BP Baseball Academy
36 Standen Drive, Fairfield
Hours:
2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday
8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
FAIRFIELD — Former Cincinnati Red Dave Collins wishes he had a teacher like him growing up in baseball.
The co-owner of BP Baseball Academy on Standen Drive near Fairfield High School is teaching young baseball players the ins and outs of the game — but also the ins and outs of being a better person.
While the BP in the academy’s name represents “better performance” and “better players,” Collins also said it represents “better people.”
“I wish I was able to learn these things and have somebody impart them on me when I was growing up,” Collins said. “We’re trying to use baseball as a platform to develop those important character traits you have to develop to be successful not only on the field but off the field as well.”
Collins, who’s lived in Mason since 1978, is the Florida Marlins' first-base coach and a 16-year major league player, including from 1978 to 1981 and 1987 to 1989 with the Cincinnati Reds.
“What I basically try to do is spend a lot of time with all these kids about the way they think,” said Collins, who owns BP Baseball with Jeff Gatch. “I tell them if they want to be a better player, then become a better thinker. The guys that play the best are the ones that think the best.”
Mark Dunaway is the business manager for BP Baseball, and is also associated with West Chester Baseball Partnership, said while there are other academies in the region, there was still a need.
Gatch had used the Standen Drive facility before opened in November as BP Baseball Academy to teach baseball.
“We had a lot of interest as we talked to teams, and one of the things that was apparent was the other options around are very highly priced,” Dunaway said. “They are very nice facilities and they are also very expensive.”
The Colerain Twp. Redwings, which plays at Little Fenway in Miamitown, had a real emotional boost when they had a practice in November, said coach Ken Owens.
“(Collins) got through to the kids like I’ve never seen,” said the coach for the first-year 13 and under team. “It wasn’t as much as running hard drills as it was believing in themselves.”
That character development is critical, Owens said.
“A lot of our guys had bad experiences last year, so building their self-esteem was one of the most important things,” Owens said, “and they were hitting balls like I’ve never seen them hit.”
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