For kids who hope to play a professional sport someday, it’s common to say that the sport of their choosing is a lifestyle. Thanks to the newly-opened Georgia Premier Academy, that phrase is about to be more true than ever for prospective baseball players.
Georgia Premier Academy opened up shop in Statesboro last year. In the program are boys aged 13-19 - many of whom are international students - who have committed to the academy’s focus on faith, education and putting in the necessary work to hopefully play in college or professionally.
“I had opened up a place of my own in 2014,” Academy director Tony Ross said. “I noticed when my boys were coming up that the caliber of baseball wasn’t what it used to be around here. I know the trend if for travel ball teams, but those teams tend to just pick up the players they want who can already play. Our goal is to get kids who want to take the game seriously and build up all of the things that can make you a good baseball player.”
Ross’ baseball philosophy soon crossed paths with the mission of GPA instructor Gene Reynolds.
Reynolds was a standout prep player growing up in Florida and continued to impress at both South Florida Community College and the University of Tampa, leading him to be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2003.
Reynolds enjoyed his first year in the Rockies’ system, but an offseason coaching stint at his Christian school back home guided him towards a different career path.
“It was a tiny school with kids who didn’t have the most talent, but who just wanted to learn and get better,” Reynolds said. “I had a blast with it. When I went back to spring training the next season, I spent about four days there before making up my mind. My dream had always been to be a professional baseball player, but I felt like the Lord was calling me down a different path.”
Reynolds returned to coaching, steadily improving his teams and growing the program to the point that it was able to accept students wanting to transfer in and follow Reynolds’ ministry and coaching.
When Reynolds’ father retired from his career as a pastor and head of the school, the pair looked for a new location where they could continue their work. The next stop was Ludowici.
“We were familiar with the pastor there,” Reynolds said. “He was open to the idea of us bringing our program there and welcoming in new students.”
Many kids enrolled in the academy have come from outside the country. Reynolds and his father have worked with the players and host families in the area to make sure that they provided the best possible environment for the players to learn and grow in their faith, education and playing ability while also meshing into their host families and new community.
That is where the paths of Ross and Reynolds intersected and, from it, Georgia Premier Academy has emerged. The academy is now based in Statesboro and has purchased a 19-acre plot just outside of the 301 bypass. The program already has a large facility up and running that allows for pitching drills and batting practice. In the coming months, a dorm that can house 40 players will be built, as well as a full-sized field for competition and a smaller field that can be used for practice.
Many of the American academy players are enrolled in online classes for their high school education while international players will enroll at Bulloch Academy.
“We emphasize faith, education and baseball, in that order,” Reynolds said. “We have a great group of kids who put in a lot of hard work at all three.”
“We’re very excited with where this is going,” Ross said. “These kids come to us with a love for the game and with the desire to get a good education. It’s our hope that we can help everyone work towards the opportunity to play and to learn in college.”
The Herald will continue to track the progress of Georgia Premier Academy as it completes the rest of its facilities and begins competition. For more information about the program and to view the progress of past members, visit georgiapremieracademy.com
