Remote Viewing Surges for Youth Ballparks During Covid-19 Global Pandemic

When America’s favorite pastime was indefinitely paused at the start of Spring season in March, it changed everything for youth athletes and families across the country. Tournaments were cancelled. Venues closed their gates. By the end of June, the majority of ballparks in the HiCast Sports Network across nine states established return-to-play polices and welcomed teams back on their fields, but limited spectators in the stands and encouraged family members and fans to watch from home thanks to an automated video coverage solution provided by the HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, coaches, families and fans to view live sporting events at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.

Todd Yancey, General Manager for Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky, shares, “We had to go back to the drawing board like so many other people in terms of our operations. We were able to launch some of our baseball season. Our bleachers are closed, and spectators have to bring their own chairs and social distance around the diamonds. Now that we have HiCast in place, we’re excited to share the best view behind home plate with fans here at the park and watching from home.”

Field at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown, KY. Now during Covid-19 pandemic, bleachers are closed to spectators, but they can bring their own chairs and social distance along the fence line. Having the HiCast Sports app in hand, all fans can get a view behind the plate.

Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer for HiCast Sports Network, Stephanie Calabrese shares, “We’ve seen a rapid surge in viewership. Looking at 2020 vs 2019 game minutes viewed across our network, we saw a 20% increase in July and more than 100% increase in August. While our coverage has been a nice-to-have amenity for our ballpark partners, it’s now become a necessity. Fans expect to have remote game access and we’ve proven our ability to provide reliable video coverage for ballparks over the past several years. We’re poised to grow.”

The HiCast Sports Network was founded by two creative-minded parents and entrepreneurs, Robert Stribling and Stephanie Calabrese, located just outside the metro Atlanta area. Inspired to cover and preserve the moments that matter for their own young athletes, they teamed up with friends and family to invest in product development, acquired U.S. utility patents, and have steadily grown their network and user base to cover more than 100 ballfields and about 300,000 ballplayers across 11 states. They’ve finalized agreements with two more venues in Michigan and Colorado for installation prior to the start of spring season 2021 and expect more to follow as demand for their coverage increases.  

While parents and grandparents appreciate the ability to watch games live from home, their use often follows the lead of their players who use the HiCast Sports mobile app to watch their games back on-demand and save their favorite plays or hits from the game in the form of clips and highlight reels. HiCast subscriber and baseball dad Carlos Tariche’s son Tommy, a senior in high school who plays varsity and travel ball aspires to play for a D2 or D3 college, discovered HiCast initially. Carlos shares, “Tommy told me about the HiCast Sports app. When I took a look, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to figure out. I had a situation where I was working and my son had a game during the week, so I was able to air-play it to my Apple TV and watch the game. The quality was amazing. I’ve actually used some of those highlights to send to a couple of college coaches who were looking for film of him. It’s a valuable tool. We play in so many different places, it makes me wish that more venues had it.”

Bases loaded and a solid DP here. 3rd baseman Tommy Tariche to catcher Patrick Bartoletta to Christian DeRisi at 1st for Batting 1000 Seminoles 17/18U on 9/1/20 at Baseball Heaven. Shared by HiCast User and proud dad, Carlos Tariche.

While NCAA Division 1 coaches remain in their extended dead period for in-person recruiting through Jan 1, 2021, nearly 100 colleges from across the country including Columbia University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University tuned in to watch players at Diamond Nation in New Jersey using the HiCast Sports Network. Diamond Nation General Manager Nick Massari shares, “We knew we had to do something to make sure kids playing in our tournaments had the best opportunity available for exposure. We created virtual roster packets for ten of our events this summer, and emailed them out with game schedules to our scouting list which includes coaches from colleges nationwide (mostly Division 1 schools) and all of the professional baseball teams to let them know we were streaming our games live and on-demand.”

