Gurnee baseball, softball academy suddenly closes

A Gurnee baseball and softball training facility suddenly closed, leaving parents wondering what will happen with the fees they have paid.

BatSpeed, a 25,000-square-foot year-round indoor facility, also operates five competitive baseball travel teams in which parents have already paid nearly $3,000 each for their sons to play this summer. The fees go toward uniforms, tournaments, practice time and paying coaches.

BatSpeed owner Scott Czerniejewski, who also runs the Lakeside Legends travel program, sent an email to customers informing them that the facility closed due to a serious illness he is suffering. Czerniejewski, who did not return phone calls Wednesday, has not yet told all the instructors what is going on.

"I've been coaching for 20 years and I have never seen anything like this," said Heath Cummings, head baseball coach at the College of Lake County and a coach for one of the summer travel teams at BatSpeed.

Cummings, whose college team has practiced at the training facility for the past six years, said he met with Czerniejewski several weeks ago to talk about summer baseball tournaments. At that time it was "game on," said Cummings, who was planning to coach a 16-year-old travel team.

"It's unfortunate for the kids," Cummings said. Each of the five travel teams has about 15 players. Cummings said several other travel programs in the area have offered to try to help the teams from BatSpeed at cost.

BatSpeed opened about nine years ago. It expanded four years ago to its current location at 880 Lakeside Drive and at one time employed about 20 instructors.

At one time, the facility ran nine travel teams. That number has declined to five as competition has grown in the area.