Local Baseball Facility Features Strong Wilmington Ties

When Steve Silva opened six years ago he knew that he had one main goal for his customers. Silva simply wanted them to have fun while they learned the game of baseball.

Sounds easy enough but baseball is a skill and without the right facility and instructors, it can be a tough skill to share. 

Today Extra Innings has a brand new home at 890 East Street in Tewksbury, along with a talented training staff who are, as a group, committed to sharing the game that they love so much. Open since February 2012, the new facility is just steps from the previous location and boasts 17,000 square feet of surface area. 

While the Extra Innings building may be in Tewksbury, it is equally as tied into the Wilmington community. Silva, who grew up in Wilmington, has longstanding ties to the local sports community and many of his instructors, including Steve Peterson and Kenny Luongo are from Wilmington.

Both are strongly committed to their hometown and enjoy working with local players. Peterson is  hoping to keep climbing the ranks towards a potential shot with the Milwaukee Brewers.

At Extra Innings, there are six multi-use tunnels that are 70-feet long by 18-feet wide along an additional tunnel that is 70 by 12. With enough space to support mini team play and batting and pitching, top notch instruction and a well stocked pro shop, Extra Innings is, without a doubt a full service practice facility.

Four core instructors make up the Extra Innings team and each one of them shares the same attitude about teaching baseball.

“No matter what level of ball player they walk in as we simply want them to get better and, at the same time, to be happier with their game,” said Silva.

Each instructor has their own extensive baseball history including a variety of high school, college and even professional experience that they are eager to share with young players. General Manager Corey Carter along with Peterson, Luongo, and Mike Oliveria combine to offer hitting, catching, fielding and pitching instruction to students of all ages and skill levels.

In addition, the Extra Innings facility also serves as the winter workout home for the Nor’easters as well as other select teams. The newest addition to the programs at Extra Innings will be additional training courses in conjunction with CATZ of Wilmington.

These classes will be “public friendly” and include speed and agility as well as strength and conditioning for local athletes. Proper training helps players avoid injury and for Silva and his team that is a huge priority.

The immediate future is, of course, fall ball and at Extra Innings that means that the fall baseball season is about to about to come into full swing. Fall baseball features travel baseball experience with two games (doubleheaders) each game day and “speed up rules” to keep the action moving. Players have the benefit of professional coaches and plenty of playing time.

As their sign says fall ball is a chance to, “Have fun while you learn the game.”

Extra Innings truly is a facility with something for every player.  While they offer competitive training packages for members they also offer rentals and lessons to non-members looking for an introduction to the game. The facility offers a casual, friendly atmosphere geared towards players age six and up with varying levels of baseball experience. 

For more information about Extra Innings visit them online and find them on Facebook.