Baseball Academy trains
you to play like a pro

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

In 1999, Tom Curtiss’ dream of playing professional baseball became reality. The lefthanded pitcher — whose fastball was clocked at 92 mile per hour — was drafted in the 18th round by the Atlanta Braves.
These days, the 31-year-old Curtiss, who played in the Braves’ farm system for three years, still has close ties to baseball — but in a different way. He’s teaching the next generation of athletes how to get there.
"I always thought I’d be coaching one day, but I thought I would be coaching a team, not really as a private instructor," said Curtiss, director and coach of the All-Star Baseball Academy in Warminster. "It’s fun working with kids, and I love baseball stuff. It’s definitely an interesting experience. It’s a lot more rewarding than I thought it would be."
After being released by the Braves in 2001, he eventually found himself working as a full-time instructor at the All-Star Baseball Academy, an organization that teaches the fundamentals of baseball through coaching clinics, youth camps, private lessons and weight-training.
The organization originated 10 years ago in Broomall, then expanded to West Chester and Downingtown. The most recent location opened in Warminster in September.
The facility, located off Street Road, has five retractable batting cages, each spanning 50 feet in length. There also is a turf field, weight room and pitching mounds.
"This area (Warminster) has a lot of good baseball players, which is exciting," said owner Jim Freeman. "There are a lot of good schools in this area with a lot of tradition."
The main purpose of the All-Star Baseball Academy is to develop younger athletes and enhance their knowledge of the game. Most of the staffers acquired some impressive athletic resumes in their time before venturing into the world of coaching.
For example, Curtiss — a 1999 graduate of the University of Maryland — was in the Braves’ organization from 1999 to 2001 and then joined the Allentown Ambassadors for two years, before being released.
"When I was playing I actually used to work out at All-Star," Curtiss recalled. "I would come in and throw and work out. It’s funny because now I work here."
John Bellis — a 2006 graduate of Arcadia University who is assistant director of the Warminster academy — earned All-Conference status four times, All-Region twice and All-American twice during his career as a catcher and infielder for the Knights. He is now the head coach at Arcadia.
Freeman, the owner, played second base and shortstop at Temple University before transferring to Widener University as a sophomore and earning All-American honors. He later competed as a replacement player in 1994 during the major-league baseball strike.
"We have professional coaches that can help the kids," said Freeman. "When I was younger, I felt like there was no guidance. There was no clear path to follow to get to the college you wanted. I feel like now I can give that knowledge."
In addition to physically helping the up-and-coming athletes with their game, the coaches are trying to stress the importance of academics as well.
Recently, the All-Star Baseball Academy launched a College-Ready program, which consists of three seminars created to help high school athletes with the college-application process. The program is led by Chris Calciano, the mid-Atlantic scouting supervisor for the Boston Red Sox.
"We recommend colleges, show them the proper way to fill out an application, how to write a letter to a college coach," said Freeman. "We give them a timeline involved with the process, explaining when to do what. We discuss scholarships and financial-aid criteria. We also take them to tournament showcases and qualifying events."
The various instructional programs have been very successful for some, including Gerry Oaks, who trained at the All-Star Baseball Academy before playing with the Minnesota Twins in 2003.
Other students have gone on to play college ball at Temple, Drexel, Yale, Duke, Florida and Maryland, among others.
"Four players I’ve coached are playing in college now," said Curtiss. "A lot of them will give me updates on their stats and how they’re doing, which is great.
"Just working with the kids, you get to know them a little bit and it’s a lot of fun to be able to help them," he continued. "Being able to relate my knowledge of the game to the kids and actually see them grasp what you’re telling them, and see them do it, is the best feeling." ••
For more information, visit www.AllStarBaseballAcademy.com
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com