Despite the cold and the snow, the winter is one of the best times to get better at baseball. Here in Sioux Falls a new indoor option for local athletes has emerged over the past month and you might know a few of its instructors.
After a lot of elbow grease and tens of thousands of dollars, the South Dakota Baseball Academy opened its doors in mid-January and co-owner Matt Tramp couldn't be happier.
"[It’s] truly a dream come true. Baseball is not only my passion, it's my lifestyle. I want to share that with everybody else as much as possible and having guys like Trevor and Joe will definitely help out," Tramp said.
Those guys are former Sioux Falls Pheasants players Trevor Lawhorn and Joe Anthonsen.
Lawhorn retired after this past season and lives in town with his girlfriend.
"I really enjoy the place. Me and Matt talked about it and we wanted to open up a baseball school here and we thought we'd excel having myself and Joe playing here for so long. We think our names would stand out," Lawhorn said.
Names and experience combined both Lawhorn and Anthonsen have roughly two decades of pro ball behind them. Now, the players are looking to pass their knowledge on to youngsters in KELOLAND through one-on-one sessions.
"My biggest thing is trying to teach them the fundamentals. Progress as we go. Don't try to hit the home run right away, work ourselves up," Anthonsen said.
"Between the two of them, 19 years of professional baseball played. I've been around professional baseball for about 10 years. It's fun to have a family of people who know how to get to that next level. It's just on us to move forward and try to get kids that shot that they deserve," Tramp said.
The Academy is open to kids ages five through 18. On top of one-on-one sessions, the South Dakota Baseball Academy also does cage rentals and can host team practices.
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