Baseball Factory and Under Armour Give Back to Baltimore Community

Steve Sclafani, Baseball Factory CEO/Founder, works with players during the defensive fielding portion of the workout.

Baltimore, MD. – Baseball Factory and Under Armour held a free event for student athletes from Baltimore City Public High Schools. The event took place on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at the Medfield Heights Elementary School Baseball Field. The players attended Baseball Factory’s Premium Video Program (PVP), which is sponsored by Under Armour. Baseball Factory holds over 180 PVP events throughout the country every year. The event was presented through Baseball Factory’s Foundation, which was started during the company's inception in 1994. To this day, the importance of giving back and helping the community continues to be a driving force at the Columbia, Maryland based company.

Sixty players attended the free event representing 15 different inner-city Baltimore Public High Schools. During the PVP, players performed in front of Baseball Factory’s staff of former professional scouts, former professional players and former college coaches who evaluated each player’s speed, pitching, hitting, defense, and arm strength. Each player was videotaped as they went through the workout and will receive a personal player webpage that they can email to college coaches nationwide to aid in the college recruiting process. The webpage will contain a professionally edited video of their performance plus a written evaluation from Baseball Factory’s scouts. The evaluation will identify the player’s strengths and areas for improvement and will give each player an idea of how they compare to other high school players nationwide.

“We were thrilled when approached with the opportunity to host this event,” said Rob Naddelman, Baseball Factory President and Baseball Factory Foundation Executive Director. “Being a Maryland based company, it’s important for us to help student athletes right in our backyard. This was an excellent opportunity to give back and Baseball Factory hopes to continue to help players for years to come.”

Each player in attendance received a free Under Armour Baseball Factory T-shirt and hat as well as free Under Armour baseball pants. At the workout, Baseball Factory provided families with college recruiting information to help them understand the steps that will increase their chances of playing college baseball and receiving scholarships.

Ben Hyman, Special Assistant to President Bernard C. "Jack" Young of the Baltimore City Council, was stunned by all of the players in attendance on Sunday.

“In these schools, baseball is only played in the spring and is something you do to stay in shape for football and basketball,” said Hyman. “But Baseball Factory proved that a respected company running a first-class event can draw kids in any season. Encouraging kids to play baseball year-round is a huge accomplishment and I'm extremely grateful that Baseball Factory has been able to do that.”

The Factory Foundation’s goal is to promote baseball, education and quality of life for children across America. The Factory Foundation aims to give underprivileged children an opportunity to enhance their baseball experiences through player development camps, national tournaments, showcases and college recruiting programs with Baseball Factory.