May 8, 2017

Meet Bill Rosencrans of Chicagoland Baseball and Softball Academy in Niles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Rosencrans.

Chicagoland Baseball Academy is owned and operated by Bill. He was a high school head baseball coach and Special Education teacher before venturing into private business. After graduating from Illinois State University, Bill spent 7 years as a teacher and assistant coach at Mundelein High School and earned a master’s degree from St. Xavier University. While he was at Mundelein he was part of a program that finished 4th in state, won 5 regional championships and sent numerous players to play baseball in college.

Bill left Mundelein in 2008 to become the head baseball coach at Lakes High School. During his tenure at Lakes High School the team won their division for the first time in school history in back to back years while also winning a total of 46 games.

After leaving Lakes in 2010, Bill spent time at Fastball USA where he worked with and learned from Mike Ryan. Located in Schaumburg, Fastball is cutting edge and well known for creating 90 MPH baseball players with their Explosive Hitting and Black Belt Pitching programs. During this time Bill coached at the feeder, freshman, sophomore, varsity and American Legion level.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
All things considered it has gone really well. However, starting a business takes time and enrollment was slow the first year.

We also changed the structure of the business since first opening. In the beginning we did not plan to have our own teams. After a few years training players we noticed that they were leaving us for other organizations that did have teams. We made that adjustment and currently have six teams.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
1) In our opinion, the best part of youth sports is that it teaches players life essentials: Accountability, competition, consequences, communication, leadership, attention to detail, hard word, and teamwork.

2) Our system gets incredible results. We objectively measure hitting, throwing and agility. In 5 years, we amassed stats for 800 players. Below is the average increase after only one month:
*Exit speed (how fast the ball travels off the bat): more than 8mph
*Bat speed: more than 10mph
*Throwing velocity: more than 6mph

3) Training schedule: 4 days a week all year. Our players get better because they put in the time. Nobody can match our workout program.

At CBA we feel that the best things about youth sports are Players learn: Accountability, teamwork, consequences, communication, leadership, attention to detail, hard word, and competition.

Goals for our players
*Make player the best they can be. Get the most out of their potential.
*Get ready for HS ball.
*Be the best player on your HS team.
*College

Our practice schedule.
Our players get better other businesses require we develop skills.
We teach.

What were you like growing up?
I was always involved in sports and school activities. Growing up I played baseball, football and soccer, and was involved in wrestling and swimming. I worked summers for the Park District and for the after school program during the school year. It gave me a good base for working with young people.

Pricing:

Teams: $2,799 included 50 games, 4 days of training all year and unlimited renting
Private lessons; 5 lessons for $250
Renting: cage $25 per half hour, facility $110 per hour

Contact Info: