Phenom Baseball Academy, Louisville

The phone rings. Michael Clark picks it up. "He made it," the father of one of Phenom Baseball Academy's students exclaims over the line. "He made the team." Michael, a former pro-baseball player and current local scout for the San Diego Padres, has received this call from many parents. He started the academy after his time as a high-school coach put him face-to-face with numerous youth players who would try out for his team and clearly struggle, suffering from a lack of sound fundamentals. Michael and his group of seasoned coaches lead their group and individual training sessions inside a 4,700-square-foot training facility, which is furnished with quality field turf and three batting cages. During sessions, players aged 8–18 years old move about the expansive field, hitting, catching, and throwing under the guidance of up to four instructors. Parents who want to watch can do so from the upstairs viewing area, which positions them safely away from flying balls and the catcher's hand-signal requests for a juice box.