Mount Prospect approves baseball facility's relocation

Mount Prospect village trustees on Tuesday approved Play Ball USA's pitch to relocate one of its sports training and teaching facilities to a new location in town.

The business plans to move to 2060 Carboy Road from its existing location at 412 E. Business Center Drive. It also will maintain its other existing facility, a player development academy, at 604 W. Central Road.

Play Ball USA specializes in baseball and softball training, focusing on individual development, for players ages 4 and older. Programs include individual lessons, group lessons and team practices in pitching, hitting, defense, running drills, and strategy.

The business also runs travel teams for players ages 8 to 14.

"We teach baseball skills, softball skills. We also teach camaraderie, team effort, respect for one another," owner Ross Wolfson said.

Play Ball USA is open on days students are out of school, "so we give the kids a place to be, as opposed to being somewhere they might not want to be," he added.

The new location will have large open areas of artificial turf, retractable batting cages, and mounds for pitching and catching. It will operate from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Wolfson said the new location will be larger than the Business Center Drive site and likely will open in two or three months, when the facility receives its permits.

"In many ways, I think Mount Prospect is becoming a little bit of a sports center," said Mayor Paul Hoefert, noting the ice rinks and other athletic facilities in town. "Clearly, that attracts people to the village for tournaments and such, and we all know they end up having lunch here or dinner, maybe staying overnight."