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Prospects Pulse

Travel ball spotlight: Nokona sending homegrown talent to D1 programs

By Dan GuttenplanDecember 15, 2021

The Nokona 17U team won the New Balance Best of the Best Tournament to cap the summer. (Courtesy photo)

The most impactful moment in the growth of Nokona Baseball came in 2015 -- 10 years into the travel program's existence -- when the owners opened a private facility, known as Nokona Athletic Club, in Ashland, Mass. The complex is not shared with any outside programs, and it is open to Nokona players whenever they want train.

"That allowed us to take the next step to see kids at all times," said Nokona Baseball general manager Dan Sullivan. "The players have use whenever they want it. That allowed us to grow a bit."

Nokona Baseball has since become one of the top college development programs in Massachusetts, with a current list of 17 college commits in the Class of 2022. Three players in that class (Jack Goodman, Nick DiRito and Charlie Walker) have already committed to playing in the Futures Collegiate League next summer, an opportunity typically afforded to the top dozen-or-so incoming college freshmen around New England.

Through a partnership with Cressey Sports Performance, Nokona Athletic Club has become an all-encompassing training facility for players, all of whom have access to a full-time CSP trainer as well as batting cages, pitching mounds, field surfaces and weight room equipment.

Tags: Charlie Walker, Dan Sullivan, Jack Goodman, Jake Bollin, Marc Willi, Nick DiRito, Nokona Athletic Club, Nokona Baseball

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