SINGAPORE, Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Can Singapore produce the next young baseball star? Baseball experts and The Hit Factory will find out this December at Singapore American School (SAS). From December 5-6, The Hit Factory (THF) will host the THF International Ballplayer Showcase at SAS. Open to all baseball players in Singapore and throughout the region, the two-day event is the only local opportunity for young players to demonstrate their skills in front of a panel of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I baseball coaches and a Major League Baseball scout.
The advisory panel will consist of University of Texas head coach Augie Garrido, University of California, San Diego head coach Eric Newman, Tulane University head coach David Pierce, Loyola Marymount University head coach Jason Gill, Columbia University head coach Brett Boretti, University of Nebraska-Lincoln pitching coach Ted Silva, and New York Yankees Major League Baseball scout Bill Pintard.
A sports performance company launched in Singapore in 2013, The Hit Factory has expert coaching staff and elite baseball training facilities. Five-time national champion Augie Garrido and the panel of coaches will spend two days with players from around the region providing on-field instruction during drills, and combine testing. Coach Garrido is also the author of Life is Yours to Win: Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball that details his prospecting journey in search of true ballplayers. Garrido and his panel will coach teams through competitive games, and lead athletes through a series of informational seminars about the recruitment process and what it takes to transform a prospect into a ballplayer.
The sport of baseball has seen rapid growth throughout Singapore in the past decade, most notably among local players. The Singapore national baseball team, comprised mostly of secondary school softball players who have embraced baseball as their primary sport, trains out of Kallang Diamond and competes in international competitions. Further, the Singapore Schools Sports Council (SSSC) is currently working to provide baseball curricula at a range of local primary schools in an effort to kick-start the development of Singaporean players from the 10U level and up.
Programs such as the THF Ballplayer Showcase and the involvement of high-profile top NCAA head coaches serve as a boost for local baseball initiatives, and spur continued growth of the sport locally and throughout the region.
"The Hit Factory presents a one-of-a-kind baseball showcase for the players. Not only do the players have an opportunity to demonstrate their physical skills, but they must also accept the challenge baseball requires of them to be successful. It also reveals their mental toughness, competitive spirit, will to win, commitment to teamwork, and attitude. All of that in front of some of the best Division I coaches and professional scouts," says Garrido.
Geoff Rodecker, SAS Community Sports and Activities director, adds, "Singapore American School is truly excited about hosting this event. It's such a great opportunity for baseball players throughout Asia to receive top-level coaching from NCAA coaches, and gain a better understanding of the recruiting process for playing in college at the next level."
For more information, visit THF Baseball's website.
About Singapore American School
Singapore American School (SAS) is an independent, non-profit, coeducational, college preparatory day school offering an American curriculum with an international perspective for students in preschool through grade 12. SAS has the largest Advanced Placement program outside of the United States, is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the United States, and offers the American High School Diploma at the senior level. Established in 1956, the school primarily serves the US and international expatriate communities of Singapore.
For more information, please visit http://www.sas.edu.sg, or contact the SAS communications office at communications@sas.edu.sg or +65-6360-6031.
Media Contact:
Vanessa Spier (vspier@sas.edu.sg)
Strategic Director of Communications
Singapore American School
40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547