At the ballpark, Diamond Nation shares listing of college and pro scouts watching players on-site and online through the HiCast Sports Network. Photo courtesy of Diamond Nation

Former professional ballplayer, Coach David Whigham, founder and owner of travel ball organization Delmarva Aces comprised of 42 teams across three states, and associate scout for the Baltimore Orioles, uses HiCast to support his players. He’s helped secure 99 college commits from his Aces program since 2016. David shares, “Because of my communications background, we do a lot with social media and video. For our kids, having social media followers watching their home run videos mean so much to them. You’d be surprised how many kids save those videos and will keep them forever to relive moments like that. The way everything is going, venues are going to rely on HiCast Sports even more than ever to try to capture the moments.”

Delmarva Aces Family Scores Valuable Life Lessons

We caught up with David Whigham, owner, president and pitching coordinator for the Delmarva Aces and Baltimore Orioles associate scout, to learn more about his 42 Aces teams and find out how they’re staying motivated in spite of the COVID-19 virus pause on play. Here’s what he had to share:

What life experience has helped prepare you to stay motivated in challenging times?

David Whigham played college baseball at Guilford and Virginia Wesleyan, then went on to play professionally and in Australia, Austria, and Germany before returning home to Ocean City, Maryland in 2014. He’s no stranger to overcoming obstacles and maintaining a positive attitude. In 2009 at age 23 while playing for the El Paso Diablos in the American Association, an independent professional baseball league, David suffered a significant head injury on the field. 

“I was hit directly in the temple by a line drive while pitching in the fourth inning and woke up two weeks later. I had to have two emergency brain surgeries. It was a pretty turbulent point in my life and it really shook me up. I think that’s why I’ve been able to run the Aces the way that I have because having to experience something like that, nothing seems as troublesome as when I was lying in a hospital bed fighting for my life. ” 

What’s the story behind the Delmarva Aces?

David formed the Aces organization in 2014, basing it off the Melbourne Aces, an Australian baseball league where he had played. He started with 14 teams and has grown the organization to 42 teams in three states (Maryland, Delaware and Virginia) including nearly 500 players. Ages span 5-6 year-old-teams though high school showcase teams, college summer teams, men’s softball teams, and even a woman’s baseball team soon to come. You’ll find them playing at Sports at the Beach, Diamond Nation and Baseball Heaven.

“Our youngest player is five years old and our oldest player is 78. I played baseball in Australia for two years, and tried to bring that culture back of how they run it over here. Basically you start playing baseball from the time you’re in diapers until you can’t walk any more.”

“I really wanted to change the culture of travel ball. I’m an old school guy and I believe in a lot of old school techniques. I like keeping my hands in recruiting and we do a lot of stuff with our community. We give scholarships out to kids. We did an equipment drop where we uniformed and equipped players in Uganda. We’re actively involved in getting the kids different types of opportunities in the community. We’re trying to build a person instead of just a player.” 

Tell us about scouting and recruiting.

David began scouting amateur baseball players for the Baltimore Orioles in 2018. Several Aces players have been scouted by Major League organizations including the Orioles, and he’s helped secure 99 college commits from his Aces program since 2016. 

“I’m all about trying to find the perfect fit for a player’s skills across all levels of college and junior college ball. I start the process early and spend a lot of time talking about recruiting. Travel ball has been so geared around the D1 or bust mentality, but a lot of kids find themselves in bad scenarios when they get to college or it just wasn’t the right fit for them and they learn too late that the school wasn’t the best spot.”

How have you used our HiCast Sports Network?

“Because of my communications background, we do a lot with social media and video. We’re very familiar with HiCast. For our kids, having social media followers watching their home run videos mean so much to them. We have our players submitting videos showing us how they’re staying active at home. One kid submitted a HiCast video of himself hitting a home run last year and tripping over third base and falling in the mud. It was pretty cool and the kids loved it. Then after he sent it, another kid sends in his HiCast video of him tripping over third base in the same spot at the same venue. You’d be surprised how many kids save those videos and will keep them forever to relive moments like that.”

TJ Morris of Delmarva Aces 14U East Blooper Rounding 3rd

“The way everything is going, venues are going to rely on HiCast Sports even more than ever to try to capture the moments. People can re-watch their games, and scout other teams. It’s really freaking awesome. For a large organization like ours, there are so many active and moving parts during the season. One thing people tend to not do very well is to capture these important moments so we can share them with each other.”

