Tomahawks Baseball Academy gaining in stature in east Fort Lauderdale
The Tomahawks Baseball Academy is going strong on the east side of Fort Lauderdale with home games at Holiday Park.
The Tomahawks program, which runs under the auspices of the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) enters its fifth season with four agegroup teams competing in the Premier Travel League: 11-under, 12-under, 14-under and 16-under. There are approximately 50 players in all.
The Tomahawks compete in various tournaments throughout the year and have big plans for the 2017-18 season. The 11-under squad will vie in next year’s Cal Ripken Baseball Tournament in Myrtle Beach, and the 12-under (elite) team will showcase its skills in the Cooperstown Baseball Tournament.
In recent 12-under action at Holiday Park, the Tomahawks posted a 12-3 victory over the Hialeah Lighting as pitcher James Kelly earned the victory. His mound effort was supported by the hitting of Cash Clementi, who went 3-3 with two doubles and two RBI.
Eddie Blanco also had a two-run hit, while Christian Brennan contributed a double and two RBI.
Head Coach George Mianowski is supported in the dugout by coaches Mike Kelly, Eddie Blanco Sr. and Ryan Givens.
The Tomahawks program, which is presided over by Mianowski, offers scholarships to some kids who needed the assistance. The Sunrise resident was a pitcher for Plantation High School in 1991 and was the Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald Player of the Year. He later played for the University of North Alabama where he was named an AllAmerican.
“We started this (academy) for kids who wanted to play elite travel baseball at a lower cost and we focus on player development and fundamentals,” Mianowski said. “We’re more of a family atmosphere and a tight knit group. Our goal as an organization is to get the kids prepared for the next level and to also teach the players life skills that they can utilize for the future.”
Players in the Fort Lauderdale Little League organization have shown some interest in the travel experience.
“We plan on doing some coaching and players clinics with Fort Lauderdale Little League,” Mianowski said. “We’ll be offering some of their players the opportunity to play with our organization.”
Jim Weick, the outgoing president of Fort Lauderdale Little League, is cautiously optimistic in seeing the travel relationship succeed and is behind the idea as long as it benefits the Little League players.
“We just started this travel option with the Tomahawks this fall,” Weick said. “We just wanted to offer some of the parents in our program the option to have their kids play travel ball. It’s good for the player who wants to play four nights a week and the Tomahawks are more affordable than most of the other travel programs. George is very good at instruction and can help make the ballplayers better. Hopefully it all works out.”
For further information, visit www.tomahawkbaseballacademy.com.
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