Extra Innings Baseball & Softball Training Facility coming to Gateway

 

 

Extra Innings, the nation’s premier baseball and softball training facility franchise, is coming to the Gateway Community in Fort Myers. The new training center is scheduled to open in March 2013 and will be located at 12100 Commerce Lakes Drive.  The air conditionaed facility is 14,000 square feet and is located behind JetBlue Park, spring training home of the Boston Red Sox.  Extra Innings will offer individual and team instruction, batting cage rentals, and a fully stocked pro shop  with equipment and apparel to fulfill the needs of players of all ages and skill levels.  The new training center is owned by Naples resident Rick Raymer.

 

Raymer is the son of a former star pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization, Raymer pitched collegiately at Florida Southern College, playing on an NCAA National Championship team and serving as team captain during his 4 year career.   Raymer’s uncle was also a star pitcher who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals out of high school.

 

After his playing days were over, Raymer pursued a career in teaching and coaching.  He has been the pitching coach at Barron Collier High School in Naples for the past 12 seasons in addition to being a physical education teacher at Pelican Marsh Elementary.

 

After two years of research and nearly two years of patiently waiting for the right location, Extra Innings Fort Myers is now becoming a reality.

 

Raymer says he is confident that Southwest Florida’s strong baseball culture, both at the amateur and professional levels, will contribute to his facility’s marketability, as will his extensive background in education.

 

Raymer is currently in the process of hiring staff and is working on the build-out process of the facility in advance of the March grand opening.  This is the company’s third location in Florida, and the company expects to open 5 more Extra Innings franchises statewide in 2013.

 

Established in 1996, Extra Innings provides state-of-the-art baseball practice facilities, professional instruction,batting cages, and a pro shop to fulfill the needs of players of all ages and ability levels.  Extra Innings has nearly 40 locations in 17 states.  Extra Innings also recently released the Extra Innings Mobile Instructor App for iPhone and iPad, which allows players to have their skills analyzed by a professional instructor.  Projections call for close to 60 locations to be in operation by the end of 2013.  For more information, visit http://www.extrainnings.us.