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Scout Day Spotlight: IVL

WADSWORTH - Eight years ago Ventura Baseball Academy was founded. Soon after, John Ventura partnered with former professional baseball players Joe Inglett and Joe Lazor and IVL Baseball was officially established.

“We want to impact the game of baseball and do it the right way,” noted Mark Kelly, the general manager and training coordinator who joined the organization three years ago and is head coach of the IVL 18U team.

At the time, IVL consisted of three teams. That expanded to five a year later before doubling to 10 last year. In 2019, IVL will total 14 teams ranging from 8U to 18U, with two 9U, 12U and 17U teams.

“Our main goal is to get players with a goal of playing at the next level ready for that,” Kelly said. “We talk about energy and attitude and about bringing it every single day.”

The first graduating class of IVL players came last year with 11 college commits out of the 2018 class, a credit Kelly gives in part to the strong staff at IVL.

“We talk a lot about development and the skills process that our coaches provide training our athletes,” Kelly explained. “We really give individual instruction and focus on development.”

A trio of high school coaches, Kenny Linn (Tallmadge), Jay Grissom (Medina Highland) and Andrew Bonnette (Hoban) help out IVL along with Austin Szink, a graduate assistant coach with Walsh University. Dustin Walter is the catching instructor with Ventura, Lazor and Ty Kovach, a former farmhand with the Cleveland Indians, pitching instructors.

“Our facility is huge and we have over 100 athletes,” Kelly noted about the turfed establishment with more than 18,000 square feet. “We have first class professional guys that give instruction on top of a great hitting facility and players have access to that.”

Now four years in, Kelly is excited about where IVL is now and where it is headed.

“By word of mouth people come to us and see what we do,” Kelly said of the numbers in the organization continuing to rise. “We always want to continue to grow, but at the same time we don’t want to have a ‘B’ team. I think our coaches are a big reason why our guys take off in their improvement. We have professional guys and some of the top high school guys around, two that have won state titles.”

Part of the development includes participation in the PBR Scout Day.

“This is our third year doing it,” noted Kelly, who will be there when IVL players participate on Feb. 6. “It’s been great for us. The guys get looked at because of the write-ups that PBR does. Jordan (Chiero, PBR Ohio Director of Scouting) looks forward to it and says we’re coming around quickly.”

The exposure provided with PBR has been beneficial to IVL players according to Kelly.

“Our athletes go to two or three PBRs a year.” Kelly said.

In addition, IVL teams have a full summer schedule.

“Our high school groups 14 to 18 do tournaments only,” Kelly noted. “We try to stay in this region, going to Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and southern Ohio. We try to take them to the bigger tournaments, we want to make sure we get the guys playing with the best caliber we can.

“As for the younger groups, we go to places like Grand Park and Cincinnati.”

At this time, it is about preparing for Scout Day.

“Our high school guys do skill day on Wednesdays,” Kelly pointed out. “We do pop times and 60s to help get ready for Scout Day. Our pitchers have also been working hard over the winter. The development and training that we provide really helps them get ready. It’s exciting and we’re looking forward to it.”