How are you and your team working through this challenging time?

“Our winter academy, which begins in November and ends in March, had just ended when Maryland issued a state of emergency. We got really lucky to complete it, even though training came to a screeching halt. Some of our teams are actually running online practices now through Zoom. We offered a complimentary two-week academy once this thing clears to get the kids back in shape. I’ve formed connections with local tournament venues to do weekly contests (like a scavenger hunt crossword puzzle about Aces history) where the winning team that is first to submit wins free tournament entry. 

The hardest thing right now is to keep people engaged. Everybody’s feeling frustrated but we really have a resilient family. We have a slogan without our program called “One Family.” We’re doing things to try to keep everybody together. I’m on 32 telephone chats and I like being a part of all of the conversations.”

What encouragement can you share with ballplayers everywhere?

“We’re learning a lot about ourselves during this time. I think that everybody is going to be so much more thankful… just for everything in their life after all of this is gone. It’s a learning experience. Just think when you get back on the field, how good that’s going to feel. Would it have felt that good if we didn’t have to go through this hard time? After my head injury and the stuff I went through, it changed my perspective. 

I think players are going to be so much more appreciative of the opportunity their parents give them, stuff like HiCast Sports technology gives them, opportunities that they were given that has now been taken away from them. I think you’re going to see a much more appreciative culture out of this. Hopefully that lesson is something they can take with them throughout their baseball career and life.”

Duryea Twins Double the Home Runs for Hudson Valley Renegades

Nicky Duryea (9) plays third, short stop, and pitcher. Nicky is a righty.

Danny Duryea (24) plays left field, first base, and relief pitcher. Danny is a lefty.

These twin brothers play for Hudson Valley Renegades 14U Blue and they have never been on a team without each other. During the East Coast Nationals tourney at Baseball Heaven on August 10, they each hit a home run in the same game, contributing to the Renegade’s win!

Nicky pushes Danny mostly on the practice field or in the batting cage. Nicky will point out the areas that Danny needs to tweak to improve, such as his swing. Nicky admires Danny’s ability to stay calm and focused in the most high-stake situations. He often will say that Danny has ice in his veins because he can handle any situation with a focused and intense approach.

Danny pushes Nicky with their competitive approach to everything. Danny admires Nicky’s pitching ability, his never-give-up approach, his ability to get out of very difficult situations, and his intense competitive nature.

Their mom shared that the boys were arguing over who’s ball went further and who’s home run had more significance. But their Aunt Diane (watching the game at home on our HiCast Sports Network) noted that the first person out of the dugout to congratulate each batter was his brother. These are the Moments That Matter™!

Bottom of the 7th, game’s tied... Danny Duryea w/a walk-off Grand Slam HR for Hudson Valley Renegades 14U Blue for the W. East Coast Nationals at Baseball Heaven on August 10, 2019.

Share your 4th of July Week Highlights for a chance to win a FREE 1-Year PASS!

Just tag and share your Moments That Matter™ in our HiCast Feed within the app starting Sunday, July 1st through Sunday, July 8th and you're automatically entered to win. 

We'll pick 1 Hot Highlight of the Day each day and you'll win a free 1-Year Pass to watch all the games live and on-demand in our HiCast Sports Network for the next 365 days.

Catch the winners right here and in our Facebook and Instagram feeds so give us a follow and bring your best game this week!

Here's your 4th of July Week Lineup of Tourneys Across our Network

Ballparks of America – Nations Hometown Heroes Salute & Stars & Stripes Showdown

Baseball Heaven – Independence Weekend Championship, All American Invitational and Girls Fast Pitch All American Invitational

Baseball USA Powered by Marucci – Rawlings Summer Championships & Fireworks Festival

Diamond Nation – Garden State Invitational 16U, Finch's Aces Stars & Stripes,  Independence Weekend Firecrackers & DN Youth World Series 9U-11U

East Cobb Baseball Complex – Auburn University Showcase, Perfect Game 17U & 16U WWBA, Training Legends World Series, CABA World Series 12U

Shipyard Park – Showcase Tourney

Sports at the Beach – Firecracker Four-Day Classic, Clash of the Titans

Tyger River Sports Complex – TCS/SC Bandits Hot Times Classic Showcase

2018 } Are you ready?

We're proud to partner with America's top ballparks to cover your games live and on-demand, and we can't wait to see you share your Moments That Matter™ in 2018. We've been busy all winter long making plans to expand our coverage to more venues and to give you an even better HiCast Sports Network experience. Spring 2018 will be here before we know it, and we're getting ready!

How Baseball Heaven is Winning with the HiCast Sports Network

Meet our partners at Baseball Heaven, General Manager Frank Zataglio and Travel Team Director and Coach Steve Hassan, and a few of our HiCast Sports subscribers in Yaphank, NY to hear what they have to say about the HiCast Sports Network. At Baseball Heaven, we're covering games for nearly 3,000 teams each year not only in the northeast region, but across the country. Host to the National Youth Baseball Championship for the second year, this iconic ballpark is second to none. We're proud to cover Baseball Heaven.

HiCast Sports Network to Cover the National Youth Baseball Championships at Baseball Heaven

The 10th Annual National Youth Baseball Championships (NYBC) kicks off its Championship Week starting today, July 22 at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, NY (Long Island) for a major league tournament experience, and ending with championship games for each age division on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30. 

In its 10th year, the NYBC is bringing together the best of the best youth travel baseball players from 9U-14U age divisions representing 70 teams from 14 states across America. Each team had to earn a bid to compete in this final week of championship games by way of NYBC Qualifiers that occurred March - July throughout the US. 

Nathan Clinkenbeard, Communications Manager for Steel Sports, shares, “It all comes down to providing the ultimate tournament for these players and families to experience… beyond the games, we’re providing opening ceremonies, skills competitions, a home run derby and Friday is our big festival day. We understand the time and financial commitment these families make to come to New York for a week and we just want to give back, and celebrate these young athletes and families for all the hard work they put it all season long.”

NYBC was founded in 2008 by former Chicago White Sox vice chairman and minority owner former Eddie Einhorn. His vision was to give youth travel baseball athletes a platform to showcase their skills. Steel Sports expanded the NYBC to include more age groups. “We want to give these players that unique opportunity to play for a national audience. While we get a lot of hype around our 12 games to be televised by CBS Sports, the great news is that ALL of our games at Baseball Heaven will be covered by HiCast Sports Network,” said Clinkenbeard.

How does NYBC feel about HiCast Sports Network putting game highlights in the hands of players and fans at Baseball Heaven? Clinkenbeard answers, “These kids love being able to see their highlights and we love sharing them too in our NYBC social media. Getting exposure for a great hit or a big play is everything to them. These are the future stars. You’ll see many of these players in Major League Baseball one day.”

Catch the entire tournament live or on-demand July 25 - 30 on the HiCast Sports Network. Start your free trial here: http://www.hicastsports.com/baseballheaven

Covering the Leap of Faith at Baseball Heaven

Salvatore Catanzaro of Woodridge, NJ started playing baseball at age four at the local YMCA in Garfield, NJ. While most kids his age were focused on learning to hit the ball off a tee, Salvatore’s dad Sal was pitching balls to him from the get-go in the backyard or at the local park. “As soon as he was able to stand up and walk, he had a bat in his hand,” shared Sal Catanzaro.

By age six, his early skill in the recreational league caught the eye of a Legit Baseball Club coach. They sought him out to join their competitive team of top players throughout Bergen County – a team of eight and nine year-olds. “He was pitching, and he held his own despite the age difference,” said Sal. Salvatore’s been playing for the Legit Baseball Club travel team ever since, competing in tournaments not only in the northeast, but up and down the east coast. Salvatore will often play 5-6 games most weekends throughout the spring and summer months. “It’s a lot of commitment and sometimes it’s tough, but it’s fun,” shares Sal. 

