2 former professional baseball players are investing into the local community with a brand new baseball training facility in South Beloit. Joe & Robert Bennie, owners of Triple Crown Baseball, celebrated with a Grand Opening celebration on January 16th. The event featured a record setting 120+ attendees. We’ve never seen this kind of attendance at a Grand Opening or Ribbon Cutting ceremony. The support was amazing.

The Bennie brothers, who share a laundry list of baseball accolades, are excited to make a change in the way area baseball is played. They have been working along side Ryan Rydell, President of Stateline Baseball, to develop a program that is collaborative, community focused, and a compliment to what the area is already doing well.

One thing they know is that travel baseball has become a detriment to young ball players, because it has muddied the waters of what true player development should be. Travel baseball has become the new normal for many communities, with a ton of people cashing in on kids hopes and dreams – charging huge fees and giving promises of college recruitment, if only they wear their uniform, pay for membership to their facility, and play tons of tournaments.

These teams are usually started for one of a few reasons: Parents believe their kids are too good for the local rec league; people think they must play a lot of competitive tournaments to make it into HS or College baseball; or they believe how many trophies a kid receives directly relates to their athletic ability and success.

Joe Bennie believes that this is a terrible way for kids to learn baseball and says that what has happened to youth baseball is a tragedy.

“These travel teams are no better than what they leave behind. Honestly, most kids are perfectly fitted to play in their local league, like Stateline Baseball or Stateline Thunder, and will have a great time and receive adequate coaching in the process.” – Joe Bennie

For those kids that desire and/or need a professional level of training, the likes of which most local volunteer coaches are simply not suited to offer, Joe felt there too few options in the Stateline Area.  So… Joe called his brother Robert, invested in a new facility in South Beloit, and started the area’s only full-time player development focused baseball training center.

Joe and Robert Bennie are uniquely qualified to do this. Together they have won 3 Championships in College and MiLB, have 2 Player of the Year awards, hold single season records for the Beloit Snappers and East Stroudsburg University, and numerous All American, All Conference, and MVP selections throughout their careers.

“My goal with these programs is to offer a change with how youth baseball players are developed. From what I’ve seen in the Stateline area, there are too many Daddy Ball Trophy Chasers out there that don’t offer real training backed up by real playing experience. Too many people worry about the number of games played over the quality of repetition. All my training will be supported with the knowledge and experience I gained through my professional career.” – Joe Bennie