Showtime Sports Academy recently hosted its 4th annual Pro-Players Night. The night was filled with entertainment. At  3p.m.,104.5 The Zone broadcasted live from one of the turf fields. All-pro Titan Blaine Bishop led his regular radio broadcast. By the time the broadcast ended, many of the players and lots of fans had arrived. The players included Ben Zobrist(Tampa Bay Rays), Joe Blanton(Philadelphia Phillies), Russell Branyan(Los Angeles Angels), Andy Simunic(Houston Astros), Matt Williams(St. Louis Cardinals), Corban Joseph(New York Yankees), Chris Jakubauskas(Baltimore Orioles), Tim Dillard(Milwaukee Brewers), Tim Smalling(Colorado Rockies), Joe Boever(St. Louis Cardinals), Caleb Joseph(Baltimore Orioles), Shay Crawford(Tampa Bay Rays), and Brandon Hynick(Cincinnati Reds). There were also multiple scouts and agents including Earl Wynn, Kevin Jarvis, and Ty York. There were also some former players including Jerry Bell(Milwaukee Brewers), John  Riedling(Cincinnati Reds), Tony Naile(St. Louis Cardinals), Erich Butler(Texas Rangers), Steve Hughes(Cincinnati Reds), Reggie Whittemore(Boston Red Sox), Tom Bolton(Boston Red Sox), and Franklin High School baseball coach Frank Glover. Door prizes were given away and some lucky kids got to ask questions. After all the prizes were given and questions were answered, the autographs started. There were  7 tables set up with  2 players at each ready to sign. The line of people wanting autographs wrapped almost all the way around the field. A big thanks to Sonic and Brixx Wood Fired Pizza for providing food. Everyone had a lot of fun and enjoyed meeting some of their favorite players. We hope all the players have a great season this year!

Tony Naile and Blaine Bishop talking.  Fans listening and watching

Ben Zobrist answering questions John Riedling got a replacement!

Tim Smalling and Andy Simunic signing autographs. Joe Blanton signing autographs.

The players all signing.

In December, Brentwood High School’s Whitney Christian signed to play softball at Union University in Jackson, TN. The Showtime Sports Academy member is a middle infielder and outfielder who will be joining Union in the fall of 2012 as a freshman. At Brentwood High School, Whitney played varsity all four years. She was named all-district honorable mention twice, all-district tournament, and was also the MVP of the Sara-Beth Whitehead Tournament. She practices at Showtime Sports Academy often and it seems to have paid off! Congratulation Whitney and the best of luck at Union!

Showtime Sports Academy is hosting its 4th annual Pro-Players Night on Monday,January 16. Many professional baseball players will be there to talk and meet kids of all ages. They include Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays, Russell Branyan of the Seattle Mariners, Dan Uggla of the Atlanta Braves, Joe Blanton of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Corbin Joseph of the New York Yankees. There will also be professional scouts, agents, high school coaches, and others. 104.5 The Zone will be there covering the event, live from 3-6PM. The program will begin at 6:30PM and after, there will be a meet and greet with all the players! Make sure you bring something to write on and a sharpie! Hope to see you there!

If you have any question, call Showtime at 615-373-1105, email at "> or visit at showtimesportsacademy.com

For the past few weeks, boys and girls have been participating in Showtime Sports Academy’s Winter Baseball Camp! The camp was led by Showtime’s General Manager and former Redbird,Tony Naile. He got help from some other pro-players, including Steve Hughes, who played for the Cincinnati Reds; Andy Simunic, with the Houston Astros; Brandon Hynick, also with the Reds; Joe Boever, who pitched in the majors for 11 years; Erich Butler, with the Texas Rangers; and Matt Williams, with the St. Louis Cardinals. The campers were divided into 4 groups. Each group rotated stations every 20 minutes from throwing and pitching, hitting, infield, and speed and agility. Tampa Bay Rays second baseball Ben Zobrist came to talk to the campers and give them a few demonstrations. There were a lot of great athletes in the group. Don’t be surprised if you see some of these kids playing of TV in a few years!

For the past 3 Sundays, girls have been coming to take part in Showtime Sports Academy’s Winter Softball Camp. It was led by Julie Harmon and Kelley Cash, both former Belmont University softball players. They taught the basic fundamentals of the game. The girls worked on hitting, fielding, base running, throwing technique, and bunting. There were door prizes on the last day of camp. Two girls won a free lesson with Julie or Kelley. These girls worked really hard at camp and seemed to really have a good time! Hope to see them all at summer camp!

Julie and Kelley showing the girls bunt formation Kelley working with a camper on bunting

Kelley showing one groups proper throwing technique Kelley working on throwing

Julie handing out some door prizes All the campers and leaders!

An active participant at Showtime Sports Academy, Connor Gelfand wore his Showtime gear all the way to Disney World! He met the whole gang including Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Minnie, and of course Mickey. May need to stop by Showtime soon to see if Mickey came to check the place out!

Former Franklin High School kicker and Showtime Sports Academy member Matt Moseley was named the National Punter of the Week. Moseley is a freshman at Tennessee State University setting school records like crazy. On September 24, he kicked a 69-yard punt to set the school record against Air Force. Later, against Eastern Kentucky, he broke his own school record with a 73-yarder. This punt was out of the end-zone so the Colonels didn’t have as good of field position as they were expecting. Moseley averages 39.5 yards per punt on the season, ranking fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Let’s hope he can keep this going! Being only a freshman, Moseley has a lot of potential to be an amazing kicker. Congratulation, Matt, on all you have accomplished so far. We look forward to seeing what you do the rest of the season!

Moseley is not the only athletic one in the family! His mother is a trainer for the Atlanta Dream, his father is a trainer with the Tennessee Titans, and his sister, also a Showtime Sports Academy member, pitches for Franklin High! There sure have been some athletic genes passed down in that family! Or maybe it’s just the cooking? I may need to go to their house for dinner!

The USGF Fall State Tournament took place this past weekend in Columbia, TN. The 18U Thunderbirds softball team won first place overall. Individual awards went to  Maggie Bates, voted best defensive player and Kimber Springs who won tournament MVP. Big congrats to the girls for bringing the win home to Franklin!

Coming up in a couple weeks is another terrific baseball camp at Showtime Sports Academy! Winter Workout Camp will be starting October 18th. Anyone ages 6-14 is able to join. It will be twice a week for five weeks, on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The camp is designed to help players with the fundamentals of the game, such as: sliding, hitting, throwing, fielding, baserunning, and pitching. One unique aspect of this camp is that all the instructors are either former or current professional players.  Camp will last from 5:30-7:30 PM. If you are a member, the cost is $245.  If you are not a member it will be $295. Not a bad price for such a helpful camp!

If you have questions or would like to sign up for camp, you can print of a registration form at http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101545875545-187/2011+Winter+Workout+Camp.pdf and either fax it to 615-373-1299, email it to ">, bring it to 119 Seaboard Lane Suite 402, or even call 615-373-1105! Hope to see you at camp!

Showtime Sports Academy is proud to announce its newest addition! Kelley Cash will be the new instructor for softball players. From Ohio, she started all four years at Hudson High School. She then studied and played softball at Belmont University where she graduated this spring. At Belmont, she played second base, center field, and left field.  Her expertise is in hitting,  especially bunting and slapping. She hit in the ninth spot at Belmont and was even captain as a senior. Since slapping has recently become a very large part of softball, Kelley arrival is much anticipated. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree at Belmont in Sports Administration. She will be a great addition to Showtime's staff and cannot wait to start!

If you would like to schedule lessons, email Kelley at or call her at 615-364-1984!