the Week and once National Player of the Week. Jay signed with the Diamondbacks out of college and moved up twice in his first year to end the season in High “A” in Lancaster California. While in high "A" he led the team to the California league playoffs twice. In 2005, Jay was named player of the month for the Diamondback organization hitting over .400 with 8 home runs and 23 RBI in August. Jay tied the California League record for 4 doubles in a game and continues to hold the Diamondbacks “A” franchise homerun record. Jay advanced to “AA” baseball with the Diamondbacks in his 3rd season.
In 2006, Jay signed with the Cincinnati Reds and led the Florida State league in home runs including 2 grand slams and hitting for the “Cycle”. Jay played one season of “AA” with the Reds and was called up to the “AAA” Bats for the 2006 post season. During his professional career, Jay played 7 different positions giving him a broad understanding of the game from every perspective. During each off season, Jay has returned to his home in Kent to instruct younger players and coordinate training for the Bulldog organization including the 2002 and 2007 18U teams which won the Washington State Senior Babe Ruth Championship with the 2002 team winning the NW Regional and returning to the Senior Babe Ruth World Series finishing 5th. As a player and coach, Jay has actual first hand experiance winning at the State and National level. He has a proven track record of helping younger players win and currently provides private instruction to many of the top young players from the Kent area. Jay is now managing the Bulldog 18U Bowen Scarff team.
When the new training center opens in September, Jay will continue to coordinate Bulldog Spring Training Camps and hitting clinics for Little League aged players, as well as offer private and small group instruction in all areas of the game.
