Hitting Academy Helps Kids Excel in Baseball and Life

Rob Ciaravino knew from the moment he graduated from Seminole High School that he wanted to be a baseball instructor.

The owner of the , a 12,400 sq. ft. facility located just north of the corner of US 19 North and Sunset Point Road, was giving batting lessons to area kids in his parent’s garage at the age of 19.

He even told his college coach that he was “there to learn how to be a coach” and not necessarily to excel as a player.

“I knew I wanted to coach baseball for the rest of my life,” Ciaravino said.

After being the head baseball coach at for four years and conducting private lessons, Ciaravino, a Clearwater resident and married father of four, opened the Hitting Academy in 2007, and he’s been improving kids baseball skills ever since.

“I wanted to devote all my time and energy to helping kids get better at baseball by doing it the right way,” he said. “My goal was to be a resource for the community, to bring baseball instruction to Main Street and away from the back lots.” 

Since its opening, more than 1,400 kids have passed through the Hitting Academy’s doors. Ciaravino estimates he and his coaches have conducted 15,200 lessons, each one dedicated to helping the participant improve their skills as a player, which in turn helps them grow as people.

“The kids gain a lot of confidence coming here, and that helps them have more confidence in the classroom, on the field and in life,” Ciaravino said.

That confidence is gained by offering the students a complete instructional package, which includes the use of a state of the art digital swing analysis software program, high-tech pitching machines, weight training equipment and personal one-one-one coaching sessions.

His coaching staff includes Pete Kotz, an ex-Devil Ray and East Lake High standout; Rick Stegbauer, a former catcher for USF and the Los Angeles Angels; and Bree Spence, a former softball star at Countryside High and USF.

The Hitting Academy is open to the public and generally trains kids ages 8 to 14, but Ciaravino stresses that the best way for a player of any age to get better is through repetition.

“We like to start with the kids before bad habits are formed," Ciarvino said. "Once they stop training, it’s real easy for the muscles to forget what they were taught."

Major leaguers have been known to drop in to dispense professional advice or conduct a clinic, including Josh Hamilton of the Rangers, Ryan Howard of the Phillies, and Tampa product and ex-Ray Fred McGriff. 

But the heart and soul of the Hitting Academy are the kids who have benefitted from the instruction they have received there, like current Jesuit star Tommy Georgevich and standouts Nicolas and Carlos Dohse.

"I started coming here when I was a sophomore," Carlos Dohse, now a senior, said while waiting for a lesson. "This place has helped my game tremendously."

With a growing membership and limited space, Ciaravino hopes to open another place soon. He has already gone through the franchise approval process; now all he needs is to find the right employees and location.

“It’s important for me to stay consistent with my beliefs and standards when it comes to instructing kids," Ciaravino said. "I don’t want to sacrifice my standards for the sake of a few extra dollars.”

If you go:

The Hitting Academy 

Address: 24323 US Highway 19 N. 

Hours: From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. 

Phone: 727-723-2255