A new baseball and softball performance academy has sprung up in Wesley Chapel.
The RockStar Baseball & Softball Ranch, which had its grand opening on Sept. 10, is owned and operated by Ryan Pryor, a former varsity assistant coach at Bishop McLaughlin and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.
(Photos courtesy of Ryan Pryor)
Situated on a five-acre property off of Old Pasco Road and Hadlock Drive, the indoor/outdoor ranch is equipped with several training amenities. It has six batting cages and machines; a pitching arena with five bullpens; various drill fields and ranges; and, 300-foot long toss/throwing lanes.
Pryor, who initially began training players out of his garage several years ago, refers to the ranch as an “old-school” training environment.
That philosophy starts in the “fit pit,” where players utilize medicine balls and flip tires for total body strength and conditioning workouts.
“They’re swinging hammers, they’ve got (water) pails they’re lifting, they’re doing movements…to do the things they need to play this game, because they don’t do that anymore,” explained Pryor. “They’re playing more because of the culture of travel ball and tournaments, and (focusing) less on the physical side — they don’t climb trees, they don’t ride bicycles, they’re not using their shoulders.”
Because of that, Pryor noted “throwing injuries have quadrupled over the last 30 years.”
Pryor, who compiled a 123-34 record in five years as an assistant high school coach, said the ultimate goal of the ranch is to “bridge the gap” between a player’s potential and his current performance.
Pryor, also a former collegiate baseball player at Fresno State University in California, said he doesn’t just seek out the top talent to develop. Instead, he assists those who’ve either been cut from teams, or the types of players who are “always stuck in right field.”
“I take a lot of those kinds of kids that aren’t in the mainstream, and I develop them,” he said. “I take kids that can’t walk and chew bubblegum, and turn them into really good talent, for them to basically reach their full potential.”
He also noted: “I see things in kids that other coaches don’t see in them.”
Throughout the year, the membership-driven ranch will feature age-specific classes, clinics, team practice opportunities, coaching workshops and advanced high school boot camps.
Private lessons and video evaluations also are available.
One noteworthy ranch feature is the expanded use of wiffle ball drills for live batting practice.
Pryor explained wiffle balls help collect useful data on a particular hitter’s strengths and weaknesses.
“It shows the spin—backspin, topspin, sidespin,” he said.
“It gives you the spread,” he said. “Are they missing the ball? Are they popping up? Are they hitting ground balls? Are they hitting the top of the ball?”
In terms of teaching, Pryor said he benchmarks instruction “at the major league standard and works it backwards” to each specific age group, from ages 6 to 18.
“I’m going to provide them with the tools, and the training they need,” said Pryor. “We’re speeding up the process.”
His key slogan is: “See it, Do it, Repeat it, Play it.”
“See it and do it at the ranch, repeat it at home with the parents, and play it in the games in various leagues,” he elaborated.
“Within a year or two, (my trainees) are passing everybody because they become more technically sound — they’re able to just move better, take better angles, and understand the concept (of the game) better.”
At the ranch, Pryor said he won’t just teach baseball lessons, but will instill life lessons, too.
Responsibility, for instance, is a major focal point.
“There’s a lot of life lessons out here,” explained Pryor. “The kids are responsible for their own water — and we hold them accountable for that kind of stuff.
“Throughout all of our training, that’s the kind of stuff that we teach out here: getting kids to be better people, and own up to their responsibilities and do what they’re capable of in their own control,” Pryor said.
For more information, visit RockStarBaseballRanch.com.
To reach Ryan Pryor, email , or call (813) 992-1030.
RockStar Baseball Ranch
Some of the features of the RockStar Baseball Ranch:
- Five-acre indoor/outdoor property
- Hitting stables with six batting cages and machines
- Pitching arena with five bullpens
- Long-toss throwing lanes
- Practice drill fields
- Golf-style batting tee ranges
- Outfield range
- Strength and conditioning corral
- Full video evaluations
Published September 14, 2016
