Sports
Gimme 5: Local Instructor Scoglio Goes to Bat for Kids
Tony Scoglio has been giving hitting lessons for more than 20 years in the Homewood-Flossmoor community.
Many past and present youth baseball and softball players recognize Tony Scoglio by name, if not by face. He has been teaching the basics of hitting a baseball/softball for 21 years now in Homewood, Flossmoor and the surrounding areas.
“I used to be an instructor at the old Grand Slam in Glenwood,” Scoglio said. “I played for the team there many years ago, and they asked me to be an instructor. I have been doing it ever since.”
What gives Scoglio joy each year is seeing a young ballplayer improve his or her hitting skills after taking lessons.
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“Each year, I look for that special kid,” Scoglio said. “I had a kid a few years ago who kept me in this business. I thought about quitting, but he kept coming for lessons and got better and better. By his junior year (in high school), major league scouts were looking at him.”
One of the frustrating parts of Scoglio’s job is dealing with parents who think their children are better ballplayers than they really are.
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“I try to tap into each hitters capabilities," Scoglio said.
He has one basic key to being a successful hitter.
“You need to learn how to track the ball with your face and not your eyes,” Scoglio said. “You don’t see the ball with your eyes, but with your brain. If you do this, I can guarantee you it will raise your batting average 50 to 100 points.”
One of the unique aspects of Scoglio’s training that he has been using for years and has now been copied by others involves hitting ping pong balls.
“I was using those along with thunder sticks before anybody else was," he said. “Most professional sports experts say hitting a fastball is the hardest thing to do, but I don’t agree with that. I feel hitting a breaking ball is more difficult.”
The most common problem Scoglio sees with hitters involves pulling their head and not throwing their hands at the ball properly. And they try to use their muscles as opposed to using their brains. He continues to provide lessons in the same plaza where Grand Slam was located in Glenwood.
For more information, call Tony at (708)-990-9000, email him at tscoglio@gmail.com or check out his webpage at tonyscoglio.blogspot.com
