The recent heat wave has been enough to sap the enthusiasm from even the most dedicated baseball and softball players, but Marcus Barriger has a solution.
Barriger is the owner of the Balls-n-Strikes indoor training facility, located in the Family Sportsplex at 2346 Mascoutah Ave. in Belleville. The Belleville location is part of a company which has 16 franchises - 12 in Missouri, three in Arkansas and one in Illinois.
"The Balls-n-Strikes franchise was started by an individual in St. Louis and it has continued to grow," Barriger said. "We want to give every kid the opportunity to learn the game of baseball the right way and not get hurt. Whether it's baseball or softball, we want to show them the hard work and dedication it takes to keep moving forward in the sport."
Barriger, who turns 29 on Aug. 5, has solid baseball credentials. A 2000 graduate of Belleville West High School, he had Tommy John surgery during his junior year in 1998.
"I was the youngest person at the time to receive the surgery," Barriger said. "Tommy John surgery was still pretty new and the only guys having it were Major League baseball players trying to resurrect their careers. Now it's a very common surgery and kids who are 10 or 11 years old are having it."
Barriger recovered in time to pitch as a senior at West and went on to play two years at Kaskaskia College and was drafted in the 44th round by the San Diego Padres in 2002. He didn't sign and pitched one year at Armstrong Atlantic State University and was selected in the 17th round by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2004. Still bothered by injuries, he pitched one season for the Rays' Class A Hudson Valley affiliate and pitched for the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League in 2005 and 2006.
Nine years ago, Barriger began working at the Sportsplex for a baseball facility operated by Belleville West coach Lee Meyer. He became an employee at Balls-n-Strikes when the Belleville location opened in 2005 and has been the owner since 2008.
Former Belleville West coach Bob Yagge is the primary softball instructor at the Belleville facility. Baseball instructors include Grizzlies catcher/infielder Charlie Lisk (the 2010 Frontier League MVP), former Grizzlie Mike Breyman (now the hitting coach for the River City Rascals) and Kevin Muendlein.
"Kevin is a longtime (American) Legion coach for a lot of teams and he deals a lot with youth teams and middle school kids," Barriger said. "He does hitting and fielding instruction for us."
Balls-n-Strikes has three batting cages.
"Our summer hours are a little less, but from Sept. 1 through April 31, we're open seven days a week," Barriger said. "Our main speciality is private instruction in hitting, fielding, catching and throwing.
"We don't have a certain philosophy that we teach. We try to teach what will make each kid comfortable and successful. We take into consideration what strengths they have and go from there.
"If we find weaknesses, we try to improve on them. That's how you build character and confidence."
The annual high school training program is another popular feature at Balls-n-Strikes.
"It runs from November through February and players are able to come in and get ready for the upcoming season," Barriger said. "For hitters, we try to find a stance and swing they're comfortable with. That way. when tryouts begin, they won't be starting cold.
"We've had a lot of success with the program. There's a kid who was a junior this past season and he was cut from the team as a freshman and sophomore. This year he made the JV team and he looks to make the varsity next season.
"Alex Siddle, who is from Belleville East, came here from Colorado, where he had a lot of arm problems. He was in our high school program and we tweaked a few things and he's been pain-free and injury-free the past three years."
Balls-n-Strikes isn't just for high school players, though.
"We've given instruction to kids as young as 5 or 6," Barriger said. "There was a guy who was 48 and wanted to pitch in the Fountain of Youth League in Cahokia, and we worked with him.
"Our instruction isn't just for elite athletes. We also work with kids in recreational leagues who just want to be competitive."
Balls-n-Strikes is also the home of the Southern Illinois Diamondbacks select baseball program.
"They have teams ranging in age from 8 to 14 and we do the training for their organization," Barriger said. "Tryouts are in September and October, with practice starting indoors on Jan. 1 and continuing until they're able to get outside."
For more information on Balls-n-Strikes, call (618) 207-4549 or go to www.bns.us. Barriger can be reached by e-mail at marcus.bnssports@yahoo.com.
