PF Flyers Baseball to redefine what it means to be ‘elite’

High level select baseball can be difficult to navigate for parents and players.

Seemingly everywhere you look, there are coaches and organizations making big promises. Increasingly, here in the Cincinnati area those organizations are national operations setting up a franchise. Now, even longtime local programs are “going national.”

But what are these organizations actually providing players? In some cases, the sales pitch doesn’t match reality. Player fees are going up and player growth is stagnating or the player is not improving as fast as possible. More and more teams are being added to organizations and that is reducing practice time.

That’s why a group of veteran Cincinnati-area baseball coaches decided to launch PF Flyers Baseball Club.

Most other programs promise to develop young baseball players. But few do it the right way. 

For many organizations and coaches, elite teams are made up of high level players – and it doesn’t matter how a team ends up with those players. Some teams cut half the roster each year in order to improve. Others bring in top players from outside of the area. 

Board President and Executive Director Brandon Edwards with his sons, Ryan and Caleb, dressed up for a “Sandlot” game with his team.

The Flyers founders believe in committing to parents and players and helping those players work hard in all aspects to become elite baseball players, Board President and Executive Director Brandon Edwards said.

“During tryouts, I have always selected my players based on their level of commitment and work ethic,” Edwards said. “I have never set out to recruit the best players. My philosophy has always been to give the most dedicated and hardest workers an opportunity. For me, the PF Flyers is an opportunity to be a part of a team of like-minded and accomplished professionals whose primary focus is the overall development of the hardest working baseball players in the Cincinnati region.”

The Flyers program is unique in that while others say they are focused on “development,” The Flyers define what development means.

Development is the organization’s focus, even over winning, Edwards said. And among the organization’s guiding principles is that:

“Helping baseball players reach their potential requires a holistic approach that involves baseball skill, strength, mobility, intent, mindset, resilience and more. It is our job to prepare our players in all of these areas.” 

The Flyers believe in a heavy focus on practice and development within a team structure. But it is much more than that.

Most organizations and teams focus only on baseball-specific skills. Movement patterns, mobility and strength are just as important if players want to reach their full potential, said Kevin Hollabaugh, a founding board member and the organization’s director of strength and conditioning.

“ProForce Sports Performance is excited to be the official partner for sports performance to power the PF Flyers. In today’s game, numbers matter and it is our job to make sure that the #Flyersfam can produce the numbers they need to progress and play at the next level,” said Hollabaugh, owner and program director of ProForce Sports Performance. “I am also excited to help provide guidance on how we can keep the #Flyersfam healthy on and off the field.”

At an organizational level, the Flyers provide coaches and players with resources to improve. That will include plans to improve pitchers, hitters, catchers and fielders. Flyers players will receive free movement screenings to understand how to improve the ways their bodies move. Few organizations offer this kind of support, said Scott Stocker, director of pitching.

“Pitchers, and players in general, need to be provided with proper, and age appropriate, programs,” said Stocker, a longtime high school and travel ball coach. “Proper warm-up and cool down programs will be provided along with throwing programs that will be tailored to specific age groups to help with volume and intensity pending the time of the season.”

Finally, the mental side of preparation and resiliency can make or break a player’s baseball career. Bouncing back from failure, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, building a plan to grow and working hard toward your goals not only make young people into better baseball players, those skills also make you into a more successful person, said Mike Canan, board secretary and director of communication.

“I’ve spent 15 years in management and managed more than 200 employees in my career,” Canan said. “I’ve also been a youth baseball coach for more than 11 years. I’ve seen that people who are mentally strong and know how to systematically work hard to reach long-term goals are the people who reach those goals – whether that is on the baseball field or in their careers.

“At the end of the day, PF Flyers Baseball is about helping athletes play baseball at the highest level they are willing to work toward. But it is also about giving them the skills and life lessons to do whatever else they want in life.”