Facility Profile: Metro West Sportscenter, Ashland, Mass.

The On Deck Sports team recently worked with the staff at Metro West Sportscenter in Ashland, Mass., to design and supply their new facility, which opened in September 2011.

Renovation of the 15,000-square-foot building, which previously housed a car dealer and auto repair shop, began in May. On Deck outfitted the space with five 70’ x 12’ batting cages, each of which have customized nylon netting, windscreen barriers, premium L-screens, pitcher’s mounds, and the Clay Batting Mat Pro. Four of the five cages include adjustable Jugs pitching machines, while the other uses an auto-feed machine.

On Deck also furnished the facility with netting that can divide the 5,000-square-foot turf floor into as many as three smaller fields.

With the onset of cold weather in New England, Metro West already has a busy winter schedule. Four- to nine-week baseball clinics are ongoing for a variety of ages and skill levels, while 3-week softball clinics with a variety of focuses (basic fundamentals, pitching, catching and slap hitting) are on tap. A 4-on-4 softball league for high school players starts in December, and a pair of one-day lacrosse camps were recently held. “Empower” one-hour fitness workouts take place at the complex four mornings per week.

The facility will also host the new Metro West Vipers AAU baseball team and the Abbey Villa youth soccer organization for off-season workouts.

A pair of former baseball teammates at Colby-Sawyer (N.H.) College helped to develop the complex: Ashland native Joey Magnani, who previously worked at the On Deck-supplied Extra Innings facility in Wrentham, Mass., and Mike Croatti, who grew up in neighboring Framingham and is the head baseball coach at Algonquin Regional High School. The two teamed with Metro West’s business and accounting manager, Chris Billings, to see the project to completion.

The facility’s staff also includes Rich Piergustavo, a former associate scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, as the baseball and softball supervisor. A pair of four-year starters from Roger Williams (R.I.) University, as well as the head coach of an area showcase team, are among the softball instructors.

Based in Brockton, Mass., On Deck Sports is the leader in designing, installing, and supplying indoor sports facilities throughout North America. For more information, visit the Facility Portfolio page on OnDeckSports.com.