Rising To The Top

	Top Tier and DIPT: Synonymous with Elitism      Talk about elite caliber tournament baseball programs and Illinois’ Top Tier has to be in the conversation.  What this organization does for aspiring athletes is akin to a lion raising its cub to hunt, fight, survive and eventually reign in the jungle.  First of all the program hosts several tryouts and showcases year-round for all ages, allowing the athletes to get a realistic assessment of their abilities.  Players come from hundreds of miles around to see where their speed, glove, arm and bats rank.  Most have collegiate ambitions and some, pro.  Are they good enough for the college scouts?  Can they make the Top Tier team which competes nationally in the toughest tournaments?  Are they willing to practice   year-round, and at off peak times?  If the answer to these questions is yes, then there could be a spot available on the team.
	Players are beginning to understand what owner Todd Fine has long known; you only reach your full potential when you’re greatly challenged.  By surrounding yourself among other good players and competing at high levels, a player’s best abilities must rise to the top in order to win.  This is a part of the Top Tier formula for success, which began in 1995.       What’s even better about the program is the notoriety players receive for superb athletic achievements.  The scouting director Sean Duncan runs the Prep Baseball Report, a publication which highlights the states elite players’ physical attributes and projects their future potential.  The Prep Baseball report breeds passion and focus, as it brings attention to a previously unknown fact –Illinois and the Midwest in general has a host of premier talent that can play at the next level.
	Before the exposure of talent that Fine and Duncan brought to the light, most coaches and scouts simply flocked to the south for players.  Naturally with year- round warm climates, athletes can play outdoors longer and consequently tend to have stronger arms and greater speed on the average, versus athletes from the north.  The heat allows the muscles to loosen up and lengthen.  An athlete playing three to four seasons per year since the age of 8 years old, is typically going to be more adept than the same from colder climates where inclement weather prevents as much repetition and experience.  Overall, this makes it tough for colder climate athletes to compete for scholarship spots unless strategic pathways are developed.  Picking from the best of the best in the state, naturally makes it a bona fide program.  Many colleges regularly look to the Top Tier rosters for their next potential prospects.  Each year, dozens of players are obtaining college and professional selections, a true testament to the organization’s credence.
What Top Tier has done with its elite recruitment, competition and exposure, DIPT has historically accomplished through our elite player development programs.  Our specialized equipment and specific programming overcomes any obstacles or lack or resources, otherwise hindering development and maximum performance.  Equipment like the patented 360 degree / 31mph high speed treadmill can run in the dead of winter, and the Absolute Power Batting Simulator can operate regardless of the weather.  DIPT’s patented ARM=ED™ program increases arm strength during the months where getting outside is impossible.  These tools serve as tangible resources which produce tangible results, consequently we stay busy year-round.
	Both Top Tier and DIPT have found strategic ways to overcome the obstacles of limited exposure, and under development for promising athletes, continuing to pave the way for players to reach their dreams.  Each organization is geared toward the serious athletes, who understand the premium and commitments necessary for success.  With high goals and tough competition comes a high responsibility.  Both organizations gladly endorse each other.  Many Top Tier athletes see our performance enhancement programs as a viable key to success, and likewise we recommend many high level players to the Top Tier organization.  We have a history of domination.  Year in and year out, many of our athletes are breaking school and state records, and reaching the next level in multiple sports at such a frequency that the hungry athletes seem to find us.  And this is how we want it.  For over a decade we have never advertised because we only want the serious athletes.  This isn’t a daycare center.  The serious athletes, through word of mouth or seeking information find us one way or another.  This doesn’t mean that every athlete is elite, or that each one will be guaranteed to reach the next level, but it does mean that there is an approach to desiring to win.  There is a specific formula, and we have this formula and we teach it throughout our programs. Together we’re giving the elite athletes the proper vehicle to reach their goals.  Are there other premier baseball programs around? Assuredly.  Do other businesses offer speed training? Of course.  What is unique about Top Tier and DIPT is that the burden of distinction lies in the results of the athletes.  Both organizations have a long history and an unprecedented number of athletes at the next level.  And even those who may have not made it that far came away with an experience and a formula for success.  Striving toward being the best you can, by surrounding yourself with likeminded people and an environment that will challenge you beyond your comfort zone.

Recent Top Tier and DIPT Athletes

ATHLETE	HIGH SCHOOL	CLASS	SIGNED	ATTRIBUTE
Ricky Alfonso	Barrington	11	U. of Indiana	Lefty Bat / 6.7 60 Yard dash
Anthony Drago	Lake Zurich	13	Unsigned	Lefty Bat / 93mph BESR
Tyler Feece	Vernon Hills	13	Unsigned	LHP Mid 80’s/ Great command
Tanner Kiser	Lake Zurich	13	Unsigned	Lefty Bat / 90+ BESR/  + Arm
Chris Marras	Vernon Hills	12	Butler U.	1.9 Pop time/ Above average bat
Austin Miller	Grayslake Central	11	Butler U.	6.8 60 Yard dash / Solid defender
Matt Ryan	Carmel	12	Unsigned	Produces good power at plate
Wyatt Spector	Lake Zurich	12	Depauw U.	6’ 4” LHP Mid 80’s w/ great upside
Corey Speck	Stevenson	14	Unsigned	LHP Great command
Adam Walton	Stevenson	12	U. of Illinois	6.6 60 Yard dash on grass

Shout out to my friends at the Top Tier organization and Prep Baseball Report.  Keep up the good work and remember…

“Every Act Of Greatness Is Met With Violent Opposition From The Mediocre.”

                                                                                                                             -Zig Ziglar

Coach O