New baseball facility in Guelph offering training year-round

The growing popularity of baseball in Guelph has given rise to a new opportunity for players to train year-round. CTV's Colton Wiens reports.

The growing popularity of baseball in Guelph has given rise to a new opportunity for players to train year-round.

The War Room is a new training facility for both baseball and softball players on Bett Court in the Royal City.

“We chose baseball but we’re all big believers in the value of youth sport in childhood development,” Bruce Ysselstein, one of the founders of The War Room said.

“[It’s] a glaring need that I’ve seen for the last two, three, four or five years. So, it’s a passion project but it’s also something that these kids, in my opinion, needed,” Tim Horseman, another founder of The War Room said.

Bruce Ysselstein, Tim Horseman, Jeff Sousa and Rylan Pranger are the partners behind the facility. They are all former high-level athletes who now coach and have kids in high level ball. They felt the area lacked proper training facilities and high-level instructors for both baseball and softball.

“We knew baseball was an underserved market, softball was an even more underserved market,” Ysselstein said. “So, all of the facilities, all of the technology, all of the equipment that we have, we ensure that we can also check all those boxes for the softball community, in Guelph and in the surrounding area.”

With multiple lanes for training, the facility can be used for batting practice, fielding and pitching. High level technology allows players to analyze their movements and The War Room has climate control inside for year-round training.

“We want them to be able to focus on their training, their performance, just having fun. We don’t want them to have to worry about ‘boy it’s hot’ or ‘I’m freezing cold, my fingers hurt,’” Ysselstein said.

The War Room also has a warmup area, a lounge and a boardroom. The Guelph Minor Baseball Association signed a five year contract with the facility so players can use it through the seasons.

“I love how it’s very big. I love the machines. I love everything about it,” Sebi Sousa, a baseball player said.

“I just love this place,” Brodin Edwards, a baseball player said. “They have a lot of good stuff to warm up and there’s a lot of room to do really anything you want.”

“It’s nice. It really kind of pulls together the sense of baseball community in Guelph and it’s nice to have a place of our own,’ Kyle Davidson, Edwards’ father said. ”It’s funny to even say that. I feel like it’s my own, too but that’s the kind of atmosphere that they’ve cultivated already here.”

Before the facility opened this past weekend, Edwards said he had to get creative in order to train in the winter.

“We were going to gyms to practice, so we were kind of slipping everywhere but this place is just amazing. Now we can use this in the winter,” Edwards said.

“Places in the tri-city area, not too far, they’re great places too but we needed some place like this that’s close to us,” Davidson said. “Since it’s here, [it’s] pretty soon to the opening day and it’s already full. So, lots of things going right for these guys already.”

While the facility is geared towards training high level baseball players, it’s also available for people to just come and try the sport out.

“We have everyone here. I was here today, a couple of young boys, I’d say they’d probably be eight years old with their dad just hitting off the tee, genuinely just enjoying the game of baseball,” Ysselstein said.

Ysselstein said Guelph has one of Canada’s highest levels of baseball players per capita and hopes The War Room will be the place where future stars will be made.