A Big League Camp with Major League Impact

This time one year ago, the founders of Big League Camp had a concept and a vision as to what they wanted to bring to McDowell County.

“This is a vision that I’ve had for a while, going back close to five years, and it’s really exciting to see what has been accomplished here,” said manager and co-owner Donnie Suttles. “The group of owners and contributors, Dennis Whitson, Stacy Crisp and Jeff Bryant, has helped in getting this concept up and running. I think the folks of McDowell County are going to be excited as to what we have to provide for the young athletes of this area.

Now, after a year of hard work and commitment to that vision, those ideas became reality as the McDowell Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony that officially opened the doors to the public for the first time on Saturday, November 18, 2017.

Located at 3645 Yancey Road, Big League Camp will begin its mission of providing residents here in McDowell County and all of western North Carolina with a state-of-the-art facility that will help provide and assist in both physical and skill development in various sports, recreational and team-building activities. The facility, which is nearly done to completion minus a few cosmetic touch-ups, includes two outdoor turf fields, suitable for higher level baseball and softball, along with an indoor turf workout center that folks of all ages can utilize.

The facility will also feature several newly built cabins that will be available for rental to groups or individually later on after the initial launch. Kayak and canoe rentals will also be available with easy access to both Lake James and the Catawba River.

It will include up to 10 batting cages along with pitching mounds and simulators for both baseball and softball. The inside can also be converted from a hitting and pitching station to a full infield layout where team throwing and fielding drills can be performed. The turfed area can also be of use for other various sports as well.

Big League Camp will begin scheduling private and group skill-development lessons that will include instruction from various college and some professional coaches and/or retired players.

The Chamber sponsored grand opening was the first opportunity for local residents to see what Big League Camp will have to offer for children and young adults.

For more information on all the features available at Big League Camp visit their website at www.bigleaguecamp.com.