By Scott Roblin

Swanny’s Baseball and Training opening an emotional day for owners

Jan 20, 2019 | 7:54 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat’s newest baseball training facility has officially opened to the public and it’s a project that took a lot of work in a short period of time.

On Saturday, batting cages at Swanny’s Baseball and Training were full with young baseball players looking to improve on their skills for the facility’s grand opening.

Co-owned by former Medicine Hat Mavericks assistant coach Kyle Swannack and his wife Taylor, the facility is 3,600 square feet of training space including six batting cages that can retract to open up the floor.

Swannack said they had a steady stream of kids wanting to try out the space on Saturday, ranging from casual ballplayers to those with college aspirations.

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“It’s good to see different ages from four or five years old, little boys and girls, to having some high school kids in here already,” he said. “So, it’s great to envision what I want Swanny’s to look like.”

Work on the facility began back in mid-October and over a span of four months, Kyle and Taylor were able to transform the industrial space into a building where both athletes and their families can gather.

To go along with the batting cages, Swannack said they’ve purchased plenty of equipment which was a big hit during the open house.

“The kids have been asking, ‘Do you have a pitching machine?’” he said. “They get to go inside and we show them all the things that can do, we talk about we have a radar gun and the cool portable mounds. They’re just getting excited.”

Dry land training will also be a big focus of Swanny’s moving forward, as they’re hoping to draw out not just baseball players out, but any athlete wanting to get quicker and more agile.

Using similar facilities in Washington state while rising through the baseball ranks, Swannack added he’s excited to pass along a similar opportunity for young baseball talent in his adopted home.

“Growing up when I was 14, I first got introduced to one of these type of things,” he said. “I know it helped me grow over the summers and over the fall and winters into a better ball player, because I was serious about it. So, I see that happening and helping Medicine Hat, especially in baseball but any sport.”

The first baseball and mental training camp for Swanny’s will get started on Monday and run throughout the week in the evening for players of all ages.