While many young athletes playing travel baseball tend to focus intensively on the sport year-round to stay competitive, Salvatore builds his confidence and skills with a focus on speed and agility – training four days each week, while playing other sports year round.

But something special happened on a baseball field at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, NY on Saturday, June 10. Salvatore’s team, Legit Baseball Club 10U, was playing in one of several National Youth Baseball Championship Qualifier games that weekend. It was the third inning of the game, and Salvatore’s team had the lead but the score was close. Salvatore had just stolen third base. His coach at third told Salvatore that if the catcher drops the ball and it goes behind him, “You’re stealing on the pitch.” 

And it happened. Salvatore shared, “I was ready to run, but then I hesitated to go back to the base. And then I was like, ‘you know what, I’m just gonna go.’ I was going and when the catcher got the ball I thought ‘oh no, why am I doing this?’ and I had to think of something fast. I’m too small to run over the catcher, but I knew I could jump over him, so I did.” And after the umpire called “Safe!”… Salvatore shared, “I felt amazing.”

But his dad wasn’t there to see it. “I couldn’t make it to the game because I had to work,” shared Sal. He works for the Post Office so he’s never able to make his son’s games on Saturdays. Shortly after Salvatore scored, a dad of a teammate sent a text message to Sal telling him that his son just jumped over the catcher to score. Sal confessed that he didn’t think much about it, even after Salvatore came home after the game and told him about it. “I just thought, he does crazy stuff like this all the time.”

The next morning, another teammate’s dad used the HiCast Sports mobile app to replay that highlight from the game on-demand. The HiCast Sports Network covers games live and on-demand in partnership with Baseball Heaven and other top ballparks nationwide. The user saved the video highlight from the game, and shared it with Sal via text message so he could watch it.

Sal said, “I didn’t think anyone had video of it. It was just so clear. If I had been there video taping it, it wouldn’t have been the same because the camera angle was so perfect. Having the HiCast Sports Network there… it was just meant to be. When I saw the video and showed it to Salvatore, he said ‘I told you I did that!’ He was very happy that it was actually on a video that he could save and share with his friends.” Salvatore texted the video to his friends and shared it on his Instagram account. What did his friends think? Salvatore replied, “Some of them didn’t even believe it was me!” 

Sal shared the highlight with a friend who shared the highlight on Twitter and within no time, the video went viral – viewed, retweeted, shared, and applauded by millions of fans worldwide throughout social media, fueled by traditional media shares from ESPN, USA Today, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and the Washington Post. The highlight went on to land in the number one spot of Sports Center’s Top Ten Plays of the week. “I was amazed. I felt really proud,” said Salvatore. 

The Washington Post likened Salvatore’s jump over the catcher to a similar move unsuccessfully executed by MLB Pirates player Andrew McCutchen just the week before, but Salvatore hadn’t seen it. Sal shared, “The funny thing is, he didn’t copy anyone. He rarely watches TV because he’s always doing something outside. The timing of it was pure coincidence.”

Sal shared, “There were lots of comments on the video and I’ve read some but the one that really stood out to me was from a guy who said, ‘If this was my son, I’d be so proud of him.’ I’m not sure who wrote it, but it was a really nice comment. It was a special moment. I’m so happy that HiCast Sports has cameras at these fields.”

“We’re all about bringing families together around youth sports and giving our users the power to save and share the moments that matter with the people who matter most. We’re proud to partner with our venues like Baseball Heaven across the country to cover memorable moments like this one by Salvatore.” said Stephanie Calabrese, Chief Brand Officer and Co-founder of the HiCast Sports Network.

Salvatore and his team lost their semi-final game that weekend and didn’t qualify for the National Youth Baseball Championship Finals, but you can find Salvatore in a number 7 jersey pitching or playing center field (or over home plate doing the #salvatoresteal) for the Legit Baseball Club on the HiCast Sports Network at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank NY, Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ and Sports at the Beach in Georgetown, DE.

This video is © HiCast Sports Network. For media inquiries or usage requests, send an email to: scalabrese@hicastsports